Lake - Voices (1985)

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Lake, or commonly referred to as The Lake in some countries, is a German-British rock music group that formed in 1973 in Hamburg, Germany. In 1975, they were joined by lead singer James Hopkins-Harrison, who gave them their signature sound for the remainder of their recording career.

I'll readily admit that I thought 1984's "No Time for Heroes" was a pretty good return to form for Lake. Unfortunately, at least on my part, a quick look at 1985's "Voices" gave rise to concerns ... with very '80s packaging including that hideous COBOL-styled font for the liner notes, you were left with a sinking feeling that these guys had finally thrown in the creative towel and decided to pursue popular tastes at whatever costs. 

Co-produced by guitarist Achim Oppermann and singer James Hopkins-Harrison (the pair were also responsible for most of the nine songs), that's pretty much what you got with this outing. 

From a business and marketing standpoint I guess you couldn't really blame these guys for becoming increasingly desperate to find an audience. 

Lake sales had followed a downward progression and Polydor management was clearly putting pressure on them to come up with a more commercial sound, or suffer the consequences - and who wants to be an unemployed musician in your mid-30s ? 

So the bad news is this album has a very dated mid-1980s sound - lots of that busy, tinny production sound with heaps of synthesizers and way too many big ballads that were meant to attract top-40 play lists, but came off as being flat and insincere. A sure sign of growing panic, 'Alright' even found them trying out dance music. 

Even worse, on tracks like the jittery new wavy 'Nervous Breakdown' and '' you were hard pressed to tell this was actually a Lake composition - numbers like 'Echo Of The Melody' could have just as easily been Hall and Oates, or even Whitesnake.

(side 1)

1.) Alright (James Hopkins-Harrison - Achim Oppermann) - 3:36

Seriously, complete with universal uplifting lyrics, bubbling synthesizers and pop bass, the opener 'Alright' found the band sticking their collective toes into dance music territory ... Even sadder, 'Alright' was one of the album's better tracks. The song was tapped as a German single:

- 1985's 'Alright' b/w 'Alright' (instrumental)

2.) More Than A Feeling (James Hopkins-Harrison - Achim Oppermann) - 4:26

A faceless AOR ballad, ''More Than A Feeling' had an okay chorus (though after hearing the phrase for the 500th time it started to outlast its welcome), but the rest of the tune was a complete waste that only served to underscore Hopkins Harrison's weird voice. Easy to picture this one having been comped on one of those John Hughes mid-1980s teen flicks. This one was also released as a German single:

- 1985's 'More Than a Feeling' b/w 'Nervous Breakdown' 

3.) Comedy Of Love  (J. Hopkins-Harrison - Thomas Bauer) - 3:44

Somewhere amidst the aural wreckage there was a good song embedded in 'Comedy Of Love'. As recorded for the album you were left with an amazingly bad mix of cheesy synthesizers, new wave angst, and Hopkins Harrison struggling to get through the song ... you were left to wonder if he was actually going to make it. 

4.) Echo Of The Melody (James Hopkins-Harrison - Achim Oppermann) - 4:27

The ballad 'Echo Of The Melody' found guitarist Oppermann taking over lead vocals. Not sure why, but this one's always reminded me of a bad Hall and Oates tune.  

5.) I Don't Wanna Lose You  (J. Hopkins-Harrison - Thomas Bauer) - 3:44

'I Don't Wanna Lose You' was another faceless power ballad ... like Chinese food, two minutes after the song was over and you'd be hard pressed to remember anything about it.   

(side 2)

1.) Nervous Breakdown (James Hopkins-Harrison - Achim Oppermann) - 3:12

Possibly the nadir of their catalog, the skitterish, new-wavy 'Nervous Breakdown' was clearly meant to capture the attention of a younger audience, but I suspect all it managed to do was piss off older fans. Personally I hate it ..

2.) Chase The Dragon  (J. Hopkins-Harrison - Josef Kappl) - 3:53

Probably the album's most tuneful song, 'Chase the Dragon' was also the most disturbing in view of Hopkins Harrison's future death as a result of a heroin overdose.   

3.) Who Do You Love (James Hopkins-Harrison - Achim Oppermann) - 4:46

More skitterish dance pop ... 'Who Do You Love' was another low point in their catalog.     

4.) Love's a Game  (James Hopkins-Harrison - Josef Kappl) - 3:34

While it was easily the album's most commercial number, 'Love's a Game' certainly wasn't anything to write home about. Still, it had a nice melody and for once the band didn't sound like they were trying too hard. 

5.) Music's A Way Of Life (James Hopkins-Harrison - Achim Oppermann) - 4:43

I'm sure lots of folks will disagree, but to my ears 'Music's A Way Of Life' was simply hideous. Meant to be inspirational, the results were simply insipid - imagine one of those epic Michael Jackson songs that were meant to make you feel like you were a contributing part of mankind and you'll have a feel as to what to expect here.

