WAW: Vår - In Your Arms

The Danish group Vår, originally known as War and the Iceage offshot have released their debut LP 'No One Dances Like My Brothers' this year. Their music is a mixture of coldwave, post-punk, industrial, and ambient music, with few stylistic boundaries in sight. This is the video for their song "In Your Arms" which was directed by Kristian Emdal. Their LP is out on Sacred bones Records.

 http://sacredbonesrecords.com/releases/sbr088

The Style Council's Classic Album Collection Announced for Release on July 15th

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Style Council formation and celebrates their first single releases. All put together the label Commercial Marketing will release 6 CD box set which will feature all the band's studio albums, from their debut "Introducing The Style Council' all the way underground motivated 'Modernism: A New Decade'. This new box set is going to be released on July 15th and it is available on pre-order. 

www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Album-Selection-Style-Council

May Singles Round Up

1.Primal Scream- It's Alright, It's Ok 

2. Austra- Painful Like 

3.Xeno and Oaklander- Sheen 

4.Editors-A Ton of Love 

5.OMD- Dresden

6.Parralox- Silent Morning 

7.Pet Shop Boys- Axis 

8.Suede- Hit Me 

9.Annie- Tube Stops and Lonely Hearts 

10.Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Mermaids

In Conversation: INHALT

 The gentlemen of the San Francisco based trio, INHALT, are currently locked away and hard at work on their upcoming EP titled "Occupations". This being the follow up to their "Vehicle" EP. A fine and entrancing four song vinyl collection of pulsing, vibrant, rhythmic, and sometimes a bit abstract electronic craftsmanship. I remember being absolutely smitten after just one listen to each of the one minute samples. I desperately needed to hear them in their full glory and finally got the opportunity  upon the official release. In fact, it was one that made it into our Top 20 EP's of 2012 list; rightfully so and well deserved.

Matia Simovich, Bryan Gibbs, and Philip Winiger incorporate the best bits and pieces of their early and current musical influences into their own songwriting. That said, they ultimately put their own personal spin on things. There is no blatant rehash to be heard here and that's something that's difficult to come by these days. The aforementioned three took some time out, from their recording, to answer a few questions i had. Here is what they had to say.

Best of 1983 - The Singles List

The year 1982 was all about Michael Jackson's Thriller, which became the best-selling album of all time. The video for the song proved to be challenging for the MTV airwaves, and it is also considered as one of the best videos of all time. Along with Michael Jackson's success other artists followed; David Bowie released Let's Dance, his most commercial album to date and ladies rocked too, Madonna and Cyndi Lauper released their debuts too exploring the weird and unconventional and Kim Wilde won the Brit Award for best British female artist. 

In 1982, the first compact discs were produced in Germany and were already sold in Japan during the third quarter of the same year. In 1983, they also went on sale in the USA, and they will certainly revolutionize the music industry in the coming years. 

New Wave slowly faded into Pop and its biggest stars of the decade Michal Jackson, Madonna, Prince and George Michael will rule the charts for the rest of the decade and beyond.

01. New Order - Blue Monday 
02. Depeche Mode - Everything Counts 
03. The Smiths - This Charming Man 
04. Michael Jackson - Thriller 
05. The Sisters of Mercy - Temple of Love 
06. Simple Minds - New Gold Dream 81-82-83-84 
07. Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax 
08. Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) 
09. The The - This is the Day 
10. Siouxsie and The Banshees - Dear Prudence 
11. Yazoo- Nobody's Diary 
12. Echo & The Bunnymen- The Cutter 
13. U2- New Year’s Day 
14. David Bowie – Let's Dance
15. Cyndi Lauper- Girls Just Wanna have Fun
16. Pat Benetar - Love is a Battlefield 
17. Talking Heads - Burning Down The House 
18. R.E.M.- Radio Free Europe 
19. Spandau Ballet - True 
20. PIL - This is not a Love Song 

Reissue: David Sinfield / League Of Nations - Oblique Strategy / Music For A New Depression

In less than 24 hours, the always brilliant Anna Logue Records will be releasing a collection of often sought-after synth tunes. I would go as far as saying that certain appendages were possibly lost in a quest to acquire the original releases. OK, so maybe that's a slight exaggeration on my part. Though, i think you get idea of just how urgent this is. I know i've been salivating over the months leading up to this glorious day. Not a great deal is known about David Sinfield. We do know that, in 1981, he released an eight song cassette titled "Oblique Strategy". Later, in 1984, he would release a six track, 12 inch vinyl titled "Music For A New Depression" This time under the name of League Of Nations. After that, nothing and we we're left wanting more.

This blow has been softened, a bit, with this beautifully packaged and remastered release that includes...

• 180 grams vinyl with printed Hansaboard outer sleeve
• Printed inner sleeves with lyrics
• Double-sided DIN A3 poster
• Double-sided maxicard
• Double-sided DIN A6 postcard with credits

Now, pick your jaw up off of the floor, wipe the drool from your chin, and just say "Wow!" Lastly, this is a limited edition release that i'm sure won't be around for long. For more info and sound samples, please visit: Anna Logue Records @ SoundCloud and Anna Logue Records @ Facebook

 

 

 

 

 

Best of 1983- The Album List

The year 1982 was undeniably dominated by Michael Jackson's groundbreaking album "Thriller," which went on to become the best-selling album of all time. The accompanying music video for the title track presented a significant challenge for MTV airwaves but is now regarded as one of the greatest music videos ever created. Riding on the wave of Michael Jackson's success, other artists achieved notable milestones: David Bowie released "Let's Dance," his most commercially successful album up to that point. On the female front, both Madonna and Cyndi Lauper made their debut appearances, exploring unconventional and unique styles. Kim Wilde received recognition by winning the Brit Award for Best British Female Artist.

Meanwhile, in 1982, Germany produced the first compact discs, which were initially sold in Japan during the third quarter of the same year. These CDs were later introduced to the U.S. market in 1983, revolutionizing the music industry in the years to come.

As New Wave gradually transitioned into Pop, the decade's most significant stars—Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, and George Michael—continued to dominate the charts for the remainder of the '80s and beyond.

 

Retrovision: OMD- Messages

OMD released their third single "Messages" in May 1980 and the song entered the UK charts #31 and managed to climb to number #13. The song was taken from OMD's eponymous debut album and it was released as 7" and 10" record. The second version also featured the cover of Velvet Underground's "Waiting for The Man". Today the guys are still active as a duo and have released their 12th studio album "English Electric". Their latest single "Dresden" is out this month.