Every week that I dig into the archives, I get such joy sharing rare tracks that are rarely heard – either because they might be from an obscure band that never really had much of the limelight or perhaps it’s a track from a better known artist that I just love and is not one that is well-known. Here are my selections for this week.
Modern Eon is a post punk band that really should have gone on to greater things. For a few short years, one LP and a few singles, they disbanded. Their sound, is dark and pulsing, driven by inventive drumming, the odd analog synth and vocals drenched in reverb. Though their sound could have been quite intense, there was a beautiful restraint that made their sound lean more towards swirling, atmospheric, and ethereal than aggressive. Their only LP has never been issued to CD, and so the tracks featured have been ripped from the original 7″ and LP vinyls. Songs include: “”Mechanic,” “Child’s Play,” “Choreography,” “Splash,” “The Grass Still Grows,” and “Waiting for the Calvary.”
Circus Mort is one of the first projects of Michael Gira and Jonathan Kane of Swans. Forging the ‘No Wave” scene in New York City, Circus Mort, like Swans, eschewed the traditional rock tropes so widely used in punk rock and embraced dissonance, noise, and atonality. No Wave was a outright rejection of commercial New Wave music that was prevalent at the time. Track featured is “Swallow You.”
Large Number is a one-off project by electro-weirdo/genius Ann Shenton of Add N to X. After she left the group in 2002, she recorded this one-off album that bears more resemblance to her heroes Can than to the electronics of her former group. Experimental, psychedelic, and an electronic freak out, it brings you to another realm. Ann Shenton has primarily focused her attention to White Label where she has helped some unbelievably great bands like X-Wife, The Horn The Hunt and Art of Bleeding release a number of albums. Songs featured from Large Number include; “The Creaky O.K.,” “Pink Jazz,” and “Crazy.”
The Causey Way. God damnit, I love this band, still. Comprised of Scott Stanton and a rotating cast of Man or Astroman members and sisters of Joaquin Phoenix, they created a surf-inspired indie new wave sound that was just plain fun. Causey aka Stanton modeled the band after a cult and the members, which you could petition to join by making important choices as to whether or not Bulk Food, Jello Biafra or Clorox were Causey or Not Causey. Ahh, the dream of the 90’s. Songs featured include; ” Chocolate,” and “Spend Time.”
Be sure to visit Strawberry Tongue Radio to hear these and many, many more tracks from classic and modern post punk,new wave, indie, electronic and experimental artists.