Blind Dates - Don't 7" (1983, Savage)

Perhaps these guys aren't such Blind Dates after all, as I introduced you to them way back in 2011 via their second single, "Radio." Here's the 45 that preceded it. Sprite but somehow cozy power-pop with no deficit of warmth and tuneful acumen.  Falling just aesthetically shy of the stripe of 7" gold that permeated the Teen Line compilation series of private-pressed, late '70s to mid-80s spunky pop nuggets this Rhode Island clan seemed to possess modest AOR ambitions that for better or worse never gestated to the LP stage (not counting a scarce subsequent demo tape). I love both sides of this quite literally dusty slice of wax, but I did my utmost to clean up the audio. 

A. Don't

B. Hold On

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...but it will do for awhile

A double LP debut from 1992.  The vocals will no doubt strike you as utterly familiar, but it's a different guy, I swear. 

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Vis-a-Vis - Heart and Soul ep (1985)

Pardon the water damaged sleeve you see to your left.  Thankfully the music housed within is considerably less blemished.  Vis-a-Vis were a Canadian quintet bearing wave/New-Romantic tendencies, though not nearly as heavy-handed as other Great White North contemporaries such as Spoons. Vis's sonic penchant was fairly straightforward, often approximating what the Simple Minds would have amounted to if say, Peter Murphy took over the mic.  The aforementioned album jacket isn't nearly as oblique as Heart and Soul's four unique cuts, however had these fellows settled on something more dour to match that just might have worked to their advantage.  

01. I Am the Night

02. Prison of Eyes

03. Where Angels Tread

04. Dance With Me

05. I Am the Night (version)

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You’re under lock and key. I could break in, but I’ve never been a thief.

From 1995/1996.  An album with a complicated legacy.  Recorded two years in a row, by the same band, the latter under a new moniker with a wholly more enlightened perspective it would seem.  This is the 25-year anniversary remaster of the second iteration.  Immensely moving, poetic, and even empowering, with more than a few tear-jerking moments.  The title lyric grab was actually misheard by yours truly, but I still think my interpretation works better than the official phrasing. 

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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The Distant - Secrets of Desire (1986)

Too forward-thinking to qualify as a bar band, nor antiseptic/plain enough for the AOR set, this Arizona foursome just might not have quite fit in...anywhere.  If anything else The Distant were plenty proficient, and even ballsy on the fevered "Wet Stranger."  Otherwise, Secrets of Desires settles on a mid-tempo pace, while managing to explore some faint tangents. Michael Edwards noodly fretwork on "Ashes in Urns" vaguely resembles that of D. Boon, but don't get your hopes up, as the Distant were no equals to the Minutemen.  It appears Secret... was their one and only record.  

01. Wet Stranger

02. Divided You

03. Lust 'n' Lies

04. Prism of Decline

05. Ashes in Urns

06. Dionysian Dream

07. Look Both Ways

08. Empty Trailer

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London calling, strike up the contraband.

From 2006.  I believe this is my first time sharing anything by this duo. 

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Piece de Resistance - Daylight Cries ep (1985, Human Voice Productions)

There was more than our fair share of female-fronted wave/AOR acts populating the airwaves circa 1985 - Divinyls, The Motels, Go-Go's, Til Tuesday, Debbie Harry.  Aside from the occasional single or two most of the above didn't do much for me, which is why I wish Boston's Piece de Resistance had more or a presence when this lone ep dropped that same year.  In spite of not being particularly innovative the Beverly Bond commandeered five-piece were at the very least substantive with a rich sonic aplomb that from what I can tell was thoroughly guitar centric (that's right, no keys).  They did employ a full-time saxophonist however, Marshall Rushford, who genuinely embellished PdR's overarching m.o. and whose role never presented itself as an accessory.  Deft, melodic songcraft extends to virtually every pore of Daylight Cries, with side's "Desperate Rhymes" and "(Throwback) the Little Ones emanating slightly melancholic hues.  And don't let the album sleeve mislead you, there's nothing particularly noir or gloomy about this one.

Apologies in advance for the bumpy audio on "Guardian Angel" which I couldn't make a clean edit of to save my life.  Mucho distortion on "Throwback..." as well.  Should I come across a better copy maybe I can give this another whirl.

01. Guardian Angel

02. Designs on You

03. Desperate Rhymes

04. (Throwback) the Little Ones

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Sitting like a dumbbell with my eyes fixed on the tv...

