Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark “Archive Vol. 1 (1981-1990)” limited edition Record Store Day 2026 double-LP release. The highly reflective mirrored cover utterly impossible to photograph (on first attempts it was basically a picture of me taking a selfie). The comp was initially curated as part of the Grammy-nominated 2019 souvenir boxed set and features rarities & b-sides, demos, and alternative mixes from the band’s 1981–1990 era which, according to their Fandom Wiki had until a few years ago been residing “in a vault near Heathrow.” For whatever reason I wasn’t really that into OMD in the 80’s beyond their hits (“If You Leave,” “Enola Gay,” neither of which are on this collection), which is really strange as I was (and still am) gaga for all things 80’s British synthpop and OMD were/are considered one of the best of the genre: they were Britain’s first performing two-piece synthesizer band and have been described as the “original synth-pop duo.” (Wiki). I really did miss out back in the day! The entire album is an excellent representation of the early years of electronic experimentation but my top picks from the first disc include “Dumbomb,” an unreleased song from 1986; “Weekend” from 1985 and the excellently quirky “Cajun Moon” (’86). From the second disc my favorites include the hard-driving, industrial-dance inspired “Guitar Thrash” (a demo recorded in 1982 during the Dazzle Ships sessions); the majestic Kraftwerky “American Venus” (from 1990; from Wiki Fandom “The date would suggest that it was recorded by Andy McCluskey only, after he had split with Paul Humphreys. Since the title refers to an American movie starring Louise Brookes, and part of the treated – and mostly incomprehensible – lyrics mention “Born in Kansas”, the demo can be considered as a very early idea which would lead to the finished track ‘Pandora’s Box.’ In the notes to the Souvenir box set which featured the ‘unreleased archive’ disc, McCluskey states he had no recollection of making the demo”) and the spunky “Dynamo Children” from 1985.

The Illusion “The Illusion” 1969. Steed Records. Hard psychedelic rock from Long Island. The Illusion was the band’s debut LP and went to no. 69 in the US. They had one hit single from the album, “Did You See Her Eyes” which went to #32; while most of the record was written by the band members that track is from their producer (and owner of Steed Records) Jeff Barry, known for co-writing other 60’s hits like “Do Wah Diddy Diddy,” “Leader of the Pack,” and “River Deep-Mountain High.” That Illusion hit is one of the strongest tracks on the record but the LP is an overall good 60’s rocker: the band toured with other 60’s heavies like The Who and Jimi Hendrix as well as funksters like Sly and the Family Stone. Besides the swirly acid-psych there is also a fair amount of funk and soul on songs like “Talkin’ Sweet Talkin’ Soul” and parts of “Medley: “Run, Run, Run” / “Willy Gee (Miss Holy Lady).” There’s also some poppy 60’s sunny vibes: “Alone” and parts of “Medley: “Why, Tell Me Why” / “The Real Thing,” the former also has some exotic trippy elements that are quite good. However, I really don’t get the whole medley thing that seemed pretty popular around this time, maybe it had something to do with the radio market but I don’t think either of these medleys were released as singles. The Illusion lasted another couple of years, releasing two more records, before splitting up.

Lambrini Girls “God’s Country” 2024. City Slang records, purple vinyl. We saw Lambrini Girls last night at the Vic Theatre in Chicago and it was just as feral and insane as expected. The mosh pit not only was tolerated but was actively encouraged – and sometimes orchestrated – by singer/guitarist Phoebe Lunny. Body passing and pogo’ing abounded. Lambrini Girls (the name I finally made an effort just now to understand: they took their name from Lambrini, a brand of pear wine described by a British daily as “aimed at the undiscriminating female drinker” and by Phoebe Lunny as “toilet wine for sluts.” (wiki)

The band played “God’s Country” (see my videoclip on Instagram), a single-only release which is backed with “Body of Mine” (which they did not play last night). The rest of their set was a mix of tracks from their 2023 release You’re Welcome including “Mr Lovebomb,” “Help Me I’m Gay” and “Craig David.”  From Who Let the Dogs Out (2025) album they performed “Bad Apple,” “Company Culture, “Y0u’re Not From Around Here,” “Cuntology 101” (as a singalong!) and for their last song of the night the always epically awesome “Big Dick Energy.”