Black Tape for a Blue Girl will release the 30th anniversary edition of “Remnants of a deeper purity” on May 8, 2026 via Projekt Records. The darkwave, goth and ambient album returns as a limited 4-panel digipak CD with a 16-page lyric booklet and sticker. The edition is limited to just 300 copies – in other words be fast to order it.

The 1996 neo-classical album was recorded between January 1995 and April 1996 at The Lush Garden in Los Angeles and Chicago, with Sam Rosenthal as producer. It was musically heavily influenced by Dead Can Dance, This Mortal Coil and Lisa Gerrard. Since its release the album has sold more than 16,000 copies.

Besides Sam Rosenthal on electronics and harmonium, “Remnants of a deeper purity” features Oscar Herrera on vocals, guitar and tambourine, Lucian Casselman on vocals, Vicki Richards on violin, and Mera Roberts on cello.

About Black Tape for a Blue Girl

Black Tape for a Blue Girl is an American neoclassical darkwave project formed in 1986 by keyboardist, songwriter and Projekt Records founder Sam Rosenthal. The original line-up included Rosenthal, multi-instrumentalist Allan Kraut and vocalist/guitarist Oscar Herrera, with early guest contributions from Kim Prior, Adam Buhler, Candy Sherlock and Lara Radford. The project was established in California as a vehicle for Rosenthal’s electronic compositions, offering a mix of darkwave, ethereal, ambient, neoclassical and dark cabaret.

The project’s early catalogue was issued through Projekt, beginning with “The Rope” in 1986. “Mesmerized by the Sirens” followed in 1987, “Ashes in the Brittle Air” in 1989, “A Chaos of Desire” in 1991 and “This Lush Garden Within” in 1993. The 1997 “With My Sorrows” release appeared through Italy’s Amplexus label, while “As One Aflame Laid Bare by Desire” later appeared through Projekt in the United States and Trisol in Europe.

Recording for “Remnants of a deeper purity” began in Los Angeles in 1995 and finished in 1996 after Rosenthal moved to Chicago. The album featured Lucian Casselman on vocals, Vicki Richards on violin and Mera Roberts on cello. It became the project’s best-selling release and formed the basis for Black Tape for a Blue Girl’s first live performance at Projektfest’96 in Chicago on June 25, 1996.

“Bike Shop” appeared as a limited 4-track vinyl EP in 2016, followed by the 30th anniversary-era album “These Fleeting Moments”. Around the same time the vinyl edition of “This Fleeting Moments” was released and Oscar Herrera returned after a 17-year absence.

“The Cleft Serpent”, released on October 1, 2021, was the project’s 13th album and the first Black Tape for a Blue Girl album with DeRosa and Meierkord alongside Rosenthal.

The current line-up is Sam Rosenthal, vocalist Jon DeRosa and cellist Henrik Meierkord.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Black Tape For A Blue Girl has now announced March 7 as the official release date for the “As one aflame laid bare by desire” reissue.

Originally the release date was January 12th but at the moment there is a worldwide delay in vinyl production, resulting in pressing orders often facing lead times of up to 12 months. This reissue was remastered by Martin Bowes (Attrition) and will be available on double vinyl.

You can already stream the release on Bandcamp.

The release will be available in other formats too. Here are the 3 formats:

• 2LP: limited to 500, with 1 bonus track
• 3CD: 6-panel Digipak, limited to 200 signed copies (Disc 1 holds the remastered edition, disc 2 the 1999 master and disc 3 Sam Rosenthal’s “The Passage”)
• Digital: includes 15 bonus tracks, available on Bandcamp

Rosenthal funded this reissue with the support of the band’s fans via a successful Kickstarter campaign. He says, “I’m thrilled that so many want to see Aflame available in new formats, sounding better than ever! I remixed two songs to bring the vocals up; going back to the original DAT sources makes the whole album so much warmer and richer. Martin Bowes’ remastering enhances Julianna Towns’ sultry vocals, Oscar Herrera’s passionate voice, Vicki Richards’ dramatic violins and cover star Lisa Feuer’s heartfelt flute. And of course my drifting electronics and soul-searching lyrics. Interestingly, 4 of the top-10 blacktape tracks at Spotify are from Aflame. “Dulcinea” is the most played track. 47% of listeners are younger than 27. It’s rewarding to have so many new listeners for blacktape’s music, especially this album that was released before many were born!”

The material for this re-release was sourced from original 1999 DAT mixes and original 1/2-inch 8-track analog multi-track tapes. The 8-track master was digitally transfered at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio studio. Note that “Tell me you’ve taken another” and “Denouement / denouncement” were slightly remixed to boost the vocals.

As an extra for today, there the below fan-created Black Tape For A Blue Girl video for the track “Givem”. It has footage by Cottonbro Studio.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out now is the Black Tape For A Blue Girl live video “Live at the Middle East, Boston, July 21 1998”. The 63-minute concert video is now available on YouTube and as a name-your-price download on Bandcamp with streaming services as well from today on.

Sam Rosenthal recalls: “Back when the band was only 12 years into our nearly-40-year career — in the summer of 1998 — we staged our only tour with vocalist Julianna Towns (vocals/guitar) joining Lisa Feuer (flute/backing vocals), and myself (electronics/vocals). This recently unearthed recording captures emotional and intense performances ranging from the searing “For you will burn your wings upon the sun” to the ethereal wave of “Given” & “Seireenien lumoama.

At the time of this concert, our 7th album As one aflame laid bare by desire was finished and had a release date scheduled 6 months later in January 1999. We performed three songs from the upcoming album and a selection of earlier tracks originally recorded by different vocalists; Julianna made them her own with sultry vocals and dramatic delivery. I fleshed out Blacktape’s male/female balance singing 4 ambientesque tracks.”

This live album features recordings from three shows captured on stereo Hi8 video:

• July 21, 1998, in Boston at The Middle East
• July 24, 1998, at Projektfest in New York City at Irving Plaza
• July 25, 1998, at Projektfest in Philadelphia at The Trocadero

The album is named after the Boston performance, where the full 13-song set was played. This show was presented by Laura Wilson of Bats in the Belfry on WMBR 88.1 FM. The concert video also includes some footage from a fourth show on July 29, 1998, in Norwalk, CT, at The Sound Cafe.

