ILHA DESERTA / DESERT ISLAND #3: John Cale - Music For A New Society (1982)

The aural chaos and intense paranoia of John Cale's "comeback" albums Sabotage/Live and Honi Soit seemingly left him with very few places left to go, short of setting back issues of Soldier of Fortune to music. 1982's Music for a New Society was, from a musical standpoint, a remarkable about-face, sounding calm, spare, and spectral where his last few albums has been all rant and rage; the arrangements were dominated by Cale's open, languid keyboard patterns, and there was far more aural "white space" in their framings than he had permitted himself since The Academy in Peril. But beyond the cool, reserved exteriors of Music for a New Society, one finds a handful of stories of terribly damaged lives; on close inspection, the ethereal opening cut "Taking Your Life in Your Hands" turns out to be the story of a mother gone on a killing spree, while "Sanities," "Thoughtless Kind," and "Damn Life" are full of dashed hopes and painful emotional betrayals. If the approach to the material is a good bit different than what most fans had been used to from Cale, the results were, if anything, among the most compelling music of his career; the open spaces of the arrangements are at once ambient and melodically compelling, and the songs have an emotional resonance that communicates on a deeper and more emotional level than the political hectoring of Sabotage or Honi Soit, intelligent as they may have been. Spare, understated, and perhaps a masterpiece.

allmusicguide

V.A. - Reproductions (Songs of The Human League) (2000)

Reproductions. The perfect name for a perfect tribute to the Human League. Why the Human League? Maybe some of you are skeptical, thinking of the band as a fluffy 80's synthesizer group, more concerned with fashion than substance. Maybe you remember their infectious dance hit "Don't You Want Me?" and hardly remember much else. That's why we pay homage to one of the most influential and underrated electronic groups of the last 25 years.
Formed in the late 70's by three young art students, Human League had much more in common with Tubeway Army than Flock Of Seagulls. If they'd formed in 2000, they might be Daft Punk or Air. They were the blueprint for synthesizer experimental combos and hit songs were hardly at the forefront of their minds. They created two albums and a handful of singles and EP's of jagged, dark, industrious music that caught the attention of some European dance floors, but mostly computer geeks and chemists. Then things changed. The British Electric Foundation was split when two of the lads split to form Heaven 17. Both groups then progressed into romantic new wave outfits, yes with cosmetic appeal, but also infectious pop hits. Heaven 17 went straight for the dance floor and Human League hired two ex-waitresses as backup singers and went straight to Top 40.
It's amazing that the Human League could be both of these groups. Dark and arty and later, Vogue spreads and MTV. Ask anyone working with synthesizers currently though and they will tell you, the Human League rule. The slogans "love & dancing" and "synthesizers only" were a politic that underlined their glorious popisms all throughout their career. To this day, you can hear songs like Mirror Man and Keep Feeling Fascination blaring from car stereos on warm summer days. You can still hear references to the band and their music. That's staying power.
In the year 2000 (a perfect year for this tribute), we have assembled 16 contemporary pop groups most known for their wonderful love affairs with electronic sounds. They all love the Human League with passion. Stephin Merritt was the first on board hailing Human's backbeat as genius. He had a hand in three songs, the opener as an instrumental movie composer a la Francis Lai, the 6ths with Lloyd Cole crooning away, and the very cool Don't You Want Me as Future Bible Heroes. Dave Trumfio, famed Chicago producer, had been wanting to cover Seconds for years, first with his recent Pulsars project and now with help from Sally Timms as Clicks. Chicago's smooth brother duo The Aluminum Group jumped at the chance to sing Love Action. From Barcelona to Baxendale, all bands involved wanted the chance to recreate some of their favorite Human League moments. We hope you enjoy them.

Amazon.com

No-Man - Lovesighs [An Entertainment] (1991)

"Euphorically and elegaically, the blessed trinity of No-Man are incapable of making a duff record... (they) know all the right moments to swoon and attack but this doesn't stop them doing it... No-Man have three (im)practical strengths. Tim Bowness' louche exquisite voice, Ben Coleman's ravishing lickable violin, and Steven Wilson's general all-round eclectic musical genius. They deal with desires... that romantics live and die for. They make dance rhythms rock, as in 'Kiss Me Stupid'. They tell stories, as in 'Iris Murdoch Cut Me Up'. Best and breathiest of all, they reinvent the big ballad... On a fine day No-Man stroke both Bronte and Brett Easton Ellis... over a ghetto-friendly groove."

