Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde in 1983. The group earned critical praise for their ethereal, effects-laden sound and the soprano vocals of Fraser, whose lyrics often eschew any recognisable language. Fraser's vocals included unknown words she found in foreign language books, adding to the band's dreamy ambience. They pioneered the 1980s alternative subgenre of dream pop and helped define what would become shoegaze.
Stations of the Crass is the second album by Crass, released in 1979. The record, originally released as a double 12", includes live tracks from a gig recorded at the Pied Bull pub in Islington, London, on 7 August 1979. The first three sides contain the studio tracks and play at 45 rpm, while the final side comprises the live material and plays at 33 rpm. The album's title is not only a pun on the Catholic rite of the Stations of the Cross, but is also a reference to the graffiti campaign that the band had been conducting around London's underground railway system, the cover artwork depicting a wall at Bond Street tube station that had allegedly been 'decorated' by them. Although the album met mixed critical reception at first, it managed to sell at least 20,000 copies within two weeks.
Strawberries is the fifth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released in October 1982 by record label Bronze. Limited editions included a strawberry-scented lyric insert. The album reached No. 15 in the Official UK Album chart.
This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom were otherwise associated with 4AD, including members of Cocteau Twins, Pixies and Dead Can Dance. The project became known for its gothic, dream pop sound, and released three full albums, beginning in 1984 with It'll End in Tears.
Die Krupps is a German industrial metal/EBM band, formed in 1980 by Jürgen Engler and Bernward Malaka in Düsseldorf.
It'll End in Tears is the first album released by 4AD collective This Mortal Coil, an umbrella title for a loose grouping of guest musicians and vocalists brought together by label boss Ivo Watts-Russell. The album was released on 8 October 1984, and reached #38 on the UK Albums Chart. It features many of the artists on the 4AD roster at the time, including Cocteau Twins, Colourbox, and Dead Can Dance; as well as key post-punk figure Howard Devoto, who sang "Holocaust", one of two covers of songs from the Third/Sister Lovers album by Big Star. The other Alex Chilton-penned track, album opener "Kangaroo", was released as a single to promote the album. Two key songs were performed by Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins, including Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren", which reached #66 on the UK Charts when released as This Mortal Coil's debut single a year before the album. The song remained on the UK Indie Chart for almost two years. Fraser also performed on "Another Day" by Roy Harper. 4AD would go on to release two further albums under the name of This Mortal Coil: Filigree & Shadow (1986) and Blood (1991).
Sonic Youth is the debut EP by American rock band Sonic Youth. It was recorded between December 1981 and January 1982 and released in March 1982 by Glenn Branca's Neutral label. It is the only recording featuring the early Sonic Youth lineup with Richard Edson on drums. Sonic Youth differs stylistically from the band's later work in its greater incorporation of clean guitars, standard tuning, crisp production and a post-punk style.
Modern English are an English new wave/post-punk band formed in 1979 in Colchester, Essex, England. They are best known for their songs "I Melt with You", "Hands Across the Sea", and "Ink and Paper". The group disbanded in 1987, only to re-form two years later and then disband again in 1991. They reunited once again in 1995 and have continued in various lineups since that time.
Dome was an English post-punk band, formed in 1980 and consisting of Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis of Wire.
The Wolfgang Press were an English post-punk band, active from 1983 to 1995, recording for the 4AD label. The core of the band was Michael Allen, Mark Cox (keyboards), and Andrew Gray (guitar).
In the Flat Field is the debut studio album by English gothic rock band Bauhaus. It was recorded between December 1979 and July 1980, and released on 3 November 1980 by record label 4AD, the first full-length release on that label. The cover artwork is a reproduction of Duane Michals' 1949 photograph, Homage to Puvis de Chavannes.
Ethereal wave, also called ethereal darkwave, ethereal goth or simply ethereal, is a subgenre of dark wave music that is variously described as "gothic", "romantic", and "otherworldly". Developed in the early 1980s in the UK as an outgrowth of gothic rock, ethereal wave was mainly represented by 4AD bands such as Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, and early guitar-driven Dead Can Dance.
Distort is a remix album by Collide, released on January 13, 1998 by Re-Constriction Records. The album was remastered and re-released with a few additional tracks for the 2006 release.
God's Own Medicine is the debut studio album by the English gothic rock band The Mission. It was released in November 1986 under Mercury Records. The original LP version contains 10 songs. The CD and cassette versions had the songs "Blood Brother" and "Island in the Stream" added. Both had previously appeared on the "III" single.
SuperCoolNothing v2.0 is a compilation album by 16volt, released on July 1, 2002 by Dark City Music. The album comes with a bonus disk of remixes and demos. Several tracks of the album are featured in the video game Primal. Two-thousand copies of the album were re-pressed by Dark City Music with new cover art and the first 100 copies signed by the band.
Amor Louco is the fourth studio album by Brazilian post-punk band Fellini. It was released on February 15, 1990 by now-defunct independent record label Wop-Bop Records and re-released in CD form in 2001 by another independent label, RDS. It was originally Fellini's last album, due to their break-up in the following year; however, they reunited in 2001 and released another album, Amanhã É Tarde. After his absence from the previous album, Jair Marcos returned as the guitarist, thus having Fellini's original line-up once more.
The Burden of Mules is the debut studio album by English post-punk band The Wolfgang Press. It was released on 1 August 1983, through record label 4AD.
Seduction is the debut studio album by English gothic rock band the Danse Society. It was released in September 1982 on the band's own record label, Society. It includes a song inspired by the David Lynch film Eraserhead.
Face of Collapse is the second and final studio album by Dazzling Killmen, released on March 14, 1994 through Skin Graft Records. Since its initial release, the album has been noted by reviewers to help influence the development of genres such as math rock, math metal, and post-metal with its use of song structures typically associated with jazz and progressive music.
"Release the Bats" is a song by Australian post-punk band The Birthday Party. Written by Nick Cave and Mick Harvey, the song was released as a single on 31 July 1981 through 4AD record label, with the B-side "Blast Off". The recordings were produced by the band and Nick Launay. The single charted on UK Indie Chart, peaking at number 3.
