Here we have a very rare minimal synth 7" out of the UK -- I don't even think it has a discogs entry yet. In any case this isn't easy to come by and won't come cheap (not unlike many other posts here, but that's kind of the point of this blog!), so... Enjoy!
Here we have yet another lone release by a band that should have had the opportunity to give us more. A really nice private release 7" on Reason To Live Records out of Sweden. The title track is instantly pleasing, an upbeat analog synth masterpiece. It almost reminds me of Beborn Beton at times, strangely enough. The b-side doesn't jump out at you, instead more of a downtempo approach, but let it develop and by the end of it I think you'll enjoy it just as much. A true minimal synth gem. Enjoy!
Really brilliant and hard to come by minimal synth 7" out of the UK, the only release by Trem that I am aware of... The title track is also available on then Once Bitten compilation LP. Can't say I know much else about this one, I'm afraid. Maybe someone can provide more info? Enjoy.
Nice 7" limited to 1,000 copies by the Swedish new wave band Seppuku. You may recognize them from 2004's various artists compilation, Reminiscent, which features the songs "Assignment France" and "Man Utan Moral". This release features two very nice tracks, I think I'm slightly more fond of the b-side, which is listed as "Under Your Controll" on the record sleeve. Enjoy!
Updated info received: This was not created as a wedding gift as previously stated here and elsewhere. I have been contacted with the following info:
A group of friends wrote and recorded Fou d'Amour in 1987 in the north of France. One of them was a musician with a small music studio. It was an independent production, not assigned to any record label. They were interviewed on local radio about the song and the inspiration. A freelance illustrator friend designed the cover and another friend took the photo of the group (on back cover).
This is probably one of the best obscure wave records to come out of the US. Highly sought after -- and for good reason. Four solid tracks of dark electronics, guitars, and female vocals. Unfortunately there are only 4 tracks on this, their only release. It certainly leaves you wanting more. Don't miss it. Enjoy!
Ignatius Jones is an Australian actor who was initially the lead singer of the band Jimmy And The Boys in the late 70s and early 80s, before breaking solo to create the following releases. On Like A Ghost, both the title track and "It's No Reason" were originally written by Steve Kilbey of The Church. You'll find that Jones' versions add a bit more of a new wave flair to the songs. The next release, Whispering Your Name, is quite good as well and a bit hard to come by... I'll provide videos for each release below. Enjoy!
Oh, I believe there was also a 12" called Double Dance Monster, which had different versions (lengths) of each title-track, which I do not have, so if anyone out there wanted to share it... ;-)
Ignatius Jones - Like A Ghost (12") and (7") (1982)
12" Track List:
A1 - Like A Ghost (An M & M Mix)
A2 - Seductive Ways
B1 - Like A Ghost (Original Version) (6:32)
B2 - It's No Reason
Another great synthpop/new wave release of the non-English variety (I'll get back to English soon enough!). This is a curiously named release by a band that had one LP with one single, which essentially means everything they've done is their best, and I suppose no one can argue that! It is indeed an enjoyable listen throughout. Most of these tracks are from their Nur Für Mädchen LP, hold the final track "Video King", which was the b-side to their "Gletscher" single.
Track List:
01 - Computer-Mädchen
02 - Mädchen (Lass Das Sein)
03 - Mein Ding
04 - Ich Möcht' Ich Wär' 1 Millionär
05 - 50 Jahr, Blondes Haar
06 - Gangster Tscha Tscha
07 - Gletscher
08 - Wir Tanzen
09 - Spieglein, Spieglein
10 - Video King Download (sendspace) Download (direct)
Here we have a great LP out of Germany by the synthpop act Stahlnetz. It sounds a bit like a more melodic Grauzone, and is similar to Bizarre Leidenschaft, if you liked that. Hopefully I have some NDW fans out there, so these posts aren't all for not ;-x. This is pretty good throughout, I suppose a notable track would be the single "Vor all Den Jahren", but other favorites would be the opening and closing tracks. Enjoy!
