Los Iniciados - La Marca de Anubis (1982)

More minimal wave!!! This album from Spanish band Los Iniciados offers a really interesting and hazy atmosphere. That atmosphere, in combination with the often frantic vocals offers a really great experience. Highly recommended album.

Le marca de Anubis
Aké pahré shemú

Χωρίς Περιδέραιο - Χορός για μουσική (1985)

Awesome minimal wave album from Greece. Filled with barrages of blissful synth rhythms for your listening pleasure. Really great listen if youre exploring synth music.

Ιιηκ

Juicy - It Takes Two (1985)

Regarded as a classic by 80s/90s club and urban radio DJs, Juicy is some sexy synth funk and sample magic. I only copped this a month ago after hearing the "Sugar Free" track on DJ Screw's legendary 3 N' Tha Morning mix. I was on a huge New Jack Swing and 80s funk kick then and I desperately needed to hear that track again if not the entire album... I was not let down at all. I had definitely heard the opener and title track on my city's 'Old School' radio station which is the only good station in my city. These grooves are effortlessly tight and with plenty of amazing synth, drum, and overdub work. I also obviously can't leave out how great of singers these two are; never over the top and always just float around their music hitting every dynamic perfectly. I understand if you think this album might be corny because of the cover--the 80s soul scene was all about that type of shit and I love it--but it's not by any means.

Sample

It Takes Two

Various Artists - Psychedelic Disaster Whirl (1986)

Really great comp of late 60's psych rock, really has a lot more grittiness than a lot of others. As the title suggests there's no flower power, no sunshine pop, no groovy jams, just raw psychedelic sounds of the sixties. Definitely worth a listen if you're interested in psychedelic rock.

Like a big ol' flashing sign now
I'm gonna infiltrate your pretty little mind now

Pete La Roca - Basra (1965)

Joe Henderson and Pete La Roca again. They did some real awesome stuff before this (Page One and Our Thing), but I'm pretty sure this is their first time recording together without Kenny Dorham. A great trio indeed and I have to say that it does sound like something's missing here. Still an awesome album however that more people need to hear. The first track is a pretty obvious homage to Ole Coltrane, literally every instrument is mimicking that recording, but Henderson and Coltrane were so different really and it is fascinating to hear that juxtaposition. I always thought La Roca sounded like Elvin Jones and I'm proud to say that I thought this prior to reading that Jones was La Roca's successor in Coltrane's quartet and listening to the Sonny Rollins Vanguard album where both are used at different times in the day. After the opening track the band proves to be really unique, especially on Blue Note in this time. Steve Kuhn and Steve Swallow are huge change-ups to what the non avant garde side of Blue Note was used to in those years (I'm speaking of course of the boogaloo and related funkiness). Here we have some pretty subdued music that is kind of like a quasi-Bill Evans. Put the Bossa Nova influenced styles La Roca and Henderson were used to on top of that and you've got a pretty chill album.

Basra

Sam Rivers - Streams (1973)

Sam Rivers was more hesitant than the rest of the first wave free jazz saxophonists to completely cut his playing from any constraints. Fuchsia Swing Song and Contours are somewhat progressive jazz albums still heavily rooted in blues and black roots, but Streams is a total let go from any sense of that. I'm usually not a huge fan of free jazz when it headed into the 70s and beyond, but this is an exception. The small band approach to this wild stuff is refreshing seeing that 10+ piece bands were taking over the avant garde jazz scene at this time. Rivers is backed by one of my all time favorite bassists, Cecil McBee, whose originality and angular nimbleness on the instrument always hooks me. I can't say I'm as familiar with Norman Connors (I've only heard him on a couple of Pharoah Sanders albums), but that doesn't mean he isn't killing it all the way through. Rivers plays his three primary instruments (tenor and soprano saxophones and flute), and he gives these all equal times as if to say "what ideas will come to me when I'm playing this instrument"

Just a fascinating jazz date. Live setting. Ridiculous energy. On Impulse.

