Thursday 5 June 2014

Kleenex / LiLiPUT

Championed early on by John Peel (which is how I bumped into them), Swiss band Kleenex signed to Rough Trade in 1978 and, in a six year career, blossomed from scratchy art-punk primitives into angular, melodic adventurers. Given their chosen name, they can't have been altogether surprised when, in 1979, a solicitor's letter dropped onto the doormat, threatening legal action if they didn't re-brand themselves pretty damn sharpish. So, in 1980, after one of their occasional line-up re-shuffles, the group re-emerged as LiLiPUT and continued, undaunted, on their post-punk way. 

Kleenex/LiLiPUT released an EP, five singles and one LP between 1978 and 1982, with a second album arriving in December 1983, by which time they'd already split up. Since then there's been a 46 track compilation of their entire studio output and a CD/DVD collection of live rarities, together cataloguing every recorded moment of their existence.

Objectively selecting representative tracks by a group you love can be a fiendishly difficult business, so I've simply plumped for three personal faves. Single number four, 'Die Matrosen' from 1980, spotlighting that most under-used weapon in the post-punk armoury - the whistled chorus. Also from 1980, the brilliant 'Hitch-Hike', a song that, in a sane world, would've been a single, but instead was lost, hidden away on a various artist, Swiss music sampler album. And finally, the faintly unsettling 'Terrified', from that posthumous 2nd LP in 1983.



6 comments:

Erik Bartlam said...

Excellent. I've been listening to television personalities and, thanks to sds, the raincoats for the last couple of days...slides right in there.

The Swede said...

Thanks Erik. Check out the compilation, you'll not be disappointed.

C said...

Oh, listening to these I'm right back in my old bedroom with Peel on the radio! So very of the time and yet forever fresh.

Anonymous said...

Terrific. I had the single 'You/U' but never knew they had to have a name change. Music really, basically, better in those days, wasn't it?

Erik Bartlam said...

Die Matrosen is sharing honours with Wolly Bully for iTunes purchase of the week.

I love that song now.

Old Pa's Corner said...

They are pretty good....never heard a 'sniff' about them....

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