Label - Polydor Records

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All About Chad - Down In Front (1995)

Indie pop quartet All About Chad featured guitarist Asif Chaudhri, singer Ben Reiser, bassist Chad Pilieri, and drummer Jason Schreiber. After the release of the "Chad's Very First Record" single on Jeezus Peezus Records in 1991, the Brooklyn band set out to record their debut full-length. 

This That & the Other Thing was released in 1989, and was followed by 1991's The Scouting Party. 1992 saw the unveiling of the quirky Jelly Slide EP. 

They continued in 1993 with the "Chad's Got an Earring" single on It's Only Pop Music Records. Big Pop Records released the band's swan song, Down in Front, in 1995. 

Recorded and produced by the band, the disc showcased the band's endearing brand of indie pop music. The group called it quits soon after, but not before an impressive appearance on March Records' stellar Pop American Style compilation in 1996 with the catchy "Japanese Couple in Reverse.

This album is really nice for a Hanukkah present. I popped it in and "Embarrassing moments" began playing. "The landfill was an embarrassing moment", I thought, making an immediate connection with the band. This song is funny. It starts off with a cool little harmonica rhythm and then the little guy's voice pops on, "She was taller than the tallest building in Quebec and I was higher than the highest dead head watching Star Trek". 

It sounded like a happy love song, that was actually an "everyman" song about thinking about those silly things you used to do when you were a kid like thinking you were so cool. After hearing this one, I ran to my high school yearbook and came to the conclusion that I was a lame ass. However, some things never change, they just get older. 

The dog banged into the cd player, so the next song that popped on was "I know a girl". It's a cutesy little number about a girl that the singer knows. He knows a girl who's pretty cool, who's a little quirky, a little late (getting places), and when he kisses her, it goes a little...like...thissss. End of the song with a pretty little guitar strum ending.

Tracklist

1.  Embarrassing Moments - 2:42

2.  You're Too Popular - 1:35

3.  I Know A Girl - 4:23

4.  Sleepover - 3:08

5.  Kristin - 3:36

6.  Vivien Leigh - 3:54

7.  Meet Me In The Hallway - 3:55

8.  Chad's Driving Me Home - 4:10

9.  That Would Be Ducky - 2:50

10.  Paint Peel - 5:00

11.  I Can't Sleep - 4:34

12.  Chad's Got An Earring - 3:06

13.  Twenty Three Strikes - 2:45

14.  My Sister Hates The Band - 5:04

Label - Bog Pop Records

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Ultra Sunn - Night Is Mine / Body Electric (2021)

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Ultra Sunn has been having a pretty solid 2021. The reissue of their 2019 club single “Night is Mine” in a remixed version by techno-body impresario SARIN (and a bonus new beat mix released shortly thereafter) put international eyes on the Belgian duo. Now with the release of their Body Electric EP, listeners have the first longer form expression of their very specific take on dancefloor flavoured electro-darkwave.

It has to be said before we go any further: Ultra Sunn sound very close musically to Boy Harsher, to the point that it’s not really possible to ignore the resemblance. Every track on Body Electric owes something to the latter act, structurally, and from a sound design standpoint – check out the rubbery, syncopated analogue basses that Ultra Sunn favour and the minimal use of synth melodies with further texture added via vocal processing and delays. That said, Ultra Sunn are very good at making songs from that template, and Body Electric is full of smaller touches that elevate the material from pure homage.

One of Ultra Sunn’s most unique assets is the voice of Sam Huge, and it’s one they’re able to deploy for good effect. Listening to his smooth performance on “Sorrow and Tears”, it’s his lower register performance that lends the track some classic dark synthpop vibes. A similar delivery fills out the gaps between the bassline and drum machine bells on “Silver Smile”, alternately carrying the song’s verse or adding punctuation in the style of the track’s copious orch hits. With electronic-darkwave being so dominated by women vocalists, Huge offers something that helps Ultra Sunn a bit more distinct.

While Body Electric is certainly in line without expectations for Ultra Sunn. There are some hints of new ideas lurking around the edges it would be interesting to hear explored. Hidden near the end of the title track there’s a flurry of acid programming, its rusty filter adding some edge to the otherwise smooth composition. And on “Two Snakes” you can hear some variation in how the drums interact with the bass, creating some elasticity to the groove. In spite of the obvious points of comparison, there’s plenty of hints that Ultra Sunn are more that our first impressions.

