Lou Reed, John Cale & Nico - Le Bataclan '72

Style: Proto Punk, New Wave.
Similar Artists: Brian Eno, Leonard Cohen
Recording year: Get Back Records, 2004.

After decades of being circulated on inferior-sounding bootlegs, the January 1972 reconvergence of Velvet Underground (VU) co-founders Lou Reed (vocals/acoustic guitar), John Cale (guitar/viola/piano/vocals), and Nico (vocals/harmonium) in Paris at Le Bataclan has been committed to CD. A suitably noir mood hangs over them as they stonily amble through VU staples and key entries from their concurrent solo endeavors.

They commence with a slow and almost methodical "Waiting for the Man" as Cale offers up a simple piano accompaniment to Reed's casual guitar and lead vocal. Reed aptly describes the bleak torch reading of "Berlin" as his "Barbra Streisand song" before unveiling a profoundly minimalist interpretation. It captures the unnerving mood inescapably defining the city in the wake of WWII. They return to the early VU for an inspired "Black Angel Death Song." Reed's rhythmic chiming guitar incongruously fits beside Cale as he whittles away an austere viola counterpoint. Back briefly to Reed's eponymously titled debut for a very Dylanesque delivery of "Wild Child."

The reconnection between the duo begins to gel significantly if not audibly throughout an intense "Heroin," immediately recalling what makes the Cale/Reed combo so appealing. Cale seizes the reigns for the melodically and lyrically involved "Ghost Story" from Vintage Violence (1970). One rarity is Cale's "Empty Bottles," which he contributed to Jennifer Warnes' Jennifer (1972) album. Nico finally takes the spotlight for a healthy sampling of her work, couching a trio of post-VU efforts around three of her most memorable sides during her brief time in the band. They saunter into an intimate and warmly received mini-set featuring "Femme Fatale," "No One Is There," and "Frozen Warnings" of off Marble Index (1969), as well as "Janitor of Lunacy" from Desertshore (1970).

The show concludes with another trip into the VU songbook on a comparatively optimistic "I'll Be Your Mirror" duly juxtaposed against an edgy and sinister "All Tomorrow's Parties." While fans and pundits hopefully proclaimed the performance as the return of the Velvets, alas it would not be so. Le Bataclan '72 (2004) is a no-brainer for all dimension of VU, John Cale, Lou Reed, and/or Nico enthusiasts.

Fields Of Haze... Underground for all.

Devo - Something for everybody (2010)

Style: Post Punk, New Wave.
Similar Artists: Thomas Dolby, Soft Cell.
Recording year: Warner Bros, 2010.

Coming in way above their previous effort, 1990’s Smooth Noodle Maps, Something for Everybody is the album Devo's fans had craved for 28 long years, or maybe 29, if you fall on the sour side of the iffy Oh, No! It's Devo. The synthetic, compressed, and punchy production -- courtesy of producer and Bird & the Bee member Greg Kurstin -- is a modern take on the sound of 1981’s New Traditionalists, and if you judge by hooks, this is right in line with their 1980 breakthrough, Freedom of Choice, although there’s certainly no “Whip It”-sized megahit here. Instead, there’s the opening “Fresh!” a herky-jerky, infectious number with lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh stuttering as if he just created New Wave’s “My Generation.” The wicked highlight “Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)” (“They’ll hunt you down/And tase you bro/For playing with the rules”) is the album’s other key track, thanks to Mothersbaugh’s perfect framing of de-evolution’s give (hybrid cars) and take, take, take (Beltway snipers, overzealous cops, etc.). Both highlights are co-produced by Santigold who, like Kurstin, checks her ego at the door, allowing the five spud boys to sound like a functioning band. The twangy guitars of Bob 1 are perfectly balanced with the synths and electronic percussion from new member Josh Freese, while Mothersbaugh’s ironic downers are complemented by co-frontman Jerry Casale’s more snide and silly songs, and the two attempts to re-create the sarcastic grandeur of their masterpiece “Beautiful World” -- with “Later Is Now” and “No Place Like Home” -- come pretty darn close. While some will complain that the satirical social commentary just isn’t as razor-sharp, and that the wild, primal nerdiness of their first two efforts is long gone, the purposeful Something for Everybody is proudly not a nostalgia trip and is, instead, filled with age-appropriate subversion, right up to its ironic title. "Something for Veteran Fans" is more like it with "Something Surprisingly Vital" being an even better choice.

