Musketörerna - Bortom Alla Ord 7" 198?

Great very obscure single from Sweden. This was their only release. Sounds a bit like Echo & the Bunnymen!

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Lix - No. 2 7" 1982

Interesting new wave-band from Örebro in Sweden. This was their first singel, released on Sjunne Ferger's FAT Records and tapes. This is great new wave-pop a bit like Talking Heads or B52's. Later on they released an album.

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Mekano Christmas Party LP 1985

Obscure synth and pop compilation from the short-lived Mekano records. Among the better known acts on this one we can see Car Skid and Crash, Paris Bizarre (one of Tom Wolgers projects) and assorted bits done by Janis Bokalders. Excellent stuff if you like this sort of plastic synth music!

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Sterkt Stoff LP 1982

A great compilation from Bergen, Norway, which came with a "drug bag" attached to the cover. Alle Tiders Duster makes a great post punk tracks, as well as Program 81. Elektrisk Regn also made a LP which is kind of OK - check it out on Spotify. The real killer here is the song "Du spiser hjørnene av hjernen min", which means "You gnaw/eat on the corners of my brain", by the group Stand In. I have no idea who they were so any info is very appreciated.

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Månbröder - Utanför Mitt Fönster 7" 1986

Månbröder (Moon brothers) were Toni Holgersson and Krister Sand. They only released this self-published single before Toni moved on to become a big pop star in Sweden. This first output is a kind of laid-back soft synth pop. Nice, soothing and rare.

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The Art Of Breeding LP 1983

Great sampler from Finland containing several great acts. Like Hefty Load, with three great songs not found on their wonderful album. Jimi Sumen, Finlands David Bowie, also appears, as well as Twiggy Oliver (another, less interesting Bowie-clone) and General Nassja. Great dance-wave music!

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Freda - Livsviktigt 7" 1984

Freda were a christian rock band from Gnosjö in Sweden. They started out in the early eighties with a sound similar to U2 and gathered a following and got good reviews in the music press. At the end of the decade they were one of the biggest rock bands in Sweden and still lingers on in the collective conciousness, mostly due to lead singer Uno's solo career. This is their debut single, and this along with their two first LPs is the only thing worth seeking out by them.

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No Knox - Filibuster LP 1984

No Knox were one of the first punk bands in Denmark and started off with a very experimental take on the punk idiom. I just read on their page on danish wikipedia that the early concerts were compared to Residents. The only recorded songs from this early period can be found on the major danish punk compilations, "Pære Punk" and "Concert of the Moment". This, however, is a more weird album. Not so much punk as some kind of theatre music or ironic music. I don't know what the purpose of this album was but it's an interesting ride.

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Liv - 108 LP 1984

The group Liv released two LPs in the middle of the eighties. For a long time I thought that this group was called "Oliv" but I suppose that's wrong. I have no information about this band. Perhaps they were from the area around Jönköping in Sweden? The music is a bit minimal synth pop wave. Perfect for the casual listener.

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Det Neodepressionistiske Danseorkester - Flere Sange Om Sex Og Arbejde LP 1986

Weird danish band led by singler Helge Dürrfeld. They released three records in the late eighties and if I translate the title of this album to "More songs about sex and work" you can easily sense that Talking Heads were a huge influence on these guys. I can also hear much of the B52's here. Great pop music!

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Dansa Med Mamma BOX 1983

The indie record label from Gävle in the early 80's were called Mamma and this was their big release. A pizza carton-style box with 4 singles containing the best bands from Gävle at the time. The best one is, of course, the Modern Art-track. The rest of the songs is in the range of new wave to punk with the bands Traste & Superstararna, PF Commando, Ex-Pop, Zeke Varg, Vertex, Pinballs and Human Error.

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Di Leva - Bring Me A Magician 7" 1984

After his first LP Di Leva started a collaboration with producer Billy Bolero and his record label Papa Records. This was the first single released during Bolero's time with Di Leva. The sound is more and more pop, but you can still hear his post punk past.

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