You can also download it from Bandcamp.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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25 years ago, Projekt Records released the Black Tape For A Blue Girl album “As one aflame laid bare by desire”. Today, supporters are helping to fund a remastered 2LP/CD/MD edition at Kickstarter. “As one aflame laid bare by desire” was the band’s 7th album, and it will now be reissued in a 140-gram color 2LP vinyl edition, on CD, and MiniDisc.

The album features the vocals of Julianna Towns, the voice of Oscar Herrera, violins from Vicki Richards, Lisa Feuer on flute, and of course songwriter and composer Sam Rosenthal.

You can watch the campaign page video with flashback footage from 1998 right below. Live and in the studio.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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American artist Mark Pistel (Meat Beat Manifesto, Consolidated) has joined San Francisco post-punk outfit Octavian Winters for the double single “Nebula / Velveteen (Mark Pistel Remix)”. Now his “Velveteen” remix also gets the video treatment thanks to filmmaker David Kruschke.

Mark Pistel is best known as founder of Consolidated and as a member of Meat Beat Manifesto since 1997. He has also worked with such artists as The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Grace Jones, Therapy?, MC 900 Foot Jesus, Machines of Loving Grace, Hector Zazou, Mark Stewart, Lee Scratch Perry, Cabaret Voltaire’s Stephen Mallinder and Fishbone’s Angelo Moore.

Formed in 2022, Octavian Winters is guitarist Stephan Salit (Thrill of The Pull), drummer Randy Gzebb (Thrill of The Pull, Love Club), bassist Jay Denton and Ria (Amenti) Aursjoen on vocals and keyboards.

Pistel explains, “Randy Gzebb called me about remixing one of the tracks off ‘The Line or the Curve’ EP. I was excited to do so, as we’d recorded some of these vocals at my Room 5 Studio in San Francisco. I chose to do ‘Velveteen’ as I already loved the track with its fantastic vocal melody and Stephan’s unstoppable guitar hook! I took on the track with pulsing analog synths and a slamming dance floor beat for the clubs.”

The A-side to this 2-track release, called “Nebula” began as an experiment: “I kept envisioning a sort of “last day at the end of the world” — what would the sky look like? Would we know and understand what was happening? There is this broadly Gnostic idea of the universe as unfolding and unfolding through what are called Aeons, essentially levels of manifestation, until we get this world we live in here. I imagined this world reaching the fullness of its life, that whole cycle ending — and then everything reversing, refolding back to the start to make way for the next universe,” says Ria Aursjoen.

This is not the first time Octavian Winters has worked with Pistel. Their debut EP “The Line or Curve” (released in late 2023) was mostly recorded at his Room 5 Recording before being mixed and mastered it at 13 Studio in Chicago, and co-produced by the band and William Faith (The Bellwether Syndicate, Faith & the Muse, Christian Death). Octavian Winters’ members have a rich history of collaborating and touring with notable artists, including Nine Inch Nails, Killing Joke, Lords of the New Church, Savage Republic, Christian Death, The Frozen Autumn, Everything Goes Cold and Black Tape for a Blue Girl.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Cinematic, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: This EP resulted from the collaborative efforts between German artist Tobias Lorsbach aka Logic Moon and Swedish musician Henrik Meierkord (who played in different projects like Black Tape for A Blue Girl).

Content: This album reveals a pronounced Cinematic music composition mixing Electronic arrangements and the Neo-Classic, melancholic cello played by Henrik Meierkord. The work is an invitation to dream away while now and then accentuated by rare and slow rhythms.

+ + + : From this work emerges prosperity; you feel relaxed and yet intrigued by the melancholic flavor of the cello play. “Fjärran Land” reveals a true symbiosis between cello and electronic sound treatments while the upcoming and last track “Skogsfolk” is darker and ultra-melancholic travel.

– – – : The work features 5 tracks and the best ones are right at the end so you’ve to be a little patient to experience the beauty and magic of the work.

Conclusion: A delicate and melancholic sonic voyage.

Best songs: “Fjärran Land”, “Skogsfolk”.

Rate: 7½.

Artists: www.logic-moon.de / www.facebook.com/logicmoonmusic / www.soundbread.se / www.facebook.com/henrik.meierkord

Label: www.facebook.com/fonodroom

About Logic Moon & Henrik Meierkord

Logic Moon is the solo project of German artist Tobias Lorsbach, working in cinematic and experimental electronic music. “Ewiger Wald” pairs Logic Moon with Swedish cellist Henrik Meierkord, known for his work with Black Tape for A Blue Girl, on a five-track EP released on the Fonodroom label in digital, CD and vinyl formats. The collaboration combines Lorsbach’s electronic arrangements with Meierkord’s neo-classical cello playing across the release.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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In May of 2023, Cherry Red Records asked Black Tape For A Blue Girl aka Sam Rosenthal to contribute “Within these walls” (from the band’s 1986 debut) to a 4CD Darkwave compilation, “No Songs Tomorrow”. Sam offered the original mix as well as a new one; they could pick which they preferred. Note that songwriter Sam Rosenthal went to the cassette Portastudio masters of the band’s 38-year-old debut, “The Rope”, to remix this version.

A single will be released on May 17, “Seven days till sunrise (2024 mix)” back by “the “Within these walls (2024 mix)”.

Sam says: “I was motivated to make the new mix because I wanted to dive into the original 1986 Fostex 4-track cassette Portastudio master tape to see what I could do with it. The original mixes of The Rope were very mushy and rushed. That’s an understatement! I mixed the whole 12-song album in two hours. That’s unheard of; I really had no idea what I was doing (laughs). Creating this mix for Cherry Red was an experiment towards creating a new mix of The Rope album for the 40th anniversary in 2026.”