What appear to be the complete studio recordings of a punky UK power-pop proposition from the late '70s.  

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The Seeing Eye Gods - s/t ep (1985, Epitaph)

While we're on the subject of psych pop/rock I thought this would piggyback nicely with yesterday's Shallow Reign entry. The Seeing Eye Gods were a one-off side project that was the brainchild of Bad Religion's "Mr. Brett" Gurewitz and as it's been reported, his dealer at the time,  Joe Bertini.  Taken from the website linked above here's a backgrounder. 

The Seeing Eye Gods is the name of the band Brett Gurewitz was is in in the early eighties. It was Brett's first side project and they released a self-titled 12" picture disc. It was released in 1985 on Epitaph Records at a time when he was heavily into drugs, and not on good terms with his Bad Religion band-mates.

Back then Brett had a distribution deal with a company called Sounds Good and they released about 1,000 copies. The album has a pop-psychedelic feel to it, with Brett singing on all tracks, and him and Bertini (his friend and pusher) playing all the instruments.  On this record Brett goes by the nickname "Billy Pilgrim" and John Bertini by the name "Ripped Van Winkle".

With that out of the way, the nearly half-dozen songs here presumably cut on nothing more sophisticated than an 8-track recording console aren't anywhere near the Bad Religion realm, even their botched 1983 synthesizer foray Into the Unknown. "Only One" and Psychedelic Suzy" uncannily resemble the work of the Three O'Clock, almost to the point of prompting me to wonder if SEG were something of a deliberate parody/send-up.  Seriously leaning into '60s sonic affectations, a faithful rendition of "Pictures of Matchstick Men" slots in seamlessly.  "Strawberry Girl" naggingly puts me in the mood for Buffalo Springfield, but maybe I'm alone in that observation.  A fun and surprisingly substantive record.  Per the snapshot above this was a picture disc accompanied with not-quite a proper album jacket.

01. Only One

02. Psychedelic Suzy

03. Pictures of Matchstick Men

04. Strawberry Girl

05. Happy

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Shallow Reign - s/t (1986, Pool)

You'd think there would be more mentions of this long begotten Dallas, TX artifact, if only due to the fact that bands of Shallow Reign's chosen persuasion (Paisley Underground) weren't all that ubiquitous, even circa the mid-80s.  After some four decades you'd think that the Dream Syndicate, Bangles, Three O'Clock and the Rain Parade were all said niche had to offer, given it's rather narrow anthologizing.  Truth is there were likely lots more worthy neo-psych hopefuls in the Reagan-era that simply weren't able to benefit from the widespread exposure of their Cali contemporaries. Not that what Shallow Reign brought to the table was as fresh and/or innovative as the aforementioned, but despite the arguable deficit of originality they compensated in spades with sheer capability and competence.  

On their debut LP they genuinely put in their homework, with certain numbers including "Understanding Kiss" and the driving "One Last Chance" veritably rivaling the most convincing missives from not only the Syndicate and Rain Parade, but also lesser spoken of entities Absolute Grey and Winter Hours.  They did earn a slot on the Sound of Deep Ellum compilation, yet none of the more Paisley-centric various artist compendiums (including Children of Nuggets, and the more recent This Can't Be Today) bothered to include S/R on their otherwise exhaustive rosters.  A very much under-the-radar find, and though I weighed the possibility of saving this one for one of my Chanukah posts, Shallow Reign struck me as being a tad inconsistent to qualify.  Eye of the beholder of course, so feel free to share your thoughts after giving this a listen or two.  I'm making it available in your choice of MP3 or FLAC.

01. Celtic

02. Understanding Kiss

03. In Your Mind

04. 328 Regret

05. Long Time Ago

06. Forever

07. One Last Chance

08. All Alone

09. Reflection

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Do you think she can change your life?

An indie rock touchstone from 1996. Sorry I wasn't able to deliver much in the way of new music to you last week.  Will try to remedy that soon. 

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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I took sleeping pills to dream you never did me wrong.

A Don Fleming production from 2000. From the States, but the band's Elvis Costello-isms and Brit-pop angularities belie even sassier undercurrents.