Melody Maker
"A sublime merger of substance and style, of art and artifice, of modern dance sensibilities and traditional orchestral arrangements... tiptoeing across the gold-plated rooftops of The Blue Nile, funking on down with the Native Tongues collective, aching of loved ones with all the doomed romance of a modern day Baudelaire... Some might say, pointing to the sleevenotes' reference to Mahler and Reich, that it's all too pretentious, but if that's the price we pay for a welcome return to intelligence, poetry and beauty, I reckon we can afford it."
The List
"No-Man are an island, refusing to slump into the grey waters of indie mumbling... Literate and witty, they chase Tim Bowness' magnificently poignant vocals with venomous violins and an erotically ferocious backbeat... Aeons ahead of their time. Book early to avoid sensory deprivation."
RCD
"A moody kind of dance groove that makes you think... aural eroticism certain to get your CD player hot under the cover. Not guilty of trying to be too clever, 'Lovesighs' caresses with subtle rhythms and soothing vocals - the full works."
TOP

The Weather Prophets - Temperance Hotel... (1989)

As a vehicle for singer/guitarist Peter Astor, the Weather Prophets of the four-song Almost Prayed 12-inch were proponents of ultra-mild pop, exceedingly pleasant trifles with provocatively off-center lyrics. Lenny Kaye's production on Mayflower, the quartet's longplaying debut, put some starch in the Prophets' sound, bringing the rhythm section into play but keeping things tastefully light and, if anything, faintly countryish. Astor's singing is likewise more forthcoming, but Mayflower — and Why Does the Rain (a 12-inch containing an LP track, a sloppy BBC session version of "Mayflower" and a cool instrumental, "Annalea") — is still a few volts short of captivating. Only "Naked as the Day You Were Born," an organ-based three-chord number that seems to be straining towards a minor freakout, hints that the band would not always be limited to such politeness.
Dropping guitarist Oisin Little from the lineup (although he still plays on half the tracks), the Weather Prophets made the uneven Astor-produced second album as a rocking trio. Despite a few individual exceptions (like the sublimely emotional "Born Inbetween" and the hip distorto-pop of "Hollow Heart"), Judges, Juries & Horsemen is a meandering and uninvolving indulgence in need of clear direction. One interesting item is the intense '60sish "Thursday Seems a Year Ago," in which bassist Greenwood Goulding's organ work clearly prefigures Inspiral Carpets et al.
Temperance Hotel collects up some of the Prophets' best scraps: a half-dozen charming BBC radio session tracks from 1986, four B-sides (including "Chinese Cadillac"), two demos (one a nifty version of the gospel "I Saw the Light") and both sides of a bizarre single ("Odds & Ends" b/w "Stepping Lightly on the Ancient Path") that was included in early UK copies of Judges, Juries & Horsemen. Not only is this compilation as enjoyable as either of the band's proper albums, it's no more stylistically disparate than the second. (The CD adds a pair of 1989 live recordings: "Hollow Heart" and "Chinese Cadillac.")

Ira Robbins – Trouser Press

Kat Onoma - Far From The Pictures (1995)

