
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Transmission Wave-West
Music • CDCold Wave • Electro Rock • New wave • Post Punk
[78/100]

Infrastition
10/12/2016, Didier BECU
The list of French alternative bands is endless. And which label is better than Infrastition to check this out? This French label already released many compilations. Transmission Wave-West is the latest in the series and is concentrated on the French underground from Brittany, from 1980 to 1991.
The sole thing these bands have in common (except the place they come from) is that they all make some sort of wave, but in a very wide range.
The disc starts with Brume. Un Visage Sans Vie (what a name!). Think of The Sisters Of Mercy and you're already half way: a perfect blend of post-punk and traditional goth rock.
Bunter Guillaume has a typical French cold wave sound, the cabaret sound of Clair Obscur surely was an influence. Not very easy to digest, but nonetheless great.
The obscure (you mostly will find obscure bands here) Cet Hyvers makes synthetic post-punk. Perhaps you're familiar with the minimal sounds of Complot Bronswick. A Chaque Instant is taken from the album A Kind Of Blue, that was released in 1990 and features Peter Principle of Tuxedomoon on guitar. And believe it or not, it even sounds a bit like Tuxedomoon.
If you're familiar with the releases on Crammed Discs, then you probably know the raw rock music that Dominic Sonic makes. When My Tears Run Cold is taken from his 1989 debut album that sold over 40,000 copies.
End Of Data is included a well. Dans Votre Monde is typical French electro wave with a touch of Etienne Daho.
Everybody has the right to have a favorite and mine surely is Evening Legions. No, I never heard of this band before, but the wave sound that is reminiscent of Modern English, works quite well.
Frakture is like Frakture always is: post-punk with the accent on punk. And that goes for Franz Kultur Et Les Kramés, while Les Nus actually sound like the name suggests: funny.
Marc Seberg is (despite the name) a band with members who once were in the French 70's rock band Marquis De Sade, which is included with one of the later songs as well: Final Fog (Brouillard Définitif) from 1980.
Senso reminds us a bit of the touching pop that Taxi Girl was known for.
The most weird track surely is Get No B Side For Mr Hyde DJ by Ubik.
This interesting album ends with some obscure minimal wave by Warsaw Pact.
An album for people who like to delve in the real underground, and who doesn't want to do so?
Didier BECU
10/12/2016
Next reviews
ME THE TIGER • Me The Tiger
RATIONAL YOUTH • Future Past Tense
WHITE LUNG + COCAINE PISS • Antwerp, Trix (05/06/2016)
BLACK NEEDLE NOISE • Before The Tears
LAS AVES • Die in Shangai
JET BANANA • Master is the Enemy
MESSIER 39, STORY OFF, IC434 (BLACK PLANET FEST) • Eernegem, B52 (2/06/2016)
AMBASSADOR 21 • Brussels, Magasin 4 (03/06/2016)
MESSIER 39 • Coil
GRAUSAME TOCHTER • Vagina Dentata
Other reviews from VARIOUS ARTISTS
VARIOUS ARTISTS • Electrostorm vol. 9
VARIOUS ARTISTS • PERIHELION 2134
VARIOUS ARTISTS • DARKSIDE OF THE CON III
VARIOUS ARTISTS • A BRIEF HISTORY OF: KRAUTROCK AND THE GERMAN MUSICAL REVOLUTION
VARIOUS ARTISTS • A BRIEF HISTORY OF: THE SPECIALS, SKA AND TWO TONE
VARIOUS ARTISTS • Sherwood at the Controls 2 (1985 - 1990)
VARIOUS ARTISTS • Bipolar Sounds Volume 1
VARIOUS ARTISTS • Sharon Signs To Cherry Red (Independent Women 1979-1985)
VARIOUS ARTISTS • Studio One Showcase
VARIOUS ARTISTS • Young & Cold IV -Festival Sampler Vol.3
Same genre: COLD WAVE
FAUST PROJECT • The Future Comes On Sleeping Pills
THE MIDNIGHT COMPUTERS • Anxious
HYSTÉRIE • Deuil
MANNEQUIN • From a distance
RINGFINGER • Pressure
DAGEIST • Sexy
MOONLIGHT MEADOW • Moonlight Meadow
NAIROD YARG • Nairod Yarg
THE DEVIL & THE UNIVERSE • Endgame 69:
MEAGER BENEFITS • Crawling
Same genre: ELECTRO ROCK
TECHNOLORGY • Carnivore
FUTURE PILOT AKA • Orkestra Digitalis
THE BLACKHEART ORCHESTRA • Mesmeranto
YATES AND YOUNG • Splinters Ep
NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS • Ghosteen (Ghosteen/Bad Seed Ltd.)
I AM A ROCKETSHIP • Mind Grafitti
ARMY OF THE UNIVERSE • Resin EP
YOU, VICIOUS! • You, Vicious!
BROKEN EGO • Getting Higher
SUPER DRAGON PUNCH!! • Shatter
Same genre: NEW WAVE
CAWATANA • In The Silver Light (7')
SHE HATES EMOTIONS • See The Light (Single)
NEW MODEL ARMY • From Here
A CERTAIN RATIO • ACR-Box
VARIOUS ARTISTS • DARKSIDE OF THE CON III
DER KLINKE • Decade
JAPAN • Cries And Whispers (1983-1991)
XTC • What Do You Call That Noise?
SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES • Juju
SIMI NAH • La Terre est Noire
Same genre: POST PUNK
THE MARS MODEL • Sister Glory / Frozen in Time
STRUGGLER • Wilma (Determinated Protector)
THE MARS MODEL • FrancoBelga
CABARET VOLTAIRE • Chance Versus Causality
VEIL OF LIGHT • Inflict
WHERE WE SLEEP • The Desert
SUBMOTILE • Ghosts Fade On Skylines
THE MEMBRANES • What Nature Gives… Nature Takes Away
UNDERTHESKIN • Negative
JESUS LIVES IN VEGAS • Jesus Lives In Vegas