Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Elisa Waut

Elisa Waut was a Belgian band which was formed in Bruges in the early 80's. The band consisted of the singer Elsje Helewaut her brother Hans and the bass player Cheri Derycke. Their music is a clear uptempo pop with distinct influence of Jazz, always poetic and sensitive in a shape of melancholic songs. 


Originally intended to become an experiment between brother and sister, the band took shape after they teamed up with the bass player Cheri Derycke who was in the punk & coolwave band Red Zebra before joining Elisa Waut. The band got its first recognition after they won the major Belgian talent contest in 1984 which was not a small accomplishment, considering the peak in Belgian pop music that was happening at that time. During the1985 the the group made their debut releasing a 6 track self titled EP which was followed by two single releases on Ariola, "It Should Be You" and "Growing Pain".


In 1987, Els releases a poetry book "Het arme huis van gisteren", but it also means a breakthrough to the general public with the song "Sailor's don't cry" by "Elsje & Raymond". This song is produced for the soundtrack to the movie of the same name my Belgian director (and rock journalist) Marc Didden. The song is a cooperation between Els and Raymond van het Groenewoud.


In the same year they also released their first full album 'Commedia'. Another album followed in 1989 but none of these albums really generated a major upheaval, big records sales or smash hits : it are just four testimonies of a growing band, ever becoming better a their "thing". The exception to this rule is Japan, where the group was welcomed as the next big thing and the blond figure of Else generated a lot of enthusiasm.

Read the whole story here

Friday, September 24, 2010

Next Wave: Bye Bye Bicycle

Bye Bye Bicycle was formed 8 years ago just outside a small swedish coastal town called Bovallstrand. Their music is pure discopop, deadly serious, but still friendship at it's best! They have been working for about 3 years with their debut album 'Compass'. Very soon you're about to find out what life is about in the deepest forest of Sweden. Bye Bye Bicycle set sail for new destinations! See you there...

byebyebicycle.com
myspace.com/byebyebicycle

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Edwyn Collins- Losing Sleep

'Losing Sleep', the seventh album from former Orange Juice frontman Edwyn Collins. The album features Collins co-writing tunes with contemporaries Johnny Marr, Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera and Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos. The album features 19 bird related songs from Peggy Lee, the Swallows, Shirley Temple, Manfred Mann, Linton Kwesi Johnson etc. and it is out on Rough Trade, September 20, 2010.
Additional info:

http://www.edwyncollins.com/

Human League's Credo

The UK's premier synth innovators The Human League have announced the details of their forthcoming single and album on the Wall of Sound record label. The first single will be called 'Night People". There is no confirmed date yet for the ''Night People" and it will be released before the tour begins in Norwich on Monday 29th November. The title of THL's ninth studio album will be titled 'Credo' and it will be released next year shortly after the second single.

http://www.league-online.com/

Monday, September 20, 2010

Sharpe & Numan 'Automatic' Reissue

'Automatic' is the only album released by Sharpe + Numan in 1989. This was a collaboration between Gary Numan and jazz keyboardist/producer Bill Sharpe who member of the jazz fusion group Shakatak. London-based reissue label Cherry Pop will release an expanded version of 'Automatic' on October 18, 2010 and this reissue will feature extensive sleevenotes by Steve Thorpe, track comments from Bill Sharpe & Gary Numan, lyrics to all tracks, and remastered sound by Tim Turan.

www.cherryred.co.uk

Thursday, September 16, 2010

OMD's History of Modern

'History of Modern' is the title for the 11th studio album by British synthpop band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). It is their first album since 1996, and the first album featuring the classic 4-piece line-up since 1986's 'The Pacific Age'. The album is due for release in the UK on September, 20 2010. The album will be released in the US on Bright Antenna on September 28 2010. The artwork was conceived by Peter Saville and designed by Four23. The title was thought of by lead singer Andy McCluskey after he took his daughter to an art exhibition called 'The History of Modernism'.
The first single from the album, "If You Want It", has been released on September 6, 2010. Visit OMD's Myspace where the album is available to stream in it's entirety until it's release date on 20th September.

www.myspace.com/officialomdmyspace

Head over to OMD official for OMD rare competitions here

Tape Delay: Confessions from the Eighties Underground

New book recommendation comes from the author Charles Neal who set about interviewing the major protagonists working in sound, word and image. Concentrating on the most challenging and confrontational, he deliberately chose those individuals and groups most at odds with the mainstream. His aim to produce a collection that reflected the cutting edge of the Eighties underground.
With only his tape recorder as defence, he solicited hundreds of hours of interview material, as well as photos, original writing and illustrations. His findings were as intriguing and diverse as the artists included. Often encompassing the taboo and perverse, the opinions of Nick Cave, Genesis P.Orridge and Michael Gira now read like lone voices against the tide of creeping commerciality that abounded in the Eighties music scene.

