Wednesday, April 7, 2010

ACTUEL: Monuments LP

Nashville: it's not just for country music any more. Or at least, that was the case in the 80s. With a steady stream of bands like Factual , Warm Dark Pocket Dessau, and others, this town bucked its bumpkin image in the Reagan era with some bands that stayed true to the cold, synthetic and detached sounds emanating from Europe.
Actuel (originally called The Actuals) was another such band. Members of Dessau and Factuel were both in this band at various times, but at its core, Actuel was a duo whose mix of coldwave guitars, synths and drum machines, melancholy vocals, and a perfect bit of pop sensibilities made them regional stars. Unfortunately, with only a couple 12"s and this self-released LP (which compiles the 12" tracks), their legacy is pretty much forgotten. Perhaps that will change now, once people get the chance to hear them. There are quite a few great songs here (my favorite being the slow, somber "No Regrets".)

Actuel: Monuments LP
1984, Actuel Records
A1 You And I
A2 East To West
A3 Things
A4 Say You Will
B1 No Regrets
B2 Monuments
B3 Just Imagine
B4 Until Another Time

Click here to download this record!

10 comments:

Vanilla Face said...

You know I'm gonna download this one.

Anonymous said...

This is wonderful, thank you!!

Anonymous said...

Oh sorry, this is kinda lax, boring and cheesy pop-wave rocking. This has really nothing to do with cold wave or underground music anyway. In no way unique and no must-have. It's no wonder that no-one knows them, and it should have been so! Awful!

TymexPyres said...

PErhaps you'll comeback...?

Anonymous said...

this is awesome,listen everyday :) thank you

viagra online said...

I didn't know enough about Actuel so I realized they're incredible since I listened their music, they've excellent tracks for example You And I
and East To West are two perfect songs you have to listen them because this is terrific.m10m

Anonymous said...

How great to find this record on here. It was actually quite well-known in France and the Netherlands in mid 80s. Recorded in San Fransisco, Nashville and released in Europe. Downloaded it and sound is awesome.

AlexOverseas said...

Thanks a lot for this, I remember hearing them when they came out, probably heard them on CFNY as The Spirit of Radio from Toronto or a Rochester college radio station.

Had one song on cassette and always wanted the rest but could never find it. Thanks for the download!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for making this available. I'll download it myself, as I only have it on vinyl (it's my band & album). thanks, SD Anderson

Stephen said...

Thanks for bringing this back!