Various Artists / Strange Passion
Album: Strange Passion   Collection:General
Artist:Various Artists   Added:Jul 2012
Label:Finders Keepers  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2013-01-12 Pull Date: 2013-03-17
Week Ending: Mar 17 Mar 10 Mar 3 Feb 24 Feb 10 Feb 3 Jan 27 Jan 20
Airplays: 1 1 2 2 1 2 7 2

Recent Airplay
1. Feb 22, 2022: Virtually Happy-2/22/22 2pm
Twenty Tens
4. Mar 13, 2013: Minding The Gap
Last Days
2. Nov 24, 2014: In The Year One Thousand, Eight Thousand
High Cost Of Living
5. Mar 07, 2013: The Sunset Life
Fire From Above
3. Mar 17, 2013: Gangrene Horace & The Fun-Time Crew
Discoland
6. Mar 02, 2013: alles 2.0
Play Safe

Album Review
Grumpy Sean
Reviewed 2013-01-07
Fantastic compilation of Irish post-punk and art-damaged pop circa 1980-82 assembled by the veteran crate-diggers at Finders Keepers. Lots of sparse bass sounds, angular riffs, and oddly-deployed phaser pedals. Reminiscent of many things you've likely heard (or should have heard) before, but still some surprises that make it a worthy addition to your show. No FCCs, though #10 talks about drugs ("Avenue D / if you want to OD").

RIYL: Au Pairs, Gang of Four, Public Image Limited, Big Flame, "Pillows and Prayers," breathing.

1. * Dogmatic Element - "Just Friends" (3:08) - med(+), female vox, reminiscent of Au Pairs
2. The Threat - "High Cost Of Living" (4:20) - med+, minimalist grinder, nasal/whiny male vox (very Lydon-esque), builds to cold end
3. * Chant! Chant! Chant! - "Play Safe" (5:12) - med+, ominous minor chord driver with a great bridge; male vox buried in the mix and guitars almost jangle
4. Virgin Prunes - "Twenty Tens" (2:29) - med+ / varies, more dark bass lines propelling disjointed guitars and male vox; would fit well on the "non-pop" half of C86
5. * Operating Theatre - "Austrian" (3:32) - med, synth-driven, female vox that go from Siouxsie shrieks to Charlie Brown chorals, male spoken rant, closer to a Robert Rental/Thomas Leer angle; false end on female vox fade, then cold end
6. Stano - "Town" (4:09) - med(+), PiL/Go4 pseudo-funk that moves to a piano dirge at the end
7. The Peridots - "No Water" (3:48) - med, dark synth driven, male vox
8. * Choice - "Always In Danger" (3:58) - med(+), classic high clear female vox (somewhere between Tracey Thorn and Allison Statton) over synths and male choral accompaniment
9. * PH - "Last Days" (4:57) - med, almost-goth male crooning (Associates? Peter Murphy?) buried under the synth and drum box.
10. Major Thinkers - "Avenue B" (3:31) - med+, very Devo-ish, singing about NYC's Alphabet City, cold end
11. SM Corporation - "Accentuate" (1:05) - med+, short synth instrumental interlude / palate cleanser
12. * SM Corporation - "Fire From Above" (3:47) - med, shiny (for early 80s) synth-pop with female vox; with a better producer, this would have crushed "99 Luftballoons"
13. Tripper Humane - "Discoland" (5:57) - med(+), male vox with synth parts and a drum box that accelerate and slow trying to get back in sync (clearly no central clock controlling the beats); ambitious but flawed.
14. Operating Theatre - "Eighties Rampwalk" (4:03) - dn(+), instrumental chill-out that could have been movie soundtrack material.

Track Listing
 ArtistTrack Name
1. Dogmatic Element Just Friends
2. Threat High Cost Of Living
3. Chant! Chant! Chant! Play Safe
4. Virgin Prunes Twenty Tens
5. Operating Theatre Austrian
6. Stano Town
7. Peridots No Water
8. Choice Always In Danger
9. Ph Last Days
10. Major Thinkers Avenue B
11. Sm Corporation Accentuate
12. Sm Corporation Fire From Above
13. Tripper Humane Discoland
14. Operating Theatre Eighties Rampwalk