Track List:
A1 - Der Seemann Und Die Stewardeß
A2 - Romantisch
A3 - Fahr Doch Mit Dem Automobil
A4 - Der Wahre Schatz
A5 - Alles Gute
B1 - Schwarzes Gold
B2 - Matrosen
B3 - Vor all Den Jahren
B4 - Im Palast
B5 - Der Falsche Kuß
Here we have a very satisfying and rare italo-disco single by producer Django Seelenmeyer and German actress Anouschka Renzi. This was her one and only hit, and she made the best of it. I should note (and I am guilty of this) that people often overlook the instrumental versions of these italo records, because they're just not as interesting, or what have you -- but this one is pretty nice, worth paying attention to. Enjoy!
Track List:
A - Robot Love
B - Robot Love (Dub Instrumental Version)
Note: the band will be releasing their albums + extras for sale as downloadable mp3 beginning some time around October 23rd, at which time I will remove the links here. This is intended to be exposure for the band, I encourage you to support the artists and buy the songs when they are available! They will likely be much higher quality than you can find here anyway :)
Derriere Le Miroir are another band from the goth / synth / wave genre that were somehow overlooked -- for the most part. I assure you, it is not due to poor song-making. Below you will find a full discography (2 cassettes, 3 albums, 2 eps, 1 "best of"), as well as 4 unreleased tracks given to me by Ralf (vocalist), which was very nice of him! Ralf is also a member of the more well-known band, In My Rosary, which are a bit more goth/folk and a bit less pop. I recommend the tracks "Uniforms" and "Soul Tide", however, they are all good!
As for Derriere Le Miroir... their sound is dark, emotional, and sometimes danceable. There are both male and female vocalists, delivering an incredible batch of lyrics and melodies that should please any fan of the broader wave pop genre. Anyone looking for a taste should start with "Selected 1992-1995", which is a nice compilation. Look below for a video of the band performing "Alibis".
Now, without further ado...
Devant Les Mots (demo) (1992)
You are not likely to find this elsewhere. I do not have the album art for this first demo tape, I received it from Ralf, who said:
"Devant Les Mots" was our very first demo tape. It contained 5 tracks ("Simple Blue", "L'autre Mort", "Alibis", "Detach" and as hidden track "Out Of It") which we recorded on a 4-track cassette recorder in our rehearsal room. It was distributed by Spirit Records, but since we went to a studio shortly after its "release" and recorded the songs for "Deux", it was quickly deleted. I think we just sold 30 copies or so. The quality is, hm, quite poor, but I uploaded them as a zip file for you (if you are interested). I converted them last month because I first thought about taking some of them as bonus tracks for the digital re-releases, but then I thought this wouldn't be a very good idea ;-)
Well, I wouldn't push these as your first listen, but after you've heard them from the releases below, I think you will enjoy these versions, as I do.
Track List:
01 - Simple Blue 02 - L'Autre Mort 03 - Alibis 04 - Detach 05 - Out of It (Hidden Track)
01 - Fancy Garden 02 - Passion 03 - The Second Curtain 04 - Monk On A Rope 05 - Gold 06 - Lost 07 - A Notion of Light 08 - Headless Mourn 09 - Electric Chair 10 - Fancy Garden II
01 - Alibis 02 - The Second Curtain 03 - Gold 04 - G.T. 05 - Good Night 06 - Passion 07 - Mirror 08 - Detach 09 - A Notion of Light 10 - Like The Sun 11 - Lost 12 - Just Like You 13 - Alibis (Blue Mix) 14 - Simple Blue (Demo Version) 15 - Tonight 16 - The Same 17 - Silent Breath 18 - Everybody 19 - ???? 20 - The 3rd Fault
I decided to rip this record mainly because I have not seen it around anywhere, but also because the song "Secretaries from Heaven" is pretty damn good and ultra-catchy. It's a rather strange record, in that it starts out as a sort of rock album, until it gets to the aforementioned track, becoming almost an entirely new album -- or band, even.
