Vocals, Vocoder, Keyboards - Detlev Kühne Guitar - Albrecht Koch [A1, A3, B1], Detlev Kühne [A2, A3, B2], Tom Dokoupil [A2, B3] Bass, Vocals - Rosita Blissenbach Drums - Andreas Terhoeven [tr: A1, A3, B1] Mixed By - Tom Dokoupil Mixed By, Producer - Detlev Kühne Percussion - Andreas Terhoeven [tr: A1, A2, B1] Saxophone - Andreas Hoppmann [A1, B1] , Rosita Blissenbach [B2] , Tom Dokoupil [A1] Sequenced By - Tom Dokoupil Trumpet - Tom Dokoupil [tr: B1, B3]
extremely catchy & funktified mutagenic ndw featuring male/female vox chanting in other tongues whilst owl manner of skittering glitchen stink sounds emanate from the din
1.01 Systematics - Pulp Baby 4:39 1.02 Systematics - Nuts To You 2:42 1.03 Systematics - Product 2:24 1.04 Systematics - Numbers In General 1:57 1.05 Systematics - 2,4,5,T 2:20 1.06 Systematics - When I'm Older 2:13 1.07 Systematics - Flowers On The Wall 3:26 1.08 Systematics - Vanessa Teratology 2:51 1.09 Systematics - Dinner's On The Table 1:30 1.10 Systematics - Stuh Echipidah 4:12 1.11 Systematics - Mmmm 1:58 1.12 Systematics - Midnight On Balancing Day 3:19 1.13 Systematics - Die For My House 2:19 1.14 Systematics - International Voltage 1:58 1.15 Systematics - Bovine 2:20 1.16 Systematics - Fat Cows Go Down An Eastern Beach 1:46 1.17 Systematics - BBD 2:39 1.18 Splendid Mess - NASA Secret Anzac 5:06 1.19 Patrick Gibson - Bland A 5:02 1.20 Patrick Gibson - Church Of England TV 3:36 1.21 Patrick Gibson - Yeah OK 3:17 1.22 Patrick Gibson - Catatonic 4:42
2.01 Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, The - Dead Travel Fast 6:33 2.02 Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, The - Tael Of A Saeghors 4:42 2.03 Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, The - The Dumbwaiters 4:12 2.04 Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, The - No Threat 4:11 2.05 Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, The - Copper Hats 4:29 2.06 Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, The - Lovers Of Observatory Time 4:12 2.07 Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, The - Speed 3:56 2.08 Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, The - Twisting Toxic Forms 1:19 2.09 Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, The - Fibrephone 1:42 2.10 Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, The - Lumber 4:05 2.11 Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, The - Sea Heads 4:44 2.12 Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, The - We Sway In Our Boats 4:32 2.13 Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, The - Fighting Baboons 4:04 2.14 A Cloakroom Assembly - Fossil Crash Sleeping 8:18 2.15 A Cloakroom Assembly - Trace And Rumble 2:11 2.16 A Cloakroom Assembly - Trace And Tumble 2:13
3.01 Scattered Order - Bent Up 2:11 3.02 Scattered Order - I'm Not Whole 2:32 3.03 Scattered Order - Pilot Reads Crosswords 4:41 3.04 Scattered Order - The Learn Useless Knowing 2:41 3.05 Scattered Order - Wronging Dogs With Ladders 2:34 3.06 Scattered Order - Hold My Cold Hand 2:41 3.07 Scattered Order - Heat 3:51 3.08 Scattered Order - Personal Safety 3:24 3.09 Scattered Order - Yellow Suit Weighing Machine 4:17 3.10 Barons, The (2) - Paint It Black 4:03 3.11 Height/Dismay - Girl From Ipanema 2:08 3.12 Height/Dismay - Mother's Footsteps 3:12 3.13 Height/Dismay - Picnic On The Nile 2:11 3.14 Prod - A Brick Short 3:30 3.15 Prod - Walkers Walk 2:08 3.16 Prod - N.W.O.B. 4:50 3.17 Prod - Coming Attractions 1:10 3.18 Prod - Fish Hook 3:11 3.19 SoliPsiK - See Saw 2:25 3.20 SoliPsiK - Chamber Musik 3:10 3.21 SoliPsiK - Zombod 3:05
4.01 Ya Ya Choral - Waiting Time 3:19 4.02 Ya Ya Choral - Cowboys Are Pt 2 3:23 4.03 Ya Ya Choral - No Control 2:16 4.04 Ya Ya Choral - Nonsense 2:46 4.05 Ya Ya Choral - Jolly Work 2:33 4.06 Ya Ya Choral - My Friend The Chocolate Cake 2:30 4.07 Ya Ya Choral - You Ruined My Fun 2:18 4.08 Ya Ya Choral - God's Buzzsaw 2:55 4.09 Belle Du Soir - Treasure Island 2:22 4.10 Belle Du Soir - Ultramarine 1:45 4.11 Pel Mel - Click Click 2:51 4.12 Wild West - Pelican 2:19 4.13 Limp, The - Pony Club 2:46 4.14 Tame O'Mearas - Curl Curl 2:20 4.15 No Night Sweats - Harry Wong's Cat 2:54 4.16 Denial - California Dreaming 3:11 4.17 Same, The - Why 2:34 4.18 Slugfuckers - Dolphins ? Fish 4:34 4.19 Pleasant Peasants - Pussman Polka 2:36 4.20 Severed Heads - Eat Roland 3:42 4.21 Terse - Hello M Squared 2:18 4.22 M Squared - Hello Terse 2:3
'The M Squared label operated in Sydney, Australia from 1980 to 1983. Founded by Mitch Jones and Michael Tee of seminal noisemakers Scattered Order, and quickly joined by Systematics' Patrick Gibson, the label produced 24 vinyl and seven cassette releases over three hectic years. It all took place in a modest recording studio in an inner city terrace house.