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Rotersand - 10 23

Style: Electronic.
Similar Artists: Front Line Assembly, Front 242.
Recording year: Metropolis, 2007.

Influenced by techno as well as rock, German electronic body music (EBM) group Rotersand established themselves as a powerful live act and also released new music on a regular basis. Formed in 2002 in Gelsenkirchen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rotersand are comprised of Gun (born Gunther Gerl), Rasc (Rascal Nikov), and Krischan (Krischan Jan-Eric Wesenberg). The group debuted with the album Truth Is Fanatic (2003) and its accompanying EP, Merging Oceans (2003), both released by Endless Records. Rotersand then switched to Dependent Records and returned with a follow-up album, Welcome to Goodbye (2005), along with an accompanying single, Exterminate Annihilate Destroy (2005), and EP, Dare to Live: Perspectives on Welcome to Goodbye (2006). Rotersand's third album, 1023 (2007), was released internationally -- by Dependent in the European Union, Metropolis in the United States, and Soyuz in Russia.

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Concrete Blonde - Mexican Moon

Style: Indie.
Similar Artists: The Call, Sparks, Lone Justice.
Recording year: IRS, 1993.

Concrete Blonde grew out of the Los Angeles post-punk club circuit that produced bands like X, Wall of Voodoo, and the Go-Go's, but it wasn't until 1987 that the band even recorded its first album. The group was founded by singer/songwriter/bassist Johnette Napolitano and guitarist Jim Mankey, who initially called themselves Dream 6 and released an EP. Their insistence on complete artistic control was off-putting to the major labels who took notice, however, and it wasn't until 1987 that the group signed to I.R.S. and changed its name to Concrete Blonde at the suggestion of labelmate Michael Stipe. Concrete Blonde's self-titled debut album betrayed the influence of the Pretenders, while 1989's Free was a tighter showcase for Napolitano's developing songwriting and produced a college radio hit with "God Is a Bullet."

After the demise of their original label, I.R.S., Concrete Blonde released Mexican Moon on Capitol in the fall of 1993. The band, once again, produced themselves with Sean Freehill, and Paul Thompson returned to the fold on drums after sitting out Walking in London due to immigration problems.

The album is a striking marriage of Johnette Napolitano's dark, lyrical imagery and the band's alternative-tinged pop sensibilities making it, perhaps, their most fully realized effort. "Jenny I Read" kicks things off with the tale of a chance encounter of a fallen, reclusive starlet. Guitarist James Mankey shows versatility playing acoustic and Spanish guitar on the dreamy title track and the wah-wah effects of the brooding "Jesus Forgive Me (For the Things I'm About to Say)." "Heal It Up" was the unsuccessful single but is a bracing number with a ferocious vocal performance by Napolitano. Despite the inspired playing, intelligent and insightful lyrics, and the crisp production, Mexican Moon failed to expand the group's audience and would prove to be their last release before breaking up.

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Angina Pectoris - Anno Domini

Style: Goth Rock.
Similar Artists: Sisters of Mercy,
Recording year: KM Music, 1992













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Sex Gang Children - The Hungry Years (Best Of)

Style: Goth Rock.
Similar artists: Christian Death, Fields Of The Nephilim, The Damned.
Recording year: Receiver, 1999.

One of the most original and, in terms of frontman Andi Sexgang's longevity, persistent of all the early-'80s British goth bands, the Sex Gang Children came together in early 1981 around a nucleus of Sexgang, bassist Dave Roberts, guitarist Terry MacLeay, and drummer Rob Stroud. All were unknowns, ensuring that the group's name was more fascinating than their membership. A William Burroughs line that had been grafted into a song by Bow Wow Wow, "Sex Gang Children" was promptly co-opted by one Boy George when he bowed out of that band after just two live shows in February 1981 to form his own group. But hopeful of landing a swift record deal, George conceded that Sex Gang Children was not a name that would take them far. He chose Culture Club instead, then gifted the discarded name to Andi.

By early 1982, the Sex Gang Children were regulars at the Clarendon Hotel in Hammersmith, where they recorded their debut album, the cassette-only live album Naked. The Illuminated label moved in for them within weeks of its release; the band's first single, the four-song Beasts EP, was in the stores by August 1982. Days later, however, it was out of them again, after somebody realized they'd not procured the necessary permissions for the Diane Arbus photo on the picture sleeve. With a major lawsuit apparently imminent, the record was briefly withdrawn while the sleeves were removed, but still Beasts reached number eight on the indie chart and hung around the listings for much of the next 12 months.

