Many people understandably have a love/hate relationship with what’s stereotypically considered 80s music. Even beyond the hit singles that received national or international attention, the decade, in terms of music, was generally characterized by an overabundance of undoubtedly cheesy tunes, but which were simultaneously infectious in the way that they compelled listeners to dance, sing along, or imagine how much better life would be if they just had ebola instead of all of those goddamn relationship problems. Minimal wave, which I suppose (along with cold wave) you could consider a sub-genre of new wave, was no exception to the moderately cheesy tradition, but there are a couple of important differences between it and the more radio-friendly 80s pop songs: 1) The production is typically less polished, and the approach by artists was generally more experimental. 2) The likelihood of feeling cool while listening to it is significantly greater.
Lucky for you, the opportunity to experience this oddly happening form of 80s music has just been renewed, as Stones Throw have announced the release of The Minimal Wave Tapes: Volume Two, the sequel to the similarly-named compilation from 2010, and which is due out February 27. If Volume One was any indication, I expect this release to be yet another enjoyable, international commentary on existential crises, set to the sounds of vintage drum machines and analog synthesizers. If I only had some time…
The Minimal Wave Tapes: Volume Two tracklisting:
01. Hard Corps, “Dirty”
02. In Trance 95, “Presidente”
03. Philippe Laurent, “Distorsion”
04. Das Ding, “H.S.T.A.”
05. Subject, “What Happened to You?”
06. Ohama, “The Drum”
07. Geneva Jacuzzi, “The Sleep Room”
08. Antonym, “Cinnamon Air”
09. Ruins, “Fire”
10. Ende Shneafliet, “Animals From Outer Space”
11. Felix Kubin, “Japan Japan”
12. Class Info, “Out of Line”
13. In Aeternam Vale, “Annie”
14. Aural Indifference, “Theme”
• Stones Throw: http://www.stonesthrow.com
• Minimal Wave: http://minimalwave.com
