Category Archives: Post Punk

Music & Elsewhere Twenty Five Years.02

Mick Did It Again !

After the 25 Years celebration compilation monster “The United World Underground” issued in 2017, he digged even deeper in his glorious tape label / DIY past to present you (as promised) digitized and mastered works of the dark past where nearly nothing was instantly available nor free nor digital.
This is meant to be the final collection celebrating the past before Mick Magic might make his words true and explore further territories in outer and inner space with a new album by his own Magic Moments At Twilight Time

See The Magic Net for more downloads and take the chance to get hold of the lovingly remastered reissue of M & E’s top selling CD Album ‘Creavolution’ (read all and more about it here) and get a decent hardcopy at TMR Records.

Click to go to the official info site. Official Release : 06/09/2019. Expect a Bang.

As expected this promises to be another wild sonic ride – from psychedelic, experimental, goth, electro to somewhere else with loads of shades in between. As a first glimpse a bonus virtual C90 is already out with some introducing words by Lord Litter (another survivor) over at the Electronic Cottage.

Novostj DsorDNE 1983-1988

ACC / A Colder Consciousness started as Radio Show via. Resonance FM by Fiona Pitrolo, all shows are archived on mixcloud. Basic themes are cold wave, extraordinary underground and eastern European alternative scenes as far as I can tell – all with a melancholy hint.
Last year they expanded their activities and started publishing music too. The first (re-)release was Jugoslavian’s Bastion debut LP / DL from 1984.

In due course of their label specials they interviewed Marco Pustianaz about HAX Materiali Per La Communicazanione and the Italian underground and experimental post-punk scene (still online here), got in touch with Marco Milanesio, one of the other driving forces behind the label collective and wow (now) here is actually an old / new release by DsorDNE and it’s preceeding incarnation Novostj:

(Limited Vinyl) LP & DL, remastered by Marco Milanesio himself from his old masters. Gracie !!!

A new video for DsorDNE’s signature song in it’s live version featuring New Noveta is here too.

Listen / buy / enjoy & find more details and lyrics at ACC’s bandcamp.

Additionally, released in February via Triple Void Records, Turin was a great electronic EP with two remixes by DsorDNE from the Italian postpunk darkwave electronic project Ginevra‘s latest album.

Learning To Cope With Cowardice + Lost Tapes

So with a deep look back in time (36 years now) here is an exciting Reissue I’ve been looking forward to since I read about it. Not just another Collection of b-sides and new mixes but a whole Compilation of unreleased outtakes is included now with the Maffia debut album before the classic Wimbish / McDonald / LeBlanc trio aided Mark Stewart.
See a newly made Video for “Liberty City” here.
The regularly over-used term ‘groundbreaking’ is finally used for once justified on this album which was/is a mutant melting of dub, industrial, anarcho free-style attitude with a singer who could sing but choose not to and lyrics which where not pretentious but worthy to chew upon years after years.

The original version of “The Paranoia Of Power”:

(from “The Lost Tapes” Compilation)

>> Mark Stewart himself perceives The Lost Tapes as a document that now possesses a storied significance: “It was a real adventure discovering this forbidden history, a twisted tale of Muswell hillbillies, French pirates and a Dutch schizophrenic doctor doing psychic archaeology.” Whilst Adrian Sherwood describes these works as characteristic of a distinct primitivism: “[The Lost Tapes represent] the early childhood of the songs before Mark and me conducted frenzied, scorched earth, slash-and-burn, twenty-hour mental, manic editing sessions at Crass’ studios that led to birthing the finished album.” << Info from Mute.com

There is also an Vinyl 2LP Edition, in black or clear with DL Code available directly via mutebank . Digitally the lost tapes are also available on it’s own via iTunes or Amazon.

quintessential questionaire #14 : shriekback

With that album title they can’t do wrong…..
Following their successful european live concerts from last year Barker / Marsh / Andrews & ??? put out another self released gem, most likely available exclusively from shriekback online and now already on PRE-ORDER.
Official release date : May 25th.

