The Young Gods Rise Again
It is impossible to exaggerate the shock to the system that was the “The Young Gods” debut album when it was released in April 1987. Long since out of print, the album is reissued on proper vinyl, at last, on 9 April 2021 via Two Gentlemen. Alas, “The Young Gods” has acquired considerably more weight since its first appearance in those distant early “industrial” days. In its irresistible new version it has turned into a double album, also containing the incendiary debut single “Envoyé”/”Did You Miss Me”, plus a never-before released John Peel Session recorded at the Golders Green Hippodrome in London in 1988, and a lyric sheet with English translations.
Far from being an exercise in nostalgia, the Young Gods still sounds incredibly fresh. Combing live drums, samples and vocals to devastating effect, the band arrived from nowhere (well, their rehearsal room in Geneva, really) with a richly textured blueprint for a fierce new fusion of rock and synth. David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails and a host of other influential acts, not to mention publications like Melody Maker, The Wire and NME, readily acknowledged their role as pioneers.
Head-God Franz Treichler has continued to pursue his musical vision ever since without giving an inch to fashion or commercial considerations. Recently reunited with original electronics maestro Cesare Pizzi, and with Bernard Trontin on drums, their latest album “Data Mirage Tangram” (2019) won the IndieSuisse “Album of the Year” award. Covid-19 permitting, the band will celebrate the reappearance of their debut with a tour later in the year.
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