Drama Of The Spheres [Fra]

Drama of the Spheres - Integrale 2CD (Usual Things 1996 + Unable to Dream 1997) @Manic Depression Records

Drama of the Spheres was of the most important band in the 90s French Dark Scene.A unique piece of a kind that melt psychiatric Batcave with machines, loops, samples.For the Darwinists of music, the Drama of the Spherosaur is the missing link between The Virgin Prunes Rex and the Nine Inch Nailsosaur of the early ages... A (re)discovery of highest importance in the history of madness.

http://www.myspace.com/dramaofthespheres

Zuruck Placenta [Fra]

At the beginning they were CAPHARNAÜM, then APOLLONS DEPRESSIFS. During the 80s, the name and line-up changed regularly until 1988 when they became ZURÜCK PLACENTA. ZURÜCK PLACENTA's music is a mix of powerfull Cold-wave and dark 80's gothic rock, with some industrial influences, and even some hardcore. The band had a strong personnality and a sharp and heavy sound, obvious influences, but well integrated. ZP will released a first demo in 1990, then the self-titled album in 1992, produced by Jean Taxis (Asylum Party, Babel 17, Complot Brünswick, Norma Loy). ZP splited in late 1992, leaving behind them a unique and mythical album, which deserves its rank among the weird and cult temple of French Cold-Wave. BTW: Frustration fans, members went on to start Frustration. You can hear the similarity!

http://www.myspace.com/httpwwwmyspacecomzuruckplacenta

Leisur Hive [UK]

LEISUR HIVE were formed by Daniel Knowler and Maria Vellanz after a chance meeting 13 years after they first met as children.

With Maria's punk-spirited enthusiasm and Dan's background in Suicide-esque rock band Proton Wedding, they began Leisur Hive as an attempt to fuse angular, percussive forms with intense, emotional and visceral songwriting.

The line-up was solidified with the addition of longtime friend and collaborator Mark Bishop and drummer Robert Allen (of Australian noise duo Halo )

Their close-to-the-bone, emotional performances, echoing distorted soundscapes and throbbing, thunderous basslines have ensured that Leisur Hive remain solely focused on their own wayward path.

LEISUR HIVE's new album "THE SOFT COLUMN" was described as "Stirring, stately and throbbing with a warm grey heart, this new full length album brings to fruition the off-kilter sound of LH's live performances. ""like a hybrid between Swans and Nick Cave".

http://www.leisur-hive.co.uk/

http://www.myspace.com/leisurhive

De Volanges [Bel]

Black romantism and psychedelic tension. De Volanges defines itself as a rock band strongly but not exclusively influenced by 80's underground rock: Joy Division, the Chameleons, Bauhaus, And Also the Trees but The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, Cranes, Interpol, Editors and much of others have always counted and still do amongst their principal references. From 1990 to 1997, de Volanges has played a hundred gigs, includind opening acts for Sttellla, Dripping lips (Brian James), The Passengers, Peter Jefferies, Into the Abyss, Corpus Delicti, The Breath of Life, The Venus Fly Trap, ... During this period, about fifteen tracks have been recorded on different studio sessions, which have been used as demos, promotion and compilations in Belgium and abroad; a mini-LP, "First Paradox", has been released on a tape, in Poland by Black Flames Production, an independant label based in Poznan, but no real album came to light. Between February 1996 and May 1997, the band played in Poland three times, in Malbork, Legniça, Warsaw, Grodzieç (Castle Festival 1996), Szczecin and Katowice. In May 1996, de Volanges opened for Rosetta Stone in Camden Underworld (London). On July 12th, 1997 the last concert of this line-up stands on the main stage of Dour Music Festival (opening for Breath of Life, Das Ich, La Muerte, Sisters of Mercy); de Volanges splits and each one is occupied by his own personal musical projects. Early 2002: Yvan, Renaud and Enrico reform the band after a 4 years separation. A brand new musical repertory is created, cold-rock-alternative directed, leaving beside the dark wave references they had in the past. The band focuses its activities in Brussels and is joined by percussionist Priscillia.

