Do you have a favorite queer band that you feel never got the love and attention it deserved?
Honestly, there are probably too many to mention. Take early ‘80s San Francisco duo Voice Farm, described as an “experimental synth-pop group and art house video collective,” for example. With vocals by Charly Brown and sound design by Myke Reilly, the pair initially created experimental electroclash-style tunes, before moving into more accessible dance-pop with 1991’s “Bigger Cooler Weirder.” Previously available only on vinyl, never on CD or streaming, Voice Farm’s 1982 debut album “The World We Live In” (Red Radio Records) has been reissued as a limited-edition cassette, in “pink passion shell.” Backed by other musicians, Voice Farm perfectly captured the electronic mood of the early 1980s – think Jeff & Jane Hudson and the “Liquid Sky” soundtrack – on songs such as “Beatnik,” “Mama Made Me Do It,” “Double Garage,” a cover of “Sally Go Round The Roses,” and the instrumentals “Davy’s Big Battle” and “Follow Me Home.” Dig out your Walkman, and don’t let another 40 years pass before you listen to Voice Farm.
Would we have a band such as the trio Nation of Language without ‘80s electro pioneers such as Voice Farm, OMD, or Ministry? Ministry is mentioned because the cover art for “Dance Called Memory” (Sub Pop), Nation of Language’s fourth album, is a subtle tribute to Ministry’s underrated 1983 album “With Sympathy.” Led by Ian Devaney and featuring his wife Aidan Noell (who identifies as bisexual) and Alex MacKay (who goes by he/them pronouns), Nation of Language is at the forefront of an ‘80s synth-dance revival. More than half of the 10 tracks on “Dance Called Memory” are memorable dance tunes, including “Inept Apollo,” “Silhouette,” “In Another Life,” “Now That You’re Gone,” and “In Your Head.”
Like Ministry in its early days, Devell is a Chicago-based synth-pop duo. Unlike Ministry, Devell is comprised of a gay couple, Darrell James and Steven McIntosh. Devell’s new album “Two” (Devell.com) is as much a reference to the pair as it is to being Devell’s second album. The twosome combines its rock background with a healthy dose of club banger energy, meaning there’s no sophomore slump here. Instead, Devell delivers a solid set featuring “Take Pride,” “Boom Boom,” “Bounce,” “Let’s Go,” and “Feel It.” Also notable are “Leather Daddy,” co-written by Devell, comedian Andy Eninger, and lesbian band Stewed Tomatoes (!), and an elevated dance cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.”
A fierce amalgamation of post-punk band Idles and queer musician Hamish Hawk, Model/Actriz, led by the magnetic Cole Haden, returns with its remarkable second album “Pirouette” (True Panther/Dirty Hit). Model/Actriz practically dares you to sit or stand still, beginning with galloping album opener “Vespers,” and then follows it with the equally propulsive and heartbreaking “Cinderella” (about being a boy wanting a Cinderella-themed fifth birthday party). “Poppy” blooms with an industrial blast, and “Departures” leaves gender behind. At under three minutes, “Audience” is a slamming workout, and “Doves” soars. Additionally, Model/Actriz doesn’t hesitate to embrace its softer side on “Baton.”
Years before the current crop of queer hip hop acts Doechii, Lil Nas X, Frank Ocean, and Tyler The Creator, and years before old-school artists such as Queen Latifah and Da Brat came out, there was Cazwell. Queer right out of the gate in the late ‘90s as one half of Morplay, Cazwell went solo in the early 2000s. His best songs, including “All Over Your Face,” “I Seen Beyonce,” “Helen Keller,” “I Buy My Socks on 14th Street,” “The Sex That I Need,” “Rice & Beans,” “Get Into It,” “Unzip Me” (featuring Peaches), and “No Selfie Control,” combined irresistible dance beats, sexy and smutty lyrics, and a distinctive sense of humor. Of the 29 tracks on the double-disc compilation “Hits All Over Your Face” (Peace Biscuit), nearly two dozen appeared on Cazwell’s full-length albums “Watch My Mouth” (2009) and “Hard 2 B Fresh” (2014), including the songs mentioned above, some featuring legendary West End Records samples.
If you know any of the 1960s dances referenced in the B-52s’ song “Dance This Mess Around,” such as the Hip O Crit, the Shy Tuna, the Aqua Velva, or the Camel Walk, the new album “Tucson Safari” (In The Red) by Naïm Amor and Kid Congo Powers, would be a great opportunity to show them off. No one would dare accuse prolific gay music legend Powers of sitting idle, not even during the early days of the pandemic, when this album was recorded. Powers has also made a name for himself as a collaborator (“Jungle Cruise,” his collaboration LP with Alice Bag was released earlier this year), and this collab with Amor, combining rockabilly/garage with synths, results in some superb retro dance rock on “Stoned by the Mile,” “Murder She Wrote,” “Guitar Ping Pong,” and “Surf Sirens,” all spinning out on orange sherbet splatter vinyl.
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