Abecedarians- Smiling Monarchs 12''

Apologies for the overwhelming amount of posts today- feeling a bit productive, I suppose. Here's the 1985 debut 12'' by Los Angeles' Abecedarians, one of the only American releases on Factory. Of course, the band would sign to Caroline to release the bulk of their material, most of which they were unhappy with. You can nab the band's posthumous early recordings collection here on these back pages, where you can read a bit more about the band as well. Without any further ado, here's the info for this 12'':



Abecedarians- Smiling Monarchs 12''
1. Smiling Monarchs
2. Benway's Carnival

*download it here*

Choir Invisible- Sea to Shining Sea LP

As promised, here's the second, final, and posthumous record from Choir Invisible, recorded in 1982, but not released until 1984. It's far more bright and synthy then their debut record. I tend to prefer it, but it depends on your take on buzzing synths vs. brooding guitars. Opposite sides of a similar coin, if you will.

Let's cut to the chase, shall we?



Choir Invisible- Sea to Shining Sea LP
1. Grey At Present
2. Questions Never Spoken
3. With Dreams
4. I Walked Away
5. Shared By A Voice
6. Devoted To A Memory

*download it here*

Choir Invisible- Choir Invisible LP

Choir Invisible were a four piece post-punk band hailing from Los Angeles. The band formed in the wake of the Flyboys, a first wave LA punk band, who split after the death of bassist/keyboardist David Wilson.

Lisa Fancher, head of Frontier records (who released the lone Flyboys 12'' in 1980), essentially pieced Choir Invisible together after the Wilson's death. The band grew to local prominence, opening for the likes of Romeo Void, Depeche Mode, and Christian Death in the early 1980s, before releasing their debut record in 1981.

Though the band split shortly after their 1981 tour, a few straggling members recorded a follow up in 1982, which was released two years later on Passport records. I shall upload this one for my next post, but in the meanwhile, here's the info for the band's 1981 self-titled debut.



Choir Invisible- Choir Invisible LP
1. Quiet Place
2. Fatal Dream
3. The Other Room
4. Fixation
5. Chameleon
6. Side To Side
7. Private Life
8. The Key
9. Playing Cards
10. Portrait Of Charles
11. The Distance From...

*download it here*

Screams For Tina- Strobelight Funeral 12''

Here's a horse of a different color compared to the usual sounds posted here as of late. Screams For Tina formed in Los Angeles in 1985, a twisted, dark post-punk band consisting of four like-minded members. They released one 12'' mini-album (uploaded below) just a year after their formation, generating a bit of college buzz with their heavy, glam-infused brand of twisted, dark rock. The band toured for four years straight, playing with the likes of Human Drama, Ex-Voto, and various other players in the late eighties post-punk scene.

However, the original lineup of Screams for Tina split in 1990, but while various members departed, others quickly joined the ranks and the band soldiered on, attracting the attention of Cleopatra records, who released a full-length record in 1993. The band split once more in 1997, however, significant re-exposure and the continued friendship of members Warren Mansfield and Billy Budd led to a reformation of Screams For Tina in 2007. They are currently working on a full length record! In the interim, give a spin to the record that started it all, 1986's Strobelight Funeral 12''. Fun fact: This particular record inspired Strobelight Records, home to Frank the Baptist, the reformed Pink Turns Blue, Black Ice, and The Last Days of Jesus, to name a few



Screams For Tina- Strobelight Funeral 12''
1. Nightmare
2. Fool's Gold
3. Simple Addictions
4. Future Of Romance
5. Strobelight Funeral

*download it here*

The reformed Screams For Tina has a new website up, with t-shirts available for purchase. If you're a fan of the shirt, nab one and support the band's reactivation! Keep your eyes peeled for a new record in the works.

Screams For Tina dot com

Screams For Tina- Strobelight Funeral 12''

Here's a horse of a different color compared to the usual sounds posted here as of late. Screams For Tina formed in Los Angeles in 1985, a twisted, dark post-punk band consisting of four like-minded members. They released one 12'' mini-album (uploaded below) just a year after their formation, generating a bit of college buzz with their heavy, glam-infused brand of twisted, dark rock. The band toured for four years straight, playing with the likes of Human Drama, Ex-Voto, and various other players in the late eighties post-punk scene.

