Anna Logue is a label with an undeniable ear for quality synth wave and minimal pop. The German imprint has illustrated this across a spread of LPs, EPs and 7″s. Anna Logue is continues to display this cultivated taste, this time with two new 7-inch release and a full twelve-inch slab of wax.
[Releases page] Red Fetish got bootlegged on Obscure Identities recently, now Anna Logue is giving these UK synthesists a well-deserved official repress. The twosome, on which there seems to be scant details, released only once, back in the early 80s. The British duo disbanded soon after their debut, both going on to form All the Madmen. From the synth shadows comes The Future Is Now In Your Hands. “Stages” opens in a powerful synth whirlwind. Snappy machine beats race with balanced vocals breaking the speed. “Abandon Tip” adds the right amount of solemnity to the proceedings before the heartwrenchingly addictive “Modern Age Of Modern Machinery.” The track is synth pop cream, sombre and poppy in the same breath. “The Last Man” follows down a similar post-apocalyptic Luddite line, dark and catchy dyspepsia.
Just before Dalek I got the reissue treatment a fellow Liverpudlian outfit found new life. Passion Polka released one 7” in 1982—obscure—to be sure. That doesn’t stop the overactive excavations of Anna Logue. Take the original 7”; add five more inches with two more tracks and the Obsessions EP is the result. “Lying Next To You” allows synths and drum machines to intertwine as vocals pitch and shift with male and female coupling. This is where Passion Polka sidestep from the rest, lyrics filled with warbling emotion. “Obsession” pours some cold water on the floor, a slow piece of Brit Wave. Pop hooks are never too far away on this twelve. The minimal “Juliet” is a cursedly memorable piece of analogue pop. A final duet ends this brilliant EP, “Fighting Alone” being a vocally steered piece with Arp, Roland and Yamaha accompanying
Prior to the disintegration of Yugoslavia, Eastern Europe, post Tito, had a burgeoning synth scene. Enter into the fray modern day Serbia’s Beograd. The synth pop outfit faded away soon after their forming in the early eighties. Roll on three decades and Anna Logue present the group’s first release, alongside two more tracks for T.V.. The title piece opens, with a role reversal of Passion Polka. With Beograd it is the synth that takes centre stage, “T.V.” having some sublime solo sections. “Sanjaš Li U Boji?” has a similar sound, the Serbian vocals having a chilled Baltic dissociation. “Mrak” on the flip is a strange blend of Eastern traditional composition and electronics. The 7” ends with some demo action, the cobbled, hammered, nailed and very early embodiments of “T.V.” and “Mrak.”
Three sublime synth servings from a label that has been dishing up prime rare cuts for over half a decade—quality, as always—plain and simple.
All three releases are available on Anna Logue. [Releases page]