The Hungry Years is a fine starting point for a newcomer as well as a good enough effort for the already initiated. It's probably the easiest way for listeners to decide whether the group would be slightly up their alley or not -- with the dankly beautiful and driving extended version of "Mauritia Meyer" kicking things off, it's a headlong plunge into squealing vocals, post-punk bass moans, and dancefloors laden with incense. Andi Sexgang's singing is definitely the most extreme contribution to the group's sound -- his Marc Bolan fandom is obvious throughout, but more of the early Tyrannosaurus Rex bleating lamb days than anything else. If an acquired taste, he's also dramatic and clearly having incredible fun throughout -- songs like "Shout and Scream," "Beasts," and the herky-jerky "Sebastiane," with high-pitched violin adding to the mania, are crazed and wonderful showcases. Dave Roberts' bass work is very much the counterpoint instrument -- the appreciative liner notes mention a love for Peter Hook, which is obvious but not an exact clone, and his combination of high and low is a keeper. The constant tempo shifts and careening shifts within most of the songs themselves -- due credit for drummer Rob Stroud and his quick work -- give most everything an unexpected complexity, rock songs that rarely sound run of the mill. Two notable exceptions excluded from this collection are "Oh Funny Man," the band's cockeyed tribute to Charlie Chaplin, and the title song itself, a fluky but intriguing duet between Sexgang and Marc Almond, but aside from that this is one heck of a fine disc.

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Jimi Hendrix - Axis Bold As Love (Remastered 2010)

Style: Rythm & Blues, Psychedelic.
Similar artists: Miles Davis, Jeff Beck, Jefferson Airplane.
Recording year: Universal Distribution, 1967.

In his brief four-year reign as a superstar, Jimi Hendrix expanded the vocabulary of the electric rock guitar more than anyone before or since. Hendrix was a master at coaxing all manner of unforeseen sonics from his instrument, often with innovative amplification experiments that produced astral-quality feedback and roaring distortion. His frequent hurricane blasts of noise and dazzling showmanship -- he could and would play behind his back and with his teeth and set his guitar on fire -- has sometimes obscured his considerable gifts as a songwriter, singer, and master of a gamut of blues, R&B, and rock styles.


Axis: Bold as Love was the follow-up to Are you experienced?, and represented a much more conscious use of the recording studio's possibilities. The sensational sophomore release of The Jimi Hendrix Experience highlights Hendrix's own evolving musical experimentalism and acknowledges his early musical influences of soul and R&B. Where his live shows continued to showcase the raw rocking power of the Experience, the recording studio gave Hendrix the composer/arranger a broader palette. There are still plenty of powerful blues/rock-inflected songs, such as the menacing "If 6 Was 9," the rolling "Spanish Castle Magic" and the spatial title tune. But "Up from the Skies" is a jazzy trio romp, featuring Hendrix's bluesy, vocalized wah-wah pedal. And on the ballads "Little Wing" and "Castles Made of Sand," Hendrix shifts the focus from the band to the silvery chord/melody accompaniments he often employed to complement his vocals. They are an orchestral effect unto themselves. Rolling Stone Ranked #82 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time".

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Blutengel - Child Of Glass

Style: Goth Rock.
Similar artists: Cabaret Voltaire, Terminal Choice.
Recording year: SPV, 2003.

Blutengel was formed in 1998 after Chris Pohl had decided to give up the preceding project, Seelenkrank due to contractual problems. Just as its predecessor, Blutengel uses melodious electronic tunes in combination with both male and female voices. The lyrics are primarily in German and/or English and mixed between male and female vocals paired with electronic sounds and with songs often focusing on all aspects of love, from the tragedy of hopeless romance all the way to the more animal aspects of desire.

The first album Child of Glass, released in early 1999 and soon conquered the clubs and the hearts of the already existing fan community but also attracted a huge number of new fans with songs like "Weg Zu mir" and "Beauty of Suffering". Kati Roloff and Nina Bendigkeit were responsible for the female vocals at that time. However, although the album was still present in the minds of the people, things became quiet for the project itself for quite a long time.

Fields Of Haze... Underground for all.