Streams

Xeerox ‎– 1979 - 1981 Recuerdo Espectral De Un Viejo Decorado Eléctrico (2008)

Now this is a fascinating album. A while back I (fruitlessly) searched for some underground albums from Spain. I decided to give it another shot recently and I found this album along with a few other gems that I might share in the future. This comp is heavily influences by the No Wave scene going on in New York at the time. It has a really weird and hypnotic quality to it thanks to its incredibly muffled and hectic guitars and great use of backmasking. In short, it's unlike any No Wave album I've heard before and I highly recommend it.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Faust, Tony Conrad, Jim O'Rourke, Richard Youngs, Keith Rowe - In God We Trust (1995)

Just by looking at the title you can tell that this single has a real powerhouse lineup. This single was given out for free to lucky attendees of a British tour. I can best describe the single as a weird mishmash of noises and sounds. There are five tracks crammed into the one sided single, each performed by a different artist, each were about a minute long, and each of them very well done, All in all it's a great listen, well worth a mere 6 minutes of your time.

link

Michio Kadotani - 腐っていくテレパシーズ (1991)

Great comp of music from Michio Kadotani which was released shortly after he died in 1990. I can best describe the album as supremely noisy punk/post-punk. That really doesn't to the release justice though, its basically if Les Rallizes Dénudés decided to do a post-punk album, and it's absolutely fantastic. It's noisy, hypnotic, and an all around incredibly listen. I highly recommend it if you're even vaguely interested in noise rock or anything else that I've mentioned, this album really shouldn't be passed up.

link

Fahrenheit 451 - Fahrenheit 451 (1981)

Cool post-punk single from the Netherlands. The single consists of 4 super short lofi jams with some nice frantic singing to boot. The Dutch band certainly seems like they were influenced by the no wave scene going on in New York at the time. All in all it's a cool single, I'd recommend it to any post-punk or no wave junkies.

sorry about the quality

The Apartments - The Evening Visits... (1985)

Great jangle pop album out of Brisbane. Most of the songs are very catchy and upbeat, but also really melancholy at the same time. The singing comes off as kind of nasally and melodramatic at first, but it gains sincerity with repeated listens, this is an album that really grew on me after a while. Definitely worth a listen.

The girls walk Lazarus all around the room
As he changes color from red to blue
Here's your drama. Here's your fuel
I'm just sitting here cause there's nothing else to do

Mamoru Fujieda- Patterns of Plants (1997)

Apparently if plants could speak they would talk in brief phrases that meander and loop over and over and over, only slightly varying with each iteration, yet still conveying great depth: showing that the seeming randomness of our electricity causally links us to nature, to the chill of air that hits you after rounding a corner, or the whirling path those helicopter seeds take after launching from their pods to the ground below, or the chirping crickets that won't shut the fuck up on a summer night yet still create a lulling drone that canvases an entire forest, as if blanketing your ears for protection from damning silence, from silence that, when present, makes you turn inward, chewing on your own thoughts to fill the void with some chatter all at the expense of your own sanity, which is merely the result of sparks running through your head in a certain fashion, the same sparks that reach out into air and feel that wind chill or process that image of the seed spinning, spinning, around and around, meandering through the air before abruptly coming to a halt, in the style of those plants, whose language floats about in a circle, both going nowhere but still saying so much in the process.

link

Circle X - Prehistory (1983)

Another great release from Circle X, this one is basically a more refined version of Untitled, but don't let that discourage you. Prehistory is also way more post-punk influenced than their debut EP. It's still very chaotic, but in a much more organized way, if that makes any sense. In my (oh so humble) opinion this album is better than Untitled, so it's definitely worth checking out if you liked that, but it's also worth checking out if you thought Untitled was too harsh, as this one is a tad bit more ~tame~ for lack of a better word.