However, the original lineup of Screams for Tina split in 1990, but while various members departed, others quickly joined the ranks and the band soldiered on, attracting the attention of Cleopatra records, who released a full-length record in 1993. The band split once more in 1997, however, significant re-exposure and the continued friendship of members Warren Mansfield and Billy Budd led to a reformation of Screams For Tina in 2007. They are currently working on a full length record! In the interim, give a spin to the record that started it all, 1986's Strobelight Funeral 12''. Fun fact: This particular record inspired Strobelight Records, home to Frank the Baptist, the reformed Pink Turns Blue, Black Ice, and The Last Days of Jesus, to name a few



Screams For Tina- Strobelight Funeral 12''
1. Nightmare
2. Fool's Gold
3. Simple Addictions
4. Future Of Romance
5. Strobelight Funeral

*download it here*

The reformed Screams For Tina has a new website up, with t-shirts available for purchase. If you're a fan of the shirt, nab one and support the band's reactivation! Keep your eyes peeled for a new record in the works.

Screams For Tina dot com

Current Band Corner: Mt. Sims

Allow me to take this little bit of necessary blog downtime to talk about a newer artist. Back in this blog's salad days, I posted a handful of tracks from new and exciting post-punk/synth/wave acts, and I've been meaning to revisit this format every now and again to mix things up a bit, so while I'm stuck with the daunting task of reuploading this blog's entire back pages, I figured I'd offer you kids a little modern, yet equally relevant content.

That said, the band on the slab is none other than Mt. Simms. A featured artist on Montreal based Hungry Eye Records, Mt. Simms is a full collective developing from Mount Simms, a similarly styled one-man experimental/electro-pop outfit originally hailing from LA. Led by Matt Sims, a resident DJ/performance artist, Mount Sims released two stunning synth records throughout the new millenium, expanding the boundaries of both electro-pop and performance art. By the time 2005's Wild Lights hit the shelves, Matt added two members to back up the band's growing live presence.

After the subsequent tour, Mount Sims disbanded as Matt relocated to Berlin to start work on a third record as Mt. Sims. The new outfit consists of Randy Twigg on bass and Andre Lange on drums. Despite the mild change to the band's moniker, subsquent sounds explored different territory, adding a much darker and chaotic post-punk edge to the previously solid electronic aesthetic. The results, however, are equally captivating.

Happily Ever After, Mt. Sims' first full length release (featuring mixing and production assistance by Thomas Stern of Crime & the City Solution), was released just last week, but was predated by a 12'' single. I am pleased to offer one track from each respeective Mt. Sims release for your enjoyment. The first is the title track from May's A Grave EP, and the second is a featured number from Happily Ever After:

download Mt. Sims- 'Grave'
download Mt. Sims- 'The Bitten Bite Back'

If you dig these tracks, please say so, and do pick up Matt's releases both new and old. Mount Sims material is easily purchased from Amazon.com and the Itunes Music Store, but Matt's latest work can be found on the Hungry Eye webstore, linked below. Alternately, click below for the Mt. Sims myspace page, chock full of information, photos, and more songs to learn and sing:

Mt. Sims on Hungry Eye Records dot com
Mt. Sims on myspace

Last but not least, for a brief taste of the band's live show, click below to view a three-song performance, filmed by Tobias Knipf in March of 2008:

Current Band Corner: Mt. Sims

Allow me to take this little bit of necessary blog downtime to talk about a newer artist. Back in this blog's salad days, I posted a handful of tracks from new and exciting post-punk/synth/wave acts, and I've been meaning to revisit this format every now and again to mix things up a bit, so while I'm stuck with the daunting task of reuploading this blog's entire back pages, I figured I'd offer you kids a little modern, yet equally relevant content.

That said, the band on the slab is none other than Mt. Simms. A featured artist on Montreal based Hungry Eye Records, Mt. Simms is a full collective developing from Mount Simms, a similarly styled one-man experimental/electro-pop outfit originally hailing from LA. Led by Matt Sims, a resident DJ/performance artist, Mount Sims released two stunning synth records throughout the new millenium, expanding the boundaries of both electro-pop and performance art. By the time 2005's Wild Lights hit the shelves, Matt added two members to back up the band's growing live presence.

