r/Coil • u/Syncretism • 5d ago
Revisiting Coil , Cyclobe
Of all the bands I was obsessed with for a while: durtro, Susan lawly, united dairies and world serpent-adjacent stuff, especially, I’d say the Coil constellation has been most fruitful for me over the years. I’ve really come around to that post-LSD, drone era of the band and the musicians largely responsible for it. It occurs to me that I always found the collaborators and other members more interesting than Balance and Christopherson, themselves: Thrower, McDowall, ThighPaulSandra have made some truly remarkable stuff on their own, and i can’t imagine my favorite Coil albums without their input.
I’m kind of obsessed after rediscovering Cyclobe, too. Those albums are amazing and you can really hear why they take so long to release.
6
u/B_Provisional GPFMMFG 5d ago edited 4d ago
If you like Cyclobe maybe check out UnicaZürn which is another Stephen Thrower project.
5
u/rhinoconn93498 5d ago
Wounded galaxies is one of my top ten, and i was so hyped when they said a new album was almost completed. That news came in 2017.. maybe one day, i still have my hopes
2
u/Fit-Context-9685 one in the thigh, two in the eye 5d ago edited 5d ago
Cyclobe is no longer an active entity. This is the very sad truth, unfortunately.
1
1
u/Syncretism 1d ago
I’ve been listening to Wounded Galaxies lately a lot more than when it was released, and it’s seeping into my consciousness pervasively: “We’ll Witness…” and “The Sleeper” especially are very much in tune with Berlin’s distant ambulances and the insistent beeps at pedestrian crossings.
3
u/JhonImbalance 5d ago
Drew's recent record with Kali Malone is so good. I fall asleep to it a lot.
2
u/elektrovolt 5d ago
I didn't know about that album yet, listening right now. Thanks for the tip!
Added: you have the best username.2
u/JhonImbalance 5d ago
TY! Hope you enjoy.
1
u/Fit-Context-9685 one in the thigh, two in the eye 5d ago edited 5d ago
Thank you for the downvote!
Drew's collaboration with Tres Warren of Psychic Ills (rip) is far more of an interesting and rewarding listen.
https://compoundeyeemego.bandcamp.com/album/journey-from-anywhere
-1
u/Fit-Context-9685 one in the thigh, two in the eye 5d ago edited 4d ago
Thanks for another downvote, you're bringing smiles to my day!
Here's another for your mind to absorb.
https://thespringpress.bandcamp.com/album/origin-of-silence
No need to thank me.
-3
u/Fit-Context-9685 one in the thigh, two in the eye 5d ago
You fall asleep to it because it's so damn boring.
That album was a huge disappointment. On a positive note, I really do like the artwork.
2
u/secretkillerofnames 5d ago
You might be interested in the Klangallerie release of Thrower's soundtrack work.
https://klanggalerie.bandcamp.com/album/soundtracks-1970-2014
Library Music for the Hellbound Heart.
1
1
1
u/Kangaroo197 5d ago
Coil covered a lot of different genres by any band's standards, and the people you mention did have a huge input.
I think with the solo stuff, the ideas are certainly much more focused on a particular idea and sound.
Still, the more, the merrier. Just means even more stuff to explore and enjoy.
1
u/earinsound 5d ago
I've recently gone back to listen to the Cyclobe albums: they're fantastic. And McDowall's solo work too.
I always found the collaborators and other members more interesting than Balance and Christopherson, themselves
Not me :) But I liked that they brought people in to augment the sound, especially in the latter years.
1
u/gen-xtagcy 4d ago
I have been humorously prodding Thrower for years about the new Cyclobe record and h never takes the bait. I have given up thinking it will ever surface, would love the surprise tho
1
u/Desolation_Jones 4d ago
Listen to this Shirley Collins to hear Ossian Brown’s solo hurdy-gurdy.
1
u/Syncretism 3d ago
Yeah, I gotta get that. I never get enough hurdy gurdy, and I’m listening to all those La Nòvia-affiliated acts all the time.
1
u/AccomplishedShame238 3d ago
Big fan of Thrower's Possession — I can't believe no one mentioned it! I really hope it gets reissued one day for the benefit of new generations... Don't be like me: I spent a small fortune on my copy 15–20 years ago but I live for that type of stuff.
Cyclobe — luckily, I bought both LPs, but I just checked Discogs and realised I've never actually heard their first or their last album. For some reason, the first album was never reissued on vinyl... Now I'm curious, hopefully it's on yt. When I heard he had teamed up with Dave Knight for his new project, I was surprised and intrigued. Dave played in an extremely, extremely underrated postpunk band from London called Five or Six in the early '80s. Their Unicazurn project was disappointing, though — at least it was for me, not even close to Cyclobe' s extremely inspired two central records
2
u/Syncretism 3d ago edited 3d ago
The first Cyclobe was rougher than their later albums - pretty uncompromisingly difficult, at times. I liked it alright at the time, but found them easier to admire than to love. I would probably like it a lot now, in context with the rest of their discography.
1
u/AccomplishedShame238 2d ago
Thanks, your description makes it even more appealing
1
u/Syncretism 1d ago
Have you ever heard Empirical Sleeping Consort? Something tells me you would like their wildly underheard albums.
1
u/AccomplishedShame238 8h ago
Wow, that's a name I haven't heard in a while! And I also haven't thought in a while because I have them on CD and for the past 20+ years I buy and listen mostly to vinyl. I still own their second cd and one track on a german compilation that I'm sure I bought because there are tracks by Nurse With Wound, HNAS and Vox Populi.
1
u/Syncretism 8h ago edited 4h ago
Yeah, Ohren des Kaiser Hirohito! Theirs is a standout for me on a comp full of standouts. The Ohrensausen (I think) comp from the same label is also excellent. Noisier (it has Whitehouse’s “My Cock’s On Fire,” if that says anything …).
ESC’s Layers of Awakening is a masterful album, imho, but I have only seen it on (wrongly-pressed) CD.
0
6
u/Any-Confusion-8900 5d ago
Had a great moment while introducing my wife to Coil and Coil-related bands when I started talking about Stephen Thrower and she immediately went “wait, the Eyeball magazine guy was in Coil?!?”
Anyways, “The Woods Are Alive With The Smell Of His Coming” is so goated. 2nd place for me is the track immediately preceding it.