Time Out

My faithful visitors might have noticed that nothing has gone on here for a while. Sorry. Things will go back to normal in time, I swear on that. For now, I just do not have any time to post here! New house at the end of the month, and lots of overtime to keep me busy. I have little left over to sit down and formulate a posting. Once the madness of moving is finished, you will see some new material up here. Thanks for being patient!

Bit on the slow side..

Things are a bit on the slow side here, but life has caught up with me again. You might be happy to know I'm expecting a lil' one, we're about 22 weeks along right now. So there's a bit of work involved there obviously. I'm also looking for a bigger house, and that's eating up a lot of time right now. We have to make room for the little one, and allow for all these records to stay as well. I'll try to post when I can, but expect things to be a tad sporadic over the next little while. Now would be a good time to go back through the archives and see what's back there! Enjoy the ride.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps

This was a track that I heard on (of all places) a francophone channel that was playing music videos in the lulls of their programming. I had been channel flicking when I came across the gloomy looking singer crying her eyes out when she sang; quite odd. Although the video left much to be desired, the track was quite brilliant. It did get quite a bit of airplay on radio, like every hour at one point, and that initially drove me off it. But being the picky bastard I am, I knew I had to have this on vinyl, despite how hard it would be to find. Here we are, a glorious 10" red vinyl EP of maps, and a few other crap songs. I'll be honest in saying I've not really given the band a chance past this EP, and that's something I should do at some point (there's just too much music, and too little wallet). As I did mention, 'Maps' is a great track, which has a flickering winter breath on the shoegaze spectrum of things, and that’s perhaps why I like it so. The other two tracks I can live without, as they sound like the torture of Joan of Arc (and then some). It seems like New York is growing some great music; in the case of Interpol which I've liked everything, and in the case of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, at least I like one song.

Track 1, Maps

Track 2, Count Down

Track 3, Miles Away (John Peel Session)




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US Interscope Records 2003, B0002074-11

Personal rating 3/5

Pete Shelley - On Your Own

You can look back at a lot of bands, and ponder how many of them managed to not float your boat in the mid 80's. Then all of a sudden, you find one gem that should be regarded as one of the greatest songs of the 80's. The track 'One Your Own' surely must be one of those tracks, as I have never really been a fan of Pete Shelley, nor The Buzzcocks for that matter. Perhaps The Buzzcocks material for the most part was a tad too harsh for me (I do like a few tracks, just not most of it), or perhaps Pete Shelley was a bit too abstract for my liking back then; who knows. I do know that every time I hear this song, even today, I remind myself of a great time. There are certain songs that are anthems to an era for people, be it 'Somebody' by Depeche Mode, or 'How Soon Is Now' by The Smiths. This is among my large list of anthem songs from that period, and would make many a mixed tape it's home if that were the format of choice today. Alas, mixed Cd's don't have the same charm as making a good mixed tape, and this is best exemplified by watching High Fidelity. Go watch your copy again.




Track 1, On Your Own (New York Mix)

Track 2, On Your Own (Dub Mix)

Track 3, Please Forgive Me.. But I Cannot Endure It Any Longer




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UK Mercury Records 1986, MERX 221

Personal rating 4.5/5

Moev - Crucify Me

There are always the few bands in your collection which you have a special place for, and find that nobody even knows who they are. Moev are one of these bands, and I have been collecting their material for some time now. Before you decide not to read further, you can thank this band for founding Nettwerk Records, which in Canada brings you artists like Skinny Puppy, Severed Heads and Sarah McLachlan. If you want to truly discover the roots of Moev, you'll find yourself a copy of Zimmerkampf, which was a release from 1982. They sounded more like that of Siouxsie & The Banshees on this album, or at least that's what I get out of it. The album is a great listen, though fairly hard to find. We can now jump forward to 1986, where we find a more electronic approach to the music on Yeah, Whatever. Funnily enough, the best known single from this band is also titled 'Yeah, Whatever', and found on this album. 'Crucify Me' has always been my favorite track from this album, though 'Yeah, Whatever' probably got the most airplay in radio and in clubs. It's not quite what I would call industrial music, but fans from that genera might take a liking to Moev. They had a unique musical style that set them apart from labelmates, and may have had a hand in somewhat alienating them from anything mainstream. Chances are, you won't find much in the way of a Moev revolution from this post, but again like other posts, I attempt to bring some light to a band that deserves a bit of highlight.





