The Pop Group "Y" (1979)

Y [debut]

release date: Apr. 20, 1979

format: cd (2007 remaster)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,54]

producer: Dennis Bovell, The Pop Group

label: Radar / Rhino - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: *1. "She Is Beyond Good and Evil" - 2. "Thief of Fire" - 3. "Snowgirl" - 5. "We Are Time" - 7. "Words Disobey Me" -

*Bonus track on 2007 remaster

Studio album debut by Bristol-founded avant-gardist band The Pop Group consisting of vocalist Mark Stewart, guitarist John Waddington, bassist Simon Underwood, guitarist & saxophonist Gareth Sager, and drummer Bruce Smith. The original album issue consists of 9 tracks - cd issues of the album add the band's single debut as track #1 and its B-side as track #11, and the running order has been altered slightly. The original vinyl album has a running time of 40 minutes, and with two additional tracks, the cd just exceeds 47 mins.

Stylistically, this mostly sounds like... nothing else really - and especially considering the year 1979, it stands very much on its own. It's both funk, post-punk, and an experimental release, which makes me think of a fine blend of acid rockers Captain Beefheart and post-punk rockers The Birthday Party with the addition of funk. Only, the latter band, alledgedly, appears to have been itself heavily inspired by The Pop Group. So, how did they end up with such an original blend on two stand-out albums that has been hailed as inspirational sources to a long list of followers? The thing is, the album was anything but acclaimed when it came out, and the even sharper follow-up How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? from 1980 didn't make record labels cue in line to sign with this highly original band. Instead, they were met by mixed to negative reviews and the band ended up dissolving after two albums. The members, however, went on to perform in various other constellations who were all somewhere on the frontier of new musical directions - and all far from what was perceived as mainstream.

I have only recently discovered the musical qualities of this band and my first reaction had me thinking of Captain Beefheart and Shriekback. The first name comes to mind by the vocal performance of Mark Stewart and the experimental and krautrock-like and syncopated rhythm section with heavy use of percussion and brass, whereas Shriekback probably have listened much to The Pop Group before mustering it's own sound, which in itself carries a bolder source to the industrial style. In that regard, Y basically represents a huge conglomerate of styles, where the most apparent ones are funk, funk rock, surf rock, post-punk, dub, and garage rock. At the time of the release it probably would've been labeled art punk, I guess. There's definitely also bonds to the strong political approach of The Mothers as well as politically-oriented punk bands of the anarcho-punk rock fraction of the British punk rock wave - again, something which becomes more evident with the angrier follow-up.

Back in the day, I would most certainly have rejected this as being too noicy and too weird, a bit alongside other iconic albums I missed out on upon a first introduction - artists which count The Fall, Crass, The Creatures, and Psychic TV (to name a few), but when knowing of later manifestations of the alt. rock umbrella, The Pop Group has come to stand as founders of something out of the ordinary - an experimental detour into mystic musical landscapes - in a quite refreshing manner.

This is defintely something else - a first draft, you could say - intentionally, it may have been more connected and constructed with experimental krautrock and that of pure funk in mind, but with inspiration from the punk rock scene it surely turned out as a highly original take on genre definitions, and it's nevertheless an exciting take on post-punk with an original tone that would be further investigated on a wilder and more experimental follow-up.

This is recommended for anyone interested in modern music history.

[ allmusic.com, Uncut 4,5 / 5, Mojo, Record Collector 4 / 5, Sounds 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Scatterbrain "Strip the Future" (1983), single

Strip the Future, 12'' single
release date: 1983
format: vinyl (neu 80-4405)
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,32]
producer: Scatterbrain
label: Neuland Tonträger - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: A) "Strip the Future" - - B) 1. "Diversity" - 2. "Angry Young Men"

Single release by Danish experimental electro-synth and synth rock band Scatterbrain following the release of the album Keep Dancing (Aug. 1981). The line-up has been expanded with keyboardists Jesper Ranum, who took part in the follow-up tour of the album release, and also with Michael Kastrup Hansen. For this recording, also Henrik Heigren and Anders Brill (from Kliche) contribute.
The single was originally released in '82 as a 7'' single on Irmgardz... with this 12'' single consisting of new recordings and new arrangements made for the German market. After this, the line-up changed again with Ranum leaving the band, and drummer Gorm Ravn-Jonsen (later in Gangway) was shortly a new member, then Anders Brill was promoted to new stable drummer togeher with Torben Kirkholt (of Næste Uges TV), and as the band then released its final album Mountains Go Rhythmic (1984) this was made with actual drummers, thus representing a change of sound, which in essence was what would later be labeled as industrial rock, and in that regard the band has as an important part in shaping new stylistic foundation somewhere in the outskirts of new wave and synthpop.