After the subsequent tour, Mount Sims disbanded as Matt relocated to Berlin to start work on a third record as Mt. Sims. The new outfit consists of Randy Twigg on bass and Andre Lange on drums. Despite the mild change to the band's moniker, subsquent sounds explored different territory, adding a much darker and chaotic post-punk edge to the previously solid electronic aesthetic. The results, however, are equally captivating.

Happily Ever After, Mt. Sims' first full length release (featuring mixing and production assistance by Thomas Stern of Crime & the City Solution), was released just last week, but was predated by a 12'' single. I am pleased to offer one track from each respeective Mt. Sims release for your enjoyment. The first is the title track from May's A Grave EP, and the second is a featured number from Happily Ever After:

download Mt. Sims- 'Grave'
download Mt. Sims- 'The Bitten Bite Back'

If you dig these tracks, please say so, and do pick up Matt's releases both new and old. Mount Sims material is easily purchased from Amazon.com and the Itunes Music Store, but Matt's latest work can be found on the Hungry Eye webstore, linked below. Alternately, click below for the Mt. Sims myspace page, chock full of information, photos, and more songs to learn and sing:

Mt. Sims on Hungry Eye Records dot com
Mt. Sims on myspace

Last but not least, for a brief taste of the band's live show, click below to view a three-song performance, filmed by Tobias Knipf in March of 2008:

Abecedarians- The Other Side of the Fence LP

This one was donated last year by a good chum, and collects the early works of US postpunk/coldwave act Abecedarians. The trio formed in Los Angeles in 1983 and recorded several early demos until their first official release, a 12'' on Factory Records. The band then signed to Caroline Records to release two LPs and a compilation, splitting by the end of the eighties.

In 1995, members Chris Manecke and John Blake formed the First Men on the Sun project, which continued in a similar aesthetic as Abecedarians' work and released one LP in 1995. As for the record uploaded below, it was originally released on 2 10'' vinyl LPs in 1990, around the same time the band split. All members felt that these early versions (many of which were re-recorded for their Caroline LPs) had more spirit and spunk to them. Here are the details for the release:



Abecedarians- The Other Side of the Fence LP
1. Beneath The City Of The Hedonistic Bohemians
2. Ghosts
3. John's Pop
4. Come Out
5. Classic
6. Spaghetti Western
7. Switch
8. Where's Karen
9. Soil
10. The Other Side Of The Fence
11. Wildflower
12. They Said Tomorrow

*download it here*

Screamers- Demos '77-'78 LP

Today's band may not need much introduction, for even having not released a single full length record, their impact is immeasurable. Arguably the first synthpunk band (though perhaps Suicide and Devo may deserve further pioneering credit), Screamers hailed from the inner recesses of LA, and were among the first wave of the initial punk explosion. Unusually (especially at the time), the band incorporated tape loops, electric pianos, and synthesizers into their sound, mixing with the usual manic antics of the punk movement.

Screamers initially formed in 1975 as The Tupperwares, but were forced to change their name in lieu of legal action. From 1977 until their demise in 1979, the band became a LA sensation, selling out various clubs in California. Their trademark spiked hair and manic demon faces (both as their logo and part of the band's image) became highly recognized symbols of the era. The band split before recording a proper full length (though they attempted to record a video record release, as their sound was arguably aided more by their visual presence), with Paul Roessler joining LA's second synthpunk act, Nervous Gender soon after. Not much is known about the other member's whereabouts, though singer Tomata du Plenty passed away in 2000.

Several bootleg releases comprised of live tapes or rehearsal demos were released in the band's aftermath, as interest in Screamers rose as their followers (such as the Dead Kennedys, whose vocalist Jello Biafra sung their praises) gained more notoriety. I've uploaded one of these releases, the Demos 77-78 LP.

Details:


Screamers- Demos 77-78 LP
1. The Beat Goes On
2. Thru the Flames
3. Sex Boy
4. If I Can't Have What I Want (I Don't Want Anything)
5. She's the Girl
6. I Wanna Hurt
7. 122 Hours of Fear (Part 1)
8. 122 Hours of Fear (Part 2)
9. Punish Or Be Damned
10. Government Love Affair
11. Peer Pressure
12. In a Better World
13. Vertigo
14. Magazine Love
15. It's a Violent World

*download it here*

...and for your viewing pleasure, here's live footage of the band performing 'I'm Going Steady With Twiggy' in 1977: