Chop Shop - Badlands / demo / live@CBGB

Here's another NY one I compiled for your convenience from Soundclick and probably should've put up a long time ago, but oh well. Formed in '84, vocalist Joe Truck and bassist Andrew "Andy Trash" Cushen, were in goth band Scarecrow and Twelfthnight. They made a demo then with some members that would leave and be replaced, and then in '85, recorded the EP Badlands, but split up almost immediately afterward.
They got a blues-punk, swamp rock, psychobilly quality to 'em with a deathrock vibe, and should appeal to you fans of like, The Gun Club or so.

Joe Truck would play in Burning Rome, then form horror punk/deathrock Brain Eaters, and glam metaly Rocket Angel afterward. In the 90's he formed The Snake Charmers, and in late 2000's, Confederacy of Horsepower. Andrew Cullen contributed to various blues-punk bands as Hi-Sheriffs of Blue, Love in Vein, Workdogs, and Hellhounds. Both Joe and Andrew would contribute to The Naked and the Dead. Rebecca Korbet, of Even Worse, played in a number of noise-rock bands: Missing Foundation, Pussy Galore, Big Stick, and Sloth. She contributed to King Missile and The Wharton Tiers Ensemble. Steve Binedetto would play for Spineless Yesmen, The Voloptuous Horror of Karen Black, and Jad Fair. (Wow, that was a lot of links >_>;;; )

1. "Big Bad Car"
2. "Cruisin' the Wasteland"
3. "Smashing Into Heaven"
4. "Mean Mr. Meat"
5. "Johnny 23"
6. "Vile Bodies"
7. "Razor Shop Death Bop"
8. "Gut Pump"
9. "Skin Job"
10. "Street Hit Collision"
11. "Road Kill"
12. "Uncle Head"
13. "Punish the Flesh"
14. "This Town"
15. "Badlands" (live @ CBGB, Sept '85)
16. "This Town" (live @ CBGB, Jun '85)
17. "Punish the Flesh" (live @ CBGB, Jun '85)
18. "Uncle Head" (live @ CBGB, Jun' 85)
19. "Razor Shop Death Bop" (live @ CBGB, Jun '85)
20. "Gut Pump" (live @ CBGB, Jun '85)
21. "Big Bad Car" (live @ CBGB, Jun '85)
22. "Vile Bodies" (live @ CBGB, June '85)
23. "Cruisin' the Wasteland" (live @ CBGB, June '85)
24. "Mean Mr. Meat" (live @ CBGB, June '85)
25. "Johnny 23" (live @ CBGB, June '85)
26. "Road Kill" (live @ CBGB, June '85)
27. "Skin Job" (live @ CBGB, June '85)
28. "White Knuckles" (live @ CBGB, June '85)
29. "Rags" (live @ CBGB, June '85)

And here's the tl;dr

Soundclick (source): http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=130194
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/chopshopnyc85
Deathrock.com: http://www.deathrock.com/chopshop/index.html
Joe Truck interview!: http://www.punkglobe.com/joetruckinterview1109.html

Dorian Gray - Rajat

Here's the other Dorian Gray album. Already described this Finnish post-punk band last month with their debut album. This '87 album takes a slight change with a stronger incorporation of keys. Otherwise, still notable for the strong bass guitar and everything. Apparently, the bassist also took charge of the keys on this album, as the original keyboardist must've left or something, plus a different drummer... I think.

1. "Aamu"
2. "Hauskaa?"
3. "Valo"
4. "Dorian Gray"
5. "Tuomarit"
6. "Epätoivo"

Oh yeah, and happy holidays, everyone! Ho ho ho! =)

Dorian Gray - 1986 AD

Dorian Gray is a Finnish post-punk goth band, active from '85-87. I'm sure we all know the band name derives from Oscar Wilde's novel. They feature no guitarist... just drums, bass, keys, and vocals. As such, their sound is extremely spacial, and the bass is seemingly the most prominent instrument, played very heavy and thick, and at the same time, taking control of melodies that would normally be meant for guitar.
My Room is White had this and their other EP, Rajat, up for awhile, but the link's been dead and the blog hasn't updated for awhile. I'll put Rajat up too later.

1. "Amuletti"
2. "Aika"
3. "Spiritismi"
4. "Unelma"
5. "Puutarha"
6. "Sudet"

w00t

An Ideal For Living 1 (compilation)

I'm sure you could probably guess what the title of this 1993 German compilation comes from. It was compiled by a Klaus Wiethölter, released on Gothic Arts Records, and apparently, only 1000 copies were printed. There was also a part 2 that I still need to find.

Welle:Erdball are probably the only really popular group on here. You post-punk aficionados might recognize The Caves though. Some of the bands here are just on this compilation or a few other compilations, and that's it. Others I've been trying to get my hands on their one and only album (like Ice Age). There's a few others too with more material out there... somewhere over a rainbow...

Anyway, you'll find some post-punk gothic songs on here (some with vocal pastiches to the likes of Andy, Ian, and Fat Bob), while others are are more synth-driven darkwave, fairly reflective of the distinctive 90's German take of the genre. I think the Permanent Confusion song might have a minimal wave quality to it. There's also a good bunch of pulsating EBM with harsh vocals that may appeal to you Skinny Puppy or Front Line Assembly fans (currently in love with The Orphobia track).