Here is the first new track :

UPDATE
So after repeated listenings all I can say there is rely on the Shrieks in whatever constellation besides one sour point in their History when they went ‘Bang’. Postpunkmonk even reviewed the Album track by track.

The Album is available in digital form now via the usual outlets (Deezer, Napster, KKBox etc and Itunes) too, the blog is updated to offer the digital only buyer the lyrics & credits. And here is a new Video from one of my favourite tracks:

SHRIEKBACK LIVE 2017

Photo:lahayefrans@gmail.com

A great shot showing Marsh / Andrews / Baker in full form performing at the Paradiso in Amsterdam 23 / 09 /2017.

The final gig of this year’s return to live performance with the aid of many old allies – Steve Halliwell (Keys) also in the background to be seen, The Syd’s i.e. Sarah and Wendy Patridge on Backing Vocals, Mike Cozzi (Gtr.) and on the Bass Scott Firth (PIL).

Shriekback used the Kickstarter Platform to make this possible and played many tracks from 1985’s ‘Oil And Gold’, a few from ‘Big Night Music’ and some classic singles like ‘My Spine Is The Bassline’, ‘All Lined Up’ in updated versions but only one song from their recent ‘Without Fish And Strings’ album; ‘Recessive Jean’ which is not the strongest imho but worked fine as a medley with the incredible groovy ‘Feelers’.

It was hard to tell who was more delighted that this happened, the band or the fans – a great night out in a great City. Thanks to modern tech nearly every move is documented somewhere but to have been there is actually still priceless.

Fay Ray Waiting For The Heatwave…

For me this is an classic since I heard it first and with raising temperatures outside it came to mind once again.

Fay Ray came from Bangor, Wales, U.K., evolved out of Hot Water and Dick Dick & the Dicks published one Single ‘Family Affairs’ on Nigel Gray (Most famous for Production and Recording work on eaarly Police stuff) before signing to WEA.
The single and the sole Album Contact You never took off for reasons beyond my understanding. A second fully recorded Album was not even issued by WEA (and remains unreleased) due to the commercial failure.
Well perhaps it would’ve helped if the invested a little more effort in the rather pointless sleeve design. This 1982 Video to their sole Single on WEA was uploaded by Tony Travis, the original bassist.
As a bonus for the curious – Where are they today ? How do they look today ? What happened ? – here is a rare re-union take from an instore gig 2010. ‘Family Affairs’ live at Cob Records, Bangor. Recorded on Saturday 17th April at 1:45pm. The Event was part of Independent Record Store Day.

Shriekback‘s Twisted Returns

After several re-formations and Barry Andrew’s near-solo efforts [Cormorant, Glory Bumbs and Life In The Loading Bay] via Malicious Damage Shriekback evolved once more into a more or less proper group with the ever reliable Martyn Barker and Carl Marsh back on board.
Well expectations hung high here after their last utterly brilliant 2010 Album I dedicated a whole post too on the first (now lost) version of this blog. Just in short : get it while stocks last.

life in the loading bay

For more details concerning their new release (also currently available with bonus disk Shriekback Vs. The Caretakers) “Without Real String Or Fish”

shriekback-wrsof-web

…and plenty of related in-deepth stories see their busy tumblr here and buy at shriekback.com direct from the band.

Here’s another current track in a live in the studio version, these official videos should give you a taste of what to expect. Well sort of…

The Pop Group – Will They All Come Back ?

After the recent Reunion Tour and Rarites Collections issues & Reissue of “We Are Time” The Pop Group (i.e. Mark Stewart, Gareth Sager, Dan Catsis, Bruce Smith) announced a new Album for February 2015 recorded during the last two years and a batch of live dates in Japan, Australia and the States for the coming spring.

Pop Group 2014

The title track “Citizen Zombie” can listened to here, the pledge is already on………….