The M Squared catalogue, then and now, is resistant to classification. Contemporary journalists tagged it experimental, electronic and avant-garde – shorthand for 'not what the rest of us are listening to'. In hindsight it's been described as post punk, minimalist, synth wave, no wave, synth pop, ambient, noise, pop electronica, art rock... whatever. Genres were never the point, and many M Squared artists took more than one approach to their music.
During the label's brief lifespan, Sydney's inner city was home to a great variety of sounds that existed almost completely outside the mainstream. M Squared, its artists and supporters had, over the intervening 30 years or so, been largely unacknowledged as a small but vibrant episode in the story of Australian music.
This 30-year anniversary set includes tracks from Systematics, The Makers of The Dead Travel Fast, Scattered Order, Ya Ya Choral, A Cloakroom Assembly, Patrick Gibson, Prod, Pel Mel, Wild West, SoliPsiK, The Limp, Tame O'Mearas, Severed Heads, Height/Dismay, Belle du Soir, The Slugfuckers, The Same, Splendid Mess, Pleasant Peasants and The Barons. In addition, a 36 page booklet contains a label history, recollections from the bands involved and unpublished photos. And to slip under your glass as you sit comfortably for a listen, a set of commemorative drink coasters. Cheers'
aint seen this cracker on any of the hep year end best-of lists, but i reckon this kinda ish is destined fer dustbin status regardless of who might wave the freak flag. pound fer pound, some of the freshest takes on the mutagenic, post-punk, synth-wave strains to date, featuring several of the most original Oz bands evvver. the makers of the dead travel fast are of course my heroes, but i spin the rest with freq & am forever hipping youngsters to virtually every weirdo on here. please support the label & bands by perching the merch & honour their memory by including em on future mixes/playlists :) 320 rips
01. No Good Trying - Syd Barrett 3:32 02. Climate 3:59 03. She's Got Medals - David Bowie 2:47 04. Lots/Lost 2:16 05. Overhead 3:31 06. Talk 5:15 07. Distant View 4:12 08. Talk 4:27 09. High And Wide 4:37 10. Climate II 3:47 11. Unumbered 4:47 12. Tronada 8:47
Bass - G. Black Drums - R. Trammel Guitar - D. Sundberg Vocals, Synthesizer - R. Buscher
Tracks 1 to 4, 9 to 11 from demo tapes, unreleased and never commercially available Tracks 5, 6 from rehearsal tapes, recorded live on cassette Tracks 7, 8 from the Raymilland 7", 1980 Track 12 from the Sub-Pop #5 cassette, 1981
'Raymilland formed in the summer of 1978 in St. Louis and lasted until the fall of 1981. Although starting out playing standard punk covers by the Buzzcocks, Damned, and Ultravox, their original influences and ideas about music leaned more toward the no-wave bands of NY and the more experimental bands from the UK. Raymilland played live eight times; four in St. Louis and four in Chicago. A fifth Chicago date slotted to open for Joy Division never happened when the US tour was canceled due to the death of Ian Curtis. Raymilland released one single in 1980 on Praxis; an influential Chicago music/art magazine, had one song included on the first Sub-Pop compilation cassette, and another on a compilation cassette released by the legendary Dong Dong Tapes from the Netherlands. A self produced demo cassette to attract label interest and procure live gigs was so influential that Wax Trax Records sold bootleg copies in their Chicago retail store. Although the band was constantly recording; there were no further official releases. Almost 30 years later BDR Records persuades the band to release a collection of those recordings. The members reviewed their vast archive to assemble the definitive Raymilland collection, and the result is Recordings '79-'81.' - BDR press release
been loving this dankness for months & now it's your turn i guess. the caterpillar hood won't cover the head of you know you should be home in bed. 320 rips!
