bodi of light - wayside city.

Bodi Of Light - Wayside City

27:05

59.19 MB

1. Inner City

2. Leaves Just Disappeared

3. Door

4. Wayside City

5. You Bleed Too

whatever you want to call it - darkwave, cold wave, minimal wave - there's no denying that it's the hot underground genre right now, with bands and dedicated labels popping up everywhere. before we jump into this release, here are few of the best elsewhere on the web.

sans issue has released both natural assembly's "torn from infinity" (which can be downloaded here) and the tape edition of "minus one" by the kvb - definitely two of my favorites.

chondritic sound put out pure ground's "daylight" cassette which can be streamed here, and the physical release itself will make a fantastic addition to any collection. avant! records has another natural assembly release, "arms of departure," as well as multiple releases from lust for youth, who have also put out tapes through posh isolation. last, but in no way least, is the inimitable nostilevo, who released the ritual howls tape, my girlfriend's current favorite, as well as the latest tollund men tape and the excellent "nothing ever changes" compilation.

all are putting out some of the best this genre has to offer.

this tape, by arizona's body of light (it's spelled with an "i" on the j-card, so that's how I've labeled the files), was released on ascetic house and it stands up with the aforementioned torn from infinity, ritual howls, and minus one as easily the best darkwave I've heard so far. the formula is pretty much the same as other, similar bands - dark synths, melancholy vocals, drum machines - but the songwriting and melodies elevate it to another level.

after a lengthy, ambient intro that builds by gradually layering synths and beats on top of each other, "leaves just disappeared" kicks in. this one grabbed me right from the get-go - gently swelling synths backed by a catchy melody and very ian curtis-esque vocals create the perfect soundtrack to a cloudy, dismal fall day. and that's just the first side...

as for purchasing this one, I haven't found many options. I got mine at mount analog in los angeles, but online options are hard to find. it might be available from chondritic sound here - but there's a banner at the top saying it's a "demo store" and orders won't be fulfilled, so proceed at your own risk.

for more on ascetic house, bookmark their (currently sparse) website and keep an eye out for future releases. I'm sure they'll be worth the price of admission.


(for preview purposes only.)