-unintelligible screams-

Circle X - Untitled (1979)

Abrasive, loud, irate no wave. Circle X is almost like a cross between early Swans and Mars. It's also deceptively catchy, despite its violent sound. This EP basically consists of frantic, angry vocals over deliciously scratchy and chaotic instrumentation, all with a steady, pulsing drum in the background. Highly recommend this one for fans of no wave.

ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS
MARCHING AS TO WAR

Mami Chan Band - Live! (2001)

Mami Chan Band are the multinational experimental pop project of Andrew Sharpley, with all members contributing vocal work, ranging across multiple languages, even lapsing into a Dénudé-esque blend of french and japanese, recorded live between 1999 and 2001. The music on this disc is incredibly eclectic, ranging from the deranged yet cutesy melodica and bass waltz of "mon pére communiste et ses amis fume de l’herbe sur la patinoire"to the breathless toybox pop of "la valse", yet always retaining a sweetness and charm that soften the band's experimental edge. Pop music that's like nothing else, and the kaleidoscopic Louis Wain cover is pretty neat as well!

love & beauty

Fellini - O Adeus De Fellini (1985)

Fun and catchy Brazilian post-punk. You might remember these guys from the Nao Wave comp, they were probably my favorite artist featured on the compilation, so I decided to explore them a little further. And I was certainly not disappointed. Really bouncy with endearing vocals (albeit I don't understand what those vocals are saying). Definitely an nice, catchy album, definitely worth checking out.

sorry about the quality

Clock DVA - Thirst (1981)

Nice dark oldschool industrial with a heavy post-punk influence. Almost like a cross between Red Mecca and In the Flat Field. The album has a lot nice angular repetition all throughout. Thirst also serves as a good bridge between post-punk/gothic rock and industrial music if you ask me. Certaintly worth a listen if you're into post-punk and curious about industrial music or vice versa.

Maybe it was the empire of senses

It's not too clear

Saint Etienne - So Tough (1993)

Saint Etienne's 1993 So Tough, though an inheritor of Eno's idea of what rock is and eighties synth-pop, is an achievement all on its own. The wandering free spirit of this band's second record is only a natural response to their first, Foxbase Alpha, a record in which house music met in graceful rejoice with indie pop. And yet, the difference between the two is well pronounced. 

Valium Aggelein - Hier Kommt Der Schwartze Mond (1998)

A side project of the members of Duster, Valium Aggelein was the spacey, lo-fi, indie rock/slowcore/space rock brainchild of Dove Amber, Clay Parton, and Jason Albertini. Almost entirely instrumental, this album is full of subdued guitar and spacey soundscapes. Listening to this album feels like walking down the street in the middle of the night, breathing in warm air, and hearing cars speeding away on a highway off in the distance. This is an album that doesn't quite "rock" but still possesses a certain intensity that I can't quite describe in words.

the blue ribbon winner

the king and the telesonic

slow motion

Bound & Gagged - Bound & Gagged (1980)

Great bouncy, angular, female fronted post-punk, quasi-no wave almost. That pretty much summed up the EP in one sentence though it doesn't quite do it justice. There's a name for this genre of music I found out about a few months ago: "zolo" though I don't really know exactly what it means. Either way the album is super catchy, super hyper, super fun. Definitely worth a listen.

I WISH I COULD BE FREE
OF CHAINS AND POLYMERS

Portion Control - ..Step Forward (1984)

Excellent old-school EBM album out of London. A bit more on the synth-punky side of EBM, but the group also have this very distinct pop/new wave influence to them, and they even throw in kind of a tribal feel into some tracks. The song "Havoc Man" even reminds me of a more industrial/angry version of New Order's "Temptation" and surprisingly enough, they don't even remotely butcher that concept, in fact "Havoc Man" is one of my favorite tracks off the album. Definitely a really great EBM album and perhaps even a good starting point for those interesting in that genre. It's also a decent starting album for industrial music (albeit a more industrial rock than a Throbbing Gristle kind of industrial) and for synth-punk, as it delves into all of those genres. Definitely worth checking out.

