Cherry Red Records, home to some of the most cherished names in independent, underground music, has just announced a new four-disc CD boxset, this time turning their focus to the ever-present darkwave movement, which began in the late 1970s/early 1980s and still permeates the post-punk scene to date. Titled No Songs Tomorrow – Darkwave, Ethereal Rock, and Coldwave 1981-1990 and curated once more by our very own Frank Deserto, the box focuses on the early years of the darkwave movement, featuring a healthy blend of both American and European artists. The box will be released on May 31st, 2024 and is now available for pre-order via Cherry Red’s website.
Darkwave, for our money, has always been a difficult scene to pin down. While most microgenres often center around one particular location or record label, darkwave slowly trickled into public consciousness through different pathways. While you could easily trace the roots of the movement to The Cure, Joy Division, and Depeche Mode, there exists both a European variant, which walked a fine line between EBM and aggressive, yet-romantic electro, and the American variant, which was championed in part by Projekt Records in the late 80s. Of course, it’s not as black and white as all that, but Cherry Red’s selections not only offer a fine mixture of both variants, but nestles deep cuts and rare tracks along classic tracks to give a suitable snapshot into a curious and rewarding scene. Genre staples such as Alien Sex Fiend, Malaria!, Attrition, and Kirlian Camera appear alongside lesser-known, but equally tremendous artists such as Lars Falk (of Twice a Man), Third Mind flagship artists Bushido and Beautiful Pea Green Boat, New York favorites Requiem In White, and Collection d’Arnell-Andréa, a French coldwave band who is a must-hear for fans of Dead Can Dance/In the Nursery (both which also appear on this collection). Clan of Xymox, who rank high among the genre’s definitive artists, offer up a rare 7”-only recording of “Louise,” the centerpiece of their sophomore masterpiece Medusa, which makes the set a must-have on that basis alone. The full box also features rare photos, artwork, and an essay by Deserto.
Check out the artwork and full track listing for the box set below, and visit the Cherry Red website to purchase a copy!
DISC ONE
1. The Cure – The Funeral Party
2. Babel 17 – Come Into Hell and Murder Hate
3. Black Tape For A Blue Girl – Within These Walls (2023 Stereo Mix)
4. Days Of Sorrow – Wild World
5. Cocteau Twins – Blood Bitch
6. Lars Falk – See My Friend Fall
7. Rise And Fall Of A Decade – Nothing To Say, Easy To Answer
8. Dead Can Dance – Avatar
9. Executive Slacks – Say It Isn’t So
10. In The Nursery – Lost Prayer
11. Psyche – The Crawler
12. Kas Product – Tina Town
13. Eleven Pond – Tear And Cinnamon
14. Requiem In White – A Prodigal Son
DISC TWO
1. U.V. Pøp – No Songs Tomorrow (Album Version)
2. Soft Cell – Heat
3. Lowlife – From Side To Side
4. Parade Ground – Moans
5. Cranes – Focus Breathe
6. Lycia – From Foam
7. Sad Lovers And Giants – Return To Clocktower Lodge
8. Section 25 – Looking From A Hilltop
9. Fra Lippo Lippi – Now and Forever
10. The Essence – Only For You
11. Mittageisen – Automaten (Radio Edit)
12. Beautiful Pea Green Boat – The Screw
13. Autumnfair – Novy Mir
14. Minimal Compact – My Will
15. Cuddly Toys – Pierrot Lunaire (Malice Pt 2)
DISC THREE
1. Clan Of Xymox – Louise (7” Version)
2. Iron Curtain – The Condos
3. Neon – Dark Age (12” Mix)
4. Die Form – Poupée Mécanique
5. Kirlian Camera – Blue Room
6. Danse Society – Danse/Move
7. SS-Say – Care
8. For Against – Amen Yves
9. Heavenly Bodies – Rains On Me
10. Invisible Limits – Demand For Supply
11. Xmal Deutschland – Sickle Moon
12. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry – Hand On Heart
13. Little Nemo – City Lights (Long Way)
14. Royal Family & The Poor – Discipline
15. Bushido – High Rise
16. Mankind’s Audio Development – Craving
DISC FOUR
1. Attrition – The Last Refuge
2. Two – Picture Frame
3. Soul – Love
4. Alien Sex Fiend – In And Out Of My Mind
5. Museum Of Devotion – Gauge Field
6. Malaria! – You You
7. No More – Suicide Commando
8. Twice A Man – Decay
9. Collection d’Arnell-Andréa – A L’Aurore Assassine
10. The Vyllies – Give Me A Name
11. Bel Canto – Dewy Fields
12. The Arms of Someone New – Every Seventh Wave
13. Single Gun Theory – Exorcise This Wasteland
14. Tones On Tail – Performance (7” Version)
15. Pieter Nooten & Michael Brook – Clouds