Track 1, Crucify Me (GM Edit Extended)

Track 2, Crucify Me (Radio Mix)

Track 3, Crucify Me (Extended Mix)





Grab the tracks here!





US Atlantic Records 1989, 0-86454

Personal rating 4/5


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Talk Talk - Give It Up

Talk Talk were an exceptional band that matured with me throughout the mid 80's. If I could peg it down to one particular thing in the band that drew me in, I'd have to say it was the alluring vocals of Mark Hollis. His is a voice that stood out from any crowd, and you could immediately note any Talk Talk track based on that marker. Musically they were brilliant, and there are few bands which I had managed to tolerate from album to album back then, and still carry a torch for today. Their best album was Colours Of Spring by a large margin, though it can be said that several others could easily be noted as being their best works (Spirit Of Eden for example). This album always gets played here, and one can denote that any time I'm feeling particularly nostalgic, that album seems to end up on the table. This is one of the albums I could get lost in time with, and forever remain trapped in 1986 listening to this over and over. That's a bold statement, but most assuredly true. 'Give It Up' is one of the singles of the aforementioned album, and a great track by itself. The puzzle here is why they chose to put the rather disappointing 'Pictures Of Bernadette' as the b-side. This track absolutely gripes me. It's basically taking the worst of their earlier new wave material found on any cutting room floor and remixing it. At least that's what it sounds like to me. I'd think a single from such a great album would be showcased by whispery 'Chameleon Day' like tracks, which would have seemed to suit it more. As with a lot of releases from this period, I wish a little more thought had been put into coupling a few beautiful gems with the glorious single. The end result would have been a much better single, not one people chose to ignore out of the group. As always, the artwork on their material is top notch, and you can create a gorgeous gallery from Talk Talk releases alone. This single, sadly, disappoints, but doesn't dim my overall view of the band by any stretch.





Track 1, Give It Up

Track 2, Pictures Of Bernadette (Dance Mix)

Track 3, Pictures Of Bernadette (7" Version)





Grab the tracks here!





Canadian Parlophone Records 1986, S 75145

Personal rating 2.5/5


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Love & Rockets - No Big Deal

I've been digging deep into my collection of late, pulling out a lot of things I actually wondered why I own. Some things actually surprise me as to how bloody awful they are after listening to them after many years, and then there's the group that I suddenly find myself liking. This Love & Rockets 12" was among the list of things I didn't like, but have since found it more tolerable. Back then, I was the dutiful L&R fan, and bought everything they had on the shelves. Today, I find myself a lot more reserved with my purchasing, largely to the fact that I now realize money doesn't grow on trees (well, it does kind of, but not in bill form in my magical world). The club mix isn't half bad, but then I was always notorious for disliking or liking something for about 10.5 seconds worth of a listen. Times have changed, and I actually give something about 30 seconds before I turf the needle off and plop the record on the shelf to gather dust. The real kicker here were the b-sides. They aren't especially brilliant, but it is cool to actually hear the raw pseudo-live band playing in some radio station. This is when you hear them at their best, and see what you don't usually see with all the studio tricks absent. The tracks are a good time capsule of what a band sounds like while sodding about in the studio, and you can always detect the alcohol dripping through the lyrics. A great example of what I'm talking about is REM's Dead Letter Office. A few of those tracks have a booze-induced state written all over them, and they actually credit the booze. These tracks won't probably get on one of your mixed tapes, but they will be something cool to listen to once or twice.