The Kat Onoma story begins in Strasbourg, the hometown of all five members of the group. Lead singer and guitarist Rodolphe Burger and drummer Pascal Benoit had been friends from their schooldays, so it was natural that these two passionate music fans should go on to play in a variety of groups together. In the early 80’s Burger and Benoit met up with two other talented young musicians, trumpet-player Guy "Bix" Bickel and Philippe "Lamiral" Poirier, who played sax and guitar. (Bickel and Poirier had already worked together as part of Musik Aufhebung, an ‘experimental’ group renowned for its wildly improvised performances). Coming from the same rock and jazz background and sharing the same interest in "experimental" rock the four teamed up together in 1981 and began playing locally, calling themselves La Dernière Bande.
Over the next five years La Dernière Bande built up an excellent reputation for themselves on the local music scene, forging their own distinctive rock sound. When they were not performing as La Dernière Bande the members of the group would play in a more jazz-inspired group called Oeuvre Complète (led by La Dernière Bande’s sax-player Philippe Poirier and another musician by the name of Yves Dormoy).
"Like Its Name"
In 1986 La Dernière Bande underwent a slight change of line-up, with the arrival of bass-player Pierre Keyline. It was at this point that the group changed their name to Kat Onoma (which in Greek means "Like its name"). Shortly after the arrival of Keyline, the group travelled to Brussels where they went into the studio for the first time to record their début album "Beggar's Law" ( a mini-album featuring four original tracks). However, "Beggar's Law" failed to impress any of the major record companies in Paris and Kat Onoma began to despair of getting their first album released at all. But then the independent label Attitude came along and offered them a recording deal. Kat Onoma’s début album was thus released on the Attitude label later that year, but "Beggar's Law" failed to score a hit with the public, selling a ridiculously small number of copies. The French critics appeared to like the album, however, and wrote generally favourable reviews comparing Kat Onoma’s ‘alternative’ new wave rock to the legendary Velvet Underground.
Unfortunately Kat Onoma’s record label, Attitude, went out of business shortly after the release of "Beggar's Law" and the group had to look around for a new record deal. Unable to find one straight away Kat Onoma decided they would produce their second album themselves, clubbing together their savings to book a series of studio sessions in Brussels. The result was the interesting 14-track album "Cupid". Once again the group took their album to a number of French record companies and, after just one listen, Just'in signed Kat Onoma on the spot, releasing "Cupid" on their newly-created label Eurobond in 1988. Once again French music critics showered Kat Onoma’s album with rave reviews and, while the group did not exactly score a huge commercial hit, "Cupid" did increase the group’s steadily growing fan base. (The album also received a lot of support from French star Françoise Hardy who would ask Rodolphe Burger to write material for her own album a few years later).
Kat Onoma’s second album, "Cupid", revealed the group’s strong literary influences - "The Ditty of the Drowned Father" owed a great debt to Shakespeare while "Sam Song" was a direct tribute to the Irish writer Samuel Beckett. Three of the tracks on the new album were written by the young author Thomas Lago, who would also write material for the group under his pen name Pierre Alféri. (Lago continues to work with Kat Onoma on all their current projects, as do the group’s other loyal collaborators who include the talented sound engineer Luc Tytgat and graphic artist Carole Peclers).
Shortly after the release of Kat Onoma’s album "Cupid" the Just'in label was bought out by Fnac, and the group’s future began to look decidedly shaky again. Yet, somehow, Kat Onoma survived another round of record company upheavals and in January 1990 their third album "Stock Phrases" was released on the new Fnac label. The 11 tracks on this remarkably poetic rock album were mostly co-written by Rodolphe Burger and Thomas Lago, but "Stock Phrases" also included two surprise cover versions of the rock'n'roll classics "Be Bop a Lula" and "C'mon Everybody". Kat Onoma’s third album proved an enormous hit with the critics and also sold well in Europe, doing particularly well in Sweden and Greece. (While Kat Onoma failed to make any significant commercial impact in France they could pride themselves on being one of the rare French groups to successfully export their music abroad).
Following the release of the album "Stock Phrases" Kat Onoma set off on tour playing numerous dates across France. On 21 March the group gave a memorable performance in Paris at the famous jazz club Le New Morning.
"Billy the Kid"
Two years later the group returned to the studio to record another album entitled "Billy The Kid". Kat Onoma’s third album, released on 21 February 1992 and based on the work of the late American poet Jack Spicer (who died in 1965), received extremely favourable reviews from the critics. The two single releases from the album, "The Gun" and "The Radio", also received a fair amount of radio play. Yet the album failed to generate any significant commercial success, sales figures for "Billy The Kid" remaining disappointingly low. But the group, who were hardy aiming for international stardom, appeared content to maintain a low profile.
Following the release of "Billy The Kid" Kat Onoma put in an appearance at the Printemps de Bourges festival in April 1992 and gave another memorable performance in Paris at La Cigale (on 16 May 1992). Towards the end of the year the group embarked upon a new series of concerts, kicking off the tour in their native Alsace on 24 November.
