It’s been a few weeks since I last shared something on this
blog (that Spiff record is one of my recent favorites though). So I think the
third “Commercial Music” collection of odds and ends – obscure B sides, demos,
or good songs on otherwise mediocre albums – is certainly called for.
This one is by far my favorite of these compilations. It’s
the most diverse, and almost every song is solid, whether it’s an unheard demo song demo, a new band, or classic post punk. Here’s what’s in store for you:
Atoms for Peace were a Gainsville, FL based new wave band
who self-released one album in 1985 and then.. nothing. The record is pretty
obscure, and for the most part it has not held up as well as other new wave
records. But the second song on the album, Pictures, is a total classic that
builds intensely from a few acoustic guitar strums to a crashing Bunnymen-esque
post punk song with some pretty cool vocal delays during the refrain.
Next is an extremely obscure Belgian band who self-released one LP in 1987 on the ominously-named “Mahomet’s Holy War”
label. Apparently only 50 copies of it
were pressed, and it has been pretty unknown (obviously due to its scarcity)
for many years. But their sole record is becoming more and more of a holy
grail, and this song is a killer post punk song that sounds
very similar to the great Dutch band Mecano – huge thanks to Lesypersound for
this rip!
Next up is a forgotten UK new wave band. This song is
the B side of their sole 12 inch from 1985. While the A side is really nothing
special, the B side is excellent and falls squarely in the Flock of Seagulls
vein of synthpop (admit it, you like it).
Work of Fiction released one song on one of those hundreds
of local band compilations that were so prevalent in the 80s. They were from upstate New York. The vocals are
quite cheesy (imagine Robert Smith crossed with Rick Astley), but the great
synths on the song make it worthwhile.
Next up is a Missouri-based band who released one 12” EP
that contained three pretty standard AOR pop songs and one quite good new wave
song with a nice repetitive synth rhythm.
That new wave song is followed up with a Florida-based goth band who had a few
songs on various compilation records but have otherwises remained quite obscure. These guys were
unapologetically, humorlessly goth. And while their earnestness may sound a bit
cheesy now, this song inexplicably holds a place in my heart. My cold, black,
unbeating heart.
Many of you will be familiar with the next band, whose style of industrial is heavily influenced by early Front 242, Nitzer Ebb,
et al, with all the leather fetishism that comes with the genre. This song is
from one of their extremely limited (13 copies only!) demo CDs that were sold on a 2008 west coast tour, when the "band" was just one person
singing and thrashing around to prerecorded music.
We follow that song up with a Detroit band who, had one song on a
completely unknown compilation the late 80s, and that’s pretty much it. It’s a shame, since this track “You
Make It Hard” is a pretty great synthpop track somewhat in the vein of late-80s Depeche Mode.
Next is another Michigan band, Clambake, who recorded a couple
extremely limited cassettes (including a Christmas album!) and faded into
obscurity. Their music was synth-heavy and somewhat industrial, sounding very
similar to bands like Gelatinous Citizen. This song became better known after
it was re-recorded by the industrial band Shock Therapy, with whom they collaborated.
Jezebel and the Nudes were your average female-fronted new
wave/disco crossover band. They had one 12” EP in 1983 that has three somewhat
forgettable songs, and then ends with this great dramatic disco-wave song chock
full of synths and electronics.
The next band was a trio active in the early 80s who
released two very limited albums (only 500 copies were pressed of their debut,
from which this song Chasing Moroder was taken). For the most part, they played
a mix of new age and improvisational jazz, but analog synth nuts will
absolutely freak over this song, which features a steady kr-55 rhythm and
pulsating, gurgling and crashing electronics and stabs of effected guitar noise. It truly sounds like its namesake
– if Moroder was being chased in his nightmares.
After a deranged electro song, what's more polar opposite than an extremely underrated Manchester indie band active
in the early 90s. Their music was a mix of Britpop,
shoegaze, and bits and pieces of the Madchester sound. Virtually everything in their small catalog
is excellent, and this is one of my favorites.
Next is a Texas band who released a very
obscure 7” that contained one somewhat bland bar-rock song, and this song, a blistering
and absolutely killer blast of post punk fury that sounds like an aggressive
version of For Against or Lung Overcoat. VERRRRRRRY great
Next up is another new-ish band with many hats. Some songs are
industrial dance, some are more electro, but this song (my personal favorite),
taken from their demo CD, is a post punk tour de force with a wonderfully thick
bassline.
The next band released a demo tape in the mid-80s, with songs
that paid a generous homage to The Cure. It’s not too surprising, as the band
would soon change their name and release an entire album of
Cure-esque goodness. This song was exclusive to the demo tape.
Day & Age were a San Francisco area band from the mid to
late 80s who self released one LP full of midtempo jazz-pop songs and one great
(but definitely cheesy) synthpop song. Their bio states that they were proud to
announce that it was played on Live 105 during a midday program, so perhaps
SOMEONE else out there heard it.
After that is a UK new wave band who released a
couple extremely obscure and LPs. Their
first one was a dark, if amateur, Joy Division-inspired album; their second LP
(from which this song was taken) found them a lot more matured but still with a
dark edge. I’m only sharing one song of theirs because you can buy their entire
recorded output at CD Baby –it is highly recommended!
Unless you collect Christian ska compilations ,
you’re quite likely to have missed the next band's only recorded output. Contrary
to the rest of that compilations, this band played a dramatic and quite
dark synth-heavy post punk full of reverb.
The last band is filed under “freestyle” pretty much 100%
of the time they are mentioned on the net. Freestyle fans apparently know a
good thing when they hear it, but I have to say that this is “freestyle” the
same way that 90s synthpop bands like Cause and Effect or Red Flag were
“freestyle”. Which is to say… not really that much. But no matter how you want
to label this song, it is pretty much the best synthpop song of the early 90s –
an absolutely beautiful, epic, melodic and perfect synthpop masterpiece. HUGE
thanks to Lesypersound for this one!
Where can you hear this treasure trove? Right here!
Posts
