Updated March 4, 2016
This week’s Friday Night Five features a mix of old and new tracks. I woke up on Tuesday morning with the familiar old hangover that you have only when you have spent the night before with a full-blown anxiety attack over technology. Don’t lie. You know that you have been there. It was that techno-hangover that the artists on tonight’s list inspired.
John Foxx – He’s a Liquid
Tonight’s first artist started with the band Ultravox! in the late 70’s. In the John Foxx era, Ultravox! was more of am experimental glam-rock band. They cited influences such as Roxy Music, the New York Dolls, David Bowie and interestingly, Kraftwerk. They split in 1979, and Foxx went on to release his solo album Metamatic in 1980. His detached vocal delivery, paired with his sweeping synthetic sound made him sound unlike anyone at the time. Not as well known as many of the artists he inspired, he continues to record today.
Matthew Dear – Don’t Go This Way
Depending on who you ask, Matthew Dear is known as DJ, producer and label co-founder of Ghostly International, a label that focuses on electronic and experimental music. Released in 2010, this track is an understated and dark track combining synths, distorted choruses and detached melancholic vocals that lend itself perfectly to the Strawberry Tongue ethos.
The Chameleons – The Fan and the Bellows
This post-punk band has exited in a couple of incarnations, one in the eighties, and then again in the early 2000’s, they are known for their melodic and ringing guitar-delay driven sound. This distinctive sound gives their overall body of work icy and atmospheric feel. The Fan and the Bellows was originally released in the mid-80s.
Adult. – Hand to Phone
One of my other domains (and former radio stations, RIP, is Robot Rock. (Yes, I owned that domain and station long before Daft Punk made a song about it.) In any case, Adult is one of the reasons Robot Rock existed. Their icy-cold synthetic sound, and unmistakable driving beats pushed the edges of electronic music. I have slowly started adding tracks to Strawberry Tongue that are Robot Rock friendly and as expected, Adult would be one of the first bands to make that appearance.
Lilies on Mars – Stealing
One of my new favorite picks this week is from the Lady Sometimes label based out of Italy. Lilies on Mars combines the sounds of vintage organs, drum machines, electronic synths and dreamy vocals to create a sound that both delicate and surreal. For anyone who loves shoegaze and dreampop genres, this is a band I will definitely be watching for future releases.
That’s it for this week’s edition of the Friday Night Five. Be sure to tune in to Strawberry Tongue Radio at 19:00, 21:00 and 23:00 EDT to hear selected tracks from each of these bands and be sure to visit their websites for more information about their latest work and to purchase their tracks. Also, be sure to listen to Strawberry Tongue Radio to hear our unique playlist featuring current and classic artists playing post punk, new wave, indie, electronic and experimental music.