Night Is Mine

1. Night Is Mine - 5:01

2. Distress - 4:22

3. Keep Your Eyes Peeled - 4:00

4. Night Is Mine (Sarin Remix) - 5:34

Body Electric

5. The Eye - 1:20 

6. Body Electric - 4:07 

7. Two Snakes - 3:37 

8. Sorrows & Tears - 4:55 

9. Silver Smile - 5:40 

10. Young Foxes - 3:54

Label - Cold Transmission Music

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Various Artists - C85 (2022) (3CD)

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1985 was a fertile year for the growing independent music scene and this three CD box set showcases the best of those bands from James to The Stone Roses.

It seems weird now to think that indie guitar bands weren’t really a thing until the early 1980s, and 1985 was certainly a fertile year for that rapidly developing scene. Only a year later the then relevant and trend setting NME offered its readers the chance the buy their C86 compilation tape (ask your parents, kids) with 40000 readers – including me – taking up the offer, so indie as genre was officially born.

This 3CD collection goes back a year to the acts who were essentially creating indie and some of whom, like the Primals and The Wedding Present, would go onto feature on the career changing C86.  In the meantime, some acts who remain capable of filling big venues set out their stalls alongside some bands who – often quite rightly – have disappeared into obscurity.

CD1 is by far the most accessible of the three, featuring some of the absolute bangers from this year, so it’s fitting that the still utterly ear bashing, squally feedback of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Never Understand is first up swiftly followed by That Petrol Emotion, featuring most of The Undertones minus Fergal.

The Woodentops were another band who should have been big judging by the spritely Move Me and the same applies Hurrah!  Another stone-cold classic is The Mighty Lemon Drops’s Like An Angel that still rocks, and The Loft’s Your Door Shines Like Gold came out of Alan McGee’s The Wardrobe Club, which was the epicentre of the growing indie scene. James offer the now obscure Uprising as an early sample of the wonky pop sensibility that sees them still filling arenas.

Indie in this period was a bot of a lads clubs so it’s good to see The Shop Assistants included as they influenced lots of bands down the years and Miaow’s Fate is equally good.  The Primitives supply a demo version of Across My Shoulder, and you can see even then why they were the hottest live ticket in London.

The Weddoes pop up with (The Moment Before) Everything’s Spoilt Again, and they’re another long standing band that lay down what has become a very successful formula. The Bodines literate indie pop was perhaps too subtle for the scene, and even the Happy Mondays join in the fun with some bog standard indie on Delightful from their Forty Five EP on Factory.

By an absolute country mile the best track is The Housemartins’ debut single Flag Day as Paul Heaton demolishes early virtue signalling set to a typically clever melody. It’s both a message of how things never change, and that this lot was heading for chart success.

The second CD is more of a mixed bag with some lovely hidden gems, and quite a lot of bang average bands like Yeah Jazz, or rockists like Del Amitri pretending to be an indie band. That said it kicks off with some delicate psychedelic rock from Primal Scream’s All Fall Down before the pills kicked in.

Other highlights include Sarah Goes Shopping’s Summer Blues, which may have been clocked by bands like Stereolab, and the quite magnificent Nose Out Of Joint from the Chesterfields who should have been as big as the Smiths.

There are far more women on this CD, including the Fox sisters who had transferred from Marine Girls to the terribly named Grab Grab The Haddock contributing to the summery Last Fond Goodbye. The funniest track is the tongue in cheek charm of The Kamikaze Pilots’ Sharon Signs To Cherry Red as a sensitive indie kid exploits her boyfriend’s troubles to score a record deal.

CD3 initially seems a little bit odd as it brings all the noisy bands that were on the periphery of the scene, including many on the Ron Johnson label. Full disclosure here as one of those noise merchants were Blackpool’s The Membranes, featuring Louder than War founder John Robb. It’s easy to forget they were on Creation who has the balls to release the wonderfully odd I Am Fish Eye as Robb babbles away.

Lucky In London by A Witness is a great piece of angular pop before some swamp blues from The Brilliant , and Nose Flutes’ girth is a hunk of shouty rhythmic noise. The box ser is set wraps up with The Stone Roses’ debut So Young, which does nothing to hide Ian Brown’s vocal frailties, and despite some great guitar work from John Squires there’s nothing to suggest that only three years later they would go on to make their undeniably great first album.

Students of this scene will love an insightful essay by former NME writer Neil Taylor, who covered the scene at the time, and some fascinating notes on the band to go with each track. Did you know The Membranes once came last in a local talent show to a six-year-old reciting a poem?

Cherry Red have done so much in recent years to revive interest in the birth of indie bands whose influence still resonate decades later. The bands who went onto big things are included, but there’s a genuine joy in hearing how good – or bad – some of the other long forgotten bands were.

