Offshore - by Gary Held

America has always had a hard time keeping up with all the innovative things coming out of England. We missed punk by a year and the resulting second wave by a few months. Now that we have finally caught up with ska, the third, fourth, and fifth waves are here.

England has two types of music catching fire and while they are hardly new, they have experienced a resurgence. One is electronic music, which incorporates simplistic rhythm elements overlaid with the grandiose sound effects of the progressive field. The other is (unbelievably?), psychedelic, emanating from Liverpool.

Electronics have been employed in the new wave for a while, with groups like Ultravox and Magazine using them with surrealistic effect. Now, other groups have reached the forefront, including Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark, Human League and Joy Division.

OMD has just released its second LP, Organisation (Dindisc Import), featuring the top ten British hit, "Enola Gay". Though much of the album is weighted down with keyboard effects, OMD emerges as the best of the electronic bands.

Human League has recently released Travelogue (Virgin Import), featuring "The Black Hit of Space". The band has a less defined feel to it than OMD and has rec􀁜ntly br􀁝ken up. Virgin has finally released the LP here "posthumously" through Jem. And speaking of posthumously, Joy Division's lead singer-lyricist, ian Curtis, committed suicide last spring. Nevertheless, it has something of a cult following with its (prophetic?) 12 inch single, "Love will Tear Us Apart" (Factory Import), which is its best song. The band from Manchester has released several albums.

Other recent electronic releases include Japan's Gentlemen Take Polaroids (Virgin Import), and Mike Oldfield's QE2 (Virgin Import). Hardly a punk, Oldfield still remains fresh after all this time. Check out "Sheba", one of his best songs in quite a while, included on this record.

Psychedelic is a misleading term, but that is the best way to describe three bands - The Teardrop Explodes, U2 and Echo and the Bunnymen. They are part of a new movement that has received critical acclaim from England and the U.S. All three groups released albums in the fall in Britain that were only recently released here.

Kilimanjaro is TTE's debut LP, featuring three British hits. Highly recommended are "When I Dream", "Ha, Ha, I'm Drowning" and "Treason" (Mercury Domestic/Import). There are slight differences in the songs on the two versions. Echo's debut, Crocodiles (Sire U.S./Korva Import), is spacy and hypnotic, but with enough drive to keep it moving. "Do It Clean" and the title cut are the best songs. U2 sounds a great deal like Pil, and their album, Boy, is the best of its three releases. It features some precise guitars, echoing drums and the use of bells, creating exciting effects. "I Will Follow" (British single), "Out of Control" and "The Electric Co." are all excellent examples of the band's power. Highly recommended.

Some other new imports to look out for are Play, by Magazine. The LP is a live one and features new guitarist Robin Simon. It has been delayed for U.S. release due to Virgin losing its U.S. deals with Atlantic and RSO. Play will subsequently be handled by I.R.S. here. Another recommended LP is the debut by the Comstat Angels (Polydor Import). The band from Sheffield is receiving a great deal of praise and an American pressing should soon be available. Also look for new efforts from Polly Styrene, Pauline Murray (formerly of Penetration), Young Marble Giants, Robert Fripp's League Of Gentlemen, The Vapors, Squeeze, and Pil.

One last thing to watch for is a live ska sampler being released here by Two Tone - Chrysalis. Live Ska features British bands such as The Specials, Selector, The Beat and the Bodysnatchers, and is an album no ska enthusiast should be without.