Country: France
Language: English
Genre: Post Punk, Coldwave
Label Number: ARTY 9 CD
© 1989 Liveley Art
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: asylum party, borderline, 1989, flac,
April 23, 2025
Siglo XX - Under a Purple Sky (1989)
Country: Belgium
Language: English
Genre: Post Punk
Label Number: BIAS 145 CD
© 1989 Play It Again Sam Records USA
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: siglo xx, under a purple sky, 1989, flac,
Marquis De Sade - Dantzig Twist (1979)
*First pressing.
Contains 13 tracks total.
Country: France
Language: English, French (français)
Genre: Post Punk
Label Number: 837 901-2
© 1979-1989 Barclay
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: marquis de sade, dantzig twist, 1979, flac,
Babel 17 - Shades (1991)
Country: France
Language: English, French (français)
Genre: Post Punk, Coldwave
Label Number: ARTY 34 CD
© 1991 Lively Art
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: babel 17, shades, 1991, flac,
April 14, 2025
Poésie Noire - Tales of Doom (1987)
Country: Belgium
Language: English
Genre: Coldwave, Gothic Rock
Label Number: ANT 053-CD
© 1987 Antler Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: poesie noire, tales of doom, 1987, flac,
Poésie Noire - Tetra (1988)
Country: Belgium
Language: English
Genre: Coldwave
Label Number: ANTLER 074
© 1988 Antler Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: poesie noire, tetra, 1988, flac,
Deine Lakaien - Deine Lakaien (Re-Release) (1986)
Country: Germany
Language: English
Genre: Darkwave
Label Number: CRO 0612
© 1986 Chrom Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: deine lakaien, deine lakaien album, 1986, flac
Deine Lakaien - Dark Star (1991)
*First pressing.
Contains 9 tracks total.
Country: Germany
Language: English
Genre: Darkwave
Label Number: GYM 601
© 1991 classX Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: deine lakaien, dark star, 1991, flac,
April 06, 2025
Code Blue - True Story... (1983)
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*Photos of the record are included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: LP THREE E 1008
© 1983 Index
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: code blue, true story,1983, flac,
March 31, 2025
Dead Can Dance - Dead Can Dance (1984)
*U.K. first pressing.
Contains 14 tracks total.
Country: Australia
Genre: Ethereal Wave
Label Number: CAD 404 CD
© 1984-1986 4AD
Early punk backgrounds and the like behind them, Perry and Gerrard
created a striking, dour landmark in early-'80s atmospherics on their
first, self-titled effort. Bearing much more resemblance to the
similarly gripping, dark early work of bands like the Cocteau Twins and the Cure
than to the later fusions of music that would come to characterize the
duo's sound, Dead Can Dance is as goth as it gets in many places. Perry and Gerrard's
wonderful vocal work -- his rich, warm tones and her unearthly,
multi-octave exaltations -- are already fairly well established, but
serve different purposes here. Thick, shimmering guitar and rumbling
bass/drum/drum machine patterns practically scream their sonic
connections to the likes of Robin Guthrie and Robert Smith,
but they still sound pretty darn good for all that. When they stretch
that sound to try for a more distinct, unique result, the results are
astonishing. Gerrard
is the major beneficiary here -- "Frontier" explicitly experiments with
tribal percussion, resulting in an excellent combination of her singing
and the rushed music. Then there's the astonishing "Ocean," where
guitar and chiming bells and other rhythmic sounds provide the bed for
one of her trademark -- and quite, quite lovely -- vocal excursions into
the realm of glossolalia. Perry
in contrast tends to be matched with the more straightforward numbers
of digital processing and thick, moody guitar surge. The album ends on a
fantastic high note -- "Musica Eternal," featuring a slowly
increasing-in-volume combination of hammered dulcimer, low bass tones,
and Gerrard's soaring vocals. As an indicator of where the band was going, it's perfect.
tags: dead can dance, dead can dance album, 1984, flac,
Clan of Xymox - Clan of Xymox (1986)
*U.K. first pressing.
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Genre: Dark Wave
Label Number: CAD 503 CD
© 1985-1986 4AD
Listening to Clan of Xymox's self-titled LP is like entering a club of
black-clad vampires in the mid-'80s. That's not meant as an insult; the
album captures a certain time and place. The record epitomizes Ben Folds Five's hilarious discovery in "Battle of Who Could Care Less": "See I've got your old ID/And you're all dressed up like the Cure."
This moody, atmospheric record is as dated as a bumper sticker from a
"rock of the '80s" radio station. What once seemed cutting-edge is now a
nostalgia trip, and for aging goths, Clan of Xymox is home sweet home.
