Pop. 1280 - The Horror (Sacred Bones, 2012)

Pop. 1280 is New York no wave band paying tribute to New York now wave bands in 1980. They also happen to be just as dismal as the Jim Thompson crime novel they take their name from. This is a great no frills band. All that's left to say is that they love The Birthday Party, Jesus Lizard, Chrome and Sonic Youth. Enjoy.

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Blancmange - Irene and Mavis (Blaah, 1980)

Blancmange formed in Middlesex, England, 1979, is Neil Arthur and Stephen Lunscombe. They recorded this short run EP of synth pop, eastern rhythms and no wave aesthetic. The simplicity of this release makes it beautiful. Its a light-hearted romp through laidback yet dancey, goofy yet elegant off kilter pop.

They did manage to get included on the Some Bizarre album with Soft Cell and Depeche Mode, and they did get a single up to #7 on the UK charts a bit later, but not much else was to come. This is a fantastic little record though. Lots of fun.

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Virgin Prunes - A New Form of Beauty (1981, Rough Trade)

While Bono was making a name for himself as the leader of a Dublin teenage gang on O'connell Street, some of the other members were up to something that would be quite different than a world famous musical supergroup.

Before Gavin Friday was a slightly ridiculous Irish pop star, he founded The Virgin Prunes with Dik Evans (The Edge's brother) and Guggi. These kids weren't interested in the accessible sounds of the then current Post-Punk phenomenon.

The Virgin Prunes are darkness. This is ritualistic Goth, No Wave and sackcloth n' ashes sado-masochistic chants of sorrow. There is no hope here. These are mournful tomes and sarcastically religious themes of violence and death.

A New Form of Beauty was originally released as a series of three singles (7", 10" and 12") and was supposed to include a fourth release of a cassette but that never actually happened. Finally everything was released on an Italian version as a double album.

This is an underrated band that deserves its cult following. Many later Goth, Experimental and Pop fans included musicians from Coil and J.G. Thirlwell to Bjork and Trent Reznor.

A.H. Kraken - S/T (2008)

From Metz, France comes abrasive No Wave / Noise / Punk brutality like I've not heard in a while. Violent, vicious and destructive, there seems to be no direction here (except for a song about Kevin Costner) and I don't mind. Their mentality seems akin to the earliest Swans or Abruptum material. There is no concern for decibel levels, accessibility, their own safety or anything at all, really.

Through its incredibly harsh veneer, occasional glimpses of a groove can be distinguished. Their label "In the Red" describes them best by claiming the band is for fans of Brainbombs, Drunk with Guns and Pussy Galore. I would only add the Ann Arbor, MI Basement Noise circuit, late 90's Providence, R.I., the ugliest of the Young Gods repertoire, Arab on Radar, Frustration and Lightning Bolt to that list.

I can only imagine what they're doing to Kevin Costner in that song but I'm sure its not pretty.

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The Electric Bunnies - Through the Magical Door (2009)

These Florida rockers are so tripped out they can't decided on a genre. Good thing they don't need to. One track sounds like The Byrds meet Spaceman 3, the next sounds like Liars meet 13th Floor Elevators and the next is a screaming punk metal ditty with Iggy on vocal duties. Psychedelic Indie Rock Garage guitar Noise Punk Sunshine Pop Art Rock. Yep...but its honest and the production is outstanding.

I also like that the gatefold Lp jacket unfolds into a really amusing and disturbing board game. So drop some acid, sniff some glue and try to figure out what's up with these awesome weirdos.

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