Friday, March 9, 2012

Out This Week: The Magnetic Fields- Love at The Bottom of The Sea

The Magnetic Fields have released their eleventh studio album this week (March 5, 2012). The album is entitled Love at the Bottom of the Sea and it is the band's first release with Merge since 1999's '69 Love Songs'. After releasing three albums relatively free of synthesizers as part of a "no-synth trilogy", 'Love at the Bottom of the Sea' features the blend of acoustic and synthesized instruments that the band was known for in the 90's. The album was recorded by Stephin Merritt and Charles Newman at Bell Tree (LA). "Andrew in Drag" is the only track from the album which was confirmed as a single.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Chronicles of Punk, New Romantics and Beyond in 'We Can Be Heroes' by Graham Smith

'We Can Be Heroes' is a brand new book by Graham Smith that gives the insider's perspective on London's clubland 1976-1984 and celebrates the Punk and New Romantic movement. Graham Smith designed some album covers for Spandau Ballet and Sade. He was also unofficial house photographer of the London clubs and collected over 450 previously unseen images and 500 quotes from many of the chief creative figures of the punk and New Romantics era, projecting his masterpiece above and beyond the traditional photo book realm. The book was co-written with a friend and fellow Chris Sullivan who wrote a bestselling illustrated history of Punk that the Pistols say is the best book on the subject ever penned.  


The book was fully funded and released just before Christmas on December 8, 2011. You can still buy the book exclusively from Unbound, either as a limited Special Edition hardback, or as a numbered Deluxe edition, in an elegant box with two signed prints.




Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Retrovision: Visage- The Damned Don't Cry

Visage released 'The Damned Don't Cry' 30 years ago and the song topped the UK charts reaching number #11 in March 1982. It was their fifth single and the first one taken from Visage's second album 'The Anvil'. 

 

(C) 1982 Universal Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

Reissue: Spandau Ballet- The Albums 1980-84 4CD Boxset

Spandau Ballet will release a deluxe 4CD Boxset which contains the first four classic Spandau albums 'Journeys To Glory', 'Diamond', 'True' and 'Parade'. The albums are packaged into individual sleeves then housed into a deluxe slip case with beautiful white and gold artwork. The remaster boxset includes all the hit singles from over the years "To Cut A Long Story Short", "Musclebound", "Chant No1", "Gold", "True", "Lifeline", "The Freeze", "Communication", "Only When You Leave"and many more. 
 The release date is set for April16, 2012. Pre-order your copy of Spandau Ballet The Albums 1980-84 4CD Boxset between now and March 16th and be automatically entered into their exclusive 'Mothers Day Draw' to win a framed Signed by all of Spandau tour program.   

www.spandauballetstore.com/spandauballet/CD/The-Albums-1980-84



Next Wave: Social Ambitions

Social Ambitions is a electropop/synthpop formed 2005 in Stockholm, Sweden. Members Anders Karlsson (vocals, synthsizer and production) and Mikael Arborelius(backing vocals, synthesizers and production) write, record and produce music in their studio in Stockholm. The duo is influenced by modern electronic pop, classic synth pop, electronic dance music and the drive of rock and new wave. The result is electronic pop music that bears the proud legacy of the Scandinavian sense of melody and danceable electronic rhythms. 
In August 2011 the single "Commandments" was issued with two previously unreleased songs.In October 2010, they released their debut album 'Almost Gone'. The album contained previously unreleased material and some songs from previous single releases – "Burning", "Innocence", "The Strip", and "Do you want to go". Now they are back with their second album, a mini-album where analogue synthesizers meet punchy beats. It's entitled Anticipation and it was released on February 27, 2012. 

www.socialambitions.com
www.facebook.com/socialambitions

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Out This Week: The Stranglers- Giants

The Stranglers have released their 17th studio album 'Giants' this week (March 5, 2012). The band is returning as a four piece after the departure of Paul Roberts and the lead vocals are shared between guitarist Baz Warne and bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel. The album is released in the formats of Digital Download, CD and Vinyl with the a deluxe edition of the CD being released with an additional live acoustic disc.

www.thestranglers.net

Lost Videos: Simple Minds- Chelsea Girl

Simple Minds released "Chelsea Girl" in 1979. It was the second single that was taken from their debut a album Life in a Day which was released during the same year and produced by John Leckie. The promo video for this song was taken from Australian music program 'Rage'. 

   

Monday, March 5, 2012

The Wake Announce New Album 'A Light Far Out' for May

The Scottish indie band the Wake are back with the first new studio release since their reformation in 2009 when they played play selected live dates in Brussels, London, Paris and New York. They will release a brand new album A Light Far Out on May 7, 2012. Core duo Caesar and Carolyn Allen worked with Ian Catt (St Etienne), Duncan Cameron (Teenage Fanclub) and remixer Drew Diver of NYC-based duo Horse Shoes. 
 If you buy 'A Light Far Out' direct from LTM mailorder then you will also recieve a free CDR of The Wake's set at Plan K (Brussels) on 12 December 2009, featuring Testament, Uniform, O Pamela, Here Comes Everybody, Favour, Talk About the Past, The Old Men, Something Outside, The Sands.   

www.ltmrecordings.com/wakecat


Trevor Jackson – Metal Dance - Industrial / Post-Punk / EBM : Classics & Rarities 80-88

Trevor Jackson, known for his work as Playgroup and the incredibly influential Output Recordings has collected some of his favorite rarities from the under-explored world of 80s industrial & post-punk dance floor material. This obscure compilation is going to be released under a name 'Metal Dance - Industrial / Post-Punk / EBM : Classics & Rarities 80-88'. The two-disc collection covers recognized masters such as Cabaret Voltaire & Nitzer Ebb and many not so famous act from the 80's underground. The compilation was released this February and it is out on Strut Records.


Thursday, March 1, 2012

In Conversation: Clive Pierce (hard Corps)

In the wake of the recent news regarding Hard Corps' reissues on Minimal Wave Records, we had the opportunity to connect with one of the founding members of the group, Clive Pierce. He graciously agreed to share insights in an exclusive interview for our blog.

The genesis of Hard Corps dates back to 1983, emerging from years of musical experimentation. The trio of Clive Pierce, Hugh Ashton, and Rob Doran laid the foundation, later joined by the French-born singer Regine Fetet. Their inaugural single, "Dirty," debuted on Survival Records in 1984, followed by two sessions on Richard Skinner's Radio One show. Martin Rushent and Daniel Miller subsequently approached them, collaborating on several singles released in 1985.

Throughout their musical journey, Hard Corps had the privilege of supporting renowned acts such as the Cure and Depeche Mode during their 80s tours. In 1990, the group disbanded after releasing a compilation featuring a diverse array of tracks. This compilation, available on both vinyl and CD with slightly varied track lists, encapsulates most of their discography, including remixes and rare b-sides.

For an in-depth exploration of Hard Corps, including lesser-known facts, influences, details about the recent reissues, and much more, stay tuned for the interview below.



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