in case anyone was curious, here's the liner notes I came up with for the free mix cd we're making available for folks who stop by the Marx Cafe Friday night (that's March 3!)...
1)The Zarjaz ?? ??Lunna Lubbe?: Kevin Pedersen, who runs What??s Your Rupture? Records (Love Is All, The Long Blondes, Cause Co-Motion) called this track ??the best record ever? and I must admit, it??s hard to disagree with the man. It??s a three-minute jolt of lo-fi exuberance, with lyrics about ??a creature with a mutant mind,? dub sisters, club sisters, kids and programmers. No, I don??t know what it all means. And frankly I don??t care. It??s because of tracks like this that you have guys like Brandon and me scouring the used vinyl sections of hole-in-the-wall record shops looking for lost and forgotten treasures. It was recorded in 1985 I believe, shortly after Zarjaz did a single for Creation Records. Very hard-to-find and only available on the ??Interblock Rock? 12?.
2)The Mo-dettes ?? ??White Mice?: Originally released in 1979 on The Mo-dettes?? own label, Mode, this debut single was supposedly their most critically celebrated of their career and has become a highly sought-after track from post-punk record collectors. To this day, most of the band??s recordings have not been released on cd, but we??re still crossing our fingers. While the track possesses the angular guitar sounds of their all-girl group contemporaries (The Slits, early Raincoats, Delta 5), it also carries an unabashed love for pop melody, which works to their advantage. Honestly, I??ve had this song stuck in my head for the past 2 weeks straight, now it??s your turn?
3)We??ve Got A Fuzzbox & We??re Gonna Use It ?? ??Console Me?: Recorded for and released exclusively on NME??s famed C86 tape, this track gleefully blends some rather disturbing violin sounds with the trademark Fuzzbox guitar approach, lending the track an ominous air while simultaneously rocking the listener with an undeniable hook, bouncy beat and one of the coolest guitar sounds of the era. If anyone ever thought C86 couldn??t be eerie or weird, they haven??t heard this.
4)Yura Yura Teikoku ?? ??Kyuso?: Totally insane Japanese band with an obvious affection for all things destructive and chaotic who have defied all human comprehension (or at least mine) to end up with a record contract with Sony Japan. It??s punk. It??s rock. It??s noise. And it??s an absolute delight to hear, even if it will truly test the endurance of your speakers. I wonder what the Reid brothers would think? Unlike most of the songs on this mix, this one is new (2005)---taken from their latest album. So far, their music is unavailable in the States, though a few recent shows have been played in New York, which bodes well.
5)Josef K ?? ??Fun N?? Frenzy?: There??s been a lot of talk about Josef K in the music press lately as many bands from the 21st century ??post-punk revival? have cited them as a major influence. However, if there ever was a band that could illustrate the massive gaping crevasse that exists between old and new post-punk, it??s Josef K. Unlike bands from the ??revival,? there was never anything glossy or ??pre-market tested? about these guys and this track is audible proof. It??s the sound of broken beer bottles on club floors at 3 in the morning; the sound of fisticuffs being thrown in a drunken argument over a lipstick smeared harlot; and the sound of a bunch of guys having fun doing all those things and more, hence the title. Sleaze never sounded so good.
6)Wire ?? ??Mannequin?: Buried toward the end of Wire??s debut album from 1977, ??Pink Flag,? is one of the great post-punk anthems of that year (or any other year, really) in the form of ??Mannequin.? Alas, I don't think it ever was released as a single on its own, and I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of people don??t know about it. Definitely a classic moment in the history of post-punk and a track that we play a lot at the Big One.
7)The Lines ?? ??Nerve Pylon?: This gorgeous single from 1980 is one of the most unjustifiably overlooked masterpieces of its time. I can??t tell you how bummed I am that The Lines has never been made available on cd. Sure, we??ve heard rumblings that maybe Kill Rock Stars would put out something, but so far, nothing. Getting back to the song at hand, this is really a tune that gives me an intense rush of emotion every time I hear it. It??s no wonder I??ve been known to make a total ass out of myself when spinning this song at Marx. OK, OK, I know what you??re thinking: somebody really needs to hide that microphone, now!
8)Sad Lovers & Giants ?? ??Sex Without Gravity?: I think this was a track from a 1981 John Peel session, I??m not sure. In any case, it??s a real corker. Now, let me just say that I??m usually not a fan of the saxophone, but I do really like the way it??s used here. It serves as more of a rhythmic counterpoint to the bass and drums. Also, I love the spidery guitar riff and vocal line---very smart. Definitely one of the best songs of their career. And as with The Lines, Brandon & I are hoping these guys will see justice done and get all their music reissued. Soon. As in next week. Pretty please.
