SONG OF THE DAY: Kirk Degiorgio - Track Ten (2004)

UK producer Kirk Degiorgio reworked "Track Ten" for "Back To Basics (Part 1)", a 12" single released by Detroit Techno godfather Juan Atkins.  The title reflects a return to form for Atkins, who reemerged after a relatively inactive period during the early 2000s.  While the A-side, featuring the original version, is a stellar blend of Detroit techno and electro, the B-side finds Degiorgio taking the track to its full potential.  Structurally similar, the rework has a crispier production compared to Atkins's lo-fi palette, and the result brings "Track Ten" into IDM territory; this sounds like it could be an early track from Plaid or even something off of "Selected Ambient Works".

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Cheena - Spend the Night With... (2016)

Cheena have created one of the most exciting guitar-centric albums in a long time, managing to incorporate a refreshing dose of slide guitar into their snotty, glammy brand of country-punk.  "Spend the Night With..." immediately brings to mind some influences, though whether or not Cheena were actively pulling from these sources is another story.  The album stomps along with the grinding punk-blues of feedtime, the weird-western twang of Country Teasers, and the morbid flamboyancy of Christian Death.  The band seamlessly fuses this sound with a glam-punk strut, topped off with Walker Behl's snarling mutant-vocals that recall the best howls of Stick Men With Ray Guns' Bobby Soxx.  Like all great power-pop, Cheena present their tunes in a way that make you wonder if these incredibly catchy hooks were conceived accidentally; or maybe they've somehow succeeded in redefining "hooks" by presenting ones that are both infectious and unsettling.

RARE PUNK SINGLE OF THE WEEK: Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers - 400 Fascists (1981)

Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers were probably Italy's first hardcore band, and like their early 80s American counterparts, they did it sloppy, fast, and without much thought.  They way it should be.  "400 Fascists" is part Void, part Germs, and thoroughly vile throughout.  The lo-fi production and choppy beats must have been an influence on modern NYC mutant-punk; CCM sound as urgent as Crazy Spirit and as belligerently primitive as Dawn of Humans.  Their follow up, "Furious Party", is a slightly more polished piece of mysterious-guy hardcore, but this debut EP is dripping with the the kind of energy that has only recently resurfaced in the form of Toxic State Records.

SONG OF THE DAY: Mr. Fingers - Can You Feel It (1986)

"Can You Feel It" is one of the first and still one of the best deep-house tracks ever recorded, released in 1986 by Mr. Fingers (Larry Heard) on the "Washing Machine" EP.  Everything about this goosebumps-inducing track is exemplary of the Chicago deep-house sound, with layer upon layer of dry beats that build and subtract to the point of ecstasy; there is just something about this one that can't be denied, it takes you to places and demands that you groove.  You have no choice.  My God, that snare drum!

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Front 242 - Geography (1982)

Front 242 coined the term "electronic body music" with the release of their vastly influential 1982 debut, "Geography", though the term was technically first used by Kraftwerk in the late 70s.  "EBM" was popularized on a larger scale by the Belgians as a proper descriptor for their mix of industrial and Kraftwerk-inspired minimal-synth.  "Geography" takes the tones of post-industrial and organizes them into danceable, beat-driven and structured songs that border on synth-pop, while maintaining a cold and alienated essence.  Front 242 never matched the brilliance of their debut, but nonetheless continue to inspire hordes of imitators.

SONG OF THE DAY: The Urinals - Hologram (1978)

"Hologram" is the second cut on The Urinals' debut "Dead Flowers" EP, a 7" dose of lo-fi weirdo perfection.  The drums are sloppy, the bass is barely in tune, and the vocals sound like they were recorded in one desperate take.  "Hologram" has to be one of the most demented sounding "punk" songs out there, mostly because it feels like it's ready to fall apart at any moment.  Could this (accidentally) be the first black metal song?  The angular and dissonant chords are practically overshadowed by the creepy baby-monitor vocals, which have this to say:

I said I needed you 

You said you needed me 

Mutual selfish desire 

I had a hologram 

Now that it's all over

I rarely see you any longer

I plug myself in

I am a hologram

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Immune - Night Visions (2014)