There is hope; and there is vision

Angry looks pass me by

Cradled in your indecision

I really wonder; wonder why

Oppenheimer Analysis - New Mexico (1982)

Absolutely gorgeous and lovely synth-pop. This old school synth-pop album has some incredibly luscious synths, the juicy synths on this album make it such a comfy listen. The album was very politically fueled (which you can even tell from the band's name) and has quite a few songs about the ever-present threat that the Cold War was, the last track is a real testament to the growing fear of the time. Honestly it's everything one could wish for in a synth-pop album: dreamy female vocals, super catchy and all around fantastic synths, great production, and so on. It's one of my favorite synth-pop albums and for good reasons; I highly recommend it.

What's the use of being free
All that's left is you and me
Trapped from the start
Tear each other's world apart

Inflatable Boy Clams - Inflatable Boy Clams (1981)

What a curious record. Inflatable Boy Clams was an all-female quasi-no wave band from San Francisco. Had they actually been in the scene at the time they would have fit in perfectly. It's a weird little EP, imagine a cuter and all-female version of the early Sun City Girls stuff, then you kinda get an idea for this album. It's really minimal, basically just spoken word for some of the tracks. The album has a real kind of distinctive candid and grim feeling to it. Really a fantastic album, definitely worth checking out.

See my grotesque grin
I smile for youuuUUUU

Archie Fisher - The Man With A Rhyme (1976)

Archie Fisher's The Man With A Rhyme has been a personal favorite record for about the course of a year now. Having grown up with the music of Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, I was first introduced to Fisher's contributions to some of their albums as a guitarist and producer. As a Makem/Clancy faithful and a sucker for anything on the Folk-Legacy label, I was not disappointed when I decided to pick this one up.

Archie Fisher is a renowned Scottish musician, with his catalog dating back to the early 1960s on some absolutely classic releases by Topic Records. Some of these including the monumental Far Over The Forth EP, recorded with his sister, Ray, and The Fisher Family: Traditional & New Songs from Scotland, a recording of a family get-together at the Fisher home. Fisher is a very inventive guitarist, perfectly accompanying his arrangements of traditional songs with beautiful counter-melodies and a certain dexterity that never becomes masturbatory in the slightest, unlike some of his contemporaries. Fisher is a very soft, tender and reserved vocalist, though he sings with a very strong sense of confidence. Fiddle, banjo, concertina, flute, dulcimer and cello compliment Fisher's relaxed performance.

In addition to accomplished musicianship, Fisher has a distinct knack for creating very vivid imagery in his own lyrics and is a truly awesome storyteller. A prime example of classic Fisher storytelling is The Witch of the West-Mer-Lands, an epic tale of witches and centaurs that draws heavily on traditional narrative and could very well be easily mistaken for something taken out of the Child Ballads. A personal favorite on this record is Jock Stewart, commonly known as I'm A Man You Don't Meet Every Day, because it makes me believe that Fisher is this larger than life character he sings about, all with his soft, welcoming delivery.

The Archie Fisher experience should leave you with a very warm and comforting feeling. In my opinion, this is one of the coziest records I have ever heard.

Be easy and free.

The Pennikurvers - The Pennikurvers (1995)

Fantastic 90's lofi emo. And when I say lofi I mean REALLY lofi. Whether or not you're a fan of emo you should definitely check this, it very well could change your mind about the genre altogether. The whole single has a very indie rock tint to it as well, but its still primarily an emo record. Superbly fuzzy and comfy, its a real shame these guys never released anything else. Either way this is and incredibly enjoyable single and definitely worth a listen in my opinion.

