File Under: Where in the Heck Was I? – Featuring the Frames and Propaganda

Sometimes it’s just inexplicable.  As much of a music omnivore as I am, it still surprises me when something so good slips past my radar unnoticed.  Granted, sometimes certain bands just don’t make it across the big pond, no matter how much of a buzz they generate in their homeland.  But still . . . you’d think I’d of at least heard of em. 

But no. Both of these bands came to me as virtual unknowns, and if it wasn’t for the painstaking work of those dedicated to getting lost classic albums re-released on gorgeous deluxe editions, they’d still remain unknown.  But thankfully, they’re not, and as these discs are spinning in my player, it’s time to spread the word.

The Frames – Another Love Song

What we got here is indelibly classic, rousing anthemic rock in the vein of the best of The Waterboys and The Alarm.  And if either of those bands turn you on, then The Frames are not to be missed.  Led by Glen Hansard, Another Love Song is The Frames energetic, joyous debut, full of crashing guitars, soaring chorus, impassioned vocals and walls of sound coming at you fully in The Waterboys wake.  At times atmospheric and delicate, at other times frenzied and rebellious, The Frames bring a distinct class and musicianship to their “Nick Drake meets The Pixies” version of Irish rock.

Born in Dublin, Hansard quit school at age 13 to start busking in the local streets.  Signed to Island Records on the strength of a cheap demo, Hansard set about creating a band to go with his hymns of  passion and energy.  Taking a break to co-star in the hit film The Commitments, Hansard returned to the studio with Pixies producer Gil Norton, to record their debut album.  Just one listen to opener “The Dancer” and you can tell we’re in for a wild ride.  Chunks of scratching guitar, crashing drums, soaring violin hit me with full on Waterboys bombast and just a hint of U2.  Hansard’s phrasing recalls Mike Scott’s also. But this is no Waterboys clone, it’s simply perfectly done, rousing rock and roll. 

“You Were Wrong” loses nothing as the next track, dropping in some subtle shifts in dynamics and a beautiful bass line and chugging acoustic guitar.  “Masquerade” ups the ante on the rich dramatic sound, while “Another Love Song,” rages with an almost punk frenzy.   But later on, The Frames were characterized by their more low-key atmospheric sound, which can be heard clearly on the gorgeous and moving “Downhill from Here.”

Tack on 8 bonus tracks, including a fantastic acoustic version of “The Dancer,” and we’ve definitely got an album I’m sorry I missed, and incredibly grateful that I’ve finally found.

buy here: Another Love Song
Buy mp3: Another Love Song

Propaganda – A Secret Wish

Densely atmospheric.  Throbbing in electropop intensity.  The German quartet Propaganda step up to the podium and take their place amongst the most ambitious of the 80’s synth pop bands.   Layers of synths.  Throbbing bass and rhythms lift this disc way above the ordinary.   Toss in guest stars such as David Sylvain from Japan, Glenn Gregory from Heaven 17, and Yes’s Steve Howe and we can see just how high those ambitions reached.

“A Dream within a Dream” is just that, lush and hypnotic, intoxicating in its simplicity and beauty.  The lights go out, the club patrons settle in for a late martini, melting into the overstuffed chairs in the back.  Sensual passions rise.  Love making ensues.  Yes, it’s all there in the 9-plus minutes of this song.  Sexual tension brims in the production.  Simply exquisite.  An early precursor to what would later became known as chill or late night lounge, Propaganda were way ahead of their time on this one.

“The Murder of Love,” brings in a bass line that could’ve easily been found on one of label mates Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s albums.  Thick and pulsating, dancefloor ready without being overbearing or predictable.   But Propaganda are no Frankie and immediately take the song off into their own world of synths and experimental sound effects.  Propaganda weren’t afraid to play with the formula. “Jewel,” ups the ante with a stab at electro-punk while “Duel” is pure electropop. Think a hybrid of Frankie, Art of Noise and a touch of The Human League and you’ll get the feeling here.  And if those band’s move you, then Propaganda will probably move you too. 

Compiled by Ian Peel, who’s been doing a phenomenal job of reissuing the ZTT catalog on deluxe editions, this edition of A Secret Wish comes stacked full of bonuses, both on the first disc as well as the bonus second disc.  Alternate versions, unreleased tracks.  If you’re a Propaganda fan, this is the motherlode.  While it might all be a bit too much to take in one sitting, when the moods right, you could randomly hit play anywhere and be richly rewarded.

Buy here: Secret Wish-25th Anniversary
Buy mp3: A Secret Wish


--Racer

Static People - Propaganda EP

In my teens I was kind of rebelIious.  I had a general disgust with the status quo (guess that hasn’t changed much) and was drawn to like-minded individuals and music that could give voice to my angst, such as Patti Smith.

I first saw Patti Smith in 1971 when she was reciting poetry in a small Venice Beach coffeehouse.  She railed against everything - the government, people, life.  A few years later she formed the Patti Smith Group and churned out some of the finest punk rock of the mid-70’s.  Her 1975 album “Horses,” that commences with Smith’s scream “Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine,” is still one of my favorites.

Static People released its first EP (which it calls on its MySpace page “Propaganda”) this April and it recaptures the definitive punk style of the mid-70’s Patti Smith Group.  The band consists of bassist Daedalus Howell, vocalist Dmitra Smith, drummer Mundo Murguia and guitarist Pascal Faivre. Static People is produced by Jason Carmer, who has also produced such notables as The Donnas, Third Eye Blind and Run DMC. The band members hail from wine country (or should that be “whine country”), Sonoma, California.  They write all of their own material and consider their influences to be the usual punk suspects - Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Clash, The Pixies, Sex Pistols, Radiohead, Bauhaus, etc. Although they fail to attribute their sound to Patti Smith,  you just have to listen once to Dmitra Smith to know that Patti Smith is truly the progenitor of Static People’s sound. (When I heard her I immediately thought the two Smiths must be related.  I haven’t found any information that confirms or refutes my conjecture.)   Even the band’s Facebook page espouses the anti-establishment anarchic position found in Patti Smith’s poems.  It states that one of their influences is “general disgust of government.”

The EP consists of five punk rants - “Save The Worst,” a pounding damnation of the “Save the World” evangelists that have gone before the present generation; “American Robot Mother,” a stab at the homogenous and consumptive nature of American society;  “Just Sink Down,” a driving tome about allowing oneself to devolve into the depths of darkness, despair and death; “Carrier,” an odd, slow, punk waltz poem about conquest, euphoria and relationship power struggles; and “You Know It’s There,” a highly processed, echo-laden, electronic homage about trust in knowledge rather than perception.  Each track has Dmitra Smith’s voice front and center, full of the same angst and derision that propelled Patti Smith to stardom.

You can catch Static People at gigs throughout the Bay Area and occasionally playing live on 87.9 FM,  San Francisco’s Pirate Cat Radio.  A video is in the works and should be released this December. If you are disgusted with the world as it is, and are looking for a safe outlet to scream about it, this may be your band.     

- Old School