"Night Visions" is another incredible release from the Dream Catalogue label, which after an overflow of forward-thinking releases in 2014, has seen the trend has shift from plunderphonic-based vaporwave to dark, ambient techno and trap music.  Immune has created a noisy, somnambulant album with "Night Visions", and tracks like "Dystopian Love Poem" incorporate the kind of pitch-shifted trap vocal samples that invoke a hazy, urban feel into a genre that has typically opted for the cyber-Japan aesthetic.  Compared to Immune's 2016 release "Breathless", this is a busier album that moves more quickly than the slow-simmer of the former, but it nevertheless succeeds in executing its arcane concept of a spectral neon city at night.

SONG OF THE DAY: John Leyton - Johnny Remember Me (1961)

The tragic story of British producer Joe Meek begins with a promising string of hits including the oft-covered space-age classic, "Telstar".  But a few bad decisions early on, including a dismissal and thus lost opportunity to work with the Beatles and David Bowie, resulted in a forlorn and depressed life that was only magnified by drug use and paranoia.  Joe Meek was convinced that Buddy Holly and others were communicating with him from beyond the grave, and that Decca Records had planted hidden microphones in his apartment in order to steal ideas.  The madness culminated in the murder of his landlady with a shotgun, before taking his own life, marking a morbid end for a producer who equalled Phil Spector in his misguided brilliance.  "Johnny Remember Me" was produced by Joe Meek, featuring a powerful vocal performance from British actor John Leyton, a haunting track that is illustrative of Meek's trademark ghostly wall of sound.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Chakra - Satekoso (1981)

This is a bizarre and multi-faceted album from Japanese art-pop group Chakra, a bubbly and complex work that brings to mind fellow Japanese new-wavers Yellow Magic Orchestra.  But while YMO pulled most of their influence from Roxy Music and Ultravox, it's not so clear where Chakra derived the basis of their sound; as a whole this is profoundly alien-sounding.  Mishio Ogawa's vocals exist in the same cartoon-thespian realm as Kate Bush and Björk (also aliens), at times sounding "cute", and at others, sufficiently demented.  Each listen will reveal something new from "Satekoso"; don't be fooled by its jubilant exterior, there is a much to be discovered here.

SONG OF THE DAY: Andy Stott - New Romantic (2016)

Andy Stott has managed to stay ahead of the pack, constantly reinventing himself in an era that has proven to be quick to judge an artist's new work as "disappointing" or "dated".  Since his emergence in the mid-2000s, Stott has consistently been an innovator and driving force in electronic music, developing a number of styles that have been labeled "UK bass", "microhouse", "post-r&b", etc.  "Too Many Voices" was released in April 2016, and may be the UK producer's most accessible work to date, and his strongest work since 2012's "Luxury Problems".  "New Romantic" demonstrates Stott's recent progression from sparse, brooding and atmospheric r&b into a more urban sound, with a fat and dirty bassline accented with crispy, sparkling synths.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Essential Logic - Beat Rhythm News (1979)

Saxophone has managed to lend itself surprisingly well to post-punk, and it served as the focus for Lora Logic's post X-Ray Spex band, Essential Logic.  "Beat Rhythm News" was the only full-length album released by this rambunctious sounding group of musicians that straddle the line somewhere between The Cravats, Pere Ubu, and The Slits.  Lora Logic's vocal presence is far less irritating than the ear-piercing shrieks of X-Ray Spex's Poly Styrene, opting for a range more aligned with the powerful and creepy croon of Siouxsie Sioux or Ari Up.  There are a lot of layers to "Beat Rhythm News", making room for dark and artful moments that are expertly juxtaposed with the hyper-active danceable zaniness. 