As soon as the tour ended the group found themselves in the midst of yet another record company upheaval. It was at this point that Rodolphe Burger and Philippe Poirier decided it was time to take a temporary break from the group and work on their own projects and in 1993 each of them went off to record a solo album. Rodolphe Burger’s solo album, "Cheval Mouvement", (recorded almost entirely in English like so many of his group’s songs) had a distinctly Kat Onoma feel to it. However, Philippe Poirier’s solo effort, "Les Echardes", written and produced in collaboration with Yves Dormoy (from the group Oeuvre Complète) was in a much more experimental instrumental vein.
After undergoing a series of problems with the Fnac label, Kat Onoma switched record companies once again, signing a new deal with Chrysalis (an offshoot of EMI) in 1994. It was at this stage in their career that the group decided to set up their own production company, "Dernière Bande Production". In March 1995 Chrysalis re-released Kat Onoma’s entire back catalogue (with the exception of the group’s first mini album), adding a number of new tracks on each of the albums.
On 22 May 1995 Kat Onoma returned to Belgium, going into the studio to record their fourth album "Far From the Pictures". The majority of the tracks on this new album were co-written by Rodolphe Burger and Thomas Lago, but "Far From the Pictures" also included compositions by Philippe Poirier and Olivier Cadiot. Kat Onoma’s fourth album also featured an innovative cover version of the German group Kraftwerk’s legendary hit "Radioactivity". This new album received rapturous reviews from the French critics and in July of that year Kat Onoma were invited to perform at the famous Francofolies festival in La Rochelle. On 6 November the group got to play at the Olympia (the most prestigious music venue in Paris).
In 1996 French star Françoise Hardy, who had long been a loyal supporter of Kat Onoma, asked lead singer Rodolphe Burger to write two tracks for her album "Le Danger". Meanwhile, following the release of their 1995 album, Kat Onoma were proving increasingly popular with the music critics. Indeed, in April 1996 French rock journalists presented the group with the coveted "Bus d'Acier" (a special rock music award). In December of that year Kat Onoma gave another memorable performance in Paris, playing at a small unknown venue called Le Garage. They then went on to play six successful concerts at Pigall's (29 January - 3 February 1997).
This series of concerts were featured on Kat Onoma’s first live album which was released in June of that year. The album was entitled "Happy birthday Public" - lest anyone forget that the group had just celebrated their 10th year on the French music scene !
Following the release of this live album, Rodolphe Burger took a break from Kat Onoma’s busy touring schedule and spent the summer of 97 in Brittany, working on material for Kat Onoma’s next album. The group did play one important gig that summer, however, appearing at La Route du Rock Festival in St Malo in August.
The following year Rodolpe Burger won critical acclaim for his solo work with the release of a new album entitled "Meteor Show" (on November 3 1998). Burger's new album was showered with rave reviews and just a few days after the release of "Meteor Show", Burger was awarded the prestigious 'Prix Charles-Cros'. "Meteor Show", which featured dance beats and jungle grooves mixed by Doctor L. (from the hardcore French rap group Assassin), marked a radical change of musical direction for Burger. But the singer's moody and experimental style (a million miles away from his first solo album!) appeared to go down well with his fans. Indeed, "Meteor Show" proved highly popular, thanks to Burger's innovative covers "Play with Fire" (The Rolling Stones), "Moonshiner" (Bob Dylan) and "Hey Baby" (Jimi Hendrix). The album also included a new version of "Cheval-Mouvement" and a song called "Kimono" which featured vocals by Burger's daughter.
The band got back together in 2001 and brought out a new album entitled "Kat Onoma" on March 6th. The group's first joint album since 1995, which featured an interesting mix of rock and electro sounds, was recorded in the Vosges region in France and mixed in London by the UK producer Ian Capple (famous for his work on Bashung's album "Fantaisie militaire"). The group hit the road again in the summer of 2001, performing at a number of music festivals up and down the country including Les Vieilles Charrues in Brittany.
In spite of the fact that Kat Onoma have chosen to pursue their own individual path rather than conforming to the French musical mainstream, the group have built up a loyal following of fans and their ‘alternative’ rock sound continues to prove incredibly popular with music critics.
The end
The band’s tour continued on and off until the spring of 2002. In October of that year, Kat Onoma reappeared in the music news with the album Live à la chapelle (recorded in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines almost a year earlier).
With different members of the group devoting an increasing amount of time and energy to other projects, many feared Kat Onoma would call a halt to their joint career. At the end of 2004, Philippe Poirier re-emerged with a new solo album. Meanwhile Rodolphe Burger, who continued to have a finger in several different musical pies, teamed up with traditional French singer Erik Marchand for a spot of studio recording and live work. But it came as no surprise to anyone when Kat Onoma finally decided to call it a day as a group. They left fans with the CD and DVD All The Best From Kat Onoma (released in November 2004).
*
In spite of the fact that Kat Onoma chose to pursue their own original rock sound rather than conforming to the French musical mainstream, the group built up a loyal following of fans in the course of their career and will be sadly missed.
December 2004