And he continues by saying: “This mix is much more distinct than the original, you can hear the parts more clearly. Vocalist Oscar Herrera and I both think this version is an improvement, even if perhaps it loses some of the ‘charm’ of the poorly recorded & mixed 1986 version. The Cherry Red 4CD has a May 31 release date. As it’s a physical-only release, I thought it would be good to have the new one up at streaming sites. A 2-song single is always better than a 1-song single, and I knew which track I wanted to remix next. At Spotify, the most played track off The Rope is the instrumental ‘Seven days till sunrise.’ The 2024 mix was less of a struggle compared to ‘Walls.” It was a minimal recording with only three instruments: acoustic guitar, cello & clarinet, each on their own track. It turned out very pretty!”

Songwriter Sam Rosenthal went to the cassette Portastudio masters of the band’s 38-year-old debut, “The Rope”, to remix this version. Eye-openingly, 60% of BlackTape’s Spotify audience is under 34; the song is older than they are! Fans email that they love our introspective, melancholy music introduced to them via the algorithm. This 2024 mix is created in appreciation of Spotify and all our new fans!

Below is the original album both tracks are taken from.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out via Cop International on March 14 is “The Plague”, the brand new album by The Cassandra Complex. The album is their first since 2013 and while the streaming version of this album came out in 2022, it’s only now that the album will see a CD version, albeit in a fully remastered version. It will be supported by a world tour across 12 countries throughout 2024.

The band took a hiatus for several years while Orpheus worked creating some of the most widely used music technology today, as well as production work with other bands such as The Sisters of Mercy, Kraftwerk, Within Temptation, Sinead O’Connor, Die Krupps, and many others. During the COVID lockdown the band got together using online collaboration tech to create 10 brand new songs.

The Cassandra Complex revisits ‘Sex & Death’

Out the same day is “Death & Sex” celebrating the 40th anniversary of the moment Rodney Orpheus, Paul Dillon, and Andy Booth got together in a basement in Leeds, England with a collection of cheap second-hand guitar pedals, synthesisers, and drum machines to start recording material. In 1993 they released the legendary album “Sex & Death” and now the band re-recorded 7 tracks of this classic record from scratch (note the inverted album title).

This new version features the original founders of the band Rodney Orpheus and Andy Booth, with long time additional members Chris Haskett (Henry Rollins Band, David Bowie) on guitar and Mera Roberts (Faith and the Muse, Black Tape for a Blue Girl) on cello, plus new member Brent Heinze (Probe 7) on keyboards.

The Cassandra Complex – First Tour dates 2024

• UK – 14/03 Todmorden, The Golden Lion
• UK – 16/03 Gateshead, The Black Bull
• UK – 17/03 London, The Lower Third
• B – 21/03 Charleroi, La Ruche Verriere
• NL – 22/03 Amsterdam, Q-Factory
• NL – 24/03 Heerlen, Nieuwe Nor
• DK – 30/03 Copenhagen, Lygten
• CZ – 21/05 Prague, Palac Akropolis

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Sam Rosenthal and vidnaObmana (aka Dirk Serries) collaboration album “Terrace of Memories”, kickstarted earlier this year, will be released in a remastered version on January 12 2024. The album will be re-issued, as a download, as a limited edition CD (500 copies) and on vinyl (limited to 250 copies per color, either dark green in crystal clear or grey in dark green).

The CD comes as a 6-panel digipak with additional images. Note that the Bandcamp digital release will have five bonus unreleased source tracks.

1992’s “Terrace of Memories” was recorded when Sam Rosenthal (Black Tape For A Blue Girl’s founder/synthesist, then based in Los Angeles) and Dirk Serries (then recording under the moniker vidnaObmana in Belgium) blended their electronics. The whole was based on a text written by Sam concerning a lost love. This was the duo’s only collaboration.

The whole was remastered by Dirk Serries himself.

About this Sam Rosenthal and vidnaObmana album

Both Dirk and Sam talked about their recollections of this recording session.

Here’s Dirk’s recollection of the project: “Back in the days, pre-internet, we traded a lot of tapes by mail. Projects and collaborations took much longer to complete due to the longer waiting times, waiting for the postal system to do their work. When I started to correspond with Sam in the mid-80s, I was very into the albums by his Black Tape For A Blue Girl band. The eerie atmospheres and ambience surrounding the songs were really mesmerizing, and I could imagine a blend of Sam’s sound-structures with my ambience. I sent him sources on tape. But with every collaboration release back then, time moved by before something was completed, again due to the slower way of communicating. I appreciated Sam’s brilliant interaction and additional performances. ‘Terrace of Memories’ is a real Sam Rosenthal & vidnaObmana collaboration, and I truly wonder why we never did a follow-up. Enjoy.”

Sam Rosenthal from his side says this: “As far as I can recall, I began working on this collaboration with Vidna after the recording of ‘A Chaos of Desire’ in 1989. Dirk sent me cassette tapes of music, and I worked on my 8-track but got distracted by other projects. The project was pushed to the back-burner, and the album wasn’t finished and mixed until 1992. Quite honestly, I only have the vaguest memory of working on it in my The Lush Garden studio in Los Angeles. I remember that even a few weeks after I finished a piece, it was hard for me to tell which parts I played and which parts were Dirk’s. Aside from the low cello sound on my eMax, and the very slight vocals on the one track, who played what is a blur. That’s cool. It’s a great ambient blend.”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Sam Rosenthal from Black Tape For A Blue Girl has launched a Kickstarter to create a remastered edition of “Terrace of Memories,” his 1992 collaboration with Dirk Serries (aka VidnaObmana). The $8000 that is being collected will all go toward manufacturing the three physical formats of the reissue of “Terrace of Memories”: a 140-gram color vinyl (in 2 color options), a CD, and… a MiniDisc.

You can support this project on Kickstarter by backing it right here.

Sam Rosenthal (Black Tape For A Blue Girl’s founder/synthesist based in Los Angeles) and Dirk Serries (then recording under the moniker VidnaObmana in Belgium) created the album the old-fashioned way: by sending tapes across the world in the mail.