SONG OF THE DAY: Robert Wyatt - Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road (1974)

The prolific career of Soft Machine drummer and Canterbury Scene stalwart Robert Wyatt could have come to an end following an accident that left him paralyzed and in a wheelchair; inebriated at a party, Wyatt fell from a 4th floor window, leaving him without the use of his legs and in a state of depression.  One year later, the mad genius reinvented himself with "Rock Bottom", a genre-defying album that moves away from the boisterous art-rock and jazz fusion of Soft Machine for what is ultimately the pinnacle of an already fantastic discography.  "Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road" is an intimate and tragic track, with droning trumpets, gorgeous and revealing vocals, and most impressively, a percussive performance by Wyatt that is done entirely without the use of his feet.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Hyetal - Broadcast (2011)

"Purple Sound" emerged as an offshoot of dubstep in the late 2000s, incorporating influences from 80s synth-funk and grime.  The genre is generally less-glitchy and "wobbly" than dubstep, opting for a retro vibe that still relies on the dark and moody beats common to future-garage.  Bristol producer Hyetal released "Broadcast" in 2011, an album that sounds like 16-bit music that's been intensified for the club, with sparse but effective vocals and even fewer vocal samples that add just enough funk to this hazy and mysterious record.

RARE PUNK SINGLE OF THE WEEK: Geza X - We Need More Power (1981)

Quote from Geza X's "Power Pal" club:

Learn telepathy!  Learn how to bend reality!

Here's how you become Geza X's personal "Power Pal"......

Finally it's happened!!!

Today you can join the ranks of a club with secret information so powerful it will bend reality!!

How would you like to help Geza X unlock the secrets of time and space??

Sounds Crazy?  You bet!!

But it will be done, and only you can help, by becoming his personal "Power Pal".

Help Geza X take over the world, with your telepathic mental energy.

Learn how to unleash this awesome new force.

The future begins now - Don't miss it!!!

Join the Geza X official "Power Pal" club today, while reality is still intact!!

SONG OF THE DAY: I-F - Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass (1997)

I-F stands for Interr-Ference, which is, along with The Parallax Corporation, one of several appellations adopted by Dutch producer Ferenc E. van der Sluijs.  I-F blew open the doors of "electroclash" with the release of "Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass", reinventing a sound that combined electro with modern heavy-techno influences.  The style employs throbbing beats and basslines, trashy and often low-quality synth patches and tones, and often vocoder-treated vocals such as those used by I-F for this definitive track.  "Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass" was initially released as a 12" EP, and also appears on I-F's debut full-length, "Fucking Consumer".

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Alison's Halo - Eyedazzler 1992-1996 (1997)

Arizona in the early 90s might seem like an unlikely setting for a thriving shoegaze scene, but it turns out that a series of "Beautiful Noise" festivals featured an abundance of worthy groups that have largely fallen under the radar.  Perhaps the most tragically overlooked of these is Alison's Halo, whose limited discography likely accounts for their obscurity.  "Eyedazzler 1992-1996" compiles most of their EPs, cassettes, and random tracks recorded during that period, a collection that starts off sounding like the riff-based alt-rock leaning shoegaze of bands like Catherine Wheel and Ride, but quickly evolves into a dream-pop sound that definitely took a few cues from Slowdive.  Singer Catherine Cooper brings a strong presence to Alison's Halo, with a sweet vocal style not unlike Hope Sandoval's dark-but-innocent essence.

SONG OF THE DAY: Cybtotron - Alleys of Your Mind (1981)

"Alleys of Your Mind" was the first single released by Cybotron, the collaborative project of Detroit techno legends Juan Atkins and Richard Davis.  Upon its release, the Detroit scene was largely consumed with electro, hip hop, and disco, but the Metroplex sound would quickly move things into the techno world.  Atkins and company took the funky grooves of disco and merged them with the dark, robotic elements of Kraftwerk, and the "proto-techno" that resulted bears striking resemblance to a lot of the "new beat" and minimal wave happening at that time.  There is much debate about whether "Alleys of Your Mind" or A Number of Names' "Sharevari" was the first techno track, both having been released in 1981.  Regardless, this track is dark, groovy, and a milestone for electronic music.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Loscil - Plume (2006)

Vancouver ambient artist Scott Morgan has made consistently great albums as Loscil, sculpting some of the most penetrating and transformative minimal music of the last two decades.  Morgan's day job is work as a sound director in the video game industry, which could account for his incredibly forbearing and restrained approach to albums such as "Plume", which was released by Kranky in 2006.  Minimal droning melodies are gently accented by inconspicuous beats, provided by washed-out static pattering and soft xylophones.  Loscil cunningly presents his work as background music, until, without notice, one finds that they are enchanted and fully committed to the experience that is "Plume".

