In 1970 Iggy Pop was burning radios, while in 1977 The Clash were burning all of rock and roll's precious icons. Punk rock during the Summer of Sam was in full fashion for those in the know on both sides of the Atlantic. Normal rock and roll aesthetics were outlawed - if you were Eric Clapton, a household name and a major contender on most people's record shelves - racist comments about immigrants were no longer tolerated - now there were major organizations rising from the underground to not only counter them, but to destroy the speaker of them as well. Five minute guitar solos and double concept albums about dragons and wizards? Nope. Having your last name be Jagger, Richards or Presley? Nope. Having synthesizers (long the expensive property of the dinosaur rock aristocracy of the progressive rock bands)? - definitely not.
But somewhere along the way, something happened. Punk rock became boring (at least in its second wave, predominately the British form - though the 60's garage punk era was filled with teenagers of the same mindset one could suppose). Those who were railing against everything boring were now bored with railing against it. Being bored wasn't so exciting anymore. And with that, fin. Punk hit the dust like so many safety pins in the trash can. But then something else happened - all of those involved in that wave of mutilation decided to divulge their art school backgrounds, break out their Roxy Music, Can and Bowie albums and admit that perhaps their musical affections lied beyond reggae and three chord rehashed Chuck Berry riffs after all. All of a sudden you had John Rotten's (that's LYDON to you chap) Public Image LTD storming the charts with a single equal parts shedding the past of the Pistols as well as the svengali who put him up to acting so one dimensional in the first place. They would later release Metal Box, an album so jarring (right down to it's metallic film canister packaging) that it has fans of the medium of what would come to be called Post Punk polarized to this day.
All of a sudden, it was ok to like things that actually required THOUGHT again. From the Leeds art school refugees in the politically charged Gang of Four (who were railing off left wing rants before Zach De La Rocha was even out of pre school) right down to the New York No Wave of the sax strangling James Chance and his Contortions and the guitar mangling acrobatics of DNA - people began to find new possibilities in the punk aesthetic. It was now possible to still tear down the musical establishment and still be at least halfway in tune.
Synthesizers - that aforementioned instrument long eschewed as something for rich rock and roll millionaires now became available in several affordable forms to the public. And the punks took to them like a duck to water. Now everyone was sighting Eno and Bowie as an influence (Joy Division took it one step further and named their original incarnation - Warsaw - after a track off of 'Low's second side). Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" and Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express" were the roadmaps for those who found guitars passe and drums old hat (or was that hi-hat?). Now you had bands like OMD and Section 25 walking alongside New Order and the rest of the seminal Factory Records label. Mute Records became a major purveyor of the avant garde off the strength of The Normal's "Warm Leatherette" single. The genre names came just as fast as the sounds - now you had electro, goth, darkwave, new wave, new romantic and an entire host of others.
The folks at Wierd Records have managed to put together an entire six sides worth of bands devoted to these sounds. On Wierd Compilation Volume 1, the cream of the post punk, electro and dark wave crops are compiled into one well packaged (and very cold) place. Stacatto Du Mal's "Departure" drones and buzzes like the very best of what Cabaret Voltaire were releasing - all dread and claustrophobia with raindrops and waves of synths sprinkled lightly over the top. "Never Wind" by Martial Canterel has icescapes of synthesizer atop the coldest and motorik beat on the entire side while the vocalist recalls OMD in the best possible manner.
A Vague Disquiet's "The Lower Lifestyles" sounds like something off of Can's 'Tago Mago' in its sheer atmospherics - the mood is made completely ominous and terrifying with the addition of the vocals - run through an echo that seems to run for miles and miles. "She" by Column can't help but recall 'Some Great Reward' era Depeche Mode with its Dave Gahan-esque vocals and it's haunting string like synth rushes. Diako Diakoff's "Western Ego" is straight ahead EBM in the best and most proper sense of the word - the beats are 100 mph and the singing is fast paced while the tambourines and synths exit as quick as they enter. Any EBM DJ worth their weight in gold would do best to track this 12" down now and buy a second copy for when they wear down the first.
Three To Forgotten's "Azuli" is another ominous entry in this collection with its marching band like drums and oscillating synths atop a burbling synth-line beneath. The track is further complemented by a nice guitar line run through yet another deep space derived echo effect. Opus Finis' "Havoc Heap" is all tension and fear with the most sinister sounding synth line this side of Throbbing Gristle while another synth whistles atop it and calls to mind many a horror movie score or soundtrack. One wouldn't be condemned for hearing a bit of John Carpenter in the proceedings.
2VM's "Unscathed" is a particular highlight of the compilation with its icy synth bubbles and echo drenched lead vocals - bouncing from one speaker to another. This track alone warrants multiple listening on the account of asking just HOW they were able to dub the echo on the voice out so thoroughly and precisely. Xeno and Oaklander's "Cold Forever" is a track built out of layers and layers of tense and building synthesizers and vocal interplay between a male and female protagonist. To get an idea of the sound, think about what would have happened if the Human League had written "Don't You Want Me" in the 'Travelogue' era as opposed to 'Dare'.
When listening to this compilation, one feels a sense of extreme exhilaration and genuine excitement. The artists featured on this compilation make great tools out of extremely frigid synthesizers, well worn delay and echo and feelings of tension and anxiety. To call this one of the best compilations of underground pop music in the past 10 years would be doing it a major disservice. The music as a whole recalls the best times of the late 70's and early 80's - when electronics and the paranoia of Big Brother were merging together to create something truly ominous and dreadful. These artists have crafted songs that sound just as timeless as the songs and albums that have in turn inspired them and that in itself is an accomplishment. It's one thing to create something in flattery of something else. It's another to create something that can stand up proudly and equally alongside its inspiration.
These are truly the black hits of space.
Three and a Half Stars
Artist: Various
Album: Wierd Compilation Volume 1
Label: Wierd Records
Tracks: 36
Review By: Kriss Stress