The Gist "Embrace the Herd"

Embrace the Herd

release date: 1982

format: cd (2007 reissue)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]

producer: Phil Legg

label: Cherry Red - nationality: Wales, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Far Concern" - 2. "Love at First Sight" (4 / 5) - 3. "Fretting Away" - 4. "Public Girls" - 9. "Carnival Headache" - 10. "Concrete Slopes" - 11. "The Long Run"

Studio album debut and only album originally released on Rough Trade is by Welsh band, The Gist, formed after the disbandmentment of Young Marble Giants by the two Moxham brothers, Philip and Stuart with the latter being credited almost all songs and playing most instruments on an album of twelve songs. The trio Young Marble Giants released Colossal Youth in Feb. 1980 to fine reviews, and the album went as high as number #3 on the UK independent albums list. The Gist is often mentioned as a band when in fact it may just be regarded as a one-man project of Stuart Moxham. His brother Philip plays bass on three compositions, guitarist Dave Dearnaley features on another three, Stuarts girlfriend Wendy Smith lends her voice on two tracks and former band member of YMG, Alison Statton, sings on one song, but apart from only few people contributing here and there, the album is entirely made alone by Stuart Moxham.

Stylistically, it's quite simple and yet it incorporates various styles to form a highly original stripped down soundscape. Some tracks points toward later jangle pop and twee pop styles, whereas other songs seem more bonded to a synthpop version of 70s art rock, e.g. music influenced by Brian Eno.

Embrace the Herd hasn't achieved the same status as the debut by Young Marble Giants, and it's quite likely that it goes down in music history books as the album, which includes the hit single "Love at First Sight", which also was my entry to the band after finding it on the compilation album Rough Trade Records / MNW (1983). Several songs on the album stick out as original music, and especially the composition "Concrete Slopes", which was probably inspired by Eno, however, listening to this early electronic piece only makes me think of The Prodigy and the formation of big beat electronica in the 90s.

This very album may point in many directions, and it's not a collection of memorable harmonies but it's still a quite simple and unique construct and one of musical historic interest.

Siouxsie and the Banshees "Voices on the Air (The Peel Sessions)" (2006)

Voices on the Air (The Peel Sessions) (compilation)

release date: Oct. 23, 2006

format: cd

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]

producer: diverse

label: Polydor / Universal / BBC - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: (1. session, 29/11/79): 1. "Love in a Void" (anden liveoptræden '79) - 2. "Mirage" - 3. "Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)" - (2. session, 6/2/78): 5. "Hong Kong Garden" - 6. "Overground" - 7. "Carcass" - 8. "Helter / Skelter" - (3. session, 9/4/79): 10. "Playground Twist" - 11. "Regal Zone" - (4. session, 10/2/81): 13. "Halloween" - 14. "Voodoo Dolly" - 16. "Into the Light" - (5. session, 21/1/86): 17. "Candyman" - 19. "Lands End"

Compilation album by Siouxsie and the Banshees from Polydor / Universal who just keep finding material to issue with a band they didn't see as commercial enough while active on the label. Here, however, it's not another best of, which looks like many others but a collective work of all the band's appearances on John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show over the years from 1977 to 1986. The John Peel Sessions is a legendary radio show existing from 1967 until Peel's death in 2004, and it includes more than 4,000 recordings by more than 2,000 artists. The album here comprises a total of 19 tracks spread over five appearances, where the only two regulars from all five recordings are vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin. The first three sessions, Nov. 29, 1977 (tracks #1-4), Feb. 6, 1978 (tracks #5-8), and Apr. 9, 1979 (tracks #9-12) respectively, sees John McKay on guitar and Kenny Morris on drums. The fourth session recorded 10/2-1981 (tracks #13-16) is with John McGeogh on guitar and Budgie on drums, and the fifth and final session Jan. 21, 1986 (tracks #17-19) is with John Valentine Carruthers on guitar.

It's mainly the band's earlier period you'll find documented here - with only three tracks are taken from the band's seventh album, Tinderbox (1986), the remaining 16 tracks (apart from one track by The Creatures) may be found in studio versions on the band's first four albums.

Voices on the Air (The Peel Sessions) is obviously a collector's item, as the recordings have not previously been broadcast together. The band's first Peel Session was independently released as an ep in '87 (on cd in '89), the second session released in '89 - both are collected on a compilation from '91.

The album is fine musical historic release, virtually showcasing the band before any label had a contract ready, and with the BBC's limited sound studio with a single sound track available, it's really the documentation of pure rawness, white noise, and electric energy flowing from one of the most notable British bands who instantly managed the progression from punk rock and into the wider scene of post-punk.

The album is dedicated BBC radio presenter John Peel (1939-2004) and producer John Walters (1938-2001, who was producer on many Peel Sessions, but not on the tracks on the album mentioned here).

From the band's BBC performances, there also exists a later rather extensive 3 CD + 1 DVD box set (with around 85 tracks), Siouxsie and the Banshees at the BBC released in 2009, which in addition to the five Peel Sessions also includes other radio-broadcast concerts and television appearances.

Recommended connoisseurs.