SONG OF THE DAY: Roedelius - In Liebe Dein (1979)

Hans-Joachim Roedelius was a member of of Cluster and Harmonia, both of which, along with his career-spanning partner Dieter Moebius, were pioneering groups of the ambient music genre.  The Cluster/Harmonia style was considered part of the Düsseldorf School of electronic music, a sound developed from Kraftwerk's rhythmic tendencies as opposed to the darker, spacier sound of the Berlin School, which revolved around Klaus Schulze, Manuel Gottsching and Tangerine Dream.  Roedelius stepped out on his own several times, most notably on 1979's "Selbstportrait", an introspective ambient record that largely features minimal pieces performed by an artist who would go on to influence techno, hip hop, industrial, and countless other genres.  "In Liebe Dein" is a lonely, sentimental track that sets the mood for this deeply personal album.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Sensations' Fix - Finest Finger (1976)

Italian progressive/space-rock group Sensations' Fix began as a predominantly electronic outfit, led by prog-guitar legend Franco Falsini.  The band's blend of psychedelic instrumental passages and experimental rock would have earned them them a Krautrock label had the group been from Germany, and many consider Sensations' Fix to be Italy's version of Pink Floyd or King Crimson.  While their debut "Fragments of Light" is often regarded as their strongest effort, 1976's "Finest Finger" finds Falsini dialing his songwriting for what proves to be his most cohesive album, and his most successful attempt at vocals after his first string of three mostly-instrumental albums, all of which were released in 1974.  "Finest Finger" is a far-out record that borders on proto-metal, not unlike the heavy space-rock of Hawkwind and Krautrock greats Amun Düül II.

SONG OF THE DAY: Curve - Clipped (1991)

"Clipped" originally appeared on the "Cherry" EP, but was eventually included as a bonus track on the North American versions of Curve's 1992 stunning debut, "Doppelgänger".  This track is a perfect representation of Curve's dynamic sound, which takes the aural landscape of My Bloody Valentine into overdrive by incorporating trip-hop beats and heavy basslines provided by the brilliant and elusive Dean Garcia.  But the real star of Curve is Toni Halliday, whose dark and powerful vocals resonate with the same goosebump-inducing passion as Garbage's Shirley Manson and even Madonna during her "Erotica" era.  Curve hit harder than any of their shoegaze contemporaries, and "Clipped" is a chilling track suitable for both bedroom and dancefloor.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Richard H. Kirk - Virtual State (1994)

Richard H. Kirk released a number of solo albums parallel to his work with Cabaret Voltaire, but it was 1994's Warp Records release "Virtual State" that saw Kirk reach his creative peak apart from his partnership with Stephen Mallinder and The Cabs.  This album presents a varied and intricate mix of tribal-techno, ambient and IDM, a sound that brings to mind the recent work of Blondes in its ability to merge world music samples with electronic beats.  "Virtual State" starts off slow but eventually hits its stride with a cluster of hypnotic tracks, embellished by Kirk's future-shock aesthetic, in what amounts to an outsider techno album that is still eons ahead of its time.

RARE PUNK SINGLE OF THE WEEK: Negative Trend - Negative Trend (1978)

Negative Trend's only release is a furious 4-song EP of raw and raunchy punk with a dose of pub-rock that brings to mind T.S.O.L. during their sleazy "Revenge" era.  This is also reminiscent of a tougher version of Gun Club's brand of punk-country-blues, with a darker and more masculine vocal presence as opposed to Jeffrey Lee Pierce's flamboyant wailing.  Negative Trend most notably spawned San Francisco noise-punk group Flipper, but before disbanding managed to pump out this nihilistic classic.

