We Feel a Cold Wave Coming In

 
In the days after punk, a new sound grew out of Europe–Coldwave, a chilly counterpoint to the waining disco scene. Inspired by post-punk act Joy Division and industrial music, these new bands opted for a more minimal take on pop music, with haunting vocals, metronomic synthesizers and a DIY aesthetic. The scene stayed largely undergound and mostly in France, Germany and Belgium, and with its gloomy tone and foreign-language lyrics it never caught on big in the States. But now it’s ready for a comeback…
 

 
Enter Montreal band Automelodi. The brainchild of Xavier Paradis, the band’s chic style and cool sounds (sung en français, of course) harken back to the French “dark music” cult classics with a goth-y, synth-y vibe.
 
The band is backed by Wierd Records, the NYC label at the forefront of the sounds reemergence, and hosts to a weekly party that’s been going strong for six years. To hear it for your self head to Home Sweet Home (131 Chrystie St., New York; 212-226-5708) every Wednesday night. Or stay tuned for a new Cold Wave compilation coming out from Angular Records in early 2010: Wierd presents… Cold Waves and Minimal Electronics Vol.1. Brrr.
 

 
Photo: Marie-Sarah Metivier via myspace.com/automelodi