[ 👍allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Toyah "The Blue Meaning" (1980)

The Blue Meaning
release date: Jun. 6, 1980
format: digital (2002 reissue)
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,52]
producer: Steve James, Toyah
label: Safari Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Ieya" - 7. "Visions" - 9. "Love Me"

2nd studio album by Toyah succeeding Sheep Farming in Barnet by less than three months. Here the band already demonstrates its ever-changing line-ups as bassist Mark Henry has been replaced by Charlie Francis.

Apart from the line-up change, The Blue Meaning is very much like the other side of the coin to the debut with ten new pompous arrangements and a little more screaming - Wilcox is credited for "verbals & unusual sounds"... [sic], and she has taken an even stronger theatrical sound, which may have seemed avantgarde and experimental at the time. By doing so, she may have looked to both appearances by Kate Bush and Siouxsie Sioux, but in retrospect it only seems rather forced - to put it mildly.

The album was a minor success as it went as high as #40 on the UK albums chart list - at a time when the public in Britain became familiar with her through her acting career. Wilcox appeared in two movies by Derek Jarman: "Jubilee" (1978) and "The Tempest" (1979), she played a minor role in The Who's "Quadrophenia" (1979), and then she also appeared in several TV-series from the late '70s including "Quatermass" (1979), "Minder" (1980) and she was TV-presenter on the BBC programme "Look! Here!".

Had Wilcox not been such a familiar face, it is doubtful that this album would have entered the albums chart list in 1980.

Is it any better or worse than the debut? That's hard to say, really. But as an original piece of music it's not recommended.

[ Smash Hits 1,5 / 5 stars ]

The Fall "Grotesque (After the Gramme)" (1980)

Grotesque (After the Gramme)
release date: Nov. 17, 1980
format: cd (1993 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: The Fall, Grant Showbiz, Mayo Thompson, Geoff Travis
label: Castle Classics - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Pay Your Rates" - 2. "English Scheme" - 3. "New Face in Hell" (Peel Sessions) - 4. "C'n'C-S Mithering" - 5. "The Container Drivers" - 10. "The N.W.R.A."

3rd studio album by The Fall produced by The Fall, Grant Showbiz, Mayo Thompson and Geoff Travis (tracks 1-5), tracks 6-10 are produced by The Fall and Geoff Travis originally released by Rough Trade. The Fall always was Mark's band - here the band credits are as follows: Mark on vocals, tape operation, kazoo (#3) and guitar, Marc Riley on guitar and keyboards, Craig Scanlon [credited as Craig Scanlan] on guitar, Steve Hanley on bass, his brother Paul Hanley on drums and with Kay Carroll on additional vocals, which more or less is the same line-up as on Dragnet (Oct. '79) as well as on the next following albums of the 80s, but the debut album Live at the Witch Trials (Mar. '79), saw the band in a completely different line-up. This is, however, merely an early incarnation of the band and the only stable member of the band remains Mark E. Smith.

Style-wise, this is an example of early post-punk labelled as art punk with influences from pub rock and garage rock and its minimum attention on production layering with focus on 'recording as is'.

The album wasn't met as a landslide album - much unlike what it's regarded as in retrospect. Critics were positive without praising the album and fans were, as they would constantly prove to be with The Fall divided in two groups: either belonging to a strong cult of followers, or to fierce haters; however, the album is generally regarded as one of the band's masterpieces. Unfortunately, I didn't appreciate the album in the early '80s - I did actually purchase the original Rough Trade vinyl issue back in 1982 or '83 and kept it for a decade or so, and then I re-sold it in a small pile with other obscure albums just to afford to buy new music, and what a mistake that was! I have come across this '93 CD reissue but I'd rather have the original vinyl, which by now is a collector's item.

I perfectly know how I was unable to see music in a broader perspective in my teens but it still puzzles me, why I couldn't just regard it as a musical curiosity. Anyway, the music lives on and even from a modern perspective I think the music still stands out as both highly original but also with something to offer. The Fall blends perfectly in with standards of Velvet Underground, The Stooges, Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa as a music collective, who simply ignores all conformities and just do what they think is the right thing to do. Mark E. Smith narrates about English society, working class life, taxes, capitalism, and he often focus on the English class system. Unlike Bob Dylan's social awareness, lyrics on contemporary human conditions, I find the lyrics by Smith to be much more entertaining but also without all the... fuzz [to say it as politely as possible].

Mark E. Smith continued to play with The Fall in various line-ups in the new millennium and also kept releasing new albums being quite keen on not repeating themselves. The last studio album by The Fall is New Facts Emerge (2017), the band's 31st studio album, released only six months before Smith's untimely death at the age of 60, Jan. 24, 2017. The international music press and the entire British press in general were overflown with appraisals dedicated to Smith's legacy as one of Britain's most influential songwriters in 2018, and he is today mentioned alongside the greatest of music.