April 2003: a 3-titles self produced CD is recorded, "Caresses Draw Maps". December 2005: de Volanges enter in studio. A nine tracks album is recorded and mixed in a few days by Renzo Gotto, called :"SDSS J090745.0+24507 (the Outcast)". March 2006: Str8line signs the group and produced this firts album, released in may.

http://www.myspace.com/devolanges

http://www.str8linerecords.com/devolangesuk.html

Deafear [Ita]

Deafear are an Italian Dark/New Wave band circa 1983, featuring Max Casacci and Lux Colarelli. Casacci's later band Subsonic appears to be active still. It bears some similarities to the Chameleons.

Discography:

1983 Demo

1983 Stair EP

1984 The Waiting Ep

There's few hint for the history of this band and even no trial for their songs.

Here's the dl link for their 1983 demo I find from deathrock forum:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8EFW7H7G

De Brassers [Bel]

De Brassers - Gesprokkeld en bespoten (Compilation 2008)

Joy Division-like post-punk band out of Hamont, a little village in the north of Limburg. Started out at the end of the 70’s, inspired by early British punk bands like The Clash and The Damned. Short-lived but not forgotten. Their self-released single ‘En Toen Was Er Niets Meer’ (1981) is considered a true Belgian cult classic.

After sporadic reunion gigs throughout the years, De Brassers are a working unit again as of 1998. In 2005 they even released a 5-song EP with new material. A compilation album surfaced three years later.

http://www.myspace.com/debrassers

The Bureau [US]

The Bureau - We Make Plans in Secret (2007)

A dark, danceable quartet with roots in '80s mope-rock and sleek neo-post-punk. Slinky basslines work well in tandem with its synth parts, just like Duran Duran's best, critically underrated work. Plus, the band's impeccable hairstyles.

"It's easy to think of the Bureau as a throwback to darkly melodic new-wave bands of yore. The group's professed love of Duran Duran only reinforces this idea. In truth, the Bureau takes moody, synth-based rock & roll and infuses it with a heavy dose of sharp-cornered post-punk and austere robo-rhythms. We Make Plans in Secret delivers on the promise of the band's debut EP by framing Mike Cracchiolo's expressive, octave-spanning vocals with retro keyboard bleeps and lush synth pads, while the rhythm section maintains a propulsive, carbon-based energy."-Christian Schaeffer, Riverfront Times (reviewing The Bureau CDLP "We Make Plans in Secret)

http://www.myspace.com/thebureau

SafeAsHome [UK]

SafeAsHome - Not What Happens 2008

Not What Happens is SafeAsHome's first full-length album. Composed of 11 tracks, it plays like a flow of disconnected memories, a random series of photo slides projected through the distortionary lens of long-lost childhoods or uncertain futures. From raging guitar epics to delicate, fleeting moments of introspective electronics, it is an album of fertile contradictions.

Pop-song structure persistently competes with gritty texture. Soaring melodies are overwhelmed and lost in phases of intense sonic density. Suspended synth and vocal lines are set against grinding riffs and noise, in bittersweet moments of dream versus reality.

Not What Happens is the difficulty in expressing anything more than the Unimportant. It is sudden starts and abrupt endings. It is haunted by the uneasy comfort of nostalgia, and by the frustration with what remains unresolved. It is the derelict spaces of disappointment through expectancy, of loss via pursuit.

The album itself is graced with the stunning, sprawling artwork of Roberto Calbucci, the depth and substance of which mirrors the sound's myriad of layers. Both seem to be questioning the extent to which detail is not what is concealed, but is what draws away from the greater picture, itself hiding in plain sight.

http://www.myspace.com/safeashome

Dreamtiger [US]

Dreamtiger - Glisten EP 2008

"Dreamtiger is a band better described through poetic devices than through comparisons. Their first EP entitled Glisten is an ambient creation swathed in reverb and within the first line, becomes the soundtrack to indie romance. "

"Even though there's a lot of similarity to the Cocteau Twins' floaty harmonies, the band doesn't give off one of those "We're tyring to be British" vibes. Still, it's not easy to find a local comparison. It's been a while since we got any shoegazer type music sent over here. So it's a pleasant surprise that this five-song EP is full of lush, atmospheric songs. There are pretty melodies and boy-girl harmonies making it easy to get lost into. But what's surprising is that as soft as the music appears on the surface, there's an undertone of toughness thanks to heavy guitars and strong vocals."

