Throbbing Gristle, Re-Issued.

(from XLR8R:)


"After the untimely death of founding member Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson late last year, the future of pioneering industrial outfit Throbbing Gristle was thrown into question. Thanks to a new post on the band's website, that question has been partially answered. Most importantly, the remaining members have elected to no longer perform live as Throbbing Gristle, following the sentiments of a statement made by Christopherson prior to his passing, who remarked that it would not be "possible for any changed band or variation of personnel to perform live as Throbbing Gristle without all the original four of us on stage." While TG diehards might be disappointed by that news, the group has not gone completely dormant. As detailed on their website, the band's contract with Mute Records expired last year, and the group has now chosen to reactivate its dormant Industrial Records imprint, which will be the sole representative for selling Throbbing Gristle's music. Furthermore, on September 26 the label will be releasing a series of remastered, deluxe vinyl reissues of TG albums The Second Annual Report, D.O.A. The Third & Final Report, Heathen Earth, 20 Jazz Funk Greats, and Throbbing Gristle's Greatest Hits. The remastered albums will also be available digitally and on CD."


So now you know. Keep an eye out – I'm looking forward to the vinyl. Here is a video of TG performing "Persuasion" at San Francisco's Kezar Pavilion (you can watch the whole damn thing on the YouTube if you wish) in 1981, right before they broke up.

He Took Her To A Movie.

Ladytron fans, rejoice! Ladytron has just announced on their website that they are reissuing their first three albums, 604, Light & Magic, and Witching Hour, fully re-mastered and "featuring the original album track listings plus four bonus songs for each album." Sounds incredible! The bonus songs are either remixes of favourite tracks, or live versions. Could be an awesome year for Ladytron; their first single off the upcoming album, "Ace of Hz" is out now on iTunes, and the album itself will be coming out later this year. 


Ladytron's label, Nettwerk, has released through Sound Cloud a sample of six songs from their catalogue that you can, you know, click on and listen to. You can click on this link here to visit the Sound Cloud page. I've embedded the tracks themselves below. Included are "Playgirl," "He Took Her To A Movie (Live in Sofia)", "Seventeen," "Seventeen (Soulwax Mix)," "Destroy Everything You Touch," and "International Dateline (Simian Mobile Disco Remix)." Happy listening, everybody!

 Ladytron - Reissued by nettwerkmusicgroup 

Good Riddance, Proposition 8.

It is with great excitement and happiness that Second Drawer Up (a huge believer of equal rights and fairness for all) can today report that Proposition 8, long an unfortunate "voter approved" denier of the right for gays and lesbians to marry, has been overturned by the most honorable Judge Vaughn Walker, of San Francisco's District 9 Court. A lawsuit, filed by a gay couple from Burbank and a lesbian couple from Berkeley, maintained that their right to be happy and maritally joined with the love of their lives was thwarted by the voters who allowed this travesty of justice and common sense to become law. Here are some of Judge Walker's comments regarding the Proposition in question (from Huffington Post):

"Sexual orientation is commonly discussed as a characteristic of the individual. Sexual orientation is fundamental to a person's identity and is a distinguishing characteristic that defines gays and lesbians as a discrete group. Proponents' assertion that sexual orientation cannot be defined is contrary to the weight of the evidence."

"Individuals do not generally choose their sexual orientation. No credible evidence supports a finding that an individual may, through conscious decision, therapeutic intervention or any other method, change his or her sexual orientation."

"Same-sex couples are identical to opposite-sex couples in the characteristics relevant to the ability to form successful marital unions. Like opposite-sex couples, same-sex couples have happy, satisfying relationships and form deep emotional bonds and strong commitments to their partners. Standardized measures of relationship satisfaction, relationship adjustment and love do not differ depending on whether a couple is same-sex or opposite-sex."

"Marrying a person of the opposite sex is an unrealistic option for gay and lesbian individuals."

"Same-sex couples receive the same tangible and intangible benefits from marriage that opposite-sex couples receive."

"The availability of domestic partnership does not provide gays and lesbians with a status equivalent to marriage because the cultural meaning of marriage and its associated benefits are intentionally withheld from same-sex couples in domestic partnerships."

"Permitting same-sex couples to marry will not affect the number of opposite-sex couples who marry, divorce, cohabit, have children outside of marriage or otherwise affect the stability of opposite-sex marriages."

Thank God Herself for some plain and simple common sense! Governor Schwarzenegger himself approved of the ruling: "Today's decision is by no means California's first milestone, nor our last, on America's road to equality and freedom for all people," he said in a statement.

So, good news then!

And in Second Drawer Up fashion, I'd like to share a video to help celebrate the overturning of a bigoted, shameful, and disgusting law.

From the Montreaux Festival in 1985, here's Marc Almond from Soft Cell and Jimmy Somerville of Bronski Beat performing the classic hit, "I Feel Love."

Feel the love, dear readers!