For those unfamiliar with music by The Fall, it may not seem evident how they ever became such an acclaimed band. It may take some time to get accustomed to - some will never - but from my perspective, the true strengths of The Fall lies in Mark E. Smith's lyrics, his uncompromising attitude towards and against conformity whether concerning music or modern life in general - be it capitalism, class system or politics. The band has its unique sound and its very own conception of musical soundscape, which leaves no listener in doubt of who made it.

[ allmusic.com, Mojo, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, Spin 4,5 / 5, Sounds 5 / 5 stars ]

Toyah "Sheep Farming in Barnet" (1980)

Sheep Farming in Barnet
release date: Feb. 22, 1980
format: digital (2002 reissue)
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,48]
producer: Steve James, Keith Hale
label: Safari Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Neon Womb" - 2. "Indecision" - 5. "Victims of the Riddle" - 8. "Danced"

Studio album debut by British band Toyah - named after the band's lead vocalist Toyah Ann Wilcox. The album was originally released as a 6-track ep in '79, which six months later was expanded to an 11-track album. Already as of '80 it was released as a compilation with the band's second album The Blue Meaning (Jun. 1980). The band consists of vocalist Toyah Wilcox, guitarist and main composer Joel Bogen, bassist Mark Henry, keyboardist Peter Bush, and drummer Steve Bray.

Toyah began as a punk rock band and quickly combined all sorts of contemporary influences from post punk, art punk, art pop and new wave with Toyah Wilcox, to a large extent, impersonating German punk queen, Nina Hagen.

I didn't came across this album until the early '00s, and being familiar with Anthem (1981), Changeling (1982) and Love Is the Law (1983) it is a strange experience to go through the band's first two albums. Sheep Farming in Barnet, to me, sounds pretty much like a British version of Nina Hagen Band in a bizarre cocktail with synthesizer inputs from Brian Eno.

The band was probably given a great deal more attention than their music deserved, and it's likely that the band's initial success was linked with Wilcox participating in national TV-series. Imho, the first two albums by Toyah are not more than historical artefacts and only serve to show us from what they spawned.

Not recommended.

[ 👎NME 3 / 5 stars ]

Magazine "Play." (1980)

Play. (live)

release date: Dec. 1980

format: vinyl / digital

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]

producer: Magazine, John Brand

label: Virgin - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. "Give Me Everything" - 2. "A Song from Under the Floorboards" (5 / 5) - 3. "Permafrost" - 4. "The Light Pours Out of Me" (4 / 5) - 5. "Model Worker" - - B) 2. "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" - 3. "Because You're Frightened" (4 / 5) - 5. "Definitive Gaze"

Live album by Magazine are the recordings made at the one and same performance recorded Sep. 6, 1980 at Melbourne Festival Hall, Australia. The band was on tour with its most recent studio album The Correct Use of Soap (May 1980). The band appears in a new line-up after John McGeoch's departure following the album release, and he is here substituted by Robin Simon (ex-Ultravox). Other members here are vocalist Howard Devoto, bassist Barry Adamson, keyboardist Dave Formula, and drummer John Doyle.

The album is a 10 track album with four tracks stemming from the The Corect Use... album, three tracks from the debut Real Life (Jun. 1978), one track from the seconda album Secondhand Daylight (Mar. 1979), and one track (track #B4) is a B-side to the single A Song From Under the Floorboards.

Given that McGeoch was unreplaceable, Simon actually does a great job, although, this is the only Magazine album he plays on. The song selection is great, and the band plays an exquisite concert. Critics argue that since the album is without a great song from the performance and instead comes with "Twenty Years Ago" and the odd cover "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", it doesn't deserve good ratings. Bollocks, I say! The album is bulging from great songs and energetic versions. It's a great testimony of one of the most remarkable post-punk bands, who understood to blend styles and come up with something new, when most bands were lost when parting with punk rock.

Highly recommended.

Magazine "The Correct Use of Soap" (1980)

The Correct Use of Soap
release date: May 2, 1980
format: cd (2001 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Martin Hannett
label: Virgin / Universal Music - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Because You're Frightened" (4 / 5) - 2. "Model Worker" - 3. "I'm a Party" - 4. "You Never Knew Me" - 7. "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" - 8. "Sweetheart Contract" - 10. "A Song From Under the Floorboards" (5 / 5)

