So Young But So Cold: Underground French Music (1977-1983) begins with the steady spacey synth pulses, atmospheric organs, and ethereal French-sung/spoken female vocals of Nini Raviolette’s “Suis-Je Normale.” Forgive me for the comparison, because the movie is fresh in my mind, but the track would have made the perfect accompaniment for a less “Hello Dolly” opening of Wall-E. A lonely robot rolls around a lifeless, abandoned, and eerily unfamiliar Earth set against the stark tone and icy synths of the somber song, while, in almost a robotic tone, female vocals ask “suis-je, suis-je normale? (am I, am I normal?)” The track pretty much sets the cold-wave tone for the rest of the comp which includes the austere robotic grooves of Ruth’s “Polaroid/Roman/Photo,” The Druids rare illustrated concept of “The Force,” and the cyberpunk of Artefact on “Mae.”

[MP3]: Nini Raviolette  ”Suis-Je Normale”
So Cold So Young, Tigersushi; 2004
[MP3]: The Droids  ”The Force (Part 1)”
So Cold So Young, Tigersushi; 2004

If So Young But So Cold was the first-course that aroused your appetite, then BIPPP: French Synth Wave (1979-85) is the gluttonous main course of obscure French synth-wave singles. Initially released by Parisian-imprint Born Bad in 2006, BIPPP was released in the States earlier this year via Everloving Records. Like their European counterparts, The Human League, Depeche Mode, Gary Newman, Soft Cell, and Kraftwerk, the artists compiled on BIPPP share the love of the analog synthesizer. A brief blurb on the album jacket gives an outline of the birth of French synth-wave, which gives credit to the rise of the genre to ex-Stinky Toy member Dennis Quillard (aka Janco) and singer Elli Mederios and their instrumental Kraftwerk-worshipping single “Rectangle.” Like So Young, BIPPP paints an icy-synth laden landscape that covers a six year span. Unlike the perfect pop that some UK artists were churning out, BIPP shows that the synth sounds remained more stripped in France at the time.

[MP3]: A Trois Dans Les WC  ”Contagion”
BIPPP: French Synth-Wave 1979/85, Everloving; 2008
[MP3]: Ruth  ”Polaroïd/Roman/Photo”
BIPPP: French Synth-Wave 1979/85, Everloving; 2008

For much more information on French synth-wave, as well as an extensive list of acts, check out the informative French New Wave site.

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The Verlaines made their recorded debut on Side 2, EP 2 of New Zealand’s seminal Dunedin Double EP in 1982. The compilation featured three other Dunedin, NZ groups including The Chills, The Stones, and Sneaky Feelings, each getting their own side of a 12”. Dunedin Double marked the first compilation released by the burgeoning Flying Nun, the record label that championed “The Dunedin Sound,” a phrase coined by The Clean’s David Kilgour. Since Flying Nun had minimal funds and many of the musicians were unemployed, the EP was recorded on a portable four-track, lending it a lo-fi sound quality.

Originally forming as a five-piece in 1980 and later stripping down to a trio, The Verlaines took their name after French poet Paul Verlaine (as did Television’s Tom Verlaine). Fronted by classical music student Graeme Downes, the band combined jangly guitars, stark basslines, and a pop mentality with precise classical compositions and instrumental arrangements. Like early Bunnymen, The Verlaines music was manic, angular, and energetic – cleverly shifting, twisting and turning in an unconventional shell of classical structure. Frantic up-tempo playing offset Downes’ mournful, sometimes downbeat vocals, while tracks like the epic “Slow Sad Love Song” from the group’s sophomore effort, Bird Dog, capture melancholy in the most beautiful, moving, and personal ways.

On the heels of Dunedin Double, an EP and a couple of singles, the band dropped their debut LP, Hallelujah All the Way Home, in 1985 on Flying Nun (and later on Homestead). Downes submitted the album as a part of a composition paper for his Honors Degree in Music, which garnered him an “A.” Hallelujah built upon the scholarly sound of The Verlaines early singles and brought Downes’ disturbed stories of isolation, betrayal, and disillusionment to life with lilting melodies tinged with classical strings and horns. Bird Dog followed in 1987 and it’s probably the record I listen to the most from the group, with two of my personal favorites of all The Verlaine’s songs being “Cd Jimmy Jazz and Me” and the aforementioned “Slow Sad Love Song.” Downes croon sounds eerily similar to Ian McCulloch’s, while the composition and swirling orchestration stacks up to anything on Ocean Rain.