1. Static Threshold - "Five Hours"
2. The Permanent Confusion - "1984"
3. Welle:Erdball - "Sinnlos"
4. The Caves - "Darkness"
5. The Orphobia - "When God Cries"
6. Psycho Surgery - "The World is Black"
7. Flowers Can Burn - "Out of the Deep"
8. Crepusculum Terrae -"50 Years Remain"
9. PP? - "Rostock (An Antifascist Song)"
10. The Hall of Souls - "Leviathan"
11. Rue Du Mort - "Nathaly"
12. LPF 12 - "Darkness"
13. Ice Age - "A Nighttale"
14. The Psychic Force - "Twilight Zone (Mystic Mix)
15. After the Rain - "Zynical Reason"

damn, that was a pain in the buttocks to find some of those Myspace links!
erm, anyway, here you go

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/Various-An-Ideal-For-Living/release/699145

The Grinning Plowman - Nothing Is Ever What It Is

Here's a goth band from Nashville, Tennessee. Signed on Carlyle Records, The Grinning Plowman had two other releases prior to this one, Days of Deformity and I Play Jupiter, as well as a single of "Radioator" (from I Play Jupiter). Overall, in the general sense of their work, this band really touches on a lot of areas, sometimes brooding and dark ("Cripple" <3), others energetically chaotic, and at times even danceable. Some of their songs are straight up gothic post-punk, some with a deathrock pastiche, and others that lean more on darkwave. Plenty of great tunes here, my personal favorite song on this album is "Orange Room".

1. "Secret Sugar Frosting"
2. "Nancy's Relish Tray Demonstration"
3. "Hula"
4. "Mainframe"
5. "Pewter Surf"
6. "Functional Design"
7. "Monkey Speed Drome"
8. "Orange Room"
9. "Fool"
10. "The Wonders of Linoleum"
11. "Telemythos"
12. "Synthetic Flux"

"And then your head blows up over and over!"

Myspace fanpage: http://www.myspace.com/thegrinningplowman

Screwtractor - Eye

(oooh feeling big heartache at the moment, gahhhh ;_; )

Erm, anyway, here's another "haaaaayy, this ain't post-punk, ya punk"-post or whatever. Still, call me crazy - but I think you can hear some subtle goth influences around here and there. In like one or two songs. Maybe.

Screwtractor is a Cleveland, Ohio hard rock band. I dunno how to describe 'em... it seems they are usually classified among industrial rock and metal... but eh, I dunno. A bit of a grungy-era production sound too, I think-- it was a '93 record after all (on Gravel Records). I say, at the risk of getting jumped and mauled, the singer sometimes pulls off this whole crooning gothy-ish voice too.

Not really too sure who to compare 'em to. Like, I feel like they have some slight Young Gods approach in "Crusader", but that's probably just me being crazy. Someone on their Myspace also describes 'em to be comparable to Faith No More (hmm, I dunno) and Clay People.
Anyway, I quite like this, so I hope you will too.

1. "Throb"
2. "Cowboy Spit"
3. "Afterlife"
4. "Stupid Humans"
5. "Crusader"
6. "Twitch"

Here, has yourself a listen!

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/screwtractor

Fahrenheit 451 - The Gothic Years and After

More east-side stuff! Fahrenheit 451 is an '84-born New Jersey goth band. They had some gigs at CBGBs and the likes in New York, and opened for acts such as Specimen, Wolfgang Press, Gene Loves Jezebel, White Zombie, and The Ramones. They broke up in '87, but reunited in '96 to record two covers, including one with Christian Death/Super Heroine's Eva O.

These guys are pretty awesome, their songs move with a danceable, almost deathrock-pulse, Athan Maroulis has a pretty nice singing voice. To my knowledge, I think this is pretty much all their songs put on here, actually. The first four tracks can be found on their House of Morals EP. The last four tracks are stuff from the members other bands, which are pretty good stuff too!

Good chances are that they named themselves after that one Ray Bradbury book you read in high school. =P According to the CD's back, only 2000 copies exist. It's not too difficult to fetch though, I got this for like 2 bucks. A portion of that other 1999 is floating around on your favorite online shops.
Had a few requests from some buddies on this. Do enjoy!

1. "Strangers on a Train"
2. "Cathedral in Ice"
3. "Passions"
4. "Flowers Melt Away"
5. "House of Morals"
6. "Children"
7. "Danielle"
8. "Zombies"
9. "Black Dahlia" (original 1985 demo)
10. "Strangers on a Train" (original 1985 demo)
11. "Wasteland" (The Mission UK cover)
12. "The Three Shadows (Part II) w/ Eva O (Bauhaus cover)
13. Executive Slacks - "Salome"
14. Tubalcain - "Carbon Black"
15. The Lucifer Scale - "I Am Nothing"
16. Spahn Ranch - "Antibody" ('96 remix)

Burrn baby burrrn, disco inferrno!