Link

Dome - Dome (1980)

Wonderful English post-punk band born from the ashes of Wire. When the group went on hiatus in 1980 Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis formed Dome. I kind of prefer Dome to Wire, Dome aren't really as lively but they have such a great texture and atmosphere. The whole album is very mellow for the most part, pretty minimal in fact. It's a great listen

All I could do was whistle
All I could do was whistle

Danny Gatton - In Concert 9/9/94

Now a virtual unknown, Danny Gatton was once considered a guitar God. His bouncing, playful style coupled with his stunning technical ability and liberal stage banter make this recording stellar. This is some absolutely essential rockabilly even if you're not into the stuff. Imagine if Steve Vai met Johnny Cash, this is what would come out. Gatton tears it up the whole night, and there's not a weak spot on the album as far as I'm concerned.

First Post, Hope You Like It

King Of Culture - Know How / Cut Shut (1984)

Upbeat post-punk released in 1984. I've been playing this single nonstop ever since I got it about a week or so ago. Cool bass work and cool female vocals. Probably one of my favorite singles. If you're looking for a few fun and danceable post-punk tracks I'd recommend this.

download

The Del-Byzanteens - Lies to Live By (1982)

Fun, catchy, upbeat no wave from 1982. One of the absolute catchiest albums I've heard out of the scene, it's entertaining and energetic and just never gets old. It's really exceptionally upbeat by no wave standards, but still manages to have this kind of caustic-industrial-waste sound that makes it so memorable, but a kind of well-produced-caustic-industrial-waste sound, it's very interesting. Only problem the album has, which it seems to share with a lot of albums of the time for some reason, is that it just seems order all the tracks in a way that all the best tracks are at the very beginning, leaving the album to get progressively more ehhh toward the end. Still a great EP though, without a doubt. Definitely an album to check out, even if you're not a huge fan of no wave, the album is pretty accessible in my opinion.

I DON'T HAPPENED
I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE ASKING ME FOR
IS THAT ALL THAT HAPPENED
ADD IT UP AND THERE OUGHT TO BE MORE

Cabaret Voltaire - 1974-1976

While we're on the topic of really early works of well-known bands, here's 1974-76 by Cabaret Voltaire. This one is official and was released in 1980 and it consists mainly of the bands rawer, more experimental, and unrefined stuff. If you're looking for another Red Mecca or Micro-Phonies you're not going to find it here. Not to say that's a bad thing though, this album is excellent, just nowhere near as accessible as something like Red Mecca. It's a very peculiar album, definitely worth a listen, especially if you're a big fan of early industrial acts like Cabaret Voltaire or especially Throbbing Gristle.

Gonna make you shake
Keep your ass up well off the ground
Move to the music, DIG THE SOUND
Snake snake, snake snake, snake snake, snake

Talking Heads - The 1975 CBS Demo Session (2010)

Fantastic fantastic fantaaastic compilation of demos from post-punk band Talking Heads. Mainly features tracks from their first two studio albums. What amazes me so much of this bootleg is that its from 1975. Allow me to reiterate: post-punk from 1975! One of the earliest post-punk recordings ever, to my knowledge. Incredibly impressive feat in my opinion. The bootleg illustrates their early influences and direction sooo well. Definitely a must have for fans of Talking Heads and post-punk alike.

We are two strangers we
Might never have met we can
Talk forever I
Understand what you said but
I'm not in love

Various Artists - Não Wave (2005)

Real great post-punk compilation out of Brazil. As the title implies, all of the artists on this album sound very reminiscent of artists out of the no wave scene in New York, which was going on at the same time. It has a lot of the manic, deconstructive themes that no wave artists had, but with its own little Brazilian flair added on top. Great comp, essential for fans of post-punk or no wave.

Se o mundo explodir em pedaços outra vez
Please come back
Please come back

Units - Digital Stimulation (1980)

Terrific Synth-Punk album from San Francisco. Super wacky, super fun, super catchy. It really makes you just wanna go out and buy a keytar and your very own pair of visor sunglasses. The only criticism I have for the album is that, in my opinion, it kinda goes through all of the best tracks at beginning, leaving the latter half just making you long for more "High Pressure Days" or more "Warm Moving Bodies." Either way way it's a great album. I highly recommend it.

SAW JOHNNY TONIGHT
BUT WE DIDN'T SAY HELLO TO EACH OTHER
WE'RE ALL MOVING PRETTY FAST THESE DAYS
BUMPING AROUND LIKE BUMPER CARS

Alternative TV - Vibing Up the Senile Man (Part One) (1979)

This is a real different post-punk album, incredibly dark and dissonant, even by post-punk's standards. It has a really bleak, frozen atmosphere to it, its quite haunting in fact. If you like hearing the panicked shouts of British men though, this is definitely the album for you, the fourth track is a cold, sort of spoken word story which breaks down into chaos at the end, it's an incredible track. It's a real foreboding yet mesmerizing album, I highly recommend it to someone who's a fan of No Wave, even though it isn't from the scene, it bears a striking resemblance.

But the terror is in your radio
The terror is in your radio-o-o

Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls, and Marches (1981)

Mission of Burma are pretty much the be-all and end-all of upbeat, catchy post-punk if you ask me. This EP is fantastic, it's incredibly consistent but doesn't lack variety at the same time. "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" honestly has one of the best choruses of any song that I can think of. It's really just the pinnacle of happy, fast post-punk in my opinion (though it kinda blurs the line between punk and post-punk at some points), I don't really think anyone with a similar sound ever came close to topping them other than perhaps Magazine or Gang of Four. It's insanely accessible, insanely catchy, and definitely worth checking our if you haven't done so already.

THAT'S WHEN I REACH FOR MY REVOLVER
THAT'S WHEN IT ALL GETS BLOWN AWAY
THAT'S WHEN I REACH FOR MY REVOLVER
THE SPIRIT FIGHTS TO FIND ITS WAY

Smog - Tired Tape Machine (1990)

Real great lo-fi, indie, tape-fuckery masterpiece right here. Not really going to be the clean indie rock one would come to expect from him later in his career, nor is it the almost country-like sound that came even later. It's a real demented, strange, and at times even eerie album, way more enthralling than his other stuff. I'd even go as far as to say that it's definitely his best album in my opinion, it's severely underrated.

Loving the fables of the times
Learning the fables of the times
Teaching me the fables of the times
I don't think I miss much

Federal Duck - Federal Duck (1968)

Nice surreal late 60's psych. The album is so pleasant and laid back and just sounds like one big dream. Even while the album has quite a few upbeat songs, all of the tracks just have this kind of dark undertone to them for whatever reason. It's an interesting blend of blues, folk, and psych rock, and it comes out perfectly, definitely worth checking out.

Tell me little bird what songs you say

I want to know your songs it's time I pray

Rema-Rema - Wheel In the Roses (1980)

This is a wonderfully quaint little post-punk EP. This album might sound a bit familiar if you follow the blog. That's because Mass, an exquisite group that I shared here some time earlier, was born from the ashes of Rema-Rema, and have a lot of the same members. It has the same dark and delirious tone to it that Labour of Love had, and it's equally charming and captivating. It's great, noisy hectic post-punk that you should listen to right now.

There's no light at the end of it all
Let's all sit down and cry
There's not light at the beginning
Let's all sit down and cry

Blurt - Blurt + Singles (2009)

Wonderful comp from the epileptic jazz-punk trio Blurt which includes their self titled album and a few of their singles from the early 80s. It's a really hyper, energetic, yet simple album, just repetitive lyrics chanted (or screamed) a few times, followed by some gorgeous sax molestation and other somewhat post-punky sounding instrumentals. The album is just real catchy and fun to just listen and sing along (or dance like youre having a seizure) to, it's best played loudly.

The fish needs a bike
The fish needs a bike