The Verlaines released two more records on Flying Nun/Homestead, Juvenilia (an early singles and EP comp) and Some Disenchanted Evening in 1987 and 1989, respectively. The 90s saw the band jumping to Slash and Sony for three releases, until they went on hiatus 1996, reappearing last year with Potboiler.

[MP3]: The Verlaines  ”Cd Jimmy Jazz and Me”
Bird Dog, Flying Nun; 1987

Video for “Bird Dog” (1987):

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Washington, D.C. area indie rock act, Unrest, were a band I first heard about in my teenage years from the inevitable source that most teens in my situation discovered interesting music, MTV’s 120 minutes. Today, that station holds about as much worth as the steamy pile of warm shit I pick up off the sidewalk every morning after my dog generously leaves it there for me. But, back then, it played a significant part in what I listened to, kinda like how everyone gets a big veiny hard-on every time a Pitchfork staffer graces a record with a number greater than eight. I’m not sure if it was during Matt Pinfield’s or Lewis Largent’s reign on 120 Minutes in the early 90s when I first saw the video for Unrest’s catchy pop song “Make Out Club” (I’m assuming it’s the latter).

Like most of my favorites from that time, I caught onto the group while they were on their way out, but perhaps at their best. Although “Make Out Club” was a minor MTV hit in 1993, I didn’t pick up their Simon Le Bon (don’t even say it Theo) produced album Perfect Teeth until some years down the road. Started by Teenbeat main man Mark Robinson and drummer Phil Krauth, Unrest began in 1985 as a noisy-punk improv band while they were still in high-school in Arlington, Virginia. During recording and practice the group had agreed to never play the same thing twice. Always experimentalists, Unrest’s released a slew of avant-garde (sometimes barely listenable) albums from 1985-90 including 1990’s Kustom Karnal Blaxploitation (say that fast three times), which was highlighted by their interpretation of the anthemic “Teenage Suicide” from the 80s favorite flick Heathers.

A few of Kustom’s soft and shimmering tracks hinted at the direction the band would take on its next two records, Imperial f.f.r.r. and Perfect Teeth, which also marked the arrival of bassist Bridget Cross (Velocity Girl). Imperial, the trio’s debut LP with Cross as a permanent member, mixed Unrest’s pop and experimental sensibilities into an infectious indie pop gem. Perfect Teeth, released in 1993 with its lushly crafted pop songs, light dosage of experimental tinkering, Cross’ bright and throbbing Peter Hook-inspired bass, and beautiful packaging brought the band’s sound and Robinson’s regard for British imprint Factory Records full circle.

Unrest split in 1994, but re-formed in 2005 for a one off performance at Washington, D.C.’s Black Cat for Teenbeat’s 20th Anniversary Showcase. Bridget Cross, now living in Alaska has a self-titled record out on Teenbeat under the moniker Maybe It’s Reno. Both Krauth and Robinson make appearances on the release, as well as significant other George Kuhar.

Grab “Light Command” and check out the video of “Make Out Club” (both from Perfect Teeth) below.

[MP3]: Unrest  ”Light Command”
Perfect Teeth, Teenbeat; 1993

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In the mid-70s Brian Eno reportedly dubbed Harmonia “the world’s most important rock band,” later joining the Krautrock supergroup for several sessions in 1976. The group was founded by three of Germany’s experimental heavyweights, including Michael Rother of Neu! (and early Kraftwerk), along with ambient experimentalists Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedeliu of Cluster. The trio lasted just two years and has a slim back-catalog, but have been highly influential on ambient and electronic music.

