Coldwave / Synth

Review: Amongst those who love New York's early '80s no-wave/post-punk scene, Ike Yard's 1982 debut album has long been regarded as something of an under-appreciated classic. Thanks to this reissue from Superior Viaduct, you can now judge for yourself. The band's sound is noticeably a lot more minimalistic than many of their contemporaries, mixing throbbing, low-slung basslines (think ESG or Liquid Liquid) with sparse, pulsing electronics, weird synthesizer sounds and stylish male vocals. It's a unique and hugely atmospheric sound that's as intense and paranoid as it is spaced-out and otherworldly. The album is full of highlights, but our picks include the percussively awkward "Loss", the creepy and clandestine "Kino" and the fiendishly alien sounding "Half A God".