Cult Punk Sewer Witches

Picked this up on a whim from No Patience distro sometime last year but have only gotten around to giving it a proper spin now. This is the 'Attic Noise' 7" by Anasazi put out by Toxic State Records 2012. Toxic State have been responsible for a run of pretty decent 7"s, being responsible for the very cool Thriller 7" and the self titled Crazy Spirit 7".

Anasazi sound like the murkier end of the 80's post-punk/goth spectrum and as such i dig this 7" a lot. I dig the deliberately esoteric vaguely occult vibe these cats give off. Which is odd as i don't normally get into that "I'm a new-age pagan, but i like punk too" nonsense. If you like Lords of the New Church, Bauhaus, mid period Killing Joke, Christian Death et al it's a pretty sure thing you will like this. 

Excellent dudes over at I Could Die Tomorrow have put up a download and purchase link, so check it out and possibly buy HERE.

Whipping boy

Another purchase from Missing Link. The debut cassette by Brisbane based weirdos Multiple Man. Put out by Major Crimes records in 2013. The label dubs them "primitive future punk, poisoned new wave" .

Can't remember where i first heard these cats but i really dig this release. Slow dirgey synth numbers (Whipping Boy) share space with more upbeat songs (Photo Arrays). Reminds me of the excellent Tough Troubles, whose 2010 album "Illnesses" blew me away. Really like the Westworld/Factory Records style artwork of this release. Much as i hate to reiterate what other people have said, for an accurate description of where their sound lies Major Crimes pegs them as "for fans of Tubeway Army, Chrome and Caberet Voltaire" which i definitely agree with. Especially the Chrome comparison.

Listen here.

This is a blank formatted diskette.

I have been following local band Forces since catching them by chance live and really liking their blatant Depeche Mode worship. This unique release is their debut single 'Ice' put out by Siberia Records in 2011 on a playable postcard. I hadn't seen this format before but apparently they were quite common in the 60s and have been making a resurgence with the increase in interest in vinyl. With a bit of research I saw the ever reliable Pirates Press press them, so I can imagine I will be seeing a few more of them around. 

The track itself is a pretty great 80s stomper, sounding as i mentioned before akin to Depeche Mode with more of an EBM edge. The band does a great job of capturing that hard 80s industrial drum sound with a harsh electronic snare that wouldn't sound out of place on Pretty Hate Machine. Give it a listen here.

You can buy a copy here.

Merchandise Merchandise

Scored this in a trade about 8 months ago, but really wanted to post about it as this band rose quickly to being one of my favourite bands. Merchandise - Strange Songs in the Dark. Put out as a dual release between Katorga Works & Drugged Conscience in 2010.

Heard about them through excellent and worthy blog I Could Die Tomorrow around the time of the release of the Schoolyard Remix 7" (2010) and that song hooked me immediately. One of the few songs in which I prefer the remix to the original. Beautiful pop songs buried beneath layers of noise, at times reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine in approach as much as sound. The combination of vacant yet tuneful buried vocals and shimmering noisy guitars has echoes of the better side of the 80s underground. Go and do yourself a favour and buy this record (bigcartel currently down). You can also download almost their entire discography thanks to their label/blog gods ICDT linked earlier.