Step Chant Unit - Painting Pictures (1985)

Finally, a new post. This 12" is pretty pop for this blog, but visits us all the way from New Zealand, so the least I can do is give it a fair shake. Step Chant Unit were a pop/wave group featuring Zed Brookes (bass, vocals), Neville Sergent (drums, percussion), Sue Toms (keyboards) and a succession of guitarists, including Brian Brighting, Mark Wilson and Roy Forlong. The band was active from 1983-1987, releasing this record and a cassette called "I.C. Dream" in '83, which I do not have to share, unfortunately. The title track spent some time in the NZ charts, and reminds me a bit of The Psychedelic Furs. The b-side contains a slightly darker track and a pretty nice spaced-out/filtered mix of Painting Pictures. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Painting Pictures

B1 - The Game

B2 - Painting Pictures (Alternative Mix)

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Glass Lady - Glass Lady (1985)

Here's a serious favorite plucked from obscurity, at long last. It took a few years, but I finally tracked this baby down. Freshly ripped by yours truly and passed over to my partner in crime, Frankie who you all know and love from the illustrious SOR blog, still going strong! He will be cross-posting this for added exposure, and for the story of how we first heard about this little gem.

We'd gotten together at a Martial Canterel show on a cold night in NYC, and Sean (MC) told us he had some tracks we needed to hear on tape. So we hopped in his ride and he played a collection of obscurities compiled by a friend and fellow collector in Germany. It didn't take long before our eyes lit up, and the hunt began. Frankie was able to track down one of the favorites we'd heard, which you can check out here. Both had eluded us until recently, which just goes to show it's often a matter of time and persistence.

The sound on this should be a lot better than the low quality rip we'd circulated before. I ripped it direct and Frankie EQ'd it perfectly, I'd say. Please do enjoy this quirky slice of New Wave history! Stay tuned for more.

Track List:

A - Glass Lady
B - Glass Lady (Dub)

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LOG - League Of Gentlemen (1985)

I know it's been a long time since a new post, yet again, so I figured I'd drop something off in time for xmas. 

Freshly ripped as of last night, we have a rather mysterious 12" from Switzerland. There's not a lot of info to be had about this one other than the fact that it was produced in 1985 with the help of one Peter Felippi, who appears to have released under his own name as well, back in '82. The band members are unknown and only referred to as "LOG".

In any event, they offered up 4 solid tracks of pure synthpop, exhibiting clear influences from Depeche Mode, Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark, and so on. There's a nice balance of style & approach between the dance-friendly opener "Computer Love" through to the carnival-esque ballad closing track "Car Park". Do enjoy, and we'll see you in 2016!

Track List:

A1. Computer Love

A2. Prostitute Sue

B1. Lite By Nite

B2. Car Park

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Near Paris re-issue on Medical Records LLC!!!

Unbelievably stoked to announce that the first contribution to the Medical Records LLC family will be NEAR PARIS. By far one of my favorite posts on this blog. Original post here.

This release includes the 4-track EP (their only release), and 7 demos lifted carefully from cassette by yours truly. I think you'll be pleased with the sound of them. Pre-order here:

http://medicalrecords.bandcamp.com/album/near-paris-mr-019

Absolutely essential LP my friends, let's keep this going so we can see more Crispy Nuggets posts turn into re-issues!

Thanks as always for the support!

Joy Before The Storm - Silence Ever After (1985)

This LP has got to be one of the best US minimal synth obscurities. The album art represents the sound rather accurately, like looking through the window of a sad loner, just him and his analog instruments. Hah. The best track is most definitely "We're All Alone", but there are a few other gems littered in there as well. It's been extremely difficult to find any useful information regarding this record, I found some miscellaneous info on another US band by the same name, but there's no evidence they are linked. Info always appreciated. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Attic Window
A2 - We're All Alone
A3 - These Things Happen
A4 - We Should Be Closer
A5 - Cheerleader
B1 - Shadow Of A Radio Tower
B2 - Walking On Air
B3 - Quiet Past
B4 - Westchester Siren

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Académie - Rendez Vous (1985)

Here's a 7" from France that should feel a bit familiar if you've been following the blog for a while. This was another project of Odile Arias of the band Vienna (which I've shared here and here). The sound is very similar, as there's almost no difference between the bands other than name. So, if you liked Vienna you'll like this too.

