Tag Archives: retro

New Order Live from Pumped Full of Drugs

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Many a New Order concertgoer has come home from the experience feeling that when it comes to live performances, Barney and co. suck shit through a straw. The live Pumped Full of Drugs video is an exception. New Order was shot by a professional video crew during a tour in Japan back in their heyday circa 1985. The band is in a pissy mood, nobody seems to want to be there, and Barney wavers in and out of tune…but I’ll be damned if this doesn’t WORK. A great show from a group known for their wretched performances on stage….at least in my experience. If you disagree, feel free to check out this collection of live New Order DVDs for sale. You go…enjoy.

The Breed: Retro Goodness From Down Under

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I knew nothing about this fun outfit from Australia before I stumbled across them on YouTube while searching for groovy sounds and bowl haircuts. And now “The Clothes She Wears” by The Breed is stuck in my head on endless repeat. At least til the caffeine wears off. This is good stuff! The Breed hail from Tasmania, playing Brit Invasion/Mersey Sound style with some punk-pop thrown in for good measure. They are featured on a variety of comps including the vinyl Trans-Pacific Pop Conspiracy EP on Smashed Records, which you can also check out via KlickTrack

. Here’s a sampling of The Breed. Cheers, lads!


Aquaserge 12-Inch EP “Tahiti Coco”

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Oh YES, dear friends, we’ve got a genuine, unclassifiably cool anomaly on our hands here. Aquaserge starts off with a bit of the old Vampyros Lesbos soundtrack vibe crossed with a dash of Mellow (that Air side project band that did the soundtrack for Roman Coppola’s movie, CQ ) thrown in for good measure. Already I am hooked, but then this veers off into Miles Davis territory circa the Cellar Door sessions in 1970–it’s those gloriously dated keyboard sounds.

Prog, psych, and groovy all mixed together in a glorious melange all the way from the south of France where Aquaserge resides. Chris Joss, Air, Aquaserge…what is it about France that keeps me coming back for more?

I am loving this group and I have only heard the one track, La Femme De Tahiti. This is so utterly required listening that I’m not going to rant and rave about it except to say that this is my favorite accidental find in a long time. I haven’t loved an accidental find of this nature so well since I stumbled across Gang Gang Dance.

The label this is on, Manimal Vinyl is definitely worth exploring, this band is not the lone anomaly of the lot…but I’ll be damned, this is the track I’ll be stuck on for a WHILE. Aquaserge needs to come to Chicago so I can get the full skinny and bring it to you…solid stuff, this. Check out the MP3 of La Femme De Tahiti in the audio player at the Manimal site. RECOMMENDED.