Eyes of God- Eyes of God 12''

A few months ago, a friend and fellow DJ turned me on to Eyes of God, a four piece San Franciso-based darkwave band, filled with catchy electronics, blaring saxophones, and religious lyrics. Little information was available on the net, and at the time, it seemed as if the band only had the one release. The 12'' I was given has also been uploaded on A Viable Commercial, one of the best blogs around these parts. That particular 12'' was released in two formats, with different covers but the same basic tracklisting.

However, I stumbled upon what I believe to be the band's only other release, a 12'' dating from 1984 and containing four proper studio tracks (not remixes). Naturally, I freed it from the confines of the dollar bin and am pleased to upload it for your listening pleasure.



Eyes of God- Eyes of God 12''
1. Love Letters
2. Secret Life
3. Sin Twist
4. Cruel Party

*download it here*

Voice Farm- The World We Live In LP

Fulfilling a quick Saturday morning request for Voice Farm's The World We Live In LP, as the band was previously featured on the Oh Harry, You're Such a Drag! compilation. As a quick aside, I've also posted a Radio Free Europe LP a ways back, for whomever asked.

Anyway, Voice Farm were primarily a two piece (but occasionally three or four piece) synthpunk band from San Francisco. Formed in 1981, the band earned a decent cult following over the years, eventually landing a spot opening up for Depeche Mode on their World Violation tour in 1990. They eventually split in 1995, but released four records before their demise. This first one, 1982's The World We Live In, is significantly different than their last few, as the band persued a more pop-oriented sound in their latter-days, where as this debut is closer to the manic energy of synthpunk and the rampant electronic pulse of minimal synth. Curiously, the band would not release a follow up for another five years.

Here's the info for their debut record.



Voice Farm- The World We Live In LP
1. A.M. City
2. Lost Adults
3. Beatnik
4. Davy's Big Battle
5. Mama Made Me Do It
6. Sally Go Round The Roses
7. Double Garage
8. Follow Me Home
9. Voyeur
10. Cheeno
11. Over And Over

*download it here*

Voice Farm- The World We Live In LP

Fulfilling a quick Saturday morning request for Voice Farm's The World We Live In LP, as the band was previously featured on the Oh Harry, You're Such a Drag! compilation. As a quick aside, I've also posted a Radio Free Europe LP a ways back, for whomever asked.

Anyway, Voice Farm were primarily a two piece (but occasionally three or four piece) synthpunk band from San Francisco. Formed in 1981, the band earned a decent cult following over the years, eventually landing a spot opening up for Depeche Mode on their World Violation tour in 1990. They eventually split in 1995, but released four records before their demise. This first one, 1982's The World We Live In, is significantly different than their last few, as the band persued a more pop-oriented sound in their latter-days, where as this debut is closer to the manic energy of synthpunk and the rampant electronic pulse of minimal synth. Curiously, the band would not release a follow up for another five years.

Here's the info for their debut record.



Voice Farm- The World We Live In LP
1. A.M. City
2. Lost Adults
3. Beatnik
4. Davy's Big Battle
5. Mama Made Me Do It
6. Sally Go Round The Roses
7. Double Garage
8. Follow Me Home
9. Voyeur
10. Cheeno
11. Over And Over

*download it here*

Pre Fix- 'Underneathica' 7''

Here's an incredibly rare treat to kick off your Monday, ladies and gentlemen. I have found scarce tidbits of information about today's band, Tuscon, AZ's Pre Fix. The band, whose credits consist of multi-instrumentalists Johnny Glenn and David Herbert, released but one curious and excitingly strange 45'' in 1981 on San Fransciso's Subterranean records.

Credits for the 'Underneathica' single also include production by Tommy Tadlock, more well known for his work with Tuxedomoon. Post-Pre Fix, Johnny Glenn formed The Ballad of Johnny Glenn.

For your listening pleasure, here's both sides of their lone single:

download Pre Fix- 'Underneathica'
download Pre Fix- 'Ectomorphine'

Romeo Void

Another request to fulfill today, ladies and gentlemen. Today's featured band is San Francisco based post-punk/new wave act Romeo Void.

Formed in 1979 by a group of college art school chums, Romeo Void would stir up a slice of controversy with their sex-fused lyrics and fiery performances. However, this controversy would not stop the band, led by Debora Iyall, from scoring a few independent hits for Columbia Records over the course of six years.

Romeo Void would record three full length records and one EP before officially disbanding in 1985 due to an apparent slew of lineup changes. Debora would release one solo record in 1986 before forming a handful of bands (including current outfit Knife In Water) while other remaining members would soon do the same. The band reunited in 1992 for a handful of benefit gigs for a friend and have since performed a one-off show on Vh1's behalf in 2003. Though new material is rumoured to have been recorded since the band's demise, no new tracks have appeared. Instead, the band's legacy has sadly diminished to that unforgettable catchy chorus from the song 'Never Say Never.' The song features one of the most remembered lines of the 1980s- 'I might like you better if we slept together' and is to this date, a dancefloor favorite.