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The Chrome Yellow Co. - Gathered Far Distant (2002, Northern Light)

A Canadian indie band that, surprise, reminds me a hell of a lot of other Can-indie bands, especially those populating the roster of Murder Records...yet ironically not so much Sloan.  I wouldn't say Chrome Yellow Co. strike me as a holdover from the 1990s, as they're not derivative of any one particular artist, yet the overarching aesthetic is well intact.  Not much else to remark on here, other than Gathered Far Distant is relatively consistent, with some songs discernably being more crunchy ("Sports Car") than others.  

01. You Always Love Happy Endings

02. My Teenage Bedroom

03. Summerside

04. Dreaming in Stereo

05. Monster

06. Sing the Stars

07. Autumn Leaves

08. Sports Car

09. Saturday Morning

10. The Ballroom Dancer

11. Night vs. Day

12. Dim Architecture

13. Trouble With the Law

14. Pale Hands Are Waving

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They caught him with his case in a public place...

From 2002. The bonus disk of a deluxe edition reissue housing b-sides, demos and even a Peel session. 

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Unit 5 - Scared of the Dark (1981, Clone)

Here's a bunch of Arkon-ites that didn't have a damn thing in common with DEVO other than locale.  Said to have contained ex-Waitresses alumni, the most resounding response to Unit 5 I could garner was their likeness to Blondie.  The Tracey Thomas-led combo were in fact (at least to my ears) a more enticing proposition than Debbie Harry and Co. in the respect they packed more kick, and furthermore, downplayed the whole sexuality bit. Seriously, I much prefer Unit 5's ratios in this department than Blondie.  A more accurate match for Thomas' vocal panache would be Belinda Carlisle, but I chalk that up to coincidence more than anything.  The songs frequently border on excellent, especially some of the punchier ditties on side one ("Ready," "No Ones Girl" and "Big Kids").  Scared of the Dark is one of the smartest mergers of wave and punk that surfaced during the halcyon era of these musical movements, and it's outright obscurity is a near travesty.  Here's Trouser Press' say on the subject.

Some members of this Akron, Ohio group were in an early incarnation of the Waitresses; Unit 5's vocalist, Tracey Thomas, however, is more from the school of Debbie Harry than the late Patty Donahue. The band plays sprightly, slightly synthesized pop with craft and dedication, making Scared of the Dark easy to like.

01. No One's Girl

02. Big Kids

03. Mental State

04. Ready

05. Decisions

06. Like Lovers Feel

07. Go Ahead and Kiss Her

08. Fickle Hearts

09. Gracefully and Ladylike

10. Lucky Charms

11. Believe It

12. Scared of the Dark

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This is the only one I've ever cared for.

From 2019.  Probably the closest I've come to offering bona fide power pop on Mystery Mondays in a long time.

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Outsets - s/t ep (1983, Plexus Trading)

Ever wonder what became of Ivan Julian after the Voidoids dissolved?  Yeah, me neither...but I found out anyway.  With Julian running the show here I was hoping to hear some last vestige of Richard Hell & Co, or heck, even a tamer new-wave friendly likeness of thereof.  Not so much.  The partied-up funk rock of "Dancin' in the Dark" could have garnered a few spins in the waning era of Studio 54.  Not an inadvisable listen mind you, but the following number, the soulful crooner "Heart on Fire" by and large is a sheer no-go. If any selection on the Outsets qualifies for centerpiece status, the power-pop bent of the inflation-themed "Young Man's Money" easily seizes the prize. The concluding "Iceman" languishes on for five and a half minutes without ever really peaking.  Overall, the Outsets may not have "set out" to deliberately disappoint, but seemingly succeed at doing so regardless.  I'm told drummer Vinny DeNunzio was present in an early incarnation of the Feelies, among numerous other stints appearing on his resume.  

01. Dancin' in the Dark

02. Heart on Fire

03. Young Man's Money

04. Iceman

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Hugenius 7" (1994, Damaged Goods) (file under Pooh Sticks, G.G. Allin?)

Certainly a parody of the then-current UK outfit Eugenius (ex-Vaselines), Huegneius was a one-off byproduct of the Pooh Sticks Hue Williams, though if you're expecting a winsome slice of three-minute jangle pop, you're terrifically mistaken.  Released but one year after the sudden passing of notorious punk cult-icon G.G. Allin, this 45 was an unlikely tribute to the pro/antagonist (eye of the beholder) in question.  There's a grand total of two Allin compositions I'm familiar with, and wouldn't you know it, the A-side, "Drink Fight + Fun" is coincidentally or not a PG13-rated rendition of one of them.  The 135 second salvo ironically begins with an extended classical guitar solo (a la "Sanitarium") before hurtling full bore into a rampaging cover of the scum-punk classick, that to these ears strikes me as even more vigorous and assertive than the original.  Again, a jarringly implausible concept considering the source, but the hardcore quotient of the tune couldn't be executed more convincingly.  As for the even briefer flip-side (barely over a minute) it's an extended reprise of the aforementioned "Sanitarium"-esque acoustic intro.  You have been warned.

