Aksak Maboul — alternately spelled Aqsak Maboul — were a Belgian ensemble that released two albums during the late 1970s. The project was headed by multi-instrumentalist Marc Hollander and featured a revolving door of talent from both sides of the channel, including members of Placebo, Cos, and Henry Cow. Members: Marc Hollander (clarinet, drum machine, […]
News from Babel were an English avant/art-pop band that released two albums and a standalone one-sided single on Rē between 1984 and 1986. The band was essentially a follow-through to Henry Cow-spinoff the Art Bears with Lindsay Cooper in lieu of Fred Frith. Members: Chris Cutler (drums, electronics, percussion, marimba), Dagmar Krause (vocals), Zeena Parkins […]
Fin de Siècle is the second of two albums by French/Quebecois supergroup Les 4 Guitaristes de l’Apocalypso-Bar, released in 1989 on RēR. Tracklist: A1. “Scandinavian Pedestran” (3:03) A2. “Danse de fin de siècle” (3:35) A3. “The As Usual Dance Towards the Other Flight to What Is Not, Section C” (3:33) A4. “Dernier cigare avant New […]
Letters Home is the second of two albums by avant-garde/art-rock supergroup News from Babel, released in 1986 on Rē Records. Tracklist: A1. “Who Will Accuse?” (2:39) A2. “Heart of Stone (Megalopolis)” (3:04) A3. “Banknote” (3:20) A4. “Moss” (3:58) A5. “A Dragon at the Core” (4:43) B1. “Dark Matter” (4:22) B2. “Waited/ Justice” (5:09) B3. “Fast […]
Desperate Straights is one of two albums by the merged entities of multinational cabaret/pop trio Slapp Happy and English avant-garde/jazz-rockers Henry Cow, released in February 1975 on Virgin. Characterized primarily by the trio’s art-pop style, the album was recorded during the same sessions that produced the more Cow-dominated In Praise of Learning, released the following […]
Gravity is the first proper solo album by English avant-garde guitarist/composer Fred Frith, released in 1980 on Ralph Records. Tracklist: A1. “The Boy Beats the Rams (Kluk tluče berany)” (4:54) A2. “Spring Any Day Now” (3:04) A3. “Don’t Cry for Me” (3:28) A4. “Hands of the Juggler” (5:31) A5. “Norrgården Nyvla” (2:54) A6. “Year of the […]