A1. Lovers And Other Strangers 3:09 A2. Glide/Spin 3:30 A3. In My Lifetime 2:20 A4. Cirrus 1:24 A5. A-Train 5:09 A6. New Voice 5:42
B1. Hands 2 Take 4:05 B2. An Age 2:31 B3. Steam Away 4:47 B4. Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield 5:27 B5. Another Story 3:08 B6. Lost And Found 2:47
FX, Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards, Mixing, Perc, Tape, Violin, Vox - David Cunningham Vocals - Patti Palladin [A1, A2, A5, B1, B4] Bass, Guitar, Keyboards - Steve Beresford [A1] Guitar - Robert Fripp [A2, B6] Drums - J.J. Johnson (3) (tracks: A1, A3, A5) Keyboards, Vocals - Julian Marshall [A4, A6, B4] Bass - Val Haller [A3, A5] Saxophone - Gareth Sager [A5] Baritone Saxophone - Keith Thompson [B1] Bass - Ben Grove [B1] Bass Clarinet - Edward Pillinger , Rory Allam [B1] Horns - Anne Barnard [B1] Piano - Michael Nyman [B1] Rebec - Lucy Skeaping, Nick Hayley [B1] Trombone - Steve Saunders [B1] Vocals - Cheryl Lewis [A6]
'Led by pianist David Cunningham, the Flying Lizards started as [and largely continued to be] a novelty group that took classic rock songs and reduced them to parody with neo-Kraftwerk synthesizer minimalism and robotic deadpan vocal readings [as epitomized on the eponymous debut album by 'Summertime Blues' and 'Money']. The serious work shows Cunningham leaning towards the arty high-tech drone of Tangerine Dream, though, and that suffers from comparison with the inspired lunacy of the comedy turns.
Fourth Wall attempts to evolve a happy medium, with helpers including New Yorkers Pat Palladin and Peter Gordon and new-jazz artist Steve Beresford. Cunningham moves uneasily between electro-pop and trance music (as in Steve Reich and Philip Glass). Well-produced and interesting...' ~ Trouser Press
sophomore album from these weirds & what an enduring slab tiz. the only ting that don't still sound fresh is some of the tape hiss, but i can deal. truly one the classics of 'the genre', with Beresford & Fripp lending their skills on a couple tracks. most will need it for the Curtis cover alone but there is much more to be gleaned here. radikal
01. Little Dead Bodies 4:50 02. Somewhat Bleeker Street 1:34 03. Gist 2:26 04. (A Proverbial Explanation For) Why No Action Is Taken 2:32 05. Father's By The Door 2:48 06. Tractor Pull 2:24 07. Tuesday Tastes Good 2:53 08. In Bed With Boys 2:11 09. Sinister 3:27 10. True Romance At The World's Fair 1:45 11. Tonight 2:15 12. Please Respect Our Decandence 2:24 13. Heat Wave 3:08 14. No War Bride 1:25 15. Let's Transact 2:28 16. Lethargy 2:13 17. Amusing One's Self 2:26 18. Recalling The Last Encounter 1:51 19. Seasonal Zombies 2:51 20 Agitation 1:28 21. Special Bonus ~ Praxis
'Of the many vocalist/instrumentalist duos to emerge in and around the new wave, this Chicago team was quite unique, a fascinating marriage of Don Hedeker's music and Lydia Tomkiw's poetry. Over the course of its career, Algebra Suicide flirted with pop forms and occasionally shared stylistic ground with both Laurie Anderson and the Velvet Underground but never wavered from its own individual path.
The eponymous debut, a four-song 7-inch, offers a sketchy but atmospheric mix of guitar and rhythm box behind Tomkiw's coolly intoned short texts, which include the haunting and memorable "True Romance at the World's Fair," among the group's most enduring pieces. An Explanation for That Flock of Crows adds bass, better sound and new vocal inflections (Tomkiw nearly sings "Tonight") to the recitation of four more numbers made accessible — even catchy — by tangible, occasionally narrative ideas and strong internal tempos. Algebra Suicide isn't rock'n'roll, but even those with an aversion to poetry should try the pair's concise records.
Originally issued on cassette with a lyric booklet and later revamped on vinyl, Big Skin introduces piano and simple synthesizers to Hedeker's increasingly complex and dynamic music. The duo occasionally stumbles in its efforts to synchronize the verbal/instrumental rhythms, but both the song-form music and the lyrical content [like a fascinating, wry discussion of death entitled "Little Dead Body Poem," also released on a contemporaneous single with two other Big Skin selections] are engrossing.
