Typical Girls: Women in Punk/Post-Punk/Underground Music (Circa 1975-1980s)

[Josh Cheon <jcheon AT gmail.com>]

Just wanted to drop a quick line about a new release on my record label Dark Entries...

I keep listening to this album and think how well this would fit into any Typical Girls record collection next to Malaria or Au Pairs

DE- 008 Pesteg Dred – Years Of Struggle Against The Lies, The Stupidity And The Cowardice LP

Dark Entries has tapped into their Gothic roots to unearth a 29-year old lost album now available for the first time on vinyl. ‘Years Of Struggle Against The Lies, The Stupidity And The Cowardice’ was written, recorded and produced by a trio of Danish 18-year olds during a weekend in December 1981. Unable to pay for the recording session, the master tapes were confiscated and the album remained unreleased until the summer of 1985 where it was issued as a bonus cassette with the Danish art magazine Atlas.

This is the first and only album from Pesteg Dred, a trio from Denmark made up of Martin Hall (Ballet Mécanique, Under For, Before), Per Hendrichsen (Dialogue, Uté-Va) and vocalist Inge Shannon, who later starred in Hall’s project SS-Say. The band combines dark rumbling basslines with austere guitar shrieks and the occasional cello/violin/autoharp to create the perfect tension of soft/loud synthesized post punk. But what steals the spotlight of Martin Hall’s well-crafted production are the dynamic vocals of Inge Shannon who ranges from cold Teutonic monotone to shrill cacophony at times bringing to mind Nico, Bettina Koster of Malaria or Simona Buja from Kirlian Camera. This landmark album could have fit perfectly on the 4AD or Factory Records roster alongside A Certain Ratio, Bauhaus or Joy Division.

All tracks have been remastered from the original master tapes by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA and include a printed interview with Martin Hall as well as a silk-screened image of the original reel to reel master tape. Limited to 500 hand-numbered copies so grab one while you can.

Sound samples HERE

Tracklisting:
A1. Salt
A2. Postcards And Reason
A3. 20th Century Superior
A4. Cold Impressions Of Perhaps
B1. Light, More Light
B2. Untitled
B3. Almost