Contributors to Tape Delay include: Marc Almond - Dave Ball - Cabaret Voltaire - Nick Cave - Chris & Cosey - Coil - Einsturzende Neubauten - The Fall - Diamanda Galas - Genesis P. Orridge - Michael Gira - The Hafler Trio - Matt Johnson (The The) - Laibach - Lydia Lunch - New Order - Psychic TV - Boyd Rice - Henry Rollins - Clint Ruin - Sonic Youth - Stevo - Mark Stewart - Swans - Test Dept. - David Tibet (Current 93)



Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The Buggles unite with OMD for a good cause

Trevor Horn and ZTT Records is proud to announce the return of The Buggles, live on stage for their first ever full live gig... a mere 30 years after their international #1 hit single "Video Killed The Radio Star" kick-started a generation of electronic pop. Trevor will reconvene the original Buggles line-up, including Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley to preform their ground-breaking début album "The Age of Plastic" in full. The band will be supported by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark who will perform a special support set in a rare appearance in their original two-piece formation.
This unique event is being put together to raise funds for London's Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability. Active since 1854, the hospital has a simple but very important mission: to add years to life and life to years.

www.trevorhorn.com/news

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Alphaville- Catching Rays on Giant- New Album

Marian Gold is back with his synth-pop outfit Alphaville will release a new album this autumn. The album is called 'Catching Rays On Giant' and will be out on November 22, 2010. The single "I Die For You Today" will be released on October 8, 2010 and is already spinning on the German radio stations. Both the album and the single will be available at all regular German music stores, online stores and download platforms. Pre-ordering has just started at amazon.de and it will also be available at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. Beside the CD, there will also be a limited Deluxe Release which contains a DVD. More info to be announced!

www.alphaville.de

Friday, September 10, 2010

Instant Hit: Pulp- My Lighthouse

Pulp, one of the best 90's bands, really struggled to gain prominence in the early 80's with the release of their debut album It. Most of the songs on this album were acoustic, romantic pop songs influenced by Leonard Cohen. The debut single "My Lighthouse" is the perfect example for it. It was released in 1983 though the Red Rhino Records.


Gary Numan and John Foxx on Back To The Phuture

Mark Jones' 'Back To The Phuture' is to host a special live event on Friday 3rd December 2010 which will see the UK's two synthesizer godfathers Gary Numan and John Foxx share the same bill as live performers for the very first time. With mutual admiration on both sides for a number of years, this show is a development of the professional kinship that began earlier this year when Gary Numan contributed a DJ set with Ade Fention for John Foxx's Short Circuit 2010 event at The Roundhouse. Also featuring will be a live set from Motor plus DJ sets from Mark Jones himself and Richard H Kirk of Cabaret Voltaire. Additional special guests are to be announced.

www.electricity-club.co.uk

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Pet Shop Boys- Being Boring

Continuing our Nude Wave: 80's music video nudity series.
The video for the song "Being Boring which was the second single release from the album 'Behaviour was directed by fashion-photographer Bruce Weber, totally in black and white, shows a house party and begins with a nude swimmer getting out of the swimming pool and jumping on a trampoline.


Monday, September 6, 2010

Hurts- Happiness

'Happiness' is the debut studio album by British synthpop duo Hurts released today, September 6, 2010 in the United Kingdom. It was preceded by two singles "Better Than Love" and "Wonderful Life" which were released during this year. The song "Devotion" is a duet with Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. To promote the release of the album the band released the non-album song "Happiness" as a free download via Amazon.co.uk on 1 August 2010.


Sunday, September 5, 2010

Figures on the Beach

Figures on a Beach was a musical band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in the early 80's out of the ashes of the dada-ist electronic art band Razor 1922. The group was formed by the vocalist Anthony Kaczynski and guitarist John Rolski and the group's line up was almost completed after keyboardist Christopher Ewen, bassist Perry Tell and drummer, multimedia designer, animator, and illustrator Michael "Smitty" Smith joined the group.


From the beginning, Figures On A Beach played in an artistic New Romantic/angular techno-pop style that belied their Detroit roots, and stood out from the thriving and predominantly guitar-driven local punk/underground scene at the time. Their first record, an obscure four track EP release titled 'Swimming', was released through the Metro-America label in 1983. Then a year later in 1984, FOTB released their debut single "Breathless" which brought new styles into New wave marking the beginning of Detroit house and techno. Soon after, bassist/guitarist Perry Tell completed the line-up, and the band recorded the double A-sided EP 'Paradise/In Camera Obscura' in early 1985.


In the late 1985, Figures on the Beach moved to Boston and they were signed by Seymour Stein of Sire Records. They released their first full length LP 'Standing on Ceremony' in 1987 with the emphasis track and video for "No Stars", but the group’s sound was a little late for the 80’s party and a radio campaign & tour to support the record weren’t very rewarding. The self-titled LP & CD 'Figures On A Beach' followed in 1989. It contained the popular club-scene hit "Accidentally 4th Street (Gloria)" and a tongue-in-cheek cover of Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", which became a minor radio hit. The band continued to play live, write and record new material, but disbanded in 1991 before completing a third album.


Today, Figures on a Beach are available for download. Every song and album recorded on the Sire/Warner record label is now available for download at iTunes. They are currently building a thorough and comprehensive web site to help inform you of all things Figures on a Beach. Check out the link for additional information.

http://www.figuresonabeach.com/intro.htm

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Dali's Car- The Second Album

Former Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy has announced via Facebook that he will be reuniting with ailing ex-Japan bassist Mick Karn to record a second Dali's Car album, the follow up to their 1984 debut "The Waking Hour".
“It’ll be the first time that we’ve seen each other since ‘83, and it’s going to be a pleasure. We’ve been talking and it’s been great.”
Earlier in this year in June Mick Karn official announced that the singer was diagnosed with advanced stages of cancer. Visit the www.mickkarn.net/index to donate money to the Mick Karn appeal.

http://burningflameblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/japan-and-self-existence.html

http://burningflameblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/dalis-car.html

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