S.Y.P.H. ‎– S.Y.P.H. (1980)

A cult band in their native Germany and even more obscure to the rest of the world, S.Y.P.H. are akin to Blurt, the Fall, Wire, the Plastic People of the Universe, and other long-running acts who influence rock from its very fringes. Formed in the city of Solingen in 1977 by Peter "Harry Bag" Braatz, Uwe Jahnke, and Thomas Schwebel, the band's name wasn't originally an acronym. It was soon changed and supposedly stood for "Smashed Yankee Pummels Homo," although different explanations would be given through the years. In 1979 their debut single, "Viel Feind, Viel Her," appeared and was followed a year later by the full-length "S.Y.P.H. (Hello to the Mipau)". The experimental edge displayed on their punkish debut would be explored further on their second album of 1980, PST, which was produced by Can member Holger Czukay. After Schwebel left to join Die Fehlfarben, the band appeared on Czukay's album On the Way to the Peak of Normal before falling apart.

"S.Y.P.H." from 1980 is another classic album of German punk and new wave. It was released on the "Pure Freude" label. The A side is absolutely fabulous -- it's rough, brutish punk that's so minimal it's already post-punk. The drumming is so minimal that it reminds me of disco -- the band realized it themselves, doing a fun disco song (complete with female singing) with "What Happens?" What makes it also stand out are the simple lyrics about life and love in a post-modern world. The first four songs are total and timeless classics and still sound fresh and aggressive today. Truly great.

Tracklist:

A1 Zurück Zum Beton (1:58)

A2 Industrie-Mädchen (1:24)

A3 Lachleute & Nettmenschen (2:14)

A4 Unreif Für Die Zukunft (1:52)

A5 Mercedes (1:21)

A6 Chess Challenger (3:09)

A7 What Happens? (2:43)

A8 Heute Norm - Morgen Tod (1:43)

   Pause (1:33)

A9 Ayatolla (hidden track) (1:14)

B1 Partir (3:51)

B2 Kein Ziel (12:33)

B3 Kisuaheli (7:20)

S.Y.P.H. ‎– S.Y.P.H. (1980)

(192 kbps, cover art included)