Here’s Dirk’s recollection of the project: “Back in the days, pre-internet, we traded a lot of tapes by mail. Projects and collaborations took much longer to complete due to the longer waiting times, waiting for the postal system to do their work. When I started to correspond with Sam in the mid-80s, I was very into the albums by his Black Tape For A Blue Girl band. The eerie atmospheres and ambience surrounding the songs were really mesmerizing, and I could imagine a blend of Sam’s sound-structures with my ambience. I sent him sources on tape. But with every collaboration release back then, time moved by before something was completed, again due to the slower way of communicating. I appreciated Sam’s brilliant interaction and additional performances. ‘Terrace of Memories’ is a real Sam Rosenthal & vidnaObmana collaboration, and I truly wonder why we never did a follow-up. Enjoy.”

Sam Rosenthal from his side says this: “As far as I can recall, I began working on this collaboration with Vidna after the recording of ‘A Chaos of Desire’ in 1989. Dirk sent me cassette tapes of music, and I worked on my 8-track but got distracted by other projects. The project was pushed to the back-burner, and the album wasn’t finished and mixed until 1992. Quite honestly, I only have the vaguest memory of working on it in my The Lush Garden studio in Los Angeles. I remember that even a few weeks after I finished a piece, it was hard for me to tell which parts I played and which parts were Dirk’s. Aside from the low cello sound on my eMax, and the very slight vocals on the one track, who played what is a blur. That’s cool. It’s a great ambient blend.”

This is Rosenthal’s 17th Kickstarter, and he explains that this is how he funds his releases in the modern version of the music industry. Sam says: “Crowdfunding is a wonderful connection I make with people who love my art. I enjoy chatting and hearing your experiences with the music. So often, I’m told my albums were there for you at a tough time in life. A breakup, a death, a personal crisis; it’s rewarding to know the sounds I created for my own emotional reasons were helpful when you needed them.”

For more details, visit this Kickstarter page.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out via Projekt Records later in August (28th) is the reissue of the 1987 album “Mesmerized by the Sirens” by Black Tape For A Blue Girl. The reissue comes in a ‘2023 Stereo Mix’ version 2CD (in a thick 6-panel double digipak) set limited to 500 copies. This was the band’s second release.

This new release not only features a new mix of this 1987 album, but also contains no less than 10 previously unreleased bonus-tracks on the second CD.

“After 36 years, ‘Mesmerized’ finally matches the way it has always played in my head,” Sam reflects. “I remixed the album from scratch. It’s rich, detailed and distinct. Everything is more present, and the lovely vocals engulf you in their power and beauty.”

Recorded in the Summer of 1987, its line-up included Sam Rosenthal and vocalist Oscar Herrera who were joined by British vocalist Sue-Kenny.

The following tracks are featured on the second disc.

1. The Magnet & The Metal
2. A Teardrop left behind [pt 1, vocal take 1]
3. The Sawdust Scatter [demo]
4. Seireenien Piano [rehearsal room]
5. Seireenien Lumoama [pt 3, extended mix]
6. Jamais pars [1986 early mix]
7. A Teardrop left Behind [1986 early mix]
8. The Sawdust Scatter [1986 early mix]
9. Hairline Sunlight [1986 early mix]
10. Our Flesh as One [1986 early mix]

The vinyl version comes in a limited edition of 300 copies on oxblood and orange 140g vinyl. Both vinyl editions contain the 10 main album tracks in the new 2023 Stereo Mix.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Mandi Martini) Formed in New York City by Athan Maroulis, formerly of Spahn Ranch and Black Tape For A Blue Girl, NØIR launched its debut album “Darkly Near” followed by a remix album the following year, plus four subsequent EPs that have included at least one cover of a classic glam/new wave/goth rock song from the 1970s or 80s. All have been released on Metropolis Records.

Together with regular collaborators that include Erik Gustafson (guitars) and Kai Irina Hahn (keyboards), Maroulis began working on what would eventually become the brand new “Fallen” EP in late 2019, but the pandemic forced a lengthy delay in its recording. Then, as the Covid crisis lifted, the death of Metropolis Records founder and mastermind Dave Heckman further impeded its progress.

Eventually, the song “Fallen” was completed and remixed by Greek duo Paradox Obscur and the US artist Silver Walks, with the former making a black and white video for their version that is premiered today. The EP also includes “Fallen (Femme Mix)”, with vocals by Kai Irina Hahn, plus a new song entitled “Death Is Easy”. Also included is a cello-laced version of “Love My Way” by The Psychedelic Furs.

The EP itself is dedicated to Dave Heckman.

Here’s the video for “Fallen (Paradox Obscur Remix)”. Read the review of ‘Fallen’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out on February 18 2022 is the vinyl version of Black Tape For A Blue Girl’s most recent album “The Cleft Serpent”. The vinyl comes in a special limited edition on 140gr galaxy-swirl colored vinyl. The release comes with a special full colour 4-page lyrics-insert and is limited to 500 copies.

This is the 13th from Black Tape For A Blue Girl, and the first for vocalist Jon DeRosa and cellist Henrik Meierkord, joining the electronics of songwriter Sam Rosenthal, founder and mastermind behind Projekt Records.

Next is “Ashes in the brittle Air”, which comes in a second pressing on special color-in-color (crystal clear/gold) vinyl, strictly limited to 300 copies. The first edition (on transparent vinyl) is almost sold out. Unlike the 2020 2CD re-release, this vinyl contains the original master from 1989.

“Ashes in the Brittle Air” was Black Tape For A Blue Girl’s third album.

Here are the visuals.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Projekt Records is gearing up to release a name-your-price single from the Brooklyn, New York based goth/darkwave act Abbey Death on July 27 via Bandcamp. The single will be called “Death is for the Living” and will feature Addam Robert Paul.

Valerie Abbey explains the title: “It’s been a year of deaths and close calls. However, only the survivors hear about it. I heard a friend say ‘Death is for the Living’ in regards to the news reporting lots of deaths as a way to grab our attention. It all grew so frustrating! To balance this, I started writing this brooding-abrasive yet chilly romanticized track to give a traditional dark intensity back to the meaning of death in a remote, stylistic statement.”

Abbey Death has been active since 2014 and consists of husband-and-wife duo Valerie Abbey (Valerie Gentile) and Abbey Nex. In the project they used their past experiences in Combichrist, The Cruxshadows, Psyclon Nine, Angelspit, Genitorturers, and Black Tape For A Blue Girl. The debut EP “Realignment” was released in 2016. After that they collaborated with Sevin VII (Columbine) on the 2016 single “The Veil”, released their sophomore EP “Ethos” in 2018, and covered Phil Collins’ “Land of Confusion” in 2020.

The new single features guest vocalist Addam Robert Paul of ritual industrial band TheDestructPrinciple.

Check out the band’s other singles.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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“Eating Rose Petals” marks the first collaboration between Sam Rosenthal (aka Black Tape for a Blue Girl) and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Jon DeRosa (aka Aarktica).

This 38-minute release (spread over 3 tracks) is their first musical collaboration but Sam and Jon go way back, nearly 30 years ago, when Jon’s earliest musical projects — the dark folk-oriented Fade and Dead Leaves Rising — opened for artists on Sam’s Projekt label making their first East Coast appearances.

You can check out the release below which is available as a name-your-price download via Bandcamp.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Athan Maroulis will be always linked to Spahn Ranch and Black Tape For A Blue Girl, but the past few years he got involved with NØIR. Sound-wise this project is less comparable with his previous bands. It rather sounds as the juxtaposition of different influences, but in the end it has something intimate and subtle. The newest EP “A Pleasure” features the input of programmer / producer Erik Gustafson, keyboardist / vocalist Kai Irina Hahn, keyboardist / vocalist Demetra Songs and cello player Tracey Moth.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Athan, you’ve been involved with many different bands and projects since the mid-’80s, so what does NØIR mean to you? And how much of the ‘young’ Athan Maroulis do you recognize in the experienced artist you’re today?

Athan: After an early period of transition, NØIR eventually came to represent something rather liberating. NØIR affords me the ability to drive the direction and style of the material while also remaining a collaborative forum where I can work with people I admire.

I remain somewhat similar to my younger self, I still enjoy the process of writing lyrics and performing, while also maintaining the determination of my youth, sans the anger. I would like to speak to my younger self and give him some good advice about life and music. Looking back, I have learned far more from my failures than I have from my successes.

Q: I got the impression NØIR originally started as a solo-project with the contribution of some guests while it later finally evolved towards a real band. What is it all about and tell us a bit more about the input and impact of the other members? Who’s doing what? And what about the song you did together with Jean-Marc Lederman?

Athan: Originally, NØIR had certain aspects of a solo-project, that was long ago, these days it feels like a real evolving band. Although I planned it as a short-lived project back in ’12, I brought in Kai and Demetra in 2013 as live members, both have been in the band ever since. Later, Erik Gustafson, who had played some guitar on the “Darkly Near”-album, became a full-time collaborator on “The Burning Bridge”-EP in 2016.

As a whole, electronic dark music is rather one-dimensional, I find that different contributors help add new color to the sound. Jean-Marc Lederman is a great example of that, he and I tried working on a project a few years ago, ultimately what came of it was the “Luxury”-demo. Erik completely reworked the song and added guitar, Kai did some backing vocals and Tracey Moth brought her cello to the party. Although juggling contributors from Austin, Brussels, Brooklyn, Boston and NYC was a challenge, I am really pleased by the results.

Q: What are you trying to achieve –eventually exorcize, with NØIR generally speaking and more specifically with the new EP “A Pleasure”?

Athan: For better or worse, I am always exorcising ghosts from the past. After Spahn Ranch broke up, I stopped making music for 10 long years. Afterwards, I joined Black Tape For A Blue Girl for a few years before starting NØIR, which is likely my last planned ensemble (although one never knows?) I’ve dabbled in a number of genres over the years and I believe NØIR is my opportunity to bring them all together under one banner.

At this stage of my career, each release becomes very personal. “A Pleasure” took a few years to assemble, as much as I enjoy the creative process, I have less patience for coordinating what is necessary to bring a release to completion. The title, “A Pleasure”, is partly sarcastic while also acknowledging my fetish for simple pleasures even amidst such turbulent times, the lyrics on the pair of new songs reflect that. The word ‘pleasure’ itself, was on my mind quite a bit during the process, then thrown into a conceptual stew that only exists in my mind. The title is also a nod to Roxy Music’s album “For Your Pleasure, while “A Pleasure to Burn” is a line from Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451”, the cover image features Julie Christie the star of the 1966 film.

“Luxury” is a song about serving the needs of bloated urban excess in New York City. I added the Fad Gadget cover because it fit the central concept of upheaval and raw pleasure. Ultimately, I achieved what I set out to do, which was to make a mini concept album. I was also surprised to find out that “A Pleasure” is already by far the best-selling NØIR release to date.

Q: It’s not an easy thing defining the ‘sound’ of NØIR, which in my opinion sounds like the juxtaposition of multiple influences and elements. Where does this ‘sound’ comes from and what are your references and criteria to create this ‘sound’?

Athan: Other than playing violin briefly as a child, I’ve never played an instrument, nor can I read music or understand keys. Although I can write, arrange, choose sounds and edit, my collaborators have been pivotal to my success and sound. I have many influences from the 1930s through the 1980s, although I believe the sound of NØIR is an amalgamation of each band I have ever been in. As for defining the sound, somebody once called NØIR ‘dark sophisticated pop’, perhaps that is right or perhaps that is foolish? For me NØIR is defined as a place where I can absurdly merge the imagery of old film stars with pulp novels while masquerading as a 1930s crooner in a contemporary electronic backdrop. It’s pure absurdist fun.

Q: NØIR appears to like recording cover versions. What does that mean to you and how do you manage making a cover version like the one from Fad Gadget released on the new EP?

Athan: NØIR cut “Back To Nature” for a compilation called “Under What Flag: A Tribute To Fad Gadget”. Naturally, other bands have covered the song in the past, it remains one of Frank Tovey’s best songs and that is why I did it. Aside from my admiration of Fad Gadget, it was a chance to experiment with a more aggressive approach to a NØIR song. I believe Erik Gustafson did a fine job producing the track, so much so that I decided to add it to “A Pleasure” because so few people heard the aforementioned tribute album and I wanted to recycle it.

I enjoy doing cover songs, I couldn’t give a damn if it is not en vogue these days. Keep in mind, nearly all music from the 1920s through the mid-’60s was dominated by cover songs or interpretive material, the artist brought their own approach, phrasing and style to the song and I still believe there’s room for that in 2020. NØIR has also taken part in tribute albums for Depeche Mode and Cabaret Voltaire, at some point I might collect all the cover versions by NØIR and release them as a full-length album.

Q: From a marketing/commercial perspective, I find NØIR to be a complicated band. Your debut album “Darkly Near” was released seven years ago, so why does it take so long to release a new studio album? Do you think there can be an impact releasing new studio albums at an irregular basis?  What comes next?

Athan: Spahn Ranch made five albums and four EPs in 7 ½ years, while also maintaining an exhaustive touring schedule. I really don’t know how I did it back then? These days, I am simply not a very prolific writer, so each release has purpose. The streaming era has prompted a number of bands to release singles or EPs, a shorter format for times of shorter attention spans and this has influenced me and suits me very well. I still like the idea of doing albums, it is simply that the game has changed, I believe artists can treat each release as individual complete works, regardless of length.

While NØIR has six individual releases on Metropolis Records, only “Darkly Near” is an actual album, I’d rather not wait for an album of material and instead have released EPs and such. I am ultimately planning to do at least one or two more albums with NØIR, yet I am not in a rush. I don’t feel as if I have anything left to prove, that, in and of itself is liberating. As for releasing albums at an irregular basis, I think there are other ways to keep the audience engaged such as compilation appearances, videos, performing, social media and so on. Again, the game has changed and there are no rules.

As for what comes next? NØIR was slated to perform at a few upcoming festivals, then the Corona virus naturally changed everything. Like everyone else, we wait and hope for the best for the entire world. Once the world begins to turn again, NØIR does have a new song on the upcoming “Electronic Saviors”-compilation ironically entitled “Death Is Easy,” and we are planning a new video for the song “Luxury” from “A Pleasure”.

Additionally, I wrote the liner notes on a Leæther Strip boxed set that will be released sometime this year and I am working on recordings with the New Zealand-based project Acclimate. Lastly, a toast to one and all, to the rapture of being alive! My sincerest thanks for supporting my releases over the years.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Athan Maroulis will be always linked to Spahn Ranch and Black Tape For A Blue Girl, but the past few years he got involved with a new project called Noir. The album “Darkly Near” (2013) was a cool introduction to the dark-romantic pop style of the project. A few more EP’s were released while “A Pleasure” (released by the end of 2019) is the newest production. Athan Maroulis got some help from programmer/producer Erik Gustafson (Adoration Destroyed, Grendel), keyboardist/vocalist Kai Irina Hahn (The Sedona Effect), keyboardist/vocalist Demetra Songs and cello player Tracey Moth (Antidote For Annie).

Content: The title song (cf. “A Pleasure To Burn”) is a dark, bombastic outburst with a carrying chorus and featuring the charismatic vocals of Athan Maroulis. The song was remixed by Fires and Seeming.

We next get another new song (cf. “Luxury”), which has been written by Athan Maroulis, Erik Gustafson and Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen ao). This song is more evasive. The last song of the EP is a “Reprise” of “Luxury”, which rather sounds as a short outro. Last, but not least you also will discover a cover version of the famous Fad Gadget song “Back To Nature”.

+ + + : Athan Maroulis remains a brilliant, charismatic singer. His unique timbre of voice injects a true spirit into the music. And the music of the title song is quite interesting for the mixing of bombast and refinement. Among the remixes I especially recommend the up-tempo edit by Fires. Covering “Back To Nature” is not that original, but the way the song has been adapted into the bombastic ‘style-noir’ is absolutely remarkable.

– – – : I didn’t experience “A Pleasure” as an absolute ‘hit’, but Noir isn’t exactly the kind of band achieving poppy-hits!

Conclusion: We can’t speak about a come-back, but “A Pleasure” is a good way to put Noir back on the map!

Best songs: “A Pleasure To Burn”, “A Pleasure To Burn – Fires Remix”, “Back To Nature – Radio Edit”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/NOIRmetropolis

Label: www.metropolis–records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Black Tape for a Blue Girl releases their first music video in 6 years with “In my memories” taken from the album “To touch the milky way”. Conceived, shot and edited by bandleader Sam Rosenthal over the course of two year, the video is starring Dan Von Hoyel (vocalist/songwriter from the bands Harmjoy and Titans) and fellow adult industry performer Mercy West. The song is what Sam calls “a rumination on the passing of time, nostalgia, regret and loss.”

Below is the video.

We also talked with Sam Rosenthal about how the song and video came to birth.

SL: There was a lot of splashing and diving underwater at a rubber fetish pool party I understood?

S: Yes, the piece began when I shot a half-minute phone-video of Mercy splashing and diving underwater at a rubber fetish pool party. A few months later, a piano part I played in the studio felt to me like it was about ‘memories’ — those seconds of Mercy in the pool inspired the direction of the music and then the lyrics I wrote. It’s a character’s first person narrative thinking back to the summer he was 23 and enjoying a nothing-special — and yet everything-so-special — afternoon with his lover. It moves me seeing Dan’s raw emotions that he brought to his performance. How often do you see men cry in tv or film? In our culture, men are considered weak when they show feelings other than anger. It’s still not common for them to tear up and display their loss or sorrow. I like that we captured that; it gets to the core of the song.

SL: Your son also delivered some input I was told?

S: In the second half of the song, I brought in an idea my son and I discussed at the time: if there could be a way for people to re-experience an earlier time of their lives and relive those pleasurable moments, would they ever want to come out of it and get back to reality? Or would everyone be in their chair with a helmet on (and drugs in their veins), reliving their first love, that afternoon by the pool, and that weekend at the cabin?

SL: How did the lyrics come around?

S: The music/lyrics came together quickly in November 2017; I imagined Oscar would sing the song (he sang on the previous Black Tape For A Blue Girl album). One of my son’s friends, Ari, looked a lot like how I remembered Oscar from back in the 80s. Ari was in town for the holidays; I shot footage of him in the backyard to use as flashback scenes interspersed with Mercy in the pool — all in preparation to shoot the rest of the video when Oscar came to Portland to record the album. As time passed, Michael Plaster became the vocalist on To touch the milky way. Now I had a dilemma: I had scenes with Ari as the young version of the character, but Michael didn’t look like Ari, and he didn’t want to be on camera, anyway. I wondered who I could work with to finish the clip. Procrastination set in. The album was released in November of 2018. The piece remained unfinished.

SL: You met Dan Von Hoyel (vocalist/songwriter from the bands Harmjoy and Titans) at a Kink.com event?

S: Correct, Mercy already knew Dan as they’re both adult industry performers. Around the time the Milky Way album was released, it occurred to me that Dan would be a good choice to play the grown-up version of the character in the song. Christmas Eve 2018, Dan was in Portland; I shot his scenes with Mercy. Dan was going through some stuff at the moment which inspired his interpretation of his character’s sadness and pain. The song is about the loss and longing we feel for our past. Dan brought that!

It moves me seeing Dan’s raw emotions in his performance. How often do you see men cry in tv or film? In our culture, men are considered weak when they show feelings other than anger. It’s still not common for them to tear up and display their heartache or sorrow. I like that we captured that; it gets to the core of the song.

SL: This meant you had to rework the video no?

S: Exactly! I edited the new scenes with Dan & Mercy, then procrastination set in again. I knew there were pick-up shots of Mercy I wanted to add, but my work at Projekt, adopting a new kitty, an instrumental collaboration, and a few Kickstarters took me away from the video. A couple of weeks ago I was scrolling down my Instagram and saw an image I shot of Mercy in the dress from the video. I realized it was creeping up on 2 years since I started — I had to get the piece done! Last week we shot the missing graveyard scenes. I finished the edit, and now — two years later — the video is out!

You’ll notice a result of my procrastination: Mercy has three different hairstyles / hair colors. I think that actually helps the idea of time passing and memory. I like the moods, the nostalgia, the moments of feeling on the character’s faces. I like what this story is telling me.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The New York City-based dark electronic act NØIR will be releasing a 6-song EP entitled “A Pleasure”. It will be the band’s first new material since 2017. NØIR consists of vocalist Athan Maroulis (Spahn Ranch, Black Tape for a Blue Girl) and features programmer/producer Erik Gustafson (Adoration Destroyed, Grendel), keyboardist/vocalist Kai Irina Hahn (The Sedona Effect) and keyboardist/vocalist Demetra Songs.

“A Pleasure” includes the lead song “A Pleasure to Burn” with remixes by Fires as well as the band Seeming along with a new song entitled “Luxury”, co-written by Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen) and features cellist Tracey Moth (Antidote for Annie).

Dedicated to famed English actress Julie Christie, this release also features a cover of Fad Gadget’s “Back To Nature”. “A Pleasure” will be released digitally by Metropolis Records on November 15th and will be supported by a string of select NØIR live dates.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Sam Rosenthal of Projekt Records / Black Tape for a Blue Girl has announced a Kickstarter Campaign to fund the 30th Anniversary edition of 1989’s “Ashes in the brittle air”. The release will come as an expanded and remastered set along with 21 bonus tracks, all delivered on a deluxe 2CD/LP set.

“Ashes in the Brittle Air” was the third album by the gothic darkwave band Black Tape for a Blue Girl. It was released in 1989 by Projekt Records and contains one of their best known songs, “Across a Thousand Blades” sung by Oscar Herrera.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Gothic, cold-wave, dark-pop, minimal-electro, dream-pop.

Background/Info: “Dark Nouveau” features a fine selection of twenty four bands from all over the world and dealing with ‘dark’ music. The compilation has been realized by Athan Maroulis (Spahn Ranch, Black Tape For A Blue Girl, NOIR ao). “Dark Nouveau” stands for the contemporary exposure of ‘dark’ music.

Artists: NOIR, FTR, Paradox Obscur, She Past Away, Ash Code, Hante, Dark Door, Antipole, Shadow Age, Balvanera, Skeleton Hands, Dancing Plague, Push/Button/Press, Night Fail, Canter, Decedent vs. Slighter, Seeming, The Harrow, Dead Leaf Echo, Twin Tribes, Weird Candle, The Shyness Of Strangers, Iamtheshadow, Inopera.

Content: Twenty four bands is an impressive tracklist to celebrate the newest formats of ‘dark’ music. The featured bands are covering an impressive canvas, which is moving from gothic and cold-wave to dark-pop and wave-pop. Somewhere in between you also will discover bands dealing with dream-pop, minimal electronics, but also a few artists clearly inspired by the cold-wave icons such as Joy Division, Cocteau Twins, The Cure ao.

+ + + : Athan Maroulis did a great job on this compilation. He brought a nice selection of artists together, but there’s an impressive list of great songs. From the Turkish goth sensation She Past Away to the phenomenal minimal-electro from Greek Paradox Obscur to the dark-pop from Argentina project Balvanera to the sexy French dark-wave revelation FTR to the raw electronics from Canadian duo Weird Candle to the Portuguese hybrid between Skeletal Family and Joy Division called Iamtheshadow, this compilation has a lot to offer. It also is an opportunity to discover less familiar bands and who knows, maybe further Metropolis artists. 

– – – : I don’t have a real minus point about this compilation, which is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best I’ve heard this year. It’s just a pity this  work is not available as a physical format.

Conclusion:  Most of the compilations today are a kind of shop window for the labels, but luckily there are still a few compilations bringing something new! That’s why “Dark Nouveau” is a must have!

Best bands: Paradox Obscur, FTR, She Past away, Balvanera, Weird Candle, Iamtheshadow, NOIR, Dancing Plague.

Rate: (8½).