I received this LP directly from the artist (Douglas Vasey) who also provided me with the "Wardance" 7inch, which I will post below for those interested. Here is what he has to say about the record:
"when i started in 79 guitar ruled; synths were new weird toys. to me, when i came up w/ it in 81, sfh was a parody of synth music- so simple it about played itself- but i had those great lyrics on hand, and the combination of the 2 was more than expected. tho i have done lots of synth based songs [even songs where what sounds like a guitar is overdriven synth-sig. bother, overcome] i still prefer more melodic /poetic compositions [not ballads, mind you! ugh!]. by the 90's it was apparent there was a real rift in music AND in my writing, so i reorganized my output accordingly into 2 bands- AI, & Earthbound. most people like the AI stuff better. however @ the time the lp came out it was still anything goes, so that makes the mix of songs included on it a bit of both. now its a relic, but i dont want anyone to feel cheated by its diversity..."
With that said, I'll admit I'm not too into the more rock-ish part of the album (the first 5 tracks), but then, my tastes are pretty synth-driven. The remainder of the record is a pretty enjoyable synth obscurity, though. So check it out!
Track list:
A1 - Blue Menace
A2 - No Face
A3 - Beautiful/Invisible
A4 - Summer
A5 - Death In The West
A6 - Secretaries From Heaven
B1 - Assassin
B2 - After The Fact
B3 - Chinese Take Away
B4 - Dub In The West
B5 - This Day In History
Another rare minimal synth 7" out of Sweden, this time by Sacred Moment. Once again this is (sadly) the bands only release. This record is a bit more bass/guitar oriented than the last post, but still plenty of synth-driven melody to accompany the dark, melancholic tone. Enjoy.
This is a great 7" out of Sweden, the only release by the band. Both sides are brilliant minimal synthpop. "East People" is probably my favorite of the two. It's been hard tracking this one down, until now. If you're looking to buy it, it's gonna cost you. Otherwise, enjoy!
Here we have an almost unheard of 7" out of the UK by Creatures of Habit. As far as I know, this is the only release by the band. Fortunately, both of the tracks they left us with are minimal synth gems, not to be missed! Enjoy.
This is a rip that I assume a few of you have been waiting to surface. A great Belgian collection of artists, including Bene Gesserit and Design. This version of Design's "Premonition" is exclusive to this release, and slightly different to their recently released 7" version (which is worth buying, I might add, get it here). Anyway, enough chit chat. Enjoy!
Track List:
A1 - Bitoks À La Russe - Tu Dois Partir
A2 - The Ashes - Desire You
A3 - Flowers By Throe - Give Us
A4 - Duty Free - The Warrior
A5 - Subject - Italian Summer
B1 - Darkness - When I Saw You
B2 - Nosy Parker - The Earth
B3 - Anonym - Bad Dreams
B4 - Cristal Swallow - Dying Alive
B5 - Bene Gesserit - From Brussels With Love For Our Japanese Friends
B6 - Design - Premonition
Here's a record that deserves a little more attention. Surely the most knowledgeable of you already know this one (or are lucky enough to own it), but I'm guessing many haven't yet had the pleasure. Fantastic minimal synthpop album out of Germany, that I can honestly say is a great listen from beginning to end. Favorites from this would be "Störung", "Geheimnis", and "Himbeerschokoladentorte". Don't be surprised if you're reminded of Grauzone on occasion. :) Check it out!
Here we have a very rare new wave LP out of Israel by Jean Conflict. This really has a nice dark and ethereal sound to it, with great male and female vocals. Rami Fortis (vocalist) was also a member of Minimal Compact. This record contains the fairly well-circulated track "One Day I Smile" which has a video that I'll post below. The few copies that are out there have the file names/tags all messed up, so I cleaned this up for you guys (and gals). There are a couple of hops/skips, but it's good otherwise. Enjoy!