3rd studio album by Manchester quintet Magazine originally released by Virgin is the band's only album to be produced by Martin Hannett, and it's the last to feature guitarist John McGeoch, who would leave the band after this. Fact is, two other acts had sought his expertise - together with both bassist Barry Adamson and keyboardist Dave Formula, McGeoch also took part in the early formation of Visage, and he already was engaged with Siouxsie and the Banshees for the recordings on the album Kaleidoscope earlier in 1980, and from the Summer of '80 he became a stable member of the more guitar-fuelled The Banshees while continuing as full-time member of Visage, and you may say that Magazine ended up losing a key member.
Without being the most obvious post-punk band, Magazine has been recognised as one of the most original and defining acts of the post-punk era. On The Correct Use of Soap the band consists of lead vocalist Howard Devoto (formerly punk rock band The Buzzcocks), guitarist John McGeoch, bassist Barry Adamson (former stand-in with The Buzzcocks), keyboardist Dave Formula (aka David Tomlinson), and drummer John Doyle. The band's style is a blend of genres and styles where post-punk is the easiest label when no other really suffice. They are known for a highly original rhythm section with avantgardist bass and drum-lines, and both bassist Adamson, keyboardist Formula and guitarist McGeoch have all gained artistic acclaim for their contributions, and on top of this vocalist Devoto surely has his own distinct sound. There's hardly any links to the punk rock era here but somehow this band works in its own dimension of art rock, new wave and avant-garde building on elements from soul, synthpop and... who-knows-what?!
The album peaked at number #25 on the UK albums chart list but both band and album were met by critical acclaim without reaching top popularity.
From a contemporary perspective this very album hasn't aged as much as most other releases from the 1980s, and Adamson, Formula and McGeoch have all rightfully been hailed among the most influential British musicians of modern ages.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, 👍Uncut 4 / 5 stars ]

Montasje "Presence!" (1982)

Presence! [debut]
release date: 1982
format: vinyl (MAI 8201) / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Helge Gaarder; Erik Aasheim (assistant)
label: Plateselskapet Mai - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: A) 1. "Nykter" (TV performance) - 2. "Reisning" - 3. "Presence!" - - B) 1. "Glass" (4 / 5) - 2. "Tundra" - 4. "Europa" - 5. "... Etter regnet"

Studio debut and only album by Norwegian new wave, post-punk and art pop quintet Montasje, who also featured with one song on a sampler album (Zink Zamler, '82) as an act called Modul 5. The whole project only existed from late 1981 to '82, and the album was recorded from Dec. '81 to Jan. '82, and the band here consists of vocalist and keyboardist Helge Gaarder, Erik Aasheim on guitar, bass and percussion, Jøran Rudi on guitar, Per (Kristian) Tro on bass, and Danish drummer Michael Rasmussen [who should later join the Danish band The Sandmen]. The album comes with an alias, as it says in the few notes on the cover: "Presence! et Montasje produkt - Modul 1".
Musically, it's quite a unique sound they have put together. There are some influences from early New Order - Movement-period ever-present but it's more than just a Scandinavian replica of that. What makes it much more its own blend is the presence of something ethereal - it's not ambient, nor jazz fusion but there's a layer of open landscape meandering throughout the album, which makes me think of Norwegian free jazz artist Jan Garbarek. The unique sound also helps building a sensation of timelessness to the project.
Recommended.

[ collectors' item ]

Young Marble Giants "Colossal Youth" (1980)

Colossal Youth [debut]

release date: Feb. 1980

format: cd (1994 reissue)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]

producer: Dave Anderson, Young Marble Giants

label: Les Disques du Crépuscule - nationality: Wales, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Searching for Mr. Right" - 2. "Include Me Out" - 4. "Eating Noddemix" (4 / 5) - 6. "N.I.T.A." - 8. "Music for Evenings" - 12. "Salad Days" - 13. "Credit in the Straight World" - *18. "The Clock"

*Bonus track on '94 reissue taken from Testcard E.P. (ep) (1981)

Studio debut and only album by Walesian post-punk trio, Young Marble Giants, originally released on Rough Trade Records. The band was founded by the Moxham brothers, bassist Philip and primary songwriter, composer, and guitarist, Stuart, together with vocalist Alison Statton. In the course of band's early lifetime also keyboardist Peter Joyce took part in the formation, but here they have been reduced to a trio, where Stuart is also credited organ.

Style-wise, this is something quite orginal at a time when punk rock was still alive and new styles emerged on the music scene while no one understood new potentials in indie pop and jazz pop, but Young Marble Giants were pioneers. Unfortunately, they dissolved as early as 1981 after which Stuart amd Philip Moxham continued briefly as another remarkable act called The Gist - a single album, Embrace the Herd made almost single-handedly by Stuart was released in '82.

Colossal Youth is truly an album to know of.

[ allmusic.com, Blender 4,5 / 5, The Guardian, Uncut 5 / 5, Pitchfork 9,3 / 10, Rolling Stone, Spin 4 / 5 stars ]

The Durutti Column "Short Stories for Pauline" (2012)

Short Stories for Pauline
release date: Jun. 18, 2012
format: cd (fbn 36)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

Track highlights: 1. "At First Sight" - 2. "Duet" - 3. "College" - 4. "Invitations" - 5. "Destroy, She Said" - 6. "Model" - 7. "Journeys by Vespa" - 8. "Take Some Time Out" - 9. "A Silence" - 10. "Mirror A" - 11. "Cocktail" - 12. "Telephone Call" - 13. "Mirror B" - 14. "A Room in Southport"