A. Drink Fight + Fun

B. Theme for G.G.

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I want to drink until Denver.

Time for four eps, although one is bordering on a mini album, and another is a two song sampler, of sorts.  

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Rude Buddha - Goes to Church (1984)

This isn't our first time around the block with Rude Buddha, a co-ed Virginia combo who gave us a 1985 ep, Blister My Paint, I featured circa 2018.  In fact, Goes to Church preceded Blister by a year, and wouldn't you know, it's considerably more distinct.  By comparison ...Church is a percussion dominated beast, specifically with RB's strenuous employment of conga and bongo drums.  Though they're have been several "avantgarde" accusations leveled at this crew, the overarching approach is too steeped in rock/pop fundamentals to consign this one to the "experimental" camp.  Akin to an easier-on-the-ears Public Image Ltd., Rude Buddha is striving for a new spin on post-punk, and with a palette as indigenous and textured as the one that colors just about every nanosecond of ...Church they succeed mightily.  The arrangements are busting at the seams, yet stop short of encroaching into anything overcrowded or cumbersome. That said, the band's unorthodox proposition borders on oblique, and in my book, outright fascinating. 

01. Boxes and Bells

02. America

03. Happen to You

04. Gloomy Demon

05. No Color

06. 4D Man

07. To Africa

08. Got to Stop

09. Cabbage Salad

10. Though I Walk

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Snakey is awakey and he wants a little piece of the pie...

Maybe not the most critical juncture of their career, this trio's sixth album indulged in the kind of gaudily-processed guitar stukas that only the late '80s could claim responsibility for.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Makaton Chat - Federal State Chance ep (1982, Trans)

Here's one that I don't have a very solid recollection at all of picking up, but given the sleeve's art-deco informed tableau I likely based my purchase on the relatively safe assumption that the music enclosed within would be similarly forward-thinking. Once again I nailed it.  What few references I've gleaned concerning Makataon Chat, suggest the UK based, Anthony Lindo-helmed quartet lay somewhere in the nexus of minimal synth and new romantic, yet this three songer is far more user-friendly than the former, while at the same time doesn't qualify as entry-level fare either. I think the only reason why I slightly resisted "Federal State Chance" on my initial listen is merely because the flip-side numbers were more enticing. Opting for a guitarless motif, M/C were to-the-hilt electronics-heavy, though in spite of the group's wonky and technical proclivities they exuded a cheekiness that accorded them plenty of heart as well.  As for the overarching effect, think a warmer Gary Numan, but you're likely to draw your own comparisons. The band's catalog (roughly 50 songs deep) is yours for streaming on Spotify and Soundcloud.   

A. Federal State Chance

B1. It's His Life Story (Hail the Wild!)

B2. Communicate

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Yesterday came up…bit the ass off me.

From 2002. I don't delve into Americana/No Depression type of stuff, but every once in awhile this one really scratches the itch.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Sons of the Desert - s/t (1987, Dessert)

This coed five-some hailed from Montreal, yet could easily pass for a myriad of south of the border hopefuls. More collegiate indie guitar-pop, albeit occasionally on the saucier side, with a modest dash of twang, when the Sons opt for a lovingly looser penchant that is.  Three gents and a duo of the fairer sex comprised their ranks, and I'm not sure if it's Maureen or Naomi who bellied up to the mic, on what would appear to be Sons of the Deserts maiden (and ostensibly only voyage).  Subtle surges of organ color the proceedings, but at their most rambunctious (say, the driving "Love Slave") our protagonists bust out some splendid punky fervor.

01. Best Things

02. Slowly Building

03. Love Slave

04. Be Mine

05. Run Over by a Train

06. Light in Your Eyes

07. Legs Like Stiv

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At the heart of the scene.

A left curve from 1983 that I'm sure some of their initial fanbase wasn't quick to forgive them for.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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