Track List:
A1 - Exercise
A2 - One Day I Smile
A3 - Staki Paki
A4 - Different Ways
A5 - Hunters
B1 - Special Guest
B2 - Pictures (Live)
B3 - Asuan (Live)
B4 - Reflection of Art (Live)
B5 - Wires (Live)
Quite good and sought after maxi single by this short-lived minimal synth outfit out of Germany. Very melancholic and moody throughout. Each track has a its own personality without compromising the sound of the group. There are elements of post-punk, synthpop, and even italo disco-esque percussions. A little something for everyone. Enjoy.
A1 - Sleep
A2 - A Night Like This
B1 - Magic Carpet
B2 - In My Room
Here we have my favorite of the 4 singles released by this US synthpop band. This little nugget is ultra dark and club-ready, sure to get a few bodies moving on the dance floor. I'd have posted their other releases, but I'm not nearly as fond of them. Feel free to request, though. Anyway, enjoy!
Continuing with the italo-disco theme, I thought I'd post up another of my favorites. I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with this classic. It's certainly one of the best the genre has to offer. Not much more to say other than enjoy!
Track List:
A - Distant Planet
B - Distant Planet (Instrumental)
Rather than an italo-disco single, I thought I'd post up an entire LP that is actually quite good all the way through. This band is from Switzerland and if you look for their photo, you'll notice one member looks quite a bit like Martin Gore did at the time. I guess Depeche Mode look-a-likes aren't that much of a rarity. -- In any case, as I said before there are quite a few nice tracks on this one. "Disco Future" is a fairly well-known single, and another of my favorites "Sing With Me Tonight" should sit well with you. Enjoy!
I believe I had a request for some dark italo, the other day. Well, this is... dark... ish. Ok, maybe it's not that dark, but compared to some of the italo-disco that's out there... this will do ;D
Only release by the band that I'm aware of, this is the Maxi 12" and does not contain the radio version. I think you'll like this one a lot, it definitely has the italo synth magic that takes us on a dreamy ride. Corny? I needed a break from that heavy Lowlife stuff. Enjoy!
Track List:
A - Waiting For Heaven
B - Waiting For Heaven (Instrumental)
Full Discography here. I prefer the 2nd, myself. Here's some info taken from Lowlife's wiki page:
Dead Neighbours was an early-1980s psychobilly band from Grangemouth, Scotland, originally consisting of Craig Lorentson (vocals), David Steel (bass), Ronnie Buchanan (guitar) , and Grant McDowall (drums). The band was managed by Brian Guthrie, brother of Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins, and had recorded an album, Harmony in Hell (1982), that briefly hit the lower regions of the UK independent record charts.
In 1983, Steel left the Dead Neighbours in the middle of recording the band’s second album, Strangedays/Strangeways. Upon learning that Cocteau Twins founding member and bassist Will Heggie had recently departed that band (after a lengthy and reportedly difficult European tour), Guthrie asked Heggie to help Dead Neighbours out in finishing the album’s recording, and join them on a tour opening for Johnny Thunders. Heggie agreed and, after the album was completed and the tour was done, he stayed on and began rehearsing new material with the band. Guthrie noticed that with Heggie, the entire chemistry of the group suddenly changed and they began forging a completely new, atmospheric sound very different from their original Cramps-influenced beginnings. Apparently unhappy with the direction they were clearly aiming for, Buchanan abruptly departed the band. A new guitarist was brought in, Stuart Everest, who adapted quickly to the band’s updated vision. In 1984, the group retired the Dead Neighbours moniker for good and rechristened themselves as Lowlife.
Lowlife are easily one of the most under-rated bands of all time. I expect that most of my readers are very familiar, or at least somewhat familiar with their music. For those that are not, it's time!
I plan on posting a semi-discography of the band that came prior to Lowlife (Dead Neighbours) after this.
