Swindon This Is Swindon (compilation) [1980]

WARNING: This release is not remotely extreme in any way, shape or form. If that bothers you, go give Black Pentacle a visit. This certainly deviates from the norm here at Court In The Act, but it's a good deviation in my eyes (which are currently fucked over by hayfever). This is an obscure compilation of bands from Swindon in the early eighties - indeed, these seem to be the only tracks which exist for each of these groups according to last.fm (although Bantu share their name with a reggae artist). So, what about the music? Well, I'm not very good in this area, but I believe this is a rather catchy take on new wave with just a little smattering of punk added for the sake of it - all four bands play similar styles too. I found this on the wonderful no longer forgotten music blog.

320 kbps

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Japan - Quiet Life [1979]

Right, Joe is gone for now so i'll take this opportunity to post some new wave (YES)

Well for those who don't know I really, REALLY like David Sylvian's voice and this is the first album he's on that his trademark singing style is first used. Concerning the other instruments do not expect too much (after all this music is still very new-wave in style) but the bass is worth a mention as Mick Karn has an interesting self-taught style which can be seen most clearly in the intro for "In Vogue". The only instrument that is pretty much non-existent is the guitar as, bar some parts on the title track and a few other places , it's mostly absent (the guitarist left after this album 'cause he was doing fuck all)

The songs themselves are all pretty much top notch (in my view) and is overall a more brooding album and is the start of the bands creative work (later Japan albums), the future work of David's solo work (which I will probably end up posting later) and Richard Barbieri (the keyboard player) who has been member of Porcupine Tree since 1993.

All in all this slighty arty New Wave album is a great album with great songs I do hope you agree.

(btw don't get too excited about the bonus tracks, only one is a new track the rest are single versions)

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@256 kbps

The Cure - Pornography [1982]

Now this has been a long time coming so sorry for the delay. I will be posting all of the The Cure's "trilogy" albums (Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers) - so named after the live DVD in which all these albums were played in their entirety. For me, this album is The Cure's first true goth rock album, as opposed to the earlier melancholic post-punk sound, the constricting sterile production replaced with powerful percussive drums, resonating bass lines and dense atmospheric guitar work. Another large feature on this album (and most Cure albums to be honest) is Robert Smith's distinctive voice which on this release manages to pierce right through all the layers of music (as well as your skull if it's on loud enough) to convey the somewhat twisted nature of the sound of this album. Highlights of this album are 'One Hundred Years', 'The Hanging Garden' and 'The Figurehead'. This line up of the band didn't last much longer and The Cure broke up after the conclusion of the following tour and by the time The Cure returned this post-punky gothic rock was no longer the focus and a new age of The Cure's sound was ushered in. Oh yeah, I bought this album with its bonus disc which includes demos of many of these songs (they sound kinda like the album would have sounded if it was still very post-punky) and some live material from this album which has varying degrees of quality.

Stay tuned for the next two albums in the "trilogy".

256 kbps

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O. Children - O. Children [2010]

Another album I happened upon in my dad's collection, which I was drawn to simply because I liked the artwork. But to my surprise, when I popped the album in my CD player and hit play, it turned out to be simply sublime.

O. Children are another one of the post-punk revival bands that have been popping up recently (one well-known example being Editors). In their self-titled debut, the instruments are minimalistic, the bass is zingy and the singer's voice is impossibly deep. So all the ingredients of post-punk/new wave are there. Though for some reason, I find this album a lot more catchy than other post-punk acts, which probably has contributed to the fact I've listened to it 4 times in as many days. Standouts on the album are "Dead Disco Dancer" and "Radio Waves", the latter coming complete with a kickass saxophone solo of all things. I can't wait for their next album.

M4a, ~320 kbps (VBR)

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Scars - Author! Author! [1981]

This LP was brought to my attention when my Dad bought the CD of it about a year ago. He said he had it on vinyl years ago and he really enjoyed it. And since it was my dad who introduced me to The Jam (now one of my favourite bands), I decided to give it a listen.

Scars were a post-punk band from Edinburgh, and this is their only album as they split in 1982. Furthermore, the CD version of their debut comes with B-Sides and a couple of other songs as bonus tracks, so this disc contains all but about three songs the band ever recorded.

As for the album itself (or rather, the original 10 tracks), it is an extremely solid post-punk affair, reminiscent of The Cure's early work in places. The broad Scottish accent of the singer adds an extra layer of colour, and some of the tracks (e.g "Obsessions") has some very nice drum work. A standout for me is "Your Attention Please", a reading of a mocked-up nuclear strike warning that no doubt was extremely chilling in early-'80s Cold War Britain. Anyway, this album is definitely worth a listen, but don't end up desperate for more from the band, as you won't be getting it anytime soon.

M4a, ~320 kbps (VBR)

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(N.b. Sorry to disappoint all you metal fans - the track entitled "Fear of the Dark" is not some lost predecessor to the Iron Maiden song of the same name.)