That was the way

Art Boulevard, a group from Bergamo Italy, in my opinion, one of the best of the entire post 85 new wave/post punk italian scene. They mixed with success their strong dark influences with the new tendency to psychedelia & garage revival. Just 2 years of activity but a lot of great tunes and an unforgettable ep called "Favourite toy". It was 1987 then nothing else... According to the notes of their recent Spittle Retrospective cd that you must absolutely buy from them ("...Art Boulevard, born in 1985 in Bergamo (northern Italy), immediately stood out from the pack for their aesthetic and existential attraction to post-punk combined with a musical vision that was straight out of the late sixties: “rock as art” and not merely as an urgent expression of adolescent rebellion. The CD is a complete retrospective of all their songs, including their “The Favorite Toy” EP (which got rave reviews at the time, but like the great majority of Italian releases, disappeared into obscurity), their two cassettes and their songs from the “Arezzo Wave” and “Pluto” compilations. In the 1990s Art Boulevard, now a trio with a drum machine and the name “Orange Party”, changed sound and identity…but that’s another story"...

In bizarre recordings

Naked Lunch started in 1979, with the aim to create electronic music influenced by Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, and Ultravox. During the hedonistic days the band joined up with Stevo who promoted many of their early gigs. In 1980 they were of the moment and hovered on the fringes of success alongside 'Futurist Chart' bands B-Movie, Fad Gadget, DAF etc. The song called Horror shock Horror only comes on the original vinyl LP record TERPSICHORE COMPILATION MINIMAL SYNTH 81. Rabies/Slipping Again is a classic period-piece single and collectors item. Their song La Femme appeared on the legendary Some Bizzare compilation album released 1981 which also included B-Movie, and the then unestablished Depeche Mode, Blancmange, The The, Soft Cell, etc. The band were short-lived but it has recently been stated that Naked Lunch have reformed and are recording new material!

Others acrylic afternoons

The naughtiest girl was a monitor, what a strange name for a pop group!

I loved this ultra obscure band since I bought their first strange-cover ep in London, guess it was 1981. That songs were more or less punky little synth tune with fist-pumping riffs, definitely uber-geeky, catchy, and amazing. The NGWAM were one of Sheffields finest Synth-Wave-Band of the early eighties. Mellow and synthesizery of course with original vocals. Music obviously sounded a bit like early Human League tangled in a knot with David Bowie and drowned with tears of OMitD too. I guess it's fair to say a lot of bands starting using synthesizers in 1980 but these folks weren't afraid to pick up the ball and run with it. It's not really synth-pop though, it's too...melancholy for that I think. Just pure feelings and moods for the upcoming summer-times. As a bit of trivia, the band would lend equipment to budding brit-pop act Pulp, enabling them to cut their first recordings. Please take a listen to the pure beauty of their tracks and if you're lookin' for a contemporary reference point, you might wanna imagine Ariel Pink going full-on new wave! Off-kilter, breezy tunes filled with analog synthesizers, drum machines and strings too! A must!