http://www.myspace.com/dreamtigermusic

Black Nite Crash [US]

Black Nite Crash - Array 2008

It’s no coincidence the band name was picked from the final and most explosive single by legendary Brit-rock band Ride. Black Nite Crash continues in the same fuzz-drenched tradition of gorgeous melodies and big guitar sounds. The band’s atmospheric, dynamic sound has seen them compared to The Church, The Pixies & The Jesus & Mary Chain. Black Nite Crash formed in 2002 in their adopted hometown of Seattle. A shared love of shoegaze bands, new wave and classic sixties garage blended together into their own version of noise-pop. "We always felt a little too post-punk to be psychedelic, a little too psychedelic to be post-punk," states Jim Biggs, "but we've always seen the obvious connections: a good melody, loud guitars and a dark sense of absurdity." Array, the band’s full-length debut, was recorded at London Bridge Studio. Recorded & produced by Dave Hillis & Erik Blood. It is being released as an LP with a free CD version of the album included. Highlights include “Falling Down”, “Soft Focus”, & “Perfect Blue.”

http://www.blacknitecrash.com/

http://www.myspace.com/blacknitecrash

Pains of Being Pure At Heart [US]

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Everything With You 7" (2008)

Everything With You is a total noisey-pop classic, bursting with all the melodic magic, guitar blaze and sunshine vibes that we've come to expect from the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Everything With You is but a taster for the Pains of Being Pure at Heart's debut album, which will be released in early 2009.

"Despite only having been together for the best part of a year, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are fast becoming the most name-dropped band in underground circles on both sides of the Atlantic, and only seconds into jaunty opener 'Hey Paul' (think The Pastels, The Razorcuts or indeed any pre-Madchester bands before indie became part of the mainstream first time around) it's blatantly obvious to see why. While they make no bones about where their hearts and inspirations lie, it would be churlish to call them mere revivalists, particularly with the way singing/guitarist and humble storyteller Kip engages in almost constant interplay throughout their 25-minute set with perma-smiling keyboard player and co-vocalist Peggy. Hell, their new single is even called 'Kurt Cobain's Cardigan' yet it sounds like Lazy-era My Bloody Valentine exchanging sweat glands with a pre-major label Soup Dragons in a sixth form common room. What's more, it's utterly ace like the rest of their set and turns the whole of the Red Room into spring-loaded coils of unbridled excitement." (Drowned in Sound)

http://www.myspace.com/thepainsofbeingpureatheart

http://www.thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com/news

Sins Of The Flesh [Jpn]

Sins Of The Flesh - The Death Of The Flesh 2007 Reissue

Not many acts boast a hybrid Japanese-British line-up, and not many spend 16 years thinking about how to follow up their first album: yet that is how long the world was waiting for SOTF to deliver on the promise of 1990's seminal debut FIRST COMMUNION. Hailed by fans and contemporaries alike as the great hope of the UK goth scene in the early 90s, SOTF seemed content to fade away into legendary status... until unexpectedly returning with a breathtakingly eclectic full-length studio album THE DEATH OF THE FLESH in 2007.

In February 2007 the band made its long-awaited debut in Germany and Holland, on the back of extensive publicity from the magazines Orkus and Astan. October/November 2007 found SOTF returning to its roots in the UK for a regional tour, including appearances with rising Canadian stars The Birthday Massacre in London and at the UK's premier scene-event Whitby Gothic Weekend...plus a trip east to headline the Radio Inferno festivals in Finland and Russia.

Russia's leading underground label Shadowplay has now released a special edition of THE DEATH OF THE FLESH featuring exclusive new bonus tracks, while a first taste of new material from the next SINS OF THE FLESH studio album IN THE KINGDOM OF THE BLIND, (HOW CAN I) SMILE? is included on the new Deathwatch Asia compilation-CD DARKER WATERS.