SONG OF THE DAY: The Art of Noise / PFM - Opus 4 (1996)

"Opus 4" originally appeared on The Art of Noise's 1986 album "In Visible Silence", and was remixed by PFM (Progressive Future Music) for "The Drum and Bass Collection", a compilation that features some remarkable interpretations.  While The Art of Noise's highly influential career has provided an abundance of sample-worthy material for such a project, PFM's version of "Opus 4" is barely discernible from the original.  This remix is typical of the "atmospheric drum and bass" genre, with slower beats compared to those typically found in traditional drum and bass or jungle, and a focus on ambient and downtempo melodic aspects that make for a deep and opulent track.  

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Alain Goraguer - La Planète Sauvage (1973)

Alain Goraguer is mostly known as the composer and arranger who provides the mysterious psychedelic backdrop for the notoriously pompous yet brilliant French singer Serge Gainsbourg.  One of Goraguer's lesser known contributions is the soundtrack for the 1973 animated cult film "La Planète Sauvage", a bizarre acid-cartoon about a planet where humans either live in the wild or are kept as pets by gigantic blue beings that communicate telepathically by means of deep meditation and astral projection.  The surrealistic nature of the film is heightened by the apropos soundtrack provided by Alain Goraguer, an eerie psych-funk score that includes several variations on the title theme, and even borders on no-wave during some of the more driving sections (see: "Mort de Draag" for a riff that sounds uncannily like Sonic Youth).

SONG OF THE DAY: Marsen Jules - La Digitale Pourpre (2006)

Marsen Jules brings neo-classical music into an ambient context, executed with a certain beauty that has consistently made him a stand out on the Kompakt "Pop Ambient" series of compilations.  The electronic artist and composer made his mark with 2005's "Herbstlaub", a minimal ambient album that demonstrated his ability at crafting eloquent, droning pieces.  "Les Fleurs" followed in 2006, with a similar feel accentuated by an overall more organic palette; the sounds here are so lush and three-dimensional that one cannot help but be swept away into the private worlds that Marsen Jules has created for us.  "La Digitale Pourpre" is a gorgeous track that exceedingly summons such a vision.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: The Goslings - Grandeur of Hair (2006)

Imagine if Japanese heavy-psychers Mainliner decided to make a shoegaze album.  Or better yet, if Les Rallizes Dénudés put Grouper on vocals for a collaborative doom-garage project.  The Goslings encapsulate all of this and more on their 2006 album "Grandeur of Hair", having carved out a niche entirely their own, with a sound that can trace its roots back to My Bloody Valentine's droning dreaminess while falling just short of being categorized as harsh noise.  Buried beneath the abrasive production you'll find some surprising garage-strut grooves which, cunningly inserted between the droning passages, practically breach White Stripes territory.

SONG OF THE DAY: Front Line Assembly - Iceolate (1990)

Front Line Assembly was formed in the mid 80s after Bill Leeb left Vancouver EBM legends Skinny Puppy to start his own project.  FLA went through numerous stylistic changes over the years, most of which unfortunately could not match their creative peak from 1989-1992.  During this period, the group released three of their most crucial albums, "Gashed Senses & Crossfire" (1989), "Caustic Grip" (1990), and "Tactical Neural Implant" (1992).  While "Tactical Neural Implant" is widely regarded as their best, the hard hitting "Caustic Grip" is where Front Line Assembly manages to catch up to and possibly even equal Skinny Puppy.  "Iceolate" appears on "Caustic Grip" and was also released as an extended 12" single, an aggressive mix of industrial, electro, and cyberpunk aesthetic that can appeal to the metal crowd without being as heavy-handed as Ministry in the process.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Vatican Shadow - Remember Your Black Day (2013)

Vatican Shadow is the culmination of the prolific output of Dominick Fernow, the Hospital Records mastermind who is most known under his Prurient moniker.  His vast breadth of his releases have progressed from harsh noise and power electronics to industrial, black metal, and in recent years, minimal techno.  "Remember Your Black Day" finds Fernow fully realizing the aura of his Vatican Shadow project, with a sound that injects industrial techno with militaristic and religious themes, the result of which sounds like it could have been the soundtrack to a more haunting version of Contra.  Pulsing industrial beats are layered with detached ambient textures and black metal melodies, invoking images of helicopters and gunfire amidst temple ruins.