I've uploaded an extended (and far superior than the broadcasted version) mix of 'Never Say Never' plucked from the EP of the same name. The second featured tune is a personal favorite from their 1982 record Benefactor.

download Romeo Void- 'Never Say Never (12'' Single Version)'
download Romeo Void- 'Chinatown'

And for your viewing pleasure, here's a (somewhat low quality) video for the song 'Say No' from their first record, 1981's Instincts.



A few scattered links:
Debora Iyall's website
Romeo Void on Amazon.com

Chrome

Today's band was so truly innovative that most of their output sounds futuristic and ahead of its time even today...

Formed in San Francisco under the pretenses of making 'scary, funny music,' Chrome was created by a drummer/synth player and a lone guitarist in 1976. Though the band would start as a straightforward synth-driven psychedelic project, their music would quickly take a turn for the more experimental and strange as the band shifted lineups after their debut. Over the course of four years, the band, (mainly) consisting of Helios Creed and Damon Edge, would release a slew of albums, their development accelerated by their extremely prolific nature. Their songs were part science fiction epics, part pre-punk fury, and mostly deconstructed experimentation.

This short incarnation of the band would serve as a blueprint for the upcoming post-punk and industrial movements, Chrome joining the ranks of early innovators Suicide, Silver Apples, and Throbbing Gristle. When the band split in 1983, Damon Edge relocated to Europe and continued on under the same name, releasing records consistently until 1995, when he died of heart failure in Los Angeles. Upon Damon's death, Helios reformed the band out of tribute, carrying on sporadically with new and original collaborators both live and in the studio.

Here's two tracks I've uploaded from the original incarnation of the band. The first is a more rare but solid track, released in a more widespread form via recent compilations of the band's earlier material, and the second is the lead-off track from their 1977 record Alien Soundtracks.

download Chrome- 'In a Dream'
download Chrome- 'Chromosome Damage'

and for your futuristic, acid-loving viewing pleasure, click below to watch the (very A Clockwork Orange-esque) video for the 1980 single 'New Age.'



Most of their recorded output is extremely difficult to get a hold of, outside of anthologies and used bins. However, according to their official site, three early records have been re-released and remastered. For more information on all of this as well as more on the band, please click below:

Official Chrome site
Chrome 1979-1983 Anthology on Amazon

Sixteens

Today's band, Sixteens, has managed to gain a fair amount of worldwide notoriety over the past few years of relentless touring and recording.

The outfit, consisting of duo Kristen Louise and Verve Pauli (with the occasional collaborator or guest) birthed from San Francisco and is now based in the heart of Berlin. Both Kristen and Verve share vocal duties and instrumentation both live and on record.

Their sound combines a variety of aesthetics, from the cold, pulsing art-madness of Suicide, the dark wave and deathrock of the Skeletal Family, and a slew of minimal wave acts, many of which have been featured on this page in the past.

The band has released a handful of previous albums and series of split 7'' with acts such as Hungry Eye Records' the Vanishing before signing to the label proper, releasing both the Fendi EP in 2006 and the full length Into the Goldwave of Future Non Rip-off just this year. For your listening pleasure, I've uploaded a track from Into the Goldwave of Future Non Rip-off as well as a track featured on the 2003 Witches of the West compilation.

download Sixteens- 'Aphrodite'
download Sixteens- 'This Knife'

and for your visual enjoyment, here's a youtube video of the band performing 'A Lesson in Letting Go' live in San Francisco in 2005:



For photos, purchasing information, and all other info on Sixteens, please visit these local haunts:

Official Sixteens homepage
Sixteens on Hungry Eye Records

The Holy Kiss

Not only am I excited to write about today's band, but I'm also rather excited to be sharing the stage with them in just a few short hours at the notorious Club Midway here in New York City.

San Francisco's The Holy Kiss walks similar paths as Sixteen Horsepower, the Gun Club, and the Bad Seeds; a bluesy, raw, country-thick stomp with the fire and passion of a post-punk outfit in their prime. The vocals and lyrics act as shrieking gospel of heartbreak and ruminating ghosts while the bass and drums trash rhythmically- the slide guitar holding it all together with delicious ethereal tension. There's just as much Son House and Bessie Smith as there is Rowland S. Howard in this band's repertoire.

The band began with a spark in the new millennium, and though they've already been through several lineup changes since their conception, the band's progress has yet to slow. After a slew of rare compilation appearances, Shot Love on the Back Line appeared in 2007 as their first record proper. The album was released under Swedish greats Release the Bats. Meanwhile, our friends at Hungry Eye Records compiled those rare offshoot appearances and singles on to one self-titled collection for those taken with the band and anxious to get ahold of these oddities.

I've taken two of my favorite Holy Kiss tracks and tossed them up for today's consumption, and I pray you find them as captivating as I do... Both of these tracks are featured on their debut record, Shot Love on the Back Line:

download The Holy Kiss- 'A Dancehall Goodbye'
download The Holy Kiss- 'Black, Etc.'

and here's an official video for 'Black, Etc.,' directed by Dion Olivier:



For more on the Holy Kiss, visit these sites:

the official Holy Kiss site
purchase albums from Hungry Eye Records

and be sure to come see them (and us) play this evening if you're in the NYC area! 9pm, Club Midway- 25 ave. B, Manhattan.