RFI Musique

Nine Rain (1996)

In the mid 90s Nine Rain was founded by Steven Brown in Mexico City, but long before, between 1977 and 1985, this keyboard-player and saxophonist from San Francisco enjoyed cult-status in the USA and Europe with the group Tuxedomoon. At that time the progressive quartet moved with its own sense of identity and style between punk and artistry, electronics and world jazz. After the dissolution of Tuxedomoon, Steven Brown moved to Mexico, to immerse himself in its culture and everyday life. His reputation as an avant-garde pop-pioneer has been reinforced by his playing in Nine Rain. Together with the German electronics' specialist Nikolas Klau and the Mexicans José Manuel Aguilera and Alejandro Herrera, he has been tracing relationships between Latin American grooves and European jazz, underground rock and imaginary film-music.
'In Mexico there's life; there's a lot of soul here, something that one doesn't find in the USA and that's in danger of dying out in Europe,' says Steven Brown on being questioned about the attraction of central America. This well travelled cosmopolitan recalls in an interview with 'The News' from Mexico City: 'I always wanted to escape from the American way of life, so I first went to Europe. But even there, the worst things were taken over from America. In Mexico on the other hand I noticed something unique, a special energy, particularly outside the capital, safeguarding many elements of traditional culture, to stop them being destroyed 'No wonder that Brown soon said 'adios' to the teeming capital and moved to Oaxaca. The more human dimensions of this capital of the synonymous province - with its low, colourful houses, narrow cobbled lanes and colonial churches - is not only attractive to the eye but also has a unique and almost magical aura. Its down-to-earth pulsating life breathes a sovereign detachment and seems to be permeated by the Indians' deep spirituality, which had earlier fascinated Carlos Castaneda.In the mid 90s, Steven Brown was soon an active member of Mexico City's bohemia. He took part in drama- and film-projects and in anti-AIDS and pro-democracy movements. Then he met Alejandro Herrera, who was one of the first people to run a radio station with and for Indians and who played not only the blues' harp but also the brightly toned son-guitar and the calimba. The solo guitarist and second singer José Manuel Aguilera comes likewise from the metropolis. The two of them brought new influences, partly in the form of regional traditions, into Brown's musical cosmos. 'But our way of playing and developing songs has not changed since Tuxedomoon,' said Brown in 1996 on the occasion of Nine Rain's debut album. 'It's still based on improvisation and sessions from which we later choose and develop melodies, bass-lines or loops. The idea behind it is that we play ourselves into a trance, to reach that other world hidden within all of us.

www.culturebase.net

It's Immaterial - Life's Hard And Then You Die (1986)

Novo Upload corrigido./New fixed upload.

It's Immaterial was the Liverpool duo of John Campbell and Jarvis Whitehead plus myriad friends (including the Christians, whose Henry Priestman was an Itsy in the group's early days). On Life's Hard, It's Immaterial cooks up a fascinating musical hybrid that touches variously on synth-pop, atmospheric art-rock, recitation and a unique brand of English country music. It may remind you of early OMD, Pete Townshend, Talking Heads, even Ronnie Lane's late-'70s gypsy-rock aggregation Slim Chance — which is to say there's a lot going on in this mix. The only thing missing is an identity.
That identity turned up four years later on Song, an ironic title for an album that's more a collection of stories put to music than actual songs. (There's not a chorus anywhere to be found.) Whitehead's tracks — flowing, repetitive patterns, mainly based around piano — function as a soundtrack for Campbell's lyrics, which he both sings and speaks in a pleasant but limited voice. The effect is often hypnotic — something like Philip Glass meets Marc Almond — but unless you're drawn in by the words, you may find the going a bit tedious. This is music best listened to when distractions are at a minimum; don't expect to hear it in dance clubs.
Dave Schulps - trouserpress.com

ILHA DESERTA / DESERT ISLAND # 2: The Blue Nile - Hats (1989)

For better or worse, we, in all of our autocratic consumer-crit greed, are slaves to timeliness. A record over six months old is often discarded, deemed too old for publication, a relic in the internet age. That's why each week at Stylus, one writer takes a look at an album with the benefit of time. Whether it has been unjustly ignored, unfairly lauded, or misunderstood in some fundamental way, we aim with On Second Thought to provide a fresh look at albums that need it. The Blue Nile are the Thomas Pynchons of popular music. Since forming in 1981, they have set out on a quest to gift the world with a brand of haunting and cinematic pop, producing a mere three albums of unstinting excellence. Their 1983 debut A Walk Across the Rooftops startled the music world with its original and poetic majesty. The follow up 1989’s Hats was no sophomore failure, painting their themes of despair and hope with even more devastating effect. It remains one of the great 80s albums. The six year break had induced a sense of expectation. They cut an entire album then erased it. Their self sufficiency - they were their own producers and managers - was a burden they manfully bore for the benefit of their artistic vision. They found perfection would take longer and longer to achieve. The trio, Paul Buchanan, Robert Bell, Paul Joseph Moore, aimed for, in their own words, “absolute authenticity”. They were trying to make more of the serendipitous discovery they had made on their debut. The sounds from their instruments matched the bustle of the city when coupled with a certain rhythm track - for instance the guitar on “Tinseltown in the Rain” sounded like traffic outside their window. After management wrangles prevented them from entering the studio, they recorded most of Hats in five days. The wait was worth it. They widened the panorama, picking out the city clustered lights, fire escapes and lonely figures sulking in the doorway, producing a veritable epic. The three of them may have recorded it in a negligible amount of time, but they freely admitted they had been working tirelessly for six years up to that point. “Over the Hillside”’s opening drumbeat evokes, for me at least, an image as iconic as Bladerunner’s Vangelis scored intro, scanning the horizon with a keen eye. Its slowed down, sparse quality, eases the listener in as if you are being shown a vista of the vast city, that swallows up and spits out humanity, before you fully drop into the maelstrom. “Workin' night and day, I try to get ahead, but l don’t get ahead this way / I’ve tried and tried to make good sense, what’s the good of trying it all again?” sets the tone as the song climaxes with an harsh industrial clank; perfectly conveying the sense of the metropolis being a living, breathing machine, as ominous as it is sprawling. Monumental is one word to describe the second track, “The Downtown Lights”. It glistens and sparkles, as it utilizes all the 80s synth touches people seem to be ashamed of, with a dreamy sense of awe and beauty. You can imagine the stars are out tonight, along with the evening crowds, speeding traffic and rows of shining street lights. When Buchanan sings 'Nobody loves you this way" it is no idle boast, more a sighed declaration of fanaticism. Then it seems to get bigger, the pace quickens, and finally the song builds to a breathless crescendo topped off with Buchanan howling at breaking point: “The neons and the cigarettes, the rented rooms, the rented cars, the crowded streets, the empty bars, the chimney-tops, the trumpets, the golden lights, the loving prayers, the coloured shoes, the empty trees, I’m tired of crying on the stairs. . ." In contrast “From a Late Night Train” is Hats' quietest moment and lowest, bottom scraping emotional ebb. It is, however, as brilliant a rendering of a train trip home as you will ever hear. You can imagine yourself scanning the rolling countryside and the darkness closing in while you ponder a life crashing around the ears, muttering “It’s over now, I know it’s over now, but I can’t let go,” till the tears cascade like a waterfall. The trumpet sounds a soft lament, equating the train’s horn with the slow tear of a breaking heart while a soft depressed synth key imposes the feeling of hurtling forward. As bleak as an Arctic snowstorm, yet utterly compelling. The final track “Saturday Night” and its repeated query “Who do you love? Who do you really love?” sets a final optimistic tone. “Love is Saturday night ... She loves me,” represents the tentative return to grace, perhaps the re-ignition of the cycle, as the up tempo instrumentation reinvigorates the listener. You can envisage the same rigorous soul searching if it ends in disaster yet again, but the note of optimism ends the album on a high. It could, of course, be a delusion, brought on by a tired and spurned lover, but hope is an irresistible intoxicant. The promise of redemption makes the album all the more bittersweet. You could say Hats is the reflection that comes over us during the darkest hour before dawn. As NME reviewer David Quantick put it: “The songs deal rather well with that 4 am sort of feeling”. As I’m typing this up at 4.23 in the morning I know what he means all too well. It sums up the drift and re-evaluation performed when the world is emptied of noise and action. Facing down the demons seems all too natural an act. Pop is a term of derision now, shorthand for manufactured formulaic fluff, but this represents its apex, since this is far from the typical indie or rock album. The total absence of guitar solos, thunderous drumming and the need for speed - all the markers for music we're supposed to find the most exciting - only emphasizes its perfect organic whole. It is appropriate the band had no fixed roles in the studio, each member playing whatever they felt most comfortable with; the only certainty being that Buchanan's fragile but powerful delivery would pack the extra melancholic punch. His voice may not be the greatest but its straining at the seams only serves the songs better. Buchanan, who penned all the titles, admitted it was an album born of personal ruin. “It was a desperately bad time for us. Fundamental shifts took place in our personal lives during Hats. And so I’d say that the record’s about reassurance. That’s why ‘It’s all right’ crops up in the lyrics so often.” But every song on Hats is about love. As Buchanan admitted, “All of our songs are love songs.” It’s a simple concept brilliant explored and executed with the sort of intensity that burns its mark into your psyche. An album of hopeless romanticism, its message is life is a struggle but the magic can still happen. It solidifies the goo of feeling you are afraid of confronting, whilst dignifying your sadness and taps into the a re-assurance that sings universal, that no matter how bad you might feel or how heartbroken you are, you are not alone. So what happened next? Rod Stewart and Annie Lennox covered the “Downtown Lights”. Buchanan moved to L.A and dated the actress Rosanna Arquette. They never played live or appeared on TV until 1990 and have made only three tours since. Peace at Last, their 1996 album, was more of the same but in comparison to its glittering predecessors, a mild disappointment, bringing their recorded output to thirty songs. And surprise surprise, there is no sign of an imminent fourth Blue Nile album. Yet sometimes they pop up in the most unexpected of places: Craig Armstrong’s re-arrangement of “Let’s Go Out Tonight” with Buchanan on vocals, for instance, played accompaniment to the end of a first season episode of Six Feet Under; its desperate refrain: “Pray for the light”, perfectly summing up the emotional crises suffered by each character. The song's central premise, that of a man holding on by the fingertips and trying to repair the shattered relationship with his girlfriend when all the signs point to disaster, could not have suited the Fisher family's struggle to form, keep and save their personal relationships better. For some diabolical reason Hats is deleted in the US, so I urge you to beg, steal or borrow from those lucky enough to own a copy or scour the net for an import. Most bands think they are duty bound to produce an album every two years, thus invoking the Law of Diminishing Returns and sullying their reputations forever. The Blue Nile showed that getting it right was the most important thing. If only more groups could have followed their example.

Olav Bjortomt – Stylusmagazine.com

Paul Haig - Coincidence vs Fate (1993)

Paul Haig might be best known as the frontman of Scottish post-punk band Josef K, whose lone official record played a major role in the development of the C-86 scene that followed a few years after the group's disintegration. Haig continued with a number of involvements in the following decades, releasing a number of records on his own in addition to issuing several collaborative efforts. The early-'80s breakup of Josef K also saw him abandon some of the anti-commercial ideals that he previously stood for, as he also aligned himself with a number of musically varied names in the process.
Allmusic.com

Originally released in 1993 on Crepuscule, Coincidence Vs Fate was Haig's fourth solo album, and ranks among his best and most adventurous work. Variously produced by US dance luminaries Curtis Mantronik and Lil' Louis, as well as British production team The Chimes, the material veers from chilled dance (Flight X) to slinky fidget latin (My Kind) via a jawdropping cover of the lush Suicide ballad Surrender, as deceptively surreal as any David Lynch movie.
LTM Publishing

Frank Tovey & The Pyros - Worried Men In Second-Hand Suits (1992)

For all intents and purposes, Frank Tovey was best known as the man behind Fad Gadget, one of the most significant cult acts of the post-punk boom. As Fad Gadget, Tovey and his revolving door of conspirators released several singles and four full-length albums that stretched the boundaries of pop music during the late '70s and early '80s. And after Tovey started making records under his own name in the mid-'80s, he continued to remain as unpredictable as ever, working within the realms of Cajun, blues, and folk, in addition to furthering his journey into experimental electronics. Humorous, dark, strange, puzzling, wild, honest, confrontational -- these adjectives exemplify Tovey's lengthy body of work and his legacy of daringly physical performances. (Tovey's stage antics included numerous acrobatic feats and a penchant for shaving his copiously foamed body.) While Fad Gadget's contemporaries included the likes of Cabaret Voltaire, the Human League, Wire, the Normal, and Soft Cell, Tovey and company's records never quite achieved the underground notoriety or the chart success enjoyed by his peers. Regardless of the level of recognition, Tovey's unique contribution to electronic music is undeniable, and so is his influence upon it. As the years go on, the recognition continues to gather steam. As a youngster, the London, England-born Tovey became a fan of Iggy Pop, Marc Bolan, and Lou Reed. He knew from an early stage that he wanted to become involved with music and eventually earned a degree in fine arts from Leeds Polytechnic in 1975. After finishing his schooling, he returned to London and put together some songs made with an electric piano, a drum machine, and a tape recorder. Through the help of a flatmate, Tovey met up with Daniel Miller at the local Rough Trade shop and gave the man behind the Normal's "Warm Leatherette" his primitive recordings. Miller loved what he heard and signed Tovey to his Mute label, a groundbreaking pro-electronic label that was just lifting off the ground. Tovey made his first public appearance as Fad Gadget in July of 1979. Two months after that, the first Fad Gadget single, The Box, was issued. Just as funny as it was frightening, the predominantly electronic single featured two songs that remain touchstones of Tovey's lengthy career. Another key single, Ricky's Hand, was out in shops the following March. The sleeve boldly claimed that, save for an electric drill and the vocals, the two songs on it were made entirely from synthetic sources. A third single was released just prior to the first full-length, Fireside Favourites, which was released by the end of 1980. While Tovey did the lion's share of synth work on the album, percussionist John Fryer, bassist/guitarist Eric Radcliffe, drummer Nick Cash, and synthesist Miller chipped in with contributions. Incontinent, the second Fad Gadget LP, was issued almost exactly a year after the debut. Aside from the return of most of the usual suspects, Wire's Robert Gotobed played some drums, Peter Bahner played some bass and guitar, and David Simmonds provided extra synth and percussion work. Slightly darker than its predecessor, a decrease in the reliance upon electronics made for a wide-eyed, if unfocused, sophomore album. The albums Under the Flag and Gag were released in 1982 and 1984, respectively. The move into dance and soul-influenced territories -- along with relatively traditional production values for the time -- resulted in lighter and less urgent music, but Tovey's lyrics steadfastly refused to approach anything resembling mundane or fantasy-based. Tovey was more likely to be compared to Bob Dylan than Gary Numan, as his lyrics favored the everyman over machines and aliens. Personnel-wise, Under the Flag featured guest vocal turns and saxophone blurts from Alison Moyet (Yazoo), and Gag included some guitar work from Rowland S. Howard (the Birthday Party). After Gag, Tovey decided to start recording under his own name and released six albums on Mute between 1985 and 1992. Just prior to that phase, he also paired up with Non's Boyd Rice for 1984's Easy Listening for the Hard of Hearing. These records were frequently more challenging the ones released as Fad Gadget, and Tovey's switch in names allowed him to expand his creativity. He decided to learn how to play instruments properly, a move that was prompted by his daughter. Asked by his daughter to play one of her songs, Tovey realized he couldn't really play anything, so he took up the guitar and made a conscious decision to write and record with more traditional instrumentation. 1989's Tyranny & the Hired Hand witnessed Tovey at his most organic. The labor-inspired album featured covers of modern and traditional protest songs. And for his following two albums, 1991's Grand Union and 1992's Worried Men in Second Hand Suits, Tovey continued his folk streak with a trio of Irish musicians dubbed the Pyros. In 2001, Tovey dusted off Fad Gadget and began performing again under the name. In addition to an appearance at London's Elektrofest, Tovey opened for Depeche Mode on his labelmates' Exciter tour. Mute released The Best of Fad Gadget, a two-disc set of ace material, B-sides, and remixes. New material had been written and plans for new recordings were laid, but Tovey unexpectedly passed away in his home on April 3, 2002.

Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

V.A. - Some Of The Interesting Things You'll See On A Long-Distance Flight (1982)

Containing exclusive never re-recorded material from The Durutti Column, Paul Haig and The Names, this re-issue of a 1982 tour compilation from the Crepuscule label is something of a slice of musical history. All the tracks were recorded on the ‘Dialogue North-South Tour’, an ambitious live project which would visit Brussels, Paris, London and Amsterdam. Notable for it’s exclusive material, this disc captures a time in music that was incredibly interesting, and incredibly fresh, bands like Durutti Column were carving out a sound for themselves and just starting to get noticed on the world stage, and their label Factory records (also home of Belgian band The Names) could seemingly do no wrong. Of course we all know how that ended, but it’s nice to go back and see this – a snapshot of time, and read the tour programme, listen to the sounds and hear how it was done way back then. The standout tracks here are from those Factory fellows Durutti Column of course, their reverberating dream-pop was set to influence a generation of shoegazers, and has never sounded more affecting than in this live environment. Recommended.

Boomkat.com

Download: Pt.1 & Pt.2

V.A. - Natures Mortes - Still Lives (1997)

Natures Mortes was initially a vinyl, Japanese-only release. It saw mail-order reissue in 1997, and a few copies crept into record shops. It's certainly a curiosity for any 4AD fan, though this pertains mostly to the label's post-punk/experimental era. Well-known acts such as Bauhaus, the Birthday Party, The The, and Modern English make appearances, as do some lesser-known 4AD bands (Rema Rema, Dif Juz, Sort Sol, Psychotik Tanks, etc.). The real pearls, however, are the two Past Seven Days tracks, apparently the only songs they recorded. Both are masterful slices of angular, atmospheric post-punk in the vein of the Comsat Angels or even Gang of Four.
Andy Kellman - All Music Guide
Download: PT 1 & PT 2

The Boys Next Door - Door, Door (1978-79)

The Boys Next Door went on to become The Birthday Party when they changed their name and moved to the UK. But the story begins in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975, when the young school mates Nick Cave, Tracey Pew, Mick Harvey, and Phill Calvert formed a band.
The initial influence was 60s pop and 70s glam rock, but the band developed a much darker side, which was cemented with the addition of Roland S. Howard to band.The band's main haunt became St. Kilda, a suburb then known for its prostitutes, junkies and general seediness. By 1978, they had already become one of the best punk/post-punk outfits around. The recklessness of their live shows and apparent lifestyle garnered them a substantial following. They recorded and released one album, Door, Door. This album is very much a transitional album, which the band dismissed as sounding too poppy, and the band around this time was moving the more abrasive sounds of contemporary post-punk. The album's final song and single, "Shivers", was refused air play for its mention of suicide in the first line and served as an indication of the more sinister, dark direction the band was headed.
missinglink.net.au

Phew - View (1987)

Japanese avant-garde vocalist who started out as a member of the legendary punk band Aunt Sally. In 1980 she collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto on the single Shukyoku. In '81 she and the members of Can made the album Phew. After taking some time off, Phew made a recording with former members of DAF and Neubauten. She subsequently released two albums with Anton Fier, Bill Laswell and others. She is currently active in a wide range of projects, including Novo Tono, Phew Unit, a duo with Seiichi Yamamoto, and Big Picture.
Discogs.com

ILHA DESERTA / DESERT ISLAND # 1: David Sylvian - Secrets Of The Beehive (1987)