Label: www.metropolis–records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

(Photo credit Radiant Inc) Curse Mackey (Evil Mothers, Pigface, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult), along with Rona Rougeheart of SINE, at the request of David J filled in for Peter Murphy who was unable to perform due to illness. A statement from Peter Murphy was issued on his website. Mackey was in attendance initially to appear as a guest vocalist for SINE when he was approached by David J side stage during the SINE set.

Rougeheart (who as SINE was the sole opener for Peter Murphy’s rescheduled, final date of a monumental 5-month, ninety-four date world tour) and Mackey joined David J along with Peter Murphy guitarist Mark Thwaite and drummer Marc Slutsky in what David J described to a near capacity audience as an “Improvised, mash-up, deconstructed Bauhaus in dub” set.

A video of Mackey singing the Bauhaus hit song “In The Flat Field” with the ensemble can be seen below.

Mackey will be releasing his debut solo album “Instant Exorcism” May 10th on Negative Gain. On “Instant Exorcism” Mackey fuses post-punk atmospherics with dark electronics and industrial dance beats.

Mackey: “This record for me is like a personal exorcism. The songs had to get out of my system. Working from a solo project perspective presented an opportunity for me to write with a clean slate, to broaden the brush strokes and create something that represents where I am at today. Influenced by the past and all the experiences of my life to this point but not constrained or obligated to it.”

Instant Exorcism was produced by Curse Mackey and Chase Dobson (Tycho, Black Tape for a Blue Girl) with additional recording sessions with Charles Godfrey who engineered the last two Yeah Yeah Yeahs records and has worked with …Trail of Dead and Explosions in the Sky. The album was mastered by Stephen Seibold who has worked extensively with Mackey as members of Pigface.

Check out the first 2 singles below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Black Tape For A Blue Girl, the project by Sam Rosenthal, is in the middle of the Kickstarter for what will become the 12th Black Tape For A Blue Girl album, “To touch the milky way”. You can find all about it right here.

The 7 tracks on the album span styles “ranging from ethereal darkwave to dream-pop to austere textural ambient passages accompanied by wonderful vocals from Danielle and Michael” says Sam Rosenthal.

BlackTape is an American darkwave/goth/ambient band that Sam Rosenthal started in 1986. They’ve released 11 studio albums over the last 32 years with the 2016 album “These fleeting moments” being their most recent one. You can still order this last album on vinyl and CD from this fine mailorder.

Warmly recommended.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-wave, cinematographic, dream-wave.

Background/Info: I realized that this year Black Tape For A Blue Girl celebrates its 30^th anniversary. The American formation set and driven by Projekt owner Sam Rosenthal can look back at an impressive discography. We had to wait 3 years for this new work featuring 13 songs and mainly characterized by the ‘return’ of their former singer Oscar Herrera (after an absence of 17 years). The album also features a few guest artists like Brian Viglione (The Dresden Dolls).

Content: This band has always composed a unique sound accomplished by a deeply artistic approach. It’s nearly impossible to define the genre of Black Tape For A Blue Girl and it’s not that different with the new work. “These Fleeting Moments” takes the listener by the hand to travel throughout a beautiful sonic universe made of ambient passages and cinematographic impressions. It’s a kind of dark reverie, was composed by acoustic instruments and electronics. It sometimes moves into a ballad and quickly sounds sad and melancholic again.

Some tracks are driven by mysterious and somewhat Eastern-like atmospheres, like awakening the listener’s imagination. I also noticed somewhat psychedelic-like guitar parts and a few beautiful instrumental passages.

The vocals inject a real charisma to the work while female backing vocals by Dani Herrera creates a delicious ethereal effect and a perfect symbiosis with the male vocals.

+ + + : This album is an invitation to dream away and feels like a sweet caress filled with melancholia. It truly sounds like an artistic creation where electronics and authentic instruments create a delicious and enjoyable harmony. Some cinematographic passages have this magical power to awake your deepest hidden fantasies and I here especially would like to recommend “Please Don’t Go”. I also have to mention the opening cut, which is into pure magic and the more mysterious “Meditation On The Skeleton”, which is an appropriated title to describe your inner feelings when listening to this work.

– – – : Speaking for myself I would have liked to hear more ethereal passages and especially female heavenly voices, which is totally appropriated to this kind of music.

Conclusion: Black Tape For A Blue Girl is an invitation to a dream featuring images and stories created by your own mind. It’s an intimate experience in sound and once more a beautiful album accomplished by this legendary formation.

Best songs: “Please Don’t Go”, “The Vastness Of Life”, “Meditation On The Skeleton”, “Desert Rat-Kangoroo”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: http://blacktapeforabluegirl.com /  www.facebook.com/Blacktapeforabluegirl

Label: www.projekt.com / www.facebook.com/SamProjekt?ref=profile

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Out in early January – but available right here – is a double vinyl (on 150 gram green-swirled color vinyl) of Black Tape For A Blue Girl’s “This Fleeting Moments”. The vinyl set comes with a 12-page booklet (7″ x 5″ landscape-shaped), a thick jacket stock in matte varnish. The release comes on the band’s 30th anniversary.

You can order this limited edition vinyl set right now, right here.

Good to know, the original vocalist Oscar Herrera has rejoined the band to sing on 7 songs. Herrera returns after a 17-year absence to join the band for their 11th studio release. Accompanying Oscar is his daughter Dani, who was not even a year old when the band recorded their 1986 debut, “The Rope”.

A must have release!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out later this week is “Bike Shop”, a brand new Black Tape For A Blue Girl release which comes in a limited edition vinyl release of strictly 500 copies, of which most were pre-sold already. You can still order your copy right here though, but be VERY fast.  The 150 gram custom colour vinyl (yellowish with black swirl) offers moody darkwave with vocals by Michael Plaster of Soul Whirling Somewhere and drums from The Dresden Doll’s Brian Viglione.

Only one of the 4 tracks on “Bike Shop” appears on the band’s new album “These Fleeting Moments”, in other words, this is a very exclusive release which you can order now right here featuring the non-album tracks “The Cabin”, “Vega” and “She’s gone”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com