CD 1

1.  The Jesus and Mary Chain - Never Understand  [03:00] 

2.  That Petrol Emotion - Keen  [03:14]

3.  The Woodentops - Move Me  [03:29] 

4.  The Mighty Lemon Drops - Like An Angel  [04:00] 

5.  Hurrah! - Funny Day  [02:51]

6.  The Loft - Your Door Shines Like Gold  [03:11] 

7.  James - Uprising  [03:28] 

8.  Shop Assistants - All Day Long  [01:51] 

9.  The June Brides - Josef's Gone  [02:26]

10.  The Wedding Present - (The Moment Before) Everything's Spoiled Again  [03:20] 

11.  The Dentists - Pallino  [03:44] 

12.  The Housemartins - Flag Day  [03:34] 

13.  The Jasmine Minks - What's Happening  [01:53] 

14.  The Soup Dragons - If You Were The Only Girl In The World (Would You Take Me?)  

15.  Mighty Mighty - Throwaway  [02:17] 

16.  Happy Mondays - Delightful  [03:40] 

17.  McCarthy - In Purgatory  [02:04] 

18.  Biff Bang Pow! - Love And Hate  [03:25] 

19.  The Primitives - Across My Shoulder  [01:59] 

20.  The Bodines - Paradise  [03:07] 

21.  The Perfect Disaster - New Beginning  [03:41] 

22.  The Hit Parade - The Sun Shines In Gerrards Cross  [03:17] 

23.  Microdisney - Horse Overboard  [03:57]

24.  Miaow - Fate  [02:09] 

25.  The Impossible Years - Attraction Gear  [03:32]

CD 2

1.  Primal Scream - All Fall Down  [02:13] 

2.  Sarah Goes Shopping - Summer Blues  [02:34] 

3.  Del Amitri - Sticks And Stones, Girl  [03:11] 

4.  The Passmore Sisters - Dance The House Down  [02:29] 

5.  The Claim - Through His Sunglasses  [03:46] 

6.  Grab Grab The Haddock - Last Fond Goodbye  [02:56] 

7.  The Chesterf!elds - Nose Out Of Joint (Flexidisc Version)  [03:14] 

8.  The Sedgemorons - Drop Dead Darling  [02:18]

9.  Yeah Jazz - Julie & The Sea Lions  [02:52] 

10.  The Word Association - Mary Mary  [03:56]

11.  The Kamikaze Pilots - Sharon Signs To Cherry Red  [03:06] 

12.  One Thousand Violins - Halcylon Days  [03:30] 

13.  Ronnie Can You Hear Me? - Vroom For Romance  [02:05] 

14.  Go! Service - It Makes Me realise  [03:08] 

15.  Househunters - Shopping City  [04:04] 

16.  The Snakes Of Shake - Southern Cross  [03:37]

17.  St Christopher - As Far As The Eye Can See  [04:00] 

18.  The Word - Wide Awake  [04:29] 

19.  Benny Profane - Drop Dead (Demo)  [03:42]

20.  The Bridge - World Of Your Own  [04:04]

21.  The Wake - Of The Matter  [02:52] 

22.  Always - Late Again  [04:10] 

23.  In Embrace - Shouting In Cafes  [03:34] 

24.  The Band Of Holy Joy - Consumption  [03:21]

CD 3

1.  A Witness - Lucky In London  [02:29] 

2.  Yeah Yeah Noh - Prick Up Your Ears  [03:57]

3.  Brilliant Corners - My Baby In Black  [03:08] 

4.  Stitched-Back Foot Airman - Granular Twilight  [02:16] 

5.  Pig Bros - Excessive  [03:02]

6.  The Membranes - I Am Fish Eye  [03:22]

7.  Age Of Chance - Bible Of The Beats  [03:36]

8.  The Nose Flutes - Girth  [04:44] 

9.  Folk Devils - English Disease  [02:58] 

10.  Big Flame - All The Irish (Must Go To Heaven)  [02:16] 

11.  Meat Whiplash - Losing Your Grip  [02:36] 

12.  Bog-Shed - Fat Lad Exam Failure  [03:09]

13.  The Inca Babies - Brother Rat  [03:01] 

14.  Five Go Down To The Sea - Singing In Braille  [03:13]

15.  The Janitors - Chicken Stew  [02:49] 

16.  The Sinister Cleaners - The Gnomes Of Zurich  [03:55] 

17.  Vee VV - Kindest Cut  [03:21] 

18.  Splat! - Taxi  [03:57]

19.  Bob Hope To Die - Honeymoon  [04:14] 

20.  The Blue Aeroplanes - I Wanna Be Your Lover  [03:39] 

21.  Palookas - Clear Day  [04:43] 

22.  Sudden Afyernoon - Acid Rain  [04:33]

23.  The Stone Roses - So Young  [03:22] 

Label - Cherry Red Records

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