Controlled Bleeding - "Before The Quiet" CD

New York's Controlled Bleeding are known as one of America's earliest industrial noise acts. From the early 80's, the group, centered around Paul Lemos, has created a dizzying array of releases, covering a wide swath of sounds both soothing and confrontational. 'Before The Quiet' collects their very earliest recordings, and dates back to the late 70's. And while the playful experimentation is there, much of this is closer to a wild free jazz/improv/prog-rock format. The track 'Controlled Bleeding' itself is set to a frenzied and almost thrashy tempo. 'Veal', with it's surf organ, is another anomaly - uptempo and quickly giving way to another breakneck speed-surf-riff-o-rama. 'Fiddles & Joey' features the inimitable scat-singing of Joe Papa, and other tracks (some recorded live, others in garages, on 2-track, etc.) are similarly unique. And strangely, despite this material being nearly 30 years old, nothing here sounds really dated. If you wrote off Controlled Bleeding based on their harsher 'industrial' past, this could change your mind, as these musical chameleons can confound as well as anyone. (MVD Audio)

Check out a free mp3 of CB's first ever single, 'Wall Of China Love Letters' here.

and visit the band's website here.

A Place To Bury Strangers - "A Place To Bury Strangers" CD

Opening for Nine Inch Nails will surely find your band a larger audience, and in the case of this band, it should also open some dialogue about some great 80's-90's acts. Check these guys' record collections, and I'll bet you'll find some classic Jesus And Mary Chain, maybe some old (i.e. good) Cure, and maybe some My Bloody Valentine. Not that those are bad things, mind you. I, myself, own some of these, and am not the least bit ashamed, thank you very much. My only complaint is that this influence is so very obvious. APTBS have the wall-of-pain-beyond-the-threshold guitar noise down, and the low-key, nearly indecipherable 'sad bastard' vocals. Add in some crushing drum machine rhythms and you have a real collision of ear-shredding noise and gloomy post-punk sounds. I like it, but can't divorce songs like 'Another Step Away' - which could be an outtake from 'Psychocandy' - from their predecessors. Good stuff, and I guarantee when the group's next work comes out, they will transcend this comparison. But for now, file under 'bands to watch'. (Killer Pimp)

KUKL - "Holidays In Europe (The Naughty Nought)" LP

Ask the average joe, and a passing mention of Iceland conjures images of unspoiled nature, Arctic scenery, Sigur Ros (for the hipsters), and, of course, Bjork. Most are familiar with Bjork Gudmondsdottir's indie-pop band The Sugarcubes, who had some success on US shores in the 80's with college-radio hits like 'Birthday', 'Motorcrash', and 'Coldsweat'. It's lesser-known that Bjork had been active in punk and post-punk experimental bands since her pre-teens, even. KUKL was one of those groups.

KUKL immediately predated the 'Cubes, and featured fellow Sugarcube Einar Orn and a cast of Icelandic artists. 'Holidays In Europe', the group's second and final record, followed an ill-fated European tour (thus the title) where the band began their splintering. That the record was released originally on Brit-agit-political punk band Crass's personal label says something. Even fans of Bjork's present-day avante-pop inclinations will likely hate this record. It's packed with weird improv textures and darkly mystical moods, and schizophrenic shouts and wailings from both Orn and Bjork, whose voice is instantly recognizable. Her freeform yells and the scattered, sometimes-bombastic sounds here are more suitable for fans of noise or industrial music, or perhaps (really) free jazz. It's a weird mix, and actually pretty well enjoyable if given a half chance. (1986 Crass Records)

Marc Almond - "Heart On Snow" CD

Poor Marc Almond. It seems he is forever known as an '80's pop star' due to his smash success with electro-pop sleaze merchants Soft Cell. But pity (more) the people who think he's irrelevant these days. Through the years, Almond has emerged a world-class singer and highly literate songwriter, painting sordid tales (ala one of his idols, Jacques Brel) in his highly stylized, theatrical voice over a variety of musical styles and genres, from clubby dance to baroque pop to cabaret. His collaborations with such notables as Jim Thirlwell (Foetus), Psychic TV, Nick Cave, Annie Anxiety Bandez, Coil, and even Current 93 prove that he's no 'has-been' by any means, nor has he been afraid to work alongside other strong and charismatic personalities.