23rd studio album release by The Durutti Column issued on Factory Benelux and produced by Vini Reilly. It's hard to fit in the category of new material as all tracks are from what was an abandoned album that Reilly worked on back in 1983, and which could/should have been his fourth studio album with the same title as here, and therefore it carries the original production number fbn36. Instead, Factory Records, or i.e. manager Tony Wilson, persuaded Reilly to work on what became the neo-classical Without Mercy (1984). That album only consists of two tracks but one will find that the tracks contain themes and pieces that has been incorporated from various tracks on this, the abandoned album. Some of the tracks have previously been released on a compilation album titled Lips That Would Kiss (1991), also by Factory Benelux.
[ official release info, see here ]
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Ukendt Under Andet Navn "Ekskursion" (2012) (ep)

Ekskursion, ep
release date: Jun. 12, 2012
format: cd (ukendt 002)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,36]
producer: Troels Bech, Henrik Olesen
label: non-label - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 2. "Håb i respirator, drømme i drop" - 3. "Centralnervesystem" - 5. "Far vel hjem" - 7. "Sangen synger sig selv"

2nd solo ep by Henrik Olesen (from Olesen-Olesen) under the moniker of Ukendt Under Andet Navn is a 7-track ep with a running time at just under 18 minutes. All songs are played by Olesen and Bech (who also produced for Olesen-Olesen for their 2003 album), and Thomas Thomsen participate and is credited as co-producer on three songs (tracks #4, #5, and #7).
Musically, it's different from the ep-debut from 2010 by being darker and with a certain post-punk feel - either thanks to electronic drums and / or synthpop keyboards and a simplistic melodic drive (especially tracks #2, #3, and #7).
The simplicity, or: minimalist production is a trait the album shares with the 2010 debut, but apart from that it has a different feel and soundscape, which makes me think of inspiration from early New Order, Depeche Mode and late Joy Division - bands that also were formative in creating Henrik and brother Peter H. Olesen's earliest bands, Sort-Hvide Landskaber and Greene, and a few tracks sound as if they could have been included on the Greene debut from 1992 or the Olesen-Olesen debut Indenlands udenbys from 1997.
A short but altogether fine collection of original compositions where the music feels like the dominant part.

The Specials "More Specials" (1980)

More Specials
release date: Oct. 4, 1980
format: vinyl / cd (2002 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,14]
producer: Jerry Dammers and Dave Jordan
label: Two-Tone Records / Chrysalis - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)" (live) - 2. "Man at C&A" (live) - 3. "Hey, Little Rich Girl" - 4. "Do Nothing" (live) - 6. "Sock It to 'Em J.B." - 7. "Stereotypes / Stereotypes, Part 2" (single version) - 9. "I Can't Stand It" - 10. "International Jet Set"

2nd studio album by The Specials originally released by Two-Tone Records. With this the band seeks out other styles and genres, and the album is a bit of a strange blend of influences. Most tracks are still with ska revival as the core of all songs, but some compositions are shaped as either rock & roll, soul, art pop, post-punk or easy listening / lounge compositions. The first four songs starts out, more or less as the natural follow-up to the debut album, although, "Man at C&A" has elements of post-punk, but giving the time of its release at the peak of cold war politics, it feels very natural, but #4, "Pearl Café", clearly bears elements from rock & roll and easy listening, and from here on it becomes more evident that this album is something else with its blending of styles. This is an even more striking experience when confronted with the vinyl album, where side A shares the tone of the predecessor, and with side B as a whole different thing. #7 "Stereotypes / Stereotypes Part 2" share characteristics with songs by The Clash from their album Black Market Clash (1980) blending dub and reggae, and on #8 and #9 the whole album is more likely as an inspirational source to later contemporaries as The Style Council, The Clash and its album Sandinista, sophisti-pop by Everything But the Girl and much later styles of The Cardigans with its 'blue eyed' pop mix of easy listening and calypso. Tracks #9 and #10 are yet again something else making me think of Portishead meets Gorillaz and a sound that today is considered to have helped shaping the style of trip hop.
Several guest musicians appear on the album including Rhoda Dakar singing duet on #9, Madness' sax player Lee Thompson on #4, and the US new wave trio The Go-Go's appear as backing vocals group on #11 "Enjoy Yourself (Reprise)".
The album fared well reaching #5 on the UK albums chart list and it generally was handed positive reviews. Also, the two singles from the album did well nationally when "Stereotype" and "International Jet Set" peaked at #6 and #4 respectively. Time has certainly not questioned the importance of this particular album. In retrospect, the album has been cited as a corner stone of modern popular music with its influence on the shaping of sophisti-pop but especially in defining the trip hop genre and may likely be seen as source to songs and albums by diverse artist like the aforementioned together with Portishead, Massive Attack, Blur and Gorillaz. More Specials is like the debut enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
Some of the album's compositions that travels the furthest from the band's trademark of ska revival are typically songs by keyboardist Jerry Dammers and, allegedly, his interest in and will to experiment with other styles, already in '81 led to the band's demise. Dammers take a stronger role as band leader on this album, and his ideas to incorporate new styles is said to have played a decisive role in the internal conflicts that ultimately led to changes within the band. The vocalist group of The Specials, Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding all left the band to form the trio Fun Boy Three, and the remainders of the band changed its name back to The Specials AKA in 1981.
I think, I may have listened more to this than the debut album by The Specials, but also more over the years. The debut stands out as more of a whole with its distinct ska revival and '2 tone' sound that connects it to a specific time and place, but I have always felt that this album is an even more exiting experience consisting of more original compositions, and has an almost surreal sense of timelessness that connects it with future styles, which makes me think of it as the band's best and most original album and a release that should be attributed all the acclaim it rightfully deserves.
Highly recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Uncut, Rolling Stone 4,5 / 5, Mojo, Q Magazine, Smash Hits 4 / 5 stars ]

