Magazine - Play (LP, vinyl rip). 1980.

   One of the first post-punk bands, Magazine, kept the edgy, nervous energy of punk and added elements of art rock, particularly with their theatrical live shows and shards of keyboards. 

Devoto's lyrics were combinations of social commentary and poetic fragments, while the band alternated between cold, jagged chords and gloomy, atmospheric sonic landscapes. 

   "Play"  documents an Australian concert from 1980 that finds Magazine in fine form, spitting out their unsettling, edgy post-punk songs with controlled energy. By this point, guitarist John McGeoch had been replaced by Robin Simon, and although there are some weak patches on the record, he fits into the group's dense interplay remarkably well. (from Allmusic)

   One of my most beloved records that keeps me good company for many many years now! Enjoy a fantastic band, playing live!

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The Birthday Party - Drunk on the Pope's blood / Lydia Lunch - The agony is the ecstasy (split 12" EP, vinyl rip). 1982.

   This is a 4AD split record released back in 1982. 

   The Birthday Party are on A side with four songs played live at Venue club, London, November 1981. All the raw energy of this incredible band is here. Nick Cave almost chokes on screaming and the band is at their best. Specially the cover of The Stooges song "Loose" is a slowly exploding dynamite!

   Tracklist

Pleasure Heads

King Ink

Zoo music girl

Loose

   New York's evil genious Lydia Lunch is on the B side with one song - the 16 minutes long sonic nightmare "The agony is the ecstasy". Steven Severin from Siouxsie and the Banshees plays guitar creating sounds of paranoia and its a real pleasure listening to these two great musicians playing together.

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16th Anti-racist festival of Athens (July 2012)

The Last Drive - "Russian Roulette" (The Lords of the New Church)

 

Deus Ex Machina - "Execute"

Felt - The Splendour of Fear (LP, vinyl rip). 1984

   Felt was the project of Britain's enigmatic Lawrence Hayward, a singer/songwriter who transformed his long-standing obsession with the music of Tom Verlaine and Television into an impressive catalog of minimalist pop gems and, ultimately, cult stardom.

   This is their second album, released in 1984. Most of the songs are instrumentals with the guitar creating magical psychedelic melodies. "The stagnant pool" is one of Felt's masterpieces - an 8 minutes long psychedelic anthem.

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The Prunes - Nada (LP, vinyl rip). 1989.

   The Prunes were the Virgin Prunes without the singer and songwriter Gavin Friday, who left the band in 1986. The Prunes (Mary - guitar, voice, Strongman - bass, and Dave-id - vocals) released three albums from 1988 to 1990 and this is the second.

   Gavin Friday's favourite cabaret style is now gone and replaced by a more "rock" feeling. The band doesn't hesitate to experiment with different styles making the record a very interesting acoustic experience. Their best moments are the two straight psychedelic songs ("Dissolve to..." and "Flower") - the band creates a really dizzy psychedelic atmosphere.

   There are also experimental songs with a heavy dark atmosphere ("Loaded in a crazy dream of hell" and "Voice Over") plus some songs moving between darkwave (the creepy "Built a temple of your soul" is a fantastic dark elegy) and rock.

   It's not a masterpiece but it's an excellent record by some of the most adventurous musicians of their generation.

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Solidarity from Greece to fighting Spain.

 

I slept and I dreamed of a time long ago
I saw an army of rebels, dancing on air
I dreamed as I slept, I could see the campfires,
A song of the battle, that was born in the flames,
and the rebels were waltzing on air.

So we danced with a rifle, to the rhythm of the gun
in a glade through the trees i saw my only one
Then the earth seemed to rise hell hot as the sun
The soldiers were dying, there was a tune to the sighing.
The song was an old rebel one.

 As the smoke of our hopes rose high from the field
My eyes played tricks through the moon and the trees
I slept and as I dreamed I saw the army rise
A voice began to call, stand till you fall
The tune was an old rebel one.

Eyeless in Gaza - Caught in Flux (double LP, vinyl rip). 1981.

   Specializing in alternative pop/rock, post-punk, and art rock, the experimental British duo Eyeless in Gaza have enjoyed an enthusiastic cult following since the early 1980s. Their music has tended to be moody, quirky and atmospheric, drawing on influences that have ranged from Brian Eno and electronic music to Pink Floyd and David Bowie.

 Eyeless in Gaza experimented with electronics from the beginning, and they clearly admired Eno's breakthroughs in the ambient electronic realm. 

   They got started in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England in 1980, when lead singer Martyn Bates joined forces with fellow multi-instrumentalist Peter Becker. (from Allmusic)

   Since then they create beautiful, exciting music, "cold" but still full of passion. Emotional but still powerfull. Tender but still wild.

   This is their second LP including a free 12" record by the name "The eyes of beautiful losers" with 5 excellent atmospheric songs. The whole package (the music - the artwork) was perfect.

As someone wrote back in 1981 "It's meditative music for active minds, an exciting vision of a brave new whirl. Eyeless... but not blind!"

The file contains the songs and all the artwork

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"The You and What Army Faction" - the music of the crisis!

   I didn't know this band. They sound like every music i love and i'm happy that "raggedy" informed me about their work.     They come from Athens and everybody who's in love with the dark scene and no wave of the '80's should be happy that such a band is around. 

   Luckily for them they're not try to imitate some other band and allthough you can detect elements from no wave and the greek dark scene of the '80's, the personality of the band is strong enough to create a special sound which only belongs to them.

   They had a full album ("Fix") and an EP ("Vent") and now a 7" vinyl record called "Silk" is out with three new songs - twisted as their previous work! 

 

As i told the guys, i feel that they deserve a place in that long line of greek bands who created great dark experimental music since the beginning of the '80's.

It's not pleasant music for your ears but it's music that reflects all the paranoia of today's greek society and thus it's modern music.

i just remembered the title of an old work by some great greek artist and it seems to me that it can describe this band's music;     Backroom's Hell!!!

Visit their website  here
Also check the label's site (GAB Productions) here 

Ding An Sich - And... / Wandering... (7" single, vinyl rip). 1989

Ding An Sich are one of the best darkwave bands of Greece. Active since 1987 they started in a darkwave direction but soon they enriched their sound with pop and ethereal elements.

   

This 7" single is their first vinyl, released in 1989 by Terra Incognita label in limited copies.

   

These are the first years of the band and the two tracks are fitting perfectly in the music climate of that era in Greece. 

    The b side ("Wandering") is a powerfull darkwave/gothic song with fascinating guitars. The file contains the two songs plus the cover and all the artwork with the lyrics. Ripped from the original vinyl to wav for better sound quality. Enjoy!

Download here