Clan of Xymox were never original; they always seemed to be picking from
the leftovers of their predecessors: the Cure, Joy Division, Modern English, Dead Can Dance, and New Order.
In other words, there are icy, throbbing keyboards; bummed-out vocals;
chilly, robotic percussion; gloomy, ethereal guitars; and unusual,
cryptic song titles. However, even before their creative peak with
1989's stellar Twist of Shadows, the group knew how to craft some good hooks. Clan of Xymox aims for Joy Division's oppressive bleakness, but vocalist Ronny Moorings doesn't have the late Ian Curtis'
intense pain or profound lyrics. The band is at their best when their
pop instincts overrule their tendency to lose themselves in misery. "A
Day" and "Muscoviet Mosquito" are both mysterious and catchy, propelled
by infectious gothic grooves that don't slow down. "No Words" has funky
riffs which reveal that Clan of Xymox listen to new romantic groups as
well, and "Stumble and Fall" is beautifully lush. There's nothing
brilliant or original here; however, the group's derivative sound
summarizes the dance sector of post-punk accurately as they pillage from
the most popular artists of the genre. An entertaining audio essay of
early- to mid-'80s goth rock; from Joy Division to Dead Can Dance, Clan of Xymox never leave a page unturned.
tags: clan of xymox, clan of xymox album, 1986, flac,
Clan of Xymox - Medusa (1986)
*U.K. first pressing.
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Genre: Dark Wave
Label Number: CAD 613 CD
© 1986 4AD
Clan of Xymox's second full album (not counting the rudimentary debut
EP) is a distinct improvement on the Dutch band's earlier work, and
indeed is probably the group's career high point. However, the band's
fatal flaws remain clear throughout the album: although these songs are
superficially attractive in a goth-dance sort of way, there's little in
the way of depth or substance here, and on closer listen, one realizes
that the best parts of these songs sounded even better when they
appeared on earlier albums by Depeche Mode, Xmal Deutschland, Propaganda, and Bauhaus. The album's high point by far is the proto-acid house "Michelle," which has the dreamy neo-psychedelic textures of Psychic TV's "Godstar" or mid-period Siouxsie and the Banshees.
tags: clan of xymox, medusa, 1986, flac,
March 27, 2025
The Escalatorz - Straight To Your Heart (1987)
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*Photos of the record are included in the RAR file.
Country: Germany
Language: English
Genre: New Wave, Rock
Label Number: 04241
© 1987 Vielklang
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: the escalatorz, straight to your heart, 1987, flac,
March 25, 2025
The Sisters of Mercy - Some Girls Wander By Mistake (1992)
*A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: New Wave, Gothic Rock
Label Number: 9 61306-2
© 1992 Elektra
For over a decade, the early singles of Andrew Eldritch's
goth crew, the Sisters of Mercy, existed only in a limited-edition
vinyl format. They also went for fairly high prices, something that led
to extensive bootlegging. Thankfully, in 1992 head honcho Eldritch
decided to release all of the Sisters' pre-major-label material on a
single compilation CD. He was rewarded with a U.K. number one album, and
the opportunity to buy himself a new Porsche. The title comes from a Leonard Cohen
song, "Teachers," which was the first song performed by the fledgling
Sisters. All five early singles/EPs are here, from 1980's "The Damage
Done" to 1983's "Temple of Love." The material is not presented
chronologically, which is fine since the band's first two singles are
the weakest on the album. "The Damage Done" might command a high price
on vinyl but isn't a particularly good song, and the 30-second B-side
"Home of the Hit-Men" is entirely pointless. Follow-up single "Body
Electric" is better, featuring the classic punk workout "Adrenochrome,"
but it wasn't until 1982's "Alice" that the band hit its stride. The
title track is an instant classic, while "Floorshow" became a live show
staple. The Reptile House
EP, featuring tracks five to ten on the CD, saw the Sisters take a turn
into more overtly dark territory, featuring some of their bleakest and
most anguished work. Their final indie release, "Temple of Love,"
continued this trend, with Eldritch
turning in an impressive vocal performance. The cover of "Gimme
Shelter" doesn't entirely work, but it's an interesting glimpse into the
band's roots. Some Girls Wander By Mistake captures the Sisters of
Mercy at their most ferocious and angry, in the years before the band
became weighed down by over-produced synth-based efforts. As a look at
the formative years of a still-popular band, it's great, but as a
reminder of the punk roots of the goth movement, it's priceless.
tags: the sisters of mercy, some girls wander by mistake, 1992, flac,
March 18, 2025
Velveteen - After Hours (1983)
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*Photos of the record are included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.Genre: New Wave
Label Number: 80119-1-Y
© 1983 Atlantic
Velveteen is a duo featuring Sal Maida -- who played bass for Roxy Music, Milk & Cookies, Golden/Carillo, and Cherrie Currie, among others -- and vocalist Lisa Burns, once produced by Craig Leon when he had Willie Alexander & the Boom Boom Band up at Suntreader Studios recording in Vermont. The Boom Boom Band backed up Lisa Burns on a 1978 self-titled MCA records release during those sessions, performing material by Moon Martin, Jackie DeShannon, and the Box Tops. Five years later she changes styles from rock to dance. The black-and-white cover of this six-song Velveteen release on Atlantic entitled Afterhours has Maida with the obligatory sunglasses and Burns looking like a new wave chanteuse. They look smart, they look the part, and had the record sounded like the Velvet Underground meets Roxy Music as the title and image suggest, it may have made more of a splash. "Nightline" is the best song here, strong hook and crystal clear production, it's just that the Linn drums make for monotonous rock & roll and their sound dominates a recording which half rocks. It's good dance music -- material Sal Maida was familiar with having recorded on Gary Private's "Lonely Hearts," but the project may have been better served had Milk & Cookies re-formed to back up Burns the way Willie "Loco" Alexander's band did in the '70s. "Nothing to Do" slinks around in a nice and evil way, but had the wild abandon of a rock group interrupted the precision, the record would beg repeated spins. "Preoccupied" is the closest thing to rock, the Seeds' eternal "Pushin' too Hard" riff convoluted in a world where it -- and these musicians -- didn't really belong: the dance world. "Wild Rain" and "Get Wild" are the alleged obsession with uncontrolled emotion, a promise unfulfilled. If only the 1978 Lisa Burns disc had the production values she and Maida give this release -- much more precise and on target than Craig Leon's sparse underproduction. Lisa Burns has an appealing voice and style, and what she needed was a long-term record deal. Too bad "Nightline" wasn't a Top 40 smash; it's so hard watching important artists climb the mountaintop only to be abandoned at the summit. Lisa Burns falls into that category.
tags: velveteen, after hours, 1983, flac, vinyl,
March 16, 2025
Trees - Sleep Convention (1982) ☠
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*First pressing.
Contains 10 tracks total.
Photos of the record are included in the RAR file.
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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: New Wave
Label Number: MCA-5348
☠: Selected by Lass
© 1982 MCA Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: trees, sleep conventions, 1982, flac, vinyl,
Various Artists - A Matter of Degrees (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1991) ☠
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*A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative Country, Alternative Rock, Hip-Hop
Label Number: 7 82245-2
☠: Selected by Lass
© 1991 Atlantic Records
The university-set flop A Matter of Degrees is most memorable for JFK, Jr.'s cameo and its soundtrack, which fields a pretty accurate encapsulation of the U.S. college rock scene in the early '90s. Yo La Tengo, fIREHOSE, Uncle Tupelo, Schooly D(!), Throwing Muses, and Nova Mob all make fine appearances, and Miracle Legion fittingly cover Mission of Burma's "Academy Fight Song." Overall, it's rather mediocre fare. The only thing preventing the disc from playing like a college radio program circa 1991 is a public service announcement from Henry Rollins.
tags: various artists, a matter of degrees, original motion picture soundtrack, ost, 1991, flac,
March 14, 2025
Rawcotiks - Live Your Life/Magic Chef (12" Single) (1997)
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*Photos of the record are included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: FIV 1001
© 1997 First Try Entertainment
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: rawcotiks, live your life, magic chef, 12 inch, single, vinyl, 1997, flac,
March 10, 2025
DJ Eli • Shan Boogs - Cloudkickers (1999)
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*Photos of the record are included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: FE-CK1
© 1999 Fondle 'Em Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: dj eli, shan boogs, cloudkickers, cloud kickers, 1999, flac, vinyl,
March 08, 2025
DMX - Born Loser (12" Single) (1993)
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*Photos of the record are included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: 42 74908
© 1993 Ruffhouse/Chaos Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: dmx, born loser, 12 inch, single, 1993, flac,
Rawcotiks - Nevertheless/Real Heads (12" Single) (1997)
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*Photos of the record are included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: HP-2000
© 1997 Opposition Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: rawcotiks, nevertheless, real heads, 12 inch, single, 1997, flac,
March 04, 2025
Rawcotiks - Hardcore Hip-Hop (12" Single) (1996)
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Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: 50088-12
© 1996 Freeze Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.
tags: rawcotiks, hardcore hip hop, 12 inch, single, vinyl, 1996, flac,