RARE PUNK SINGLE OF THE WEEK: Bags - Survive / Babylonian Gorgon (1978)

The B-side to this single by The Bags, their only release apart from their contribution to the "Yes L.A." compilation, is one of the most powerful, ferocious and relentless cuts of hair-raising punk I have ever heard in my life.  "Survive" is a great tune that features a blood-curdling scream from wild frontwoman Alice Bag, but it pales in comparison next to "Babylonian Gorgon".  All in all an incredible single that was essentially hardcore punk before that term existed, with some intensely dark and antagonistic lyrics:

"Don't need no false reasons for why I'm out of place,

I don't goose step for the master race.

I don't scream and twist just for the fun of it,

I have poison blood when I'm pissed."

Wow.

SONG OF THE DAY: Strawberry Switchblade - 10 James Orr Street (1985)

Some might see a disconnect between Strawberry Switchblade's image and their sound, but this dynamic is in fact what makes the synth-pop duo stand out from the hordes of bubblegum new wavers that over-saturated the 80s.   The duo, consisting of Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, released their one and only self-titled album in 1985, one that has become a cult classic in both new wave and goth circles.  "10 James Orr Street" is one of the darker tracks off of "Strawberry Switchblade", a delicate, mid-paced song that sounds less like twee-pop and more along the lines of Lush's melancholic dream pop.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Twice A Man - From A Northern Shore (1984)

Swedish darkwave/synth-pop group Twice A Man were one of the first minimal synth acts from their country, forming in 1981 out of the electro-punk group Cosmic Overdose.  They are still active today, after transitioning into a more ambient sound in the 90s, which ultimately resulted in the trio's involvement in soundtrack work.  "From A Northern Shore" was released in 1984, a deeply evocative record that benefits greatly from its pristine production; this isn't lo-fi minimal-wave, but rather sounds as polished as Depeche Mode during their "Music for the Masses" era.  And like Depeche Mode during that period, Twice A Man uses a little to accomplish a lot.  This album has a vast amount of space, leaving plenty of room between the glistening synths for punchy basslines and dark, bending guitars.

SONG OF THE DAY: Peter Van Hoesen - Dystopian Romance (2010)

Belgian producer Peter Van Hoesen slowed things down a bit for his 2010 album "Entropic City", a magnum opus which followed the string of well-received EPs and 12" singles that had already earned the techno artist a lot of attention.  This album takes you places, and as Resident Advisor points out, the techno genre has always lent itself to the shorter 12" format, and not since Shed's 2008 masterpiece "Shedding the Past" has a full-length techno album been so immersive.  "Dystopian Romance" is one of the more conspicuous tracks, one that stands out as energetic amidst the album's more subtle moments of minimal and dub techno.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: feedtime - feedtime (1985)

This is an incredible dumb-genius album from the group often described as "Australia's Flipper", a lazy comparison that might actually be doing a disservice to feedtime.  True, the group does exist in the same muddy, detuned landscape as bands like Flipper and Drunks With Guns, but the trio from Sydney offer a brand of noise-blues and gloom-rock that triumphs in its raw simplicity.  At a first glance, feedtime's 1985 self-titled debut kicks off with an obvious appeal, thick and romping along with grinding guitars and pounding drums, sounding like revved-up desert pub-rock made my drunken post-punks.  But the buzzsaw chaos gives way to unforeseen gloomy moments that inject some genuine and profound substance into this album despite all its snarling rottenness.