Other things of note: Two unreleased songs by the bands posted on CN5, and another Académie song here along with other great videos by both bands.

Enjoy!

Track List:

A - Rendez-vous
B - Rendez-vous (Instrumental)

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Calendar Crowd - Listen In To The Heart (1985)

Here's a tasty little number from the UK that I'd been tracking for quite some time, until stumbling upon it for a price that I'd consider irresistable. Well, as a result, here it is for your listening pleasure. The first 2 tracks are nice in their own gloomy, droning right... but the real gem from this one is "Perfect Hideaway Dub". There's a 7inch for that track, but unfortunately I don't have that one, as it is spaced out, icey minimal goodness. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Listen In To The Heart

B1 - Questions Answers

B2 - Perfect Hideaway Dub

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Secret Life - Searching (1985)

How about a 2nd post for the day to make up for the 10-day hiatus. Probably you've heard of Secret Life by now, as they're featured on a handful of ace compilations, including the recent (and great) Underground Belgian Wave Vol 2 on Walhalla Records. Most everything I've heard by them is good, and this 7" hasn't changed that one bit. Sound is something similar to Invisible Limits / Invincible Spirit. Enjoy!

Track List:

A - Searching
B - Aggression

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Velvascurge - Human Element (1985)

If you caught Goutroy's recent compilation of excellent obscurities then you probably noticed the excellent Velvascurge song "...In The Numbers". For me it's the standout track on the record (honorable mention to "Shadow (Reprise)"), but since I know many of you are just like myself and like to hear the whole thing... here it is! Velvascurge were a US trio from Miami, FL with only one other release in 1989, a CD called "Wiggley Snake" (thanks to Vinyl Obscurity for that info). Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Only The Shadow Knows
A2 - ...In The Numbers
A3 - Shadow (Reprise)
B1 - Wild Western World
B2 - Syndicated Life

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Tangible Joy - Movement (1985)

This is one of the best Belgian tapes you'll ever hear, I promise. Very hard to find self-released cassette that is perfect from beginning to end. You can get 2 of these tracks on the new Underground Belgian Wave Vol. 2 compilation. Both volumes recommended by the way! Don't want to miss this one. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - I Know It (I Read It In The Papers)
A2 - Move
B1 - Silent Adoration
B2 - Some Say I'm Drunk (But I'm Only In Love)

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Ivy's Day - In Another Time (1985)

For those of us who search high and low for the next hidden synth gem, it's often easy to feel discouraged, as though all the truly worthwhile items have all been found by now. That may be at least partially true, but every once in a while you discover something that renews your hope and keeps you in the hunt. This record represents that very experience for me.

Another French masterpiece (a true weakness of mine), this 7" has all the right elements for dark-tinged minimal synth wave greatness. I'd only discovered it at the end of last year, having never even heard of it before, so I'm fairly certain there aren't many copies of this kicking around. Have to say I love the artwork done by French cartoon artist Enki Bilal, as well. Hope you dig this one. Enjoy!

Track List:

A - In Another Time
B - In Another Time (Instrumental Remix)

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Jessica Blue - The Dark Of Light (1985)

This one's for the italo-disco fans out there, as it's been a while for the genre to make an appearance on this blog. This is the only Jessica Blue release that I'm aware of -- Now, I could be wrong on this, but... I'm pretty sure there was a law enacted in Italy that restricted italo-disco artists to just one release, at which point it was mandatory for them to disappear into obscurity forever. Well, at least that's what it seems like sometimes.

In any case, this 12" features three takes on essentially the same song, but it's a good'n. You can find a copy of this record through the usual outlets for what I'd consider a reasonable price. Well worth it for a gem such as this. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - The Dark Of Light (Club Mix)

B1 - The Dark Of Light (Radio Mix)

B2 - Is Just A Memory (Snow Mix)

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Tres - Smile On My Face (198x)

This is one of my personal favorites. A very obscure but brilliant band from Sweden, this 7" was the band's solo self-release. The band had written quite a few demos, but none of them ever made it to and official release (sadly). Their demos are amazing, btw. Stay tuned and one of them might pop up here... ;-)

As for this release, there are two solid synth-heavy tracks that I can't seem to get enough of... particularly "Operator", which may be fairly well-known by now. What a killer. Enjoy!

