Ken Socrates

Is that what the Compound has become these days. An Isolation Ward?

Or is that just the name of this 80′s band from Belgium that I’ve been listening to lately? They were very Joy Divisionesque and part of a scene called Belgian Cold Wave. Quality songs that have the distinct echo of that sort of cool darkness flowing around back then. Think early Cure, X-mal Deutschland and the like. Excellently nostalgic.

Isolation Ward Point Final

I’ve been going backwards in time a lot lately, music wise. Besides Ian Curtis’ voice constantly coming out of the speakers at me, I’ve got the dulcet tones of Michael Allen, in all his incarnations. One day it’s the bleached white dreadlocks of Standing Up Straight Era Wolfgang Press, the next it’s the hammering, relentless beat of Rema-Rema. Mass, even some Geniuser mixing in.

The Wolfgang Press Standing Up Straight

The Birthday Party never gets old an neither does Clan of Xymox.

The Chameleons (UK) will always be with me wherever I go. Who had a better voice than Mark Burgess, really? Epic emotionality in that voice.

“Dancing ’round the fire with the rest of the freaks.”

The Chameleons UK Strange Times

That whole album was pretty magnificent, wasn’t it? “Mad Jack”, “Swamp Thing”. Stirring stuff that so many have since attempted to emulate.