On their debut album, Harmonia brought together chugging motorik rhythms of Rother’s Neu! with the ambient music of Moebius’ and Roedeliu’s Cluster. The result was the euphoric, Musik Von Harmonia which appeared in 1974. While staying true to the motorik model, Musik tended to be more smooth and strung out than say, Kraftwerk’s clean frozen soundscapes or Can’s abrasive experimental art rock. The trio’s sophomore effort, Deluxe followed in 1975 and saw the band moving toward more song structure with a pop mentality. The warmth of Musik that spilled over to Deluxe was greatly multiplied as soft pulsating motorik rhythms are perfectly balanced with Harmonia’s chugging electronic drums, droning keyboard melodies, and hypnotic guitar work. After championing the band and being influenced by their first two efforts, Brian Eno joined recording sessions for the third album, Tracks and Traces in 1976. However, the band split up that same year as Rother embarked on a solo career, leading to Tracks and Traces to be shelved until it was finally released in 1997.

Coinciding with the release of the live album Live 1974, Harmonia reunited in 2007, performing live in Berlin for the first time since 1976. The band also recently performed at ATP vs Pitchfork and will be playing live at the stacked My Bloody Valentine-curated ATP New York on September 22nd in Monticello, NY.

[MP3]: Harmonia  ”Dino”

Musik Von Harmonia, Brain; 1974
[MP3]: Harmonia  ”Notre Dame”

Deluxe, Brain; 1975

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At a time when punk was the way to go and in a city where most bands were taking heavy influences from the mid-80’s hardcore scene, Washington, DC’s Black Tambourine was conceived primarily as an indie-pop group. One of the first bands to be signed to the Slumberland imprint, Black Tambourine’s sound provides a snapshot of the early American indie-pop scene in the late 80s/early 90s.

The seminal quartet of Archie Moore and Brian Nelson (later of Velocity Girl), along with vocalist Pam Berry (later of Glo-Worms, The Shapiros, and Castaway Stones) and drummer guitarist Mike Schulman (Slumberland founder) went against the grain of what was happening in their city and looked across the Atlantic to British twee and C86 groups like The Pastels, along with noisemakers Jesus and Mary Chain for inspiration. Like many shoegaze bands that followed, Black Tambourine were influenced by Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound production, predating the sounds that later caught on rather largely in the States.

Black Tambourine’s short, instrumental only “Pam’s Tan” was the band’s debut and first release on Slumberland in 1990. The group’s first official single, “Throw Aggi from the Bridge,” a track about a crush on The Pastel’s Stephen Pastel dropped in 1991. Its tracks like “Aggi” and “Can’t Explain” that really make you fall in love with Black Tambourine. Berry’s ethereal vocals wash over bouncing layers of guitar and bass lines soaked in fuzzy layers of distortion and feedback. Sweet irresistable numbers about unrequited love, crushes, and broken hearts makes for perfect rainy day listening. You’ll find yourself happily singing along “just throw her off the bridge, we both know it’s gotta be done.” Other favorites include the more downtempo/shoegaze-oriented “For Ex Lovers Only” and “Black Car,” along with the 60s pop influenced “Drown.”

After just two years together, the group called it quits in 1991. In that time span, Black Tambourine released nine singles and played only a handful of live shows. The nine released tracks along with the previously unreleased “I Was Wrong” were amassed on 1999s stellar Complete Recordings: Black Tambourine. For fans of bittersweet charming pop combined with gorgeous walls of distortion, this one’s not to be missed.

[MP3]: Black Tambourine  ”Throw Aggi Off the Bridge”
7″ Single, Audrey’s Diary; 1991

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The Scene Is Now was a post no-wave jug band comprised of a loose collection of downtown New York City musicians. Throughout their half-decade career, the band had a revolving door policy with the only two permanent members being Chris Nelson and Philip Dray formerly of the avant-rock band Mofungo. Like many of their no-wave colleagues, the band avoided technicality, but unlike them TSIN had an affinity toward melodies and pop. The group is hard to pin down sonically, ranging from erratic and angular to smooth (even elegant) and melodic. Their sound could be (and has been) described as quirky off-kilter pop music with a rootsy slant. In a 2001 interview with Perfect Sound Forever, Dray explained that is wife referred to their music as “Swerve Music,” meaning that’s it’s like regular pop music but slightly off-kilter.