A quick summary on the sound: A perfect blending of post-punk/goth/shoegaze sounds. Heavy, melancholic vocals and some of the most ethereal, dark, and overall brilliant musical compositions you'll hear anywhere. The members shifted around a bit early on (ex-Cocteau Twins, etc) before settling on a final line-up, which produced some of the most saldy over-looked songs of the style/era. Comparable to a number of bands, including Joy Division, The Cure, SaTB, Chameleons, Cocteau Twins, Asylum Party, etc.
01 River of Woe
02 Where I Lay, I'll Lay
03 Missing The Kick
04 The Beggars Burning Bush
05 Moved To Tears
06 Bittersweet
07 Forever Filthy
08 Neverending Shroud
09 We The Cheated
10 Acrid Tongue Download
This is an incredible record out of Denmark that features both male and female vocals, over a variety of wonderful, dark synthpop tracks. Personal favorites from this one would be "Ranak's Song", "I Can Hear It", "You Have Been Called", and "Future Shock".
Track List:
A1 - I Am An Ad
A2 - Communication
A3 - Dawn of Time
A4 - Ranak's Song
A5 - I Can Hear It
B1 - You Have Been Called
B2 - The Door
B3 - Talking With Their Hands
B4 - Dreams Are The Stuff
B5 - Future Shock
Nice 7" limited to 1,000 copies by the Swedish new wave band Seppuku. You may recognize them from 2004's various artists compilation, Reminiscent, which features the songs "Assignment France" and "Man Utan Moral". This release features two very nice tracks, I think I'm slightly more fond of the b-side, which is listed as "Under Your Controll" on the record sleeve. Enjoy!
This is probably one of the best obscure wave records to come out of the US. Highly sought after -- and for good reason. Four solid tracks of dark electronics, guitars, and female vocals. Unfortunately there are only 4 tracks on this, their only release. It certainly leaves you wanting more. Don't miss it. Enjoy!
I decided to rip this record mainly because I have not seen it around anywhere, but also because the song "Secretaries from Heaven" is pretty damn good and ultra-catchy. It's a rather strange record, in that it starts out as a sort of rock album, until it gets to the aforementioned track, becoming almost an entirely new album -- or band, even.
Here we have a very rare new wave LP out of Israel by Jean Conflict. This really has a nice dark and ethereal sound to it, with great male and female vocals. Rami Fortis (vocalist) was also a member of Minimal Compact. This record contains the fairly well-circulated track "One Day I Smile" which has a video that I'll post below. The few copies that are out there have the file names/tags all messed up, so I cleaned this up for you guys (and gals). There are a couple of hops/skips, but it's good otherwise. Enjoy!
Here we have my favorite of the 4 singles released by this US synthpop band. This little nugget is ultra dark and club-ready, sure to get a few bodies moving on the dance floor. I'd have posted their other releases, but I'm not nearly as fond of them. Feel free to request, though. Anyway, enjoy!
Continuing with the italo-disco theme, I thought I'd post up another of my favorites. I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with this classic. It's certainly one of the best the genre has to offer. Not much more to say other than enjoy!
Rather than an italo-disco single, I thought I'd post up an entire LP that is actually quite good all the way through. This band is from Switzerland and if you look for their photo, you'll notice one member looks quite a bit like Martin Gore did at the time. I guess Depeche Mode look-a-likes aren't that much of a rarity. -- In any case, as I said before there are quite a few nice tracks on this one. "Disco Future" is a fairly well-known single, and another of my favorites "Sing With Me Tonight" should sit well with you. Enjoy!
Track List:
This contains an early version of the great Lowlife track "Coward's Way".
Big thanks to Earthcub/Sean for providing this rip and completing the discography!
Lowlife are easily one of the most under-rated bands of all time. I expect that most of my readers are very familiar, or at least somewhat familiar with their music. For those that are not, it's time!
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