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Weird Dreams — Holding Nails
from Holding Nails 7” (2011)
Another replay-worthy single from East London’s Weird Dreams.
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Weird Dreams — Hypnagogic Lullaby
from Hypnagogic Lullaby EP (2011)
East London’s Weird Dreams dropped this EP earlier this year on Sleep All Day Records, and it’s a gem. The songs, like this one, are beautiful glossy pop, swimming in a sea of guitars. They put out a sweet 7” single on Halloween… and have a debut LP in the works. Should be out around Feb 2012!
Catch them on soundcloud. Buy the EP digital here.
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Chrisma — C-Rock
from Chinese Restaurant (1977)
Electrifying Italian New Wave performed by the husband-and-wife team Maurizio Arcieri and Christina Moser. (Chris-Ma, get it?) The duo formed in 1976 in Milan, and relocated to London shortly thereafter, where they teamed up with the producer Vangelis (who scored Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire).
Working with Vangelis and his brother Nico, they recorded this debut. This song isn’t terribly complex but it’s what it leaves out that makes it so epic. A bare-bones masterpiece with pared-down drums (the high-hat trill is great) and muted electric guitar. Sounds almost Krautrock-like in its simplicity. The stage antics, however, were not so elegant:
During the promotional tour for Chinese Restaurant, Maurizio was known to perform a trick onstage in which he appeared to cut off his finger with a razor. The trick, referred to as a “finger job,” attracted considerable press attention.
On their next album, Hibernation, they whipped out the hairspray and the glam jams. More to come…stay tuned.
Their website isn’t pretty to look at but it has plenty of information if you want to dig deeper. (These two Chinese Restaurant promo shots are from there).
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Essential Logic — Aerosol Burns (1978)
I heard this song on a 1980 Rough Trade compilation record at my friend’s house the other night. Loved how it sounded like it was always on the verge of falling apart, but then ramped up into a jaunty punk jump.
Lora Logic by Phillipe Carly (NewWavePhotos.com)
X-Ray Spex alum Lora Logic put together the band in 1978 in London, covering sax and vocals. They recorded four singles (including this, their first), and also released an EP and a full length before disbanding in 1981. Lora lent her sax skills to various other projects (including The Raincoats) before becoming a Hare Krishna with X-Ray Spex bandmate Poly Styrene.
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Jan & Lorraine — Break Out the Wine
from Gypsy People (1969)
I think this is about as close as psychedelic folk ever got to a slaying wall of sound. The bass is out of control on this track. Turn it up.
Jan with guitar, Lorraine with autoharp, via Film, zene, pszichedelia
Jan Hendin and Ellen Lorraine LeFevre formed their short-lived duo in Detroit in the late 60s. They recorded this album in London (using Ginger Baker’s guitar on some tracks!) and then split before much happened — Lorraine wanted out.
Jan ended up in a religious cult in California and took her own life in 1992. As for Lorraine, she now performs and gives guitar lessons at Butler’s Coffee in Palmdale, California, under the name Elayna.
Most accounts you read of Jan & Lorraine call the duo “mysterious” — but the Hungarian blog Film, zene, pszichedelia has done much to dispel the mystery with this terrific interview with Elayna (Lorraine). If you like this track, Time Has Told Me has more.
Ad for a 4-track (Stereo-Pak) of the album, Aug 2, 1969 issue of Billboard.