Track 1, No Big Deal (Club Version)

Track 2, 1000 Watts Of Your Love

Track 3, No More Words




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UK Beggars Banquet Records 1989, BEG 234T

Personal rating 3/5


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Epo 555 - Mafia (New Artist Sample)

Denmark has been busy of late, thrusting itself into the limelight with the likes of Mew. New to emerge from the Danish lands are Epo 555. The sophomore follow up to 2004 Dexter Fox is a titillating listen from start to end, proving that Denmark are truly coming of age musically. Possibly one of the best records to grace my ears this year, and has catapulted this unknown band into the book of new favorites and want to hear more category. The album touts many great tracks, 'Hyperschlieb', 'Harry Mambourg' and 'Maid In China' are the cream of the crop found here. Although there is slight room for improvement, it's not much, and this album is going to be rewarded with full marks all around from this end. We hope to see Epo 555 bringing some of this Danish bliss to this side of the pond, and I hope they don't stay away as long as country mates Mew have. Many thanks to Natalie @ Two Sheps That Pass for allowing me to write something about them, as well as the music.

For more information about Epo 555, please visit their website http://www.epo-555.dk/.


Track 1, Spirit Of Fun

Track 2, Hyperschlieb

Track 3, Grisslappan

Track 4, Harry Mambourg

Track 5, Pizza TinTin

Track 6, Tess La Coil

Track 7, The Final Surf

Track 8, Centipede

Track 9, Maid In China

Track 10, Examinor

Track 11, Uberholen Hat Keinen Zweck






Danish Crunchy Frog Records 2007, FROG 045-1


Personal rating 5/5

The Alarm - Rain In The Summertime

Why I shunned The Alarm I'll never know. They were a band that I blew off on one crap song I heard back a million years ago, then never bothered to listen to anything else. What have I done with my life? I have since given myself the 20 lashes, and done my hail whoevers', and I feel much better now.. really. I must say, I've become quite addicted to these blokes of late, and this track in particular has gotten quite a bit of attention. I figured the only fair thing to do was shove a bit of it down your throats, just in case you had not given them the time of day. This is one brilliant track, and not sure why I always missed it over the years. It could go in my top 100 tracks, but I've not forgiven myself that much yet. I guess we'll have to see won't we? You might see a bit more of their material poking up here, don't be surprised, I still feel a tad guilty you see.




Track 1, Rain In The Summertime

Track 2, Rose Beyond The Wall

Track 3, Bells Of Rhyney (Live In Cardiff Arms Park)

Track 4, Time To Believe




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UK I.R.S. Records 1987, IRMT 144

Personal rating 4/5


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The Comsat Angels - Day One

This post should have some interest, as it seems every time I write something on blogs about The Comsat Angels, people have something to say. I do like the band, I just wanted to get that out of the way before I do anything else here. BUT, the later material (you know the stuff CFNY and other 'Modern Rock' stations played the crap out of), kinda sucked. Yes, I've said it. The band was at it's prime earlier on, before the fluffy-happy-go-lucky let's make a hit song. OK, I'll be the first one to admit that 'You Move Me' is not a bad song, it's just not their best. Compare if you dare the album Waiting For A Miracle to the '84/85 era material, and see which you think has the kahoonas. The sad reality is that most hits came from 84/85, and stuck the above mentioned track into everyone's brain. I'm probably not improving the situation by actually posting this mini LP, but I hope you'll now want to go out and purchase something from '80/81 and hear the difference yourself. Like I said, I do like this song, it's just that it pales in comparison to earlier works. To prove my point, did you happen to notice that 'Independence Day' was released in 1980, and again on their album in 1983? Oh but that's ok, you can also get the live version here.




Track 1, Day One

Track 2, You Move Me (One Good Reason)

Track 3, Will You Stay Tonight (Live In Amsterdam)

Track 4, Independence Day (Live In Amsterdam)




Grab the tracks here!




Canadian Jive Records 1984, JVD-027

Personal rating 3/5


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