SONG OF THE DAY: 2 8 1 4 - Eyes of the Temple (2016)

2 8 1 4 is the collaborative project of t e l e p a t h and HKE, founder of the British vaporwave label Dream Catalogue.  The duo describe their sound as "dreampunk", a mix of ambient music, vaporwave, and cyberpunk, that focuses less on the sample-heavy trends of vaporwave and more on actually emmulating the brooding atmospheres of a nightmarishly-chill future sprawl.  The first two releases from 2 8 1 4 maintained the hazy, druggy Japanese aesthetic of the genre, inserting neo-nostalgic and hypnagogic sections in between long passages of dark ambience.  "Rain Temple" is their most recent release, and one that finds a departure from vaporwave in exchange for a movement towards ambient techno.  "Eyes of the Temple" is a notable track that borders on Witch House, sounding like the soundtrack for an induced excursion into a virtual rainforest where things may not be what they seem.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Savage Republic - Tragic Figures (1982)

Savage Republic play intense post-punk augmented by noisy guitars and surfy interludes, all against a background of industrial percussion.  The tribal beats and snarling vocals recall Public Image Ltd.'s "Flowers of Romance" era, with angular guitars and self-aware vocals reminiscent of Killing Joke during their heavy "What's This For" period.  Yet Savage Republic offer something more profound than their contemporaries across the pond, an impression that begins to reveal itself as "Tragic Figures" unfolds.  This album has a definitive concept, one that is executed in a stunning and deeply emotional fashion that this overlooked band from Los Angeles presents in a way that feels as urgent as Crass at their most scorned and as ambitious as The Pop Group at their most cathartic.

SONG OF THE DAY: 808 State - Magical Dream (1989)

Some call it "acid-house", others call it "breakbeat-techno", but what's undeniable about 808 state is that these songs are infectious and practically demand a physical reaction.  The boys from Manchester hung around the "24 Hour Party People" scene and thus became a staple at The Haçienda, the infamous club that was (barely) funded by New Order and Factory Records, the place that saw the "Madchester" scene evolve from post-punk to acid-house largely thanks to 808 State's version of the New Order classic "Blue Monday".  Young people in England were ready to dance, and as the focus fell less on rockstars and more on DJs, The Haçienda quickly became the center of the club-scene universe.  "Magical Dream" is the opening track on the 808 State seminal album "90", a classic of the genre and catalyst for the progression of electronic music.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Bourbonese Qualk - Laughing Afternoon (1983)

"Laughing Afternoon" was the debut album released by elusive U.K. group Bourbonese Qualk, a band who gets thrown into the industrial category despite having a varied and unique sound that exists in a freakish world of its own.  The band was fully independent, recording and releasing all of their own records while maintaining a notorious venue called Ambulance Station, where performances included vandalism and political demonstrations.  As far as musical comparisons are concerned, Swiss post-punkers Grauzone come to mind; there is something about both groups that is not quite danceable, not really post-punk and not really industrial.  "Laughing Afternoon" is nevertheless an intense statement, a murky subterranean journey that occasionally resurfaces for a few moments to make room for an echoey saxophone... and possibly even an accordion?

SONG OF THE DAY: Dark Day - Laughing Up Your Sleeve (1980)

Robin Crutchfield is best known as the keyboardist for no-wave legends DNA, the Arto Lindsay fronted group whose noisy, aggressive tracks made them a standout on the infamous "No New York" compilation, which is no easy task considering the diversity and originality every band involved.  Crutchfield parted ways with DNA to form Dark Day, a minimal-synth group responsible for pioneering the sound that has come to be known as darkwave.  Dark Day released their debut album "Exterminating Angel" in 1980, with a sound that recalls proto-no-wavers Suicide in its stripped down, minimalistic approach to synth music made by artful punks.  "Laughing Up Your Sleeve" is a creeping track with a gothic edge that would soon prove to be highly influential.

ALBUM OF THE DAY: Monolake - Momentum (2003)

This is some of the most cerebral electronic music out there.  Monolake (Robert Henke) perfected his mix of minimal techno, IDM and drum'n'bass on 2003's "Momentum", an album that feels as if Henke processed the Chain Reaction sound through a cyberpunk lens.  Chain Reaction, the Berlin label founded by Basic Channel members and minimal techno legends Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus, did in fact release some of Monolake's earlier releases, but "Momentum" finds the artist at his best, with a fully realized and fleshed-out comprehensive work that takes minimal techno into new and disturbing places.  This album is reminiscent of Autechre during their calmer days, but with a more successfully dialed theme and haunting atmosphere.