Track List:

A - Smile On My Face
B - Operator

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Janitors Animated - My God He's Terrible (1985)

Pretty nice Canadian mini LP with both hits and misses. The first miss being the album art. I know what you're thinking, but no, I didn't create that in MS paint, it's the real deal. The music inside the cover is thankfully a bit better. My favorites on this one are "Need To Go High" and "Drunkula". A few pops on my copy, but nothing too distracting. Check it out and enjoy.

Track List:

A1 - Need To Go High
B1 - In Synergy X
B2 - The Light
B3 - Drunkula
B4 - My God He's Terrible

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Various Artists - Climax (Cassette) (1985)

Well, I have to start this post by saying this is probably the best tape compilation I have ever heard. Probably the best compilation on any format, actually. I almost want to tell you to stop reading this and just download it ASAP. If you download anything from this blog, or forward anything I've posted to your friends, this would be a great place to start.

This tape features some of the best from Belgium. Absolutely crisp, dark, icey, danceable synth perfection throughout. Many of you will be familiar with the Asmodaeus track, as well as the Emotional Violence track called "Feeling The Cold", which has floated around the internet incorrectly tagged as "Asmodaeus - Feel The Cold".

There's an interesting and somewhat humorous note on the insert:

Writers note: it was my intention to make you a cassette with a large amount of variations and I succeeded quite good. You see, I bring you: depression of Asmodaeus, semi-industry with Magthea, romantic stuff from Somnambulist, commercial acts from Emotional Violence, Schicksal and Braindamage.

Haha! ..."and I succeeded quite good"... No arguments from me. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that this is, of course, related to the Climax Productions LP I posted a while back. Well, I think I've rambled enough about this for now. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Schicksal - Time
A2 - Schicksal - Saturday
A3 - Danton's Voice - I Hear The Bells
A4 - Somnambulist - Mystical Landscape
A5 - Braindamage - Captive
A6 - Asmodaeus - Radiation Dance
B1 - Somnambulist - Ashamed
B2 - Braindamage - Braindamage
B3 - Asmodaeus - Meet You In Poland
B4 - Emotional Violence - Spider's Web
B5 - Emotional Violence - Feeling The Cold
B6 - Magthea - City Fever
B7 - Magthea - Saxa Pullations

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Downers - December Rain (1985)

Well, I figure I might as well run the gamut with Tor Dybdahl releases. Well, almost anyway. As I mentioned in the previous post, Downers were another project of this great Norwegian artist. This is a three-track 7", all of which are a nice listen. The cover art is basically representative of the sound. The version of "Run Away" here is different from that which is featured on The Temptation Tapes Vol. 1 (which you should all buy!). I've also got this slightly different version of "December Rain", which you can get here. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - December Rain
B1 - Two Bicycles In Summertime
B2 - Run Away

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Íncubus - A White Lady (1985)

Super obscure minimal synth / coldwave 7" from Southern France. Dark melodic tunes with heavy synth and bass lines. Private pressing with cover art created by the band's guitarist, Guy Audouard. Enjoy!

Track List:

A - A White Lady
B - Tonight

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Max & Intro - We Design The Future (1985)

This is a somewhat unknown 7" from Yugoslavia, and I'm fairly certain it's the only release by the group (but I'd love to be wrong). I am also going to include three Max & Intro demos (2 from the 7", and 1 other), because they're great. I actually like the "Beogradska Devojka" demo better than the 7" version, and "Los De Jan" demo is great too. Check them out!

Track List:

A - Ostavi Sve
B - Beogradska Devojka

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Max & Intro Demos

Track List:

01 - Ostavi Sve (demo)
02 - Beogradska Devojka (demo)
03 - Los De Jan (demo)

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Reason To Live - The Gift (1985)

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!

Track List:

A - The Gift
B - Time To Die

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Seppuku - New Illusion (1985)

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!

Track List:

A - New Illusion
B - Under Your Control

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