The Secret Like Crazy is a generous compilation: three tracks from each EP, half of Big Skin, four oldies from various sources and three new cuts. The German CD-only Real Numbers is a convivial 1988 live album, recorded with tapes supplementing Hedeker's onstage guitar work. Introducing new material and revisiting more than a dozen oldies [all benefiting from new backings/presentations and Tomkiw's brief setups], it's an ear-opener for a band that might otherwise seem studio-bound.' ~ Trouser Press
i don't really have the patience for too much sound poetry, but somehow Algebra Suicide are one of my favourite bands. Don Hedeker had a great ear for tunes & a fabulously atmospheric guitar tone that provided the perfect bed for Lydia Tomkiw's seemingly random, yet humourously poignant observations. She had a wonderfully musical & rhythmic cadence with a sexy midwest accent, at once thought provoking & endearing, which she uses to great effect over the moody beds of post punk awesomeness. Apart from the musical matrimony, Don & Lydia were owlso a legit married couple for many years, finally divorcing in 93 & dissolving the band in 95. Lydia then dipped to New York, released a solo album & sadly croaked of unspecified causes in 2007 at 48 years young. there's more to tell no doubt, but it's gonna be hearsay anyhow, cuz i wasn't there. just listening over the years, it definitely sounds like Algebra Suicide were hugely influential to Men's Recovery Project, another righteous duo. this is a high quality transfer of the RRR Records compilation with the special addition of the song 'Praxis', thereby reproducing their eponymous debut ep on Buzzerama Records in its entirety, tho scattered about. anyhu, this is what we been spinning again lately, so please enjoy the superior sounding bits. more forthkommen
A1 No Threat A2 The Shadows Of Mde. Velo's Story A3 Illuminated Bay, Illuminated Buoy A4 Row Boat A5 Into The Arc A6 Dance Of The Trout A7 Copper Hats
B1 Mesh B2 Lovers Of Observatory Time B3 The Barbers, The Barbers B4 Zebra Crossing
Peter Richardson [piano, keyboards] Greg Addison [guitar] Steve Couri [bass, guitar, synth] Tim Schultz [bongos, saxophone] Shane Fahey [synthesizer]
Recorded at M Squared Studios
'One of the best kept secrets in rock n' roll is the renaissance in Australian music in the first half of the 80s. Almost every capital city in the nation produced at least one or two really good bands, and Sydney and Melbourne a stack. Makers Of the Dead Travel Fast were likely the most obscure of the lot.
I simply must tell you this story, because it illustrates the band perfectly. The Makers gig we attended in Sydney in 1981 was the most laid-back rock n' roll show I've ever seen. The entire audience was sitting cross-legged on the floor. The band came on, six or seven people. They never introduced themselves, they just played. Throughout the entire show no one in the band said a word. Not a single person clapped, cheered, booed or even talked during the songs. We couldn't even figure out if it was them or not, because no one had ever seen a photograph of them, and they didn't play anything off the album. Then they played "Zebra Crossing". The song finished and we cheered like maniacs - all five of us! The band walked offstage. That was it.
The Vessels is post-punk instrumental music. The album is bookended by probably the two weirdest pop songs I've ever heard. It is pop - melodic, concise - but it's just out there. Electronic, robotic..? But catchy! And lyrics to boot: "Two of my former idols have now gone to the pack/ I pitted them against each other while we were countin' back to back.'
Between these bookends is the mood music. The mood is of being adrift on a still dark ocean in the middle of the night. It is curious, it is creaking. Just when things seem to be sinking right down into ambience, the pace lifts a tad again, piano-playing respectful and measured. And then.. "Copper Hats"!! One of the classic weird rock n' roll songs, 'Copper Hats' is the sound of a bunch of retards banging pots and pans and muttering - yet still the ever-lingering pop catchiness!
Side 2 sees the band clearly transcending the ambient tag with the addition of some free-form brass which reflects the milieu of jazz-punk contemporaries Laughing Clowns and others. This side is less essential, with repetitive, hypnotic pounding beginning to drag by the middle of the side. A strong finish though, with 'Zebra Crossing'. The Vessels, another minor classic; the sort of obscure rock n' roll grail you could - if you were that way inclined - spend the rest of your life searching for.' ~ source
one of the dreamiest albums from Oz's answer to Tuxedomoon, who retain a haunting vibe throughout without resorting to too much saxophone silliness. simply stunning piano musique, 320 enchanting evocations later