TSIN’s debut record, Burn All Your Records (Lost, 1985) sees the quartet dabbling with over half-a-dozen “instruments” including pots, pans, bicycle wheels, along with conventional guitars and keyboards. On first listen, the album can be somewhat inaccessible with a jamming brass section competing against smooth guitar lines and Chris Nelson’s oblique broken vocals. At times it sounds as if multiple bands are playing at the same time. However inaccessible Burn may be intitially, repeated satisfying listens draw forth catchy melodies and pop hooks from the volatile weirdness, while each sound finds its unique place within the compositions. The 20-track long player includes “Yellow Sarong” best known for being covered by Yo La Tengo on Fakebook and who have shared the stage with the ever-changing group. The liner notes on the LP’s back cover hint at Marxist art criticism and a borrowed lyric from Mao Tse-Tung, while the quartet stresses “Don’t buy fur.”

Two proper LP’s followed Burn, including 1986s Total Jive (Lost, Twin\Tone), which moved away from the avant-garde of the group’s previous recordings to more melodious and less complex pastures. In 1988, Pere Ubu bassist and ex-dB Will Rigby signed on for The Scene Is Now’s final official LP titled Tonight We Ride (Lost, Twin\Tone) in 1988. A cassette only release in 1990 (Shotgun Wedding) marked the final recorded material until 2005 when a re-united lineup dropped Songbirds Lie (Tongue Master). In 1995 Hoboken, NJ imprint Bar-None put together an extensive collection of TSIN material on the compilation The Oily Years (1983-1993).

As of February 2008, the re-united TSIN have been playing shows around New York City venues, including Cake Shop and Southpaw, as documented here by Bryan Bruchman. No word on if the band will be releasing new material, but rumors are that the three hard to find original albums will be re-issued later this year.

[MP3]: The Scene Is Now  ”Bugged, Wigged Out”
Burn All Your Records, Lost Records; 1985

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LTM has announced the release of the first ever “Best Of” compilation from Section 25. The comp is titled Dirty Disco (1978-2008) and set to be released on March 31st. The cult group that was initially mentored by Joy Division went on to release four albums on the Factory Records imprint between 1980 and 1986. The albums received production from Factory alums like Martin Hannett and Bernard Sumner, along with Ian Curtis/Rob Gretton produced singles.

Much like labelmates the Durutti Column, A Certain Ratio, and New Order, Section 25 started as a post-punk group in the late 70s but by the mid 80s the group’s sound had become primarily electronic-based new wave, primed for the dance club explosion in the late 80s.

Taking their name from a provision of the Mental Health Act, Section 25 was formed by brothers Larry and Vincent Cassidy in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1978 and by the time they made their live debut they had added guitarist Paul Wiggin. The Ian Curtis and Rob Gretton produced debut single “Girls Don’t Count” was released via Factory in July 1980. The single also included the Curtins/Gretton produced songs “Knew Noise” and “Up to You.” The Martin Hannett produced debut full-length, Always Now, followed in 1981, much known for its packaging as its music. The LP was beautifully housed in a bright yellow heavy cover with stylish black type unfettered by punctuation and word spacing. Lifting the flap from the tabbed slot yielded swirling colorful marbled paper with printed with yellow boxes containing the band’s name and tracklisting.

After a few line-up changes in 1984, the group’s sound moved in a more electronic-dance direction as heard on the single “Looking From A Hilltop” that featured new additions Angela Flowers and Jenny Ross on vocals and keyboards. The single broke as a hit in the U.S. club scene along with reworked versions “Restructure” and “Megamix,” later appearing on the group’s third LP, From The Hip. The Bernard Sumner produced From The Hip was also the band’s first album that received an American release via Factory U.S. in 1984. After a North American tour in 1985, the band split in 1986, leaving then husband and wife Larry Cassidy and Jenny Ross to finish the fourth album, Love and Hate, which was eventually released in 1988.

