Archive for the book of love tag

Endora: Perfect Isolation + Carmen

I met this band ten years ago after I saw them opening up for Anything Box. Or it may have been Book of Love. I was instantly hooked on their synthpop sound with goth style vocals. I felt they could have been extremely successful, but for whatever reason, they parted ways after a series of shows and demos. I’m not sure what most of the members are doing these days, but their keyboardist Rubin has remixed numerous trance, synthpop, and EBM tracks (Iris, Icon of Coil, Syrian), and has a successful photography company.

The two songs I’m posting are from a five track demo CD. The first is “Perfect Isolation”, one of my favorite synth songs of the last decade and one of the most heavily requested songs when I did Destination Unknown. The second is their cover of Anything Box’s “Carmen”. It adds a darker dimension to the song without destroying the elements that made the original a classic.

Figures on a Beach: No Stars

Based out of Detroit, Figures on a Beach made their first mark on the new wave with their independent debut EP Swimming, which became a Detroit favorite and underground radio staple. It quickly caught the attention of dance mix master Ivan Ivan (responsible for discovering synthpop sweethearts Book of Love and scoring a club hit with "The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight"), who helped them in advancing their sound as well as getting signed to Sire Records along side the likes of Depeche Mode and Erasure.

Figures on a Beach are most notable for their track "No Stars" from their debut album Standing on Ceremony (also their debut record on Sire) in 1987. With vocals that slightly resemble Bryan Ferry and Bunnymen-esque guitars, Figures on a Beach had their five minutes with this track before becoming a victim to 90's grunge (ick!) and calling it a day in 1991.

Standing on Ceremony was recently released in CD format, making Figures on a Beach's material available for the first time digitally.

official website
Figures on a Beach on Amazon

Book of Love: Witchcraft

Kafé kasita, non kafela... once upon a time in clubland, Mr. Al Jourgensen of Ministry crafted a fan favorite dubbed "Everyday is Halloween," an anthem dedicated to the creatures of the night. Although a lasting classic, he wasn't the only one to cater that obviously to those who loved to dress in magic black.

For the more darkly inclined, there once lived a sugary sweet synthpop outlet from Philadelphia called Book of Love - a band that somehow seemed to fit in perfectly between the likes of Ministry and Bauhaus on the dancefloor. Though perhaps best known for three hits "Boy," "I Touch Roses," and "Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls," the band released four studio albums in total - their second entitled Lullaby featuring the single "Witchcraft."

Beginning with handclaps and bursting into a thumping beat, vocal delivery is key in this track, sung or perhaps rapped by all three female members of Book of Love posing as the six witches of the song - Enchantra, Endora, Tabitha, Esmerelda, Clara and Hagatha. Still with me? "Witchcraft" is performed as though they are the little gothic girls next door, crafting a potion to capture the one they love. With enough knowing winks to pop culture witchery (Angelique, Barnabas & Josette of the Dark Shadows fame as well as the all too clever "Bewitched" sample) and nursery rhymes to keep you humming for days, it also keeps you wondering what some of these ingredients really are. "Witchcraft" serves as the perfect track for any Halloween party... or for those who need to get all those daily interpretive dance moves out of their system.

official website
Lullaby on Amazon

For extra toil & troubles, try to dig up the 12" extended version of the song... even more beats, spells & witches to entrance you. Medusa even makes an appearance... what more can one mere mortal do? Stew & brew...