In support of the Russian release of THE DEATH OF THE FLESH, SOTF took to the road again in September 2008 for their most extensive European tour to date: taking in 9 countries in 2-and-a-half weeks. Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland all had a first taste of SINS OF THE FLESH, while stages were shared with the likes of Project Pitchfork, Fixmer/McCarthy, Psyche and Soman in a tour once more both beginning and ending in festival appearances: in Germany and Spain.

Invariably inviting comparison with such popular contemporary alternative acts as Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, SINS OF THE FLESH offer an altogether more accessible and poppy sound: combining rock riffs and electronics with strong melodic vocals, darkly poetic lyrics and a theatrical visual presence. Current album THE DEATH OF THE FLESH is a melancholic tour-de-force: a carefully-crafted homage to the UK positive-punk scene from which SOTF was spawned, incorporating subtle musical nods to such classic acts as Joy Division, Killing Joke, The Danse Society, Bauhaus and The Cure into a thoroughly contemporary production: and a sound both classic and contemporary in equal measures - a musical tribute to the best of the alternative scene itself, past and present.

http://www.myspace.com/mysinsoftheflesh

http://www.sinsoftheflesh.co.uk/

http://www.jgoth.com/sins-of-the-flesh-death-of-the-flesh-review/media/audio-content/2007/11/30

Vivian Girls [US]

Although only a band for a little more than a year, the Vivian Girls charms have already worked their magic on their short road to “out of nowhere” status. With their irresistable mix of 60’s girl-group sounds, punk, post-punk and shoegaze, the ‘Girls have mastered blurring the lines of genres and coming up with something aggressive yet beautiful; simple, gutsy music with a lot of class and melody.

http://www.myspace.com/viviangirlsnyc

http://www.last.fm/music/Vivian+Girls

Averkiou [US]

Averkiou - Throwing Sparks @Clairecords 2008

Clairecords is excited to present the debut from Gainesville, FL's most promising young, fresh fellows, Averkiou. Inspired by everyone from Ride and Guided By Voices to Teenage Fanclub and Wire, and taking cues from the likes of Dinosuar Jr. and Sebadoh, Averkiou is like the classic indie rock band that you've always loved – you just haven't heard 'em yet. A modern indie rock masterpiece clocking in at a scorching 22 minutes, Throwing Sparks will rock you like a Category 5 cyclone. You best not blink. Not matter what, we are positive you will be begging for more.

http://www.myspace.com/averkiou

Second Skin [Ita]

Over the past decade SECOND SKIN have made music for compilations, labels, film, and most importantly, for themselves... "Illa Exuro in Silentium" (She Burns in Silence) is their 29th musical release and fourth studio album.

Second Skin is an Gothic band formed from the ashes of Seattle based band Flesh of my Flesh by frontman Arron. Flesh of My Flesh appeared on one of the first ever Gothic tribute Cd's "First Last and Forever" where a who's who of Gothic Rock bands paid tribute to their own, this CD launched a host of groups Like the last dance,Eleven Shadows,Wreckage and the Shroud.

Second Skin was formed in 1992 and has played with everyone from Rozz Williams both Christian Death and Shadow Project to the Mission UK and have been featured on over 25 compilations, e.p.'s and Albums. Second Skin was also featured in the Movie title "Liberata Me" named after one of the bands songs, "Liberata Me" won best short subject at the New York Film Festival, director Pearry Teo then cast Arron in the follow up film "Children of the Arcana" Arron played the gate keeper of Purgatory.

http://www.myspace.com/scndskin

Autodrone [US]

Autodrone - Strike A Match CD
@Clairecords 2008

Autodrone, formed in 2002, is based on a mutual love of dream pop and early '90s Brit rock.

Seamlessly melding the sonic dynamics of noise and pop with throbbing bass lines, jagged angular synths, searing dark atmospheric guitars and urgent banshee vocals, Autodrone has quickly developed the attention of the UK and American Press garnering universally favorable reviews. Strike A Match is Autdrone's latest studio effort. Their debut album is darker, denser and more experimental, yet catchy and hook-laden than any of their previous work. The album has received a deluge of critical acclaim and has made it onto multiple "best of 2007" lists, thought it was unreleased at the time. Autrodrone have toured both the east and west coast, and have played festivals such as Pop Noise, ATJ, NEMO and CMJ.

http://www.myspace.com/autodrone