Lost Sounds--Outtakes & Demos Vol.1
Hate Records 2002
The Lost Sounds last album, Black-Wave, was one of the best records of the past year. Luckily, the band has blessed the masses by putting out this Outtakes & Demos Vol.1 LP to tide everyone over till the next "proper" album. It's not only a tighter collection than one might expect, it also reveals there is a ton of promise in what's yet to come from the Lost Sounds.
The sound of the Lost Sounds has been well-documented--it's a mixture of new wave and garage, with elements of goth and black metal thrown in. What you get on this Outtakes & Demos Vol.1 LP is a somewhat stripped-down version of that. This being said, stripped-down for the Lost Sounds is not very stripped-down at all. In fact, that's one of the things that makes this collection such an interesting listen--it's amazing that these arrangements and performances are so together in their formative state. That's not to say you can't see how the material evolved. Case in point: the demo version of "Do You Wanna Kill Me" includes the verse riff of what would become "What'd I Say" off the Black-Wave album. Still, with virtually any other band, recordings of this quality would almost certainly be considered for proper release.
As fun as it is to check out earlier versions of familiar songs, the real treat of Outtakes & Demos Vol.1 is hearing early versions of songs for the forthcoming Lost Sounds studio album. The two standout tracks, "Blackcoats Whitefear" and "Total Destruction," make it obvious the next album stands to be the Lost Sounds finest moment yet. The Jay Reatard fronted "Blackcoats Whitefear" plays like some great, lost Tubeway Army track, while "Total Destruction" (with Alicja handling vox) is on par with the Blondie-from-hell brilliance of Black-Wave's best track, "Ocelot Rising."
Surprisingly together and great as always, Outtakes & Demos Vol.1 goes to show that, even when the vibe is relaxed, the Lost Sounds are a machine. This LP was a limited pressing from Italy and your shot to get it Stateside, at least, means going through Goner Records. So, go ahead and make the score--you're almost sure to eat this stuff up.
Score this LP directly from GONER
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