Siouxsie and the Banshees "Downside Up" (2004)

Downside Up (compilation)

release date: Nov. 19, 2004

format: digital box set

[album rate: 4 / 5]

producer: various

label: Polydor / Wonderland / Universal - nationality: England, UK

A compilation by Siouxsie and the Banshees as a 4-disc box set, which is described on the sticker on the front cover:

"B-Sides & Rarities Box Set

55 tracks on 4 CDS All digitally remastered
34 tracks on CD for the first time!

Includes a 76 page booklet with an introduction by Siouxsie

Annotations by all 3 members of the band for each track

Full lyrics for all tracks
982 182-3"

55 tracks and 3 hours and 50 minutes of total running time - which should ensure a sensation of being covered with rare takes etc. And it is a rather comprehensive release, which luckily includes fine comments from Siouxsie, Severin, and Budgie as additional material for each track.

Collector's item.

XTC "Transistor Blast" (1998)

Transistor Blast, [Archival] (compilation)
release date: Nov. 24, 1998
format: digital (4-disc box set)
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: various
label: Cooking Vinyl - nationality: England, UK

A 4-disc box set with the subtitle "The Best of the BBC Sessions" containing 51 tracks released after the band was finally set free from Virgin Records. Disc 1 and 2 contain BBC sessions recorded for various BBC programs including John Peel Radio 1 Show recorded from 1977-79, but it also include BBC programs recorded up until 1989. Disc 3 and 4 contain early live recordings - CD 3 is the collection of recordings from two different concerts in London, in 1978 and '79, and CD 4 is exclusively the recordings from a specific concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, Dec. 1980.
Needless say, this is a collector's item as it's more about showcasing the band playing well-known songs in alternate and live versions. With the relatively long timespan found on the first two discs they represent the most varied material, and Disc 3 and 4 only document what a great live band XTC was.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine 3 / 5, The Music Box 4 / 5 stars ]

And Also the Trees "Driftwood" (2011)

Driftwood (mini-album)
release date: Sep. 29, 2011
format: cd (AATTCDM02)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: Matthew Devenish (recording credits)
label: AATT - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "The Suffering of the Stream" (live in Toulouse) - 3. "Belief in the Rose" (live in Toulouse) - 6. "The Way the Land Lies" - 8. "The Untangled Man" (live in Toulouse)

12th studio album by And Also the Trees is according to the label and the band's official website a 'mini album' containing eight additional tracks to the 2009 release When the Rains Come, thus again an album of solely acoustic versions of older songs.
Without listening to the album I found it a superfluous release having 'just' released an album of this kind, but I have to give it to the band, it's really a fine contribution with strong, intense and quite different versions compared to the originals. The inlay info reveals that the album was recorded in the aftermath of a 2009-10 tour, which apparently exhibited the band playing the acoustic versions from the most recent and acoustic album, and one can only imagine how the need and / or lust for expanding the set list with other songs than the obvious versions. With a bunch of new acoustic songs this album was easily perceived. Despite its shorter playing time of just under 30 minutes it's a rather varied compilation of songs but nonetheless another fine album.

And Also the Trees "When the Rains Come" (2009)

When the Rains Comes
release date: Jun. 8, 2009
format: cd (AATTCD07)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]
producer: *self-produced
label: AATT - nationality: England, UK
*Credits only mention recording, mixing and mastering credits

Track highlights: 1. "Virus Meadow" (live in Toulouse ) - 2. "Dialogue" (live in Toulouse) - 4. "Mary of the Woods" (live in Toulouse) - 5. "Jacob Fleet" (live in Toulouse) - 6. "Candace"

11th studio album by And Also the Trees is, once again, a self-realised album. Its the first of two consecutive albums to feature only acoustic versions of songs from their back catalogue, and it contains 14 tracks and runs approx. 51 minutes. The music has been stripped down to melody lines with Simon Huw Jones' strong and dark vocal accompanied by acoustic guitar, double bass, dulcimer / or melodica and some backing vocals only. The result is surprisingly powerful and almost mesmerising.
The album has nothing to do with selling old wine on new bottles, as one could suspect when releasing a new album featuring old songs. And the fact that the songs go as far back as the mid 1980s is never heard because of a total revitalisation of music making it a firm and strong whole, which makes me think of the great contemporary Liz Green and her fine alternative folk and singer / songwriter albums Haul Away from 2014 and the great debut O, Devotion! (2011).
Many of the songs on the album were part of a live tour "Livequest #50" [?]. The remaining songs were later reworked in the studio and released on the album Driftwood (2011).