This 2003 album is a selection of old-world Russian folk songs (and a few originals, done in a faux-Russian style), and features Almond in duet with various Soviet singers (none of which are recognizable to me). This is some classy, moody work, full of rich and resonant Eastern European vibes, and Almond's voice has never been so full and well-managed. Tracks like 'Just One Chance', with Luydmilla Zukena, wisely juxtapose the operatic vocals of Zukena with Almond's dramatic torch singing. 'Heart On Snow' may seem kitsch to some, but it serves well as a lovely travelogue, and a nice 'jumping off point' for those interested in classic Russian music. (Psychobaby)

Marc Almond's website

Abecedarians - "The Other Side Of The Fence" 2x10"

Hailing from California, and coming up in the mid-80's, I'm sure it was rather unexpected for a band to find themselves signed to Manchester's legendary Factory Records (home to Joy Division, A Certain Ratio, New Order, etc.), but that's exactly what the obscurely-named Abecedarians did. They released a single through Factory, and later went through Caroline Records for their last records. Joining moody, atmospheric soundscapes (sometimes hinting at almost Western/desert-themed introspectivenes and desolation) with melodic indie rock, Abecedarians never quite got their due. A superb video, for the superb song 'Soil', was seen on MTV's old '120 Minutes' way back in the day, but it seems to have only aired once.

This recording, an ultra-limited double 10" EP for art-conscious Independent Project Records, was a collection of early demos from 1983-1985, and according to the liner notes, predates even their first official single. Nonetheless, lest it be seen as rough or unfinished material, 'The Other Side Of The Fence' is a masterful set of tunes with few parallels. Echoes of stuff like Joy Division are evident, but Abecedarians brought a very American vibe to that great, gloomy post-punk scene. All of their work is shamefully out of print now, but here's hoping that someone has the good sense to reissue it soon. (Independent Project)

KMFDM - "Extra Vol.1" 2xCD

Compiling tons of vinyl and CD-singles from their classic Wax Trax! Records heyday (1986-1992), this set shows the German-American industrial rock group's quick progression and growth as they stormed the states on a huge tour with Ministry in their prime (1989-90). Beginning with the early raw electronic-beats of stuff like 'Don't Blow Your Top' (featured here in a superb Adrian Sherwood remix), 'Extra' follows the group into a dancier, clubby realm ('Naive', here remixed a couple of times by Chicago sleaze-disco act Thrill Kill Kult), some trippy psycho-dub ('Virus', 'M+F 244'), and finally, their now-trademark electro-rock. One of the band's definitive cuts, 'Godlike', is reprised here, and this Slayer sampling club track can still melt dancefloors while appealing to the longhairs and headbangers at the same time. Very fun. And disc 2 has even more! KMFDM have always been masters of the anthemic, and 'Go To Hell', 'Split', and 'Money' all feature this second disc, often in multiple mixes. The remastered sound here makes it all go 'boom' in the car, as well, so that's always a plus. Overall, 'Extra' is a great collection of now-unavailable mixes and versions for the hardcore KMFDM fan, and also a fitting starting point for anyone curious about this band's extensive 22-year history. (Metropolis)

KMFDM site

D.I. - "Suburbia Sessions 1983" DVD

Californian second-wave punks D.I. are best known for their appearance in the Penelope Spheeris film 'Suburbia', where they performed their infamous 'Richard Hung Himself'. That track is included here, with 9 other songs, and illustrates the band's Reagan-era angst and political awareness. The recording, done by stalwart Flipside Magazine, is bootleg-quality, and this film (of a rehearsal - not an actual concert) is rough and intimate. In hindsight, D.I.'s music was much more melodic than many of their early nihilist brethren, even showing a shadow of new wave somehow. Still, it's a far cry from the fashion punk of today, and takes me back somehow, in a nicely nostalgic way. An interview (with defective audio) is appended here as a bonus feature, and it does nothing but show the band to be, as the camera person puts it, 'jerks'. Hah! No pretense here, just some real-life footage of an early punk band sweating, spitting, and swearing. As it should be. (MVD Visual)