The band saw their entire catalog re-released by LTM in the 90s and like a lot of other post-punk acts, the band reunited in 2001 and began work on new material. Although it’s not the original line-up, they put out a record titled Post-Primitiv last year, but I haven’t heard it yet. The comp, Dirty Disco celebrates 30 years of Section 25, featuring eight of the band’s album tracks and the singles “Knew Noise,” “Dirty Disco,” “Haunted,” “Beating Heart,” “Looking From A Hilltop,” “Crazy Wistdom,” and “Bad News Week.” Keep an eye out for it in March.

The band has an extensive bio as does LTM along with their entire back catalog.

[MP3]: Section 25  ”Looking From A Hilltop”
From The Hip, Factory Records; 1984

The Creation was one of the most under-appreciated Mod/British Invasion bands of the 1960s. The band saw its beginnings in 1963 when vocalist Kenny Pickett and guitarist Eddie Phillips formed The Mark Four. Mercury Records picked up the group in 1964, but British sales of their two singles were sluggish, but at the same time their recordings sat quite well with German audiences, where they would frequently do residences. The band eventually disintegrated in 1966 and was left to Pickett, Phillips, and drummer Jack Jones. The trio was joined by ex-Merseybeats bassist Bob Garner to form The Creation in mid 1966.

The group’s first single, “Making Time,” was released that same year and like their previous incarnation, the single reached number 5 in the German charts, but only number 49 in the British charts. The track “seemed to have everything going for it — a killer beat…a great chorus, and a flashy, slashy, crunchy lead guitar part by Phillips that intersected very neatly with and expanded on the kind of sound that the Who were carrying high onto the charts at the time (allmusic).”

The band had been getting some press notice on the heels of their live show in which Picket would spray paint canvas followed by a member of the road crew setting the “painting” on fire along with Phillips playing his guitar with a violin bow (reputably the first to use this technique, before Jimmy Page). The Creation’s following single (“Painter Man”) in 1966 went to number 1 in Germany and made the top 40 in the band’s native England.

The Creation’s sole LP (only released in Germany and Sweden), We Are Paintermen, hit the shelves in 1967 via German imprint Hit-Ton. Criminally overlooked in it’s native UK, the album is essential for fans of Mod/British Invasion, with tracks like “Making Time,” “Painter Man,” and “Try and Stop Me” rivaling The Who’s power. Much of the record’s intensity can be attributed to Phillips’ power chords and feedback drenched guitar work. By the end of 1966, Garner had left the band and by 1968 The Creation disbanded with one LP and a handful of singles under their belt. While the debut fell on deaf ears in the UK (and U.S.) for that matter, We Are Paintermen and The Creation did extremely well in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

Although not very influential during their heyday, the band was significant after their demise, with a couple of bands being named after The Creation’s songs (The Paintermen and Biff Bang Pow!) and one of my favorite labels, Creation Records, takes their name from the band. Alan McGee (Creation’s founder) admired The Creation, naming his own band Biff Bang Pow!. Check out the mp3 and live video for “Making Time” below.

[MP3]: The Creation  ”Making Time”
We Are Paintermen, Hit-Ton; 1967

Gregg Foreman, to say the least, is a pretty well known guy in Philadelphia. Sometime around Thanksgiving this year I was introduced to the new incarnation of his pioneer ’60s and ’70s soul music dance party called Turnaround, which has now joined forces with Philly’s other kick ass soul/psych party, Immediate!. To say the least, the party fucking rocked.

Around 1994 or so, Foreman took his love of Stax soul and Delta blues and formed the bluesy-mod-punk outfit The Delta 72 along with drummer Benjamin Azzara, organist (and roommate at the time) Sarah Stolfa, and later added bassist Kim Thompson (of Cupid Car Club). The name “Delta 72” comes from the stretch of the Mississippi river where the Delta blues originated and the drummer’s birth year, 1972.

The group originally formed in a DC basement but later relocated to Philadelphia and got their break when Dischord head Ian MacKaye caught the group live at a DC spotlight show for up-and-coming bands. Dischord ended up putting out the band’s first 7” titled “On the Rocks.” Azzara left the group in 1995 and was replaced by Jason Kourkounis (Mule) on drums. The new lineup played a night in New York with Girls Against Boys, who pressed Touch & Go label owner Cory Rusk to stick around for their set. The band’s infamous live show won over Rusk and Touch & Go put out The Delta 72’s debut LP, The R&B Of Membership. During the band’s sets, it wasn’t uncommon to see Foreman do splits off of ten foot speaker stacks and other tall structures. Foreman joked in a Philadelphia Weekly interview that “We had an in-band joke: An okay show would be a two-split show, but a really good show would be a 10-split show.”

The diverse The R&B Of Membership bridged barriers between R&B and punk by blending frenzied guitar riffs with soulful farfisa organs and frantic hard-hitting vocals. The record from start to finish abounds with incredible amounts of energy. Following their debut, the band released their sophomore album, The Soul Of A New Machine in 1997, establishing themselves at the forefront of the R&B punk scene. The group put out their final full length, 000 on Touch & Go before disbanding in 2001. Throughout their span, the band toured with the likes of Sonic Youth, Girls against Boys, Modest Mouse, and The Donnas.

Now relocated from Miami to Brooklyn and Philly, Foreman continues to DJ as Mr. Pharmacist and will be playing/touring with Cat Power and The Dirty Delta Blues on piano and organ. Check out “Rich Girls Like To Steal” below.

[MP3]: The Delta 72  ”Rich Girls Like To Steal”
The R&B Of Membership, Touch & Go; 1994

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Above pic via evavu

I’ve been on a reggae and ska kick ever since watching This Is England a few weeks ago due to it’s kick-ass soundtrack. I figured since new releases around this time of year are usually slow (and a lot of other sites and mags are either getting their “end of year” lists together or have already posted them) I’d take some time and put up a little mixtape of some of my favorite ska revival bands. Let me preface this by saying that I’m no expert in the genre, so if you feel like ripping me a new asshole in the comments feel free to do so.

The first wave of ska, which reached its peak in the mid-60s was born and flourished in Jamaica with artists like The Skatalites, Prince Buster, Derrick Morgan, Laurel Aitken, Desmond Dekker, and Toots & the Maytals. Early ska combined jazz, calypso, R&B, and African beats, which later influenced artists like Bob Marley and Pete Tosh who transformed the sound by slowing down the tempo and adding more guitar into the mix which resulted rocksteady and eventually reggae. Reggae exploded onto the scene in 1966 making ska’s first wave short-lived.

Around the time that reggae was making a huge splash in Jamaica, the root sounds of ska made their way to shores of Britian and in the late 70s exploded onto the scene in it’s second wave also referred to as the “2 Tone” revolution. The 2 Tone era gets its name from the cultural movement’s most popular label, 2 Tone.

The label was founded in 1979 by Jerry Dammers of Coventry’s (a lot UK ska bands were based in West Midlands) ska revivalist The Specials, and included acts like The Beat (aka The English Beat in the U.S.), Madness, Selecter, Bad Manners, among others. The sound of the second wave was different from the traditional ska sound. When the first wave Jamaican sounds reached the British Isles they merged with the punk scene which added fast paced electric guitars to the traditional beat structure, while the horn section was pushed to the back of the mix. The music was popular among skinheads, rude boys/girls, and mod revivalists and many of the acts enjoyed UK chart success in the late 70s and early 80s. Like its predecessor, the revolution was short lived and in 1985 2 Tone ceased operation when The Specials broke up.

Below is a small mixtape highlighting some of the era’s best acts; The Clash’s “Rudie Can’t Fail” (a nod to rude boys/girls) from London Calling is likely the movement’s biggest triumph.

[MP3]: Madness  ”Nightboat To Cairo”
One Step Beyond…, Virgin; 1979
[MP3]: The Specials  ”A Message To You Rudy”
The Specials, 2 Tone; 1979
[MP3]: The Beat  ”Tears Of A Clown”
I Just Can’t Stop, Go Feet; 1980
[MP3]: The Selecter  ”Too Much Pressure”
Too Much Pressure, 2 Tone; 1980
[MP3]: The Clash  ”Rudie Can’t Fail”
London Calling, Epic; 1979