=> French documentary about the process leading to When the Rains Come.

And Also the Trees "(Listen For) The Rag and Bone Man" (2007)

(Listen For) The Rag and Bone Man

release date: Nov. 12, 2007

format: cd (AATTCD06)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]

producer: self-produced

label: AATT - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Domed" - 2. "The Beautiful Silence" - 3. "Rive droite" - 4. "Mary of the Woods" - 9. "Stay Away From the Accordion Girl" (live) - 12. "A Man With a Drum"

10th studio album by And Also the Trees is another self-released album. The cover info only mentions recording and mixing credits - Matthew Devenish recorded and mixed. This is the first album not to feature bassist Steven Burrows, and it's the first to have both new bass player Ian Jenkins and keyboardist Emer Brizzolara as new members, which means that the band by now has been expanded to a quintet (actually, Burrows has never officially left the band, although, he hasn't taken an active part in the process of the band's later releases - as now of 2016).

The album marks a return to a more evident gothic rock, post-punk that doesn't really sound outdated. In 2007 that's a work well done! I think, they succeed pretty well by focusing on their strengths in producing tension within beauty and darkness. By doing so they remind me of Tindersticks, although, the previous album is even closer to the Tindersticks style. Without strings and brass this is hardly chamber pop but it has that certain sincerity and beautiful narration, which characterises their best albums - when music and vocals go hand in hand, and when the music supports the lyrics instead of drowns them.

Siouxsie and the Banshees "The Seven Year Itch - Live" (2003) (live)

The Seven Year Itch - Live (live)

release date: May 19, 2003

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]

producer: Siouxsie and the Banshees

label: Sanctuary Records / Wonderland - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. Jigsaw Feeling" - 3. "Metal Postcard" - 5. "Lullaby" - 6. "Lands End" - 9. "Night Shift" - 10. "Voodoo Dolly" - 13. "Monitor"

2nd live album by Siouxsie and the Banshees is a release, which comes eight years after the band's final studio album The Rapture (1995) and seven years following their final live performance - and hence the title.

Shortly following the '95 album, the band were released from its contract with Polydor, although, they still completed a planned live tour with yet another new guitarist. Jon Klein was replaced by Knox Chandler (of Psychedelic Furs) and the following year, the band officially disbanded. Sioux and Budgie continued briefly as a married couple and with their common duo The Creatures. In Apr. 2002, the two teamed up with bassist Steven Severin and Knox Chandler to organize a short live tour, which however, aside from a few concerts at home, also brought the band to the US and Japan. They named the tour "The Seven Year Itch Tour" - with reference to the fact that it had now been seven years since they last played together, and also inspired by Billy Wilder's famous film.

The selected tracks are neither the obvious hits nor the previously more critically acclaimed compositions, but instead rather a collection of lesser known tracks originating from singles' B-sides and fan favourites from the their many live performances over the years. All in all, it's stylistically kept in the band's mid-eighties tone with focus on bass, drums, guitar, and Sioux's vocal, and the tracks are also mainly from the early years, although both Tinderbox (1986) and Peepshow (1988) are represented.

The album garnered great reviews and instead of being followed by selected singles, the album was released in several formats - including VHS and DVD.

It's definitely worth a listen, but is mostly fan material - and here we don't hint at the kind of success the band experienced with commercial alt. dance songs at the end of their career, but fans from an early stage.

Immediately after the end of the 2002 Japan tour, Siouxsie and Budgie stayed in Tokyo and recorded some improvised tracks, which were later mixed in France for a series of new compositions intended for the fourth and final studio album Hái! (Oct. 2003) by The Creatures. Siouxsie and the Banshees didn't continue as a band - The Seven Year Itch - Live is a stand-alone tour and album, but subsequently several compilation albums have been issued by Polydor / Universal. In 2004, the label released the 4 CD box set Downside Up, in 2005 the album Gold, as a 2 CD release - an album which in fact is identical to The Best of Siouxsie & The Banshees from 2002, only presented with new cover and title. In 2006 the label issued Voices on the Air (The Peel Sessions), which collects five appearances on the BBC 1 in dedication to John Peel, who died in 2004 - by far the best compilation with the band so far. In 2009, the label then issued a 4-disc box set, Siouxsie and the Banshees at the BBC, and you'll find another three or four releases by Polydor / Universal.

The Seven Year Itch - Live is a really fine supplement to the band's best live album Nocturne (1988).

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, The Guardian, Uncut 4 / 5 stars ]