9)Disco Inferno ?? ??The Atheist??s Burden?: There was a great article that ran recently on Pitchforkmedia.com that talked about Disco Inferno being one of the great unsung bands of the 90s. This track demonstrates why critics salivated over them and the general public shrugged their shoulders out of indifference: no obvious pop hooks here to speak of, just loads of creative ideas on achieving interesting sounds and textures. The genius of Disco Inferno was in the way they manipulated these sounds and made them coalesce into compelling songs. This is definitely one of their career highlights, recorded during 1994, arguably the peak of their creative powers.
10)Orbidoig ?? ??Nocturnal Emissions?: Not much is known about this stellar single other than it came out in 1981 on the Situation Two label. I could go on and on about how it sounds like it was recorded in a gothic cathedral, features one of the most haunting and beautiful female vocals I??ve ever heard, an ominous bass sound to die for, yadda yadda yadda?but you know, that still wouldn??t do the song justice. Honestly, this is as good as it gets right here. All those snobby post-punk geeks that cling desperately to the belief that 1981 was the greatest year for independent music: well, here??s further proof for you?
11)OMD ?? ??New Stone Age?: A far cry from their mainstream hit ??If You Leave? single (which, if memory serves, was used in ??Pretty in Pink?), this track showcases OMD at arguably their most fertile period of creativity (circa 1981). Probably the most harrowing track on this mix, the song is replete with some rather nasty sounding electric guitar (remember, this is OMD!), tension-filled electronic pulses, and arguably the most intense vocal performance to ever come from Andy McCluskey. More David Lynch than John Hughes, this track is not for the squeamish.
12)Christof Glowalla ?? ??Erde 80?: Again, a situation where not much is known about this track. This is a song that Brandon stumbled on years ago and has become one of his favorites to play out (in fact, it may be his most frequently played track). I really dig how Glowalla marries soothing keyboard lines, electronic bleeps and his harshly-spoken German. Obviously, Glowalla was inspired by Kraftwerk and OMD, but this track is more than just a homage. If only the rest of his output was this strong?
13)The Actor ?? ??Wahlerisch!?: A mysterious German synth track from 1982, previously only made available via cassette. Recently reissued on vinyl via the Trumpett Sounds compilation in Germany, this track showcases just how creative the country was during this time period. Definitely a timeless and beautiful song.
14)The Passage ?? ??Dark Times? (Peel Session): I think this track was recorded in 1979 or 1980, I??m not sure. It??s one of only a handful of songs the band recorded with female singer Lizzy Johnson. Another version of this song is available on one of their studio albums with Dick Witts, who sang most of the band??s songs. This is clearly the superior version and a great track, bristling with energy, passion and a sense of the foreboding. So in other words, it had to be on here?
15)Savage Republic ?? ??Andelusia?: There??s an interesting history involving the ??Ceremonial? album, which this track comes from. If my understanding is correct, they only released an instrumental version of the album when they recorded it in 1985. It wasn??t until a couple years ago that a vocal version of the record was unearthed and released via the band??s website. Clearly a track that took a few cues from Joy Division and the early 80s 4AD sound but then took that sound someplace else entirely. The track is also notable for its use of the trombone, which is utilized in an understated and graceful way, particularly during the refrain. Amazing.
16)Sort Sol ?? ??Marble Station?: I think these guys were from Denmark, but I??m not sure. They only recorded 2 songs for 4AD and this is one of them. Supposedly the rest of their work is not as strong but I haven??t heard it as it??s difficult to find. I??m just thankful 4AD released this track on their now out of print ??Natures Mortes? comp. I love the way percussion is used in this track to express a feeling of instability and unpredictability. And those vocals. Damn man, I wish I could sing like that. What an intelligent and beautiful song this is...
17)Modern English ?? ??Gathering Dust?: Another post-punk anthem that many have sadly forgotten about. Hard to believe that this is the same band that recorded ??Melt With You.? Their first album is definitely worth seeking out if you like the dark and weird stuff and this is the lead track from that album. Also, I would think shoegazers would dig the explosive wall of noise on display here.
18)Killing Joke ?? ??Requiem?: Another early post-punk classic, often overlooked, this single was featured on their self-titled debut which ended up influencing countless numbers of bands from a myriad of styles. It??s one helluva intense track, even 25+ years after the fact. The vocals still send a chill down by spine. Dark. Dark. Dark.
19)Grauzone ?? ??Eisbar?: We decided to end the mix on a note of insanity and humor, and what better way to do that than with a Swiss band obsessed with synths, noise, atonal saxophones and polar bears? Don??t really know too much about this band, but this track brings a smile to my face every time I hear it.
Translation of Eisbar by Grauzone
Polar Bear
Oh Polar Bear
Polar bar
Cold as Ice
Cold as Ice
I want to be a polar bear
at the south pole
Then I don't have to scream,
I can hear everything
Polar bears don't ever cry.
(repeat 4x)
