Hello America

Hello America is a compilation of our early 12″ EPs from 1985-1986, plus a couple of previously unreleased extra tracks.

The album was originally compiled as our first release in the USA, and the title is taken from a collection of J. G. Ballard stories – we wanted to acknowledge how much he had influenced us. If you haven’t read any of J. G Ballard’s books you should do so, he’s extremely good. I especially recommend The Atrocity Exhibition , a book whose title had previously been used by Joy Division for one of their songs.

We recorded these tracks on a tiny budget, and were really still learning how to make records. The original CD release was one of the very early independent CDs created and it wasn’t pressed the way we wanted it. So in 2019 we remastered and re-released this album and now it finally sounds the way it did when we originally recorded it. You can listen to it here…


MOSCOW, IDAHO

Don’t look now, we’re flying over
A little place that lies below
It’s nothing very special, it’s just a town
Called Moscow, Moscow, Idaho

Moscow, Idaho

It’s not that far from here, it’s not that far away
It’s just around the corner, over the sea
Over the sea, over the waves
Over the sea, over the waves

Moscow, Idaho

You may not have heard of our little town
That’s not surprising, no-one lives there
Anyone with any sense lives in Los Angeles
Anyone who’s anyone lives in L.A.

City of angels
We’re all angels

Just down the street in Moscow, Idaho
Lives a boy, prettiest boy in world
He’s in love with the prettiest girl
Who lives next door, she always lives next door, in

Moscow, Idaho

That’s what love is all about
In an empty town, it always lives next door
Or next door but one, let’s be Frank
Let’s be Frank, let’s be Frank

Moscow, Idaho


DATAKILL

Electric eyes, cattle prods
Sticky tape recorders
Tear gas, barbed wire words
Games and economic behaviour

The name of this game is small high bizmanship
Small high bizmanship
We engineer technofear
We engineer technofear
Technofear

Shipping overseas to the promised land of gold and diamonds
Golden boys, golden girls
Shipping, shipping

Electric eyes, cattle prods
Sticky tape recorders
Tear gas, barbed wire words
Games and economic behaviour

Well, I know these things happen
I know people get killed
But I leave my work in the office
At home I play games
Games and economic behaviour

Digital stimulation
Datakill

State of the art, art of the state
Datakill

Lay your hands on our product
Lay your hands on us
Datakill


FRAGILE

When I touched your eyes in crowded room
It was love at first sight
I know that’s corny, you’re the fifteenth girl
But it’s like love the first time
You sit beside me dressed in furs
While I talk to the latest
The latest, the greatest, I know the best
But I’m still fragile

Fragile

People with glass hearts shouldn’t throw glances
I know, I know
But your eyes were there in my spectacle case
Marked romance
I lie in bed with a faulty mirror
I fill the empty space
I’ve still got a thing for girls with red hair
And those with blue in their face

Fragile

People with glass hearts shouldn’t throw glances
You told me that last time
Look at me, stony faced
I’m breaking up inside
You talk who loves you like tomorrow
I love yesterday
Hello sweetheart, that sounds stupid
What else can you say?

Fragile


CLOUDS

Look up there, there’s clouds above us
They’re watching us now
You don’t believe me? Go somewhere else then
They’re always around
They see the factories and corporations
They see the hotels and shops
But I know their plans, their little secrets
With them I’ll go to the top

Clouds

Clouds are pretty, pretty amoral
They’ve got no feelings of pity
They’re up there now, they’re over our heads
They spit on this city
They think they’re pink, they think they’re fluffy
They think they’re hiding their thoughts
But I can see, I see right through them
I know the power they’ve got

Clouds

Clouds drift around, they don’t go home
They’ve got no civilisation
They white and grey, they’re red and black
They don’t know their station
Clouds drift around, they see it all
They’re drifting over this town
Clouds drift around, they know your name
And all the things that you’ve found

Clouds


DAVID VENUS

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen
I wanna thank you for making this possible
All you slimy creeps out there
All you sleeping crimes

When I grow up I’m gonna stop growing up
I’ll stop learning when I leave school
Get back in the pool my little amoebas
You can’t get in here with genes

You gotta have big ones if you wanna survive
You gotta have big ones in Europe
This is a limited theatre of war
Strictly members only

Helicopters in the sunlight
The morning sun

Well, here it is the frightening truth
All of human life is here
All of human life is here
Right here
Here it is

The frightening truth
The Hallowe’en squad
Suburban god’s dinner, suburban god’s dinner
Well, I ain’t no sinner, but I’m getting thinner
I’m getting thinner, I’m getting thinner
Bring me a black goat baby, I’m getting thinner
Well, I sure as hell ain’t no sinner
But I’m getting thinner
Spiritual anorexia, spiritual anorexia, baby
Spiritual anorexia, I’m getting thinner

I’m a gilt-edged golddigger with guilty feelings
Naked breakfast with my clothes on

That’s nice lipstick baby, but you’re wasting it on the wrong guy

Yes, folks, on the show tonight
All of human life, all of human life
It’s all true, it’s all true

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam
Jesus needs more sunbeams
He’s turning us all into sunbeams
To brighten up his day

Won’t be no days without the sun
Won’t be no sun in the days to come
Won’t be no sun in the days to come
Won’t be no sun in the days to come

Helicopters in the sunlight
Helicopters in the sunlight
The morning sun

Singing goodbye to the apes
Sticks and stones might break my bones
But evolution will never harm me

Helicopters in the sunlight
The morning sun

Won’t be no days without the sun
Won’t be no sun in the days to come


WINTRY WEATHER SONG

When the rain breaks across the village
Waves come sliding down
Down around our ears
Into, into our thirsty hearts

We don’t need hunger to drive us on
We don’t need anger to fan the flames
Falasha, falasha
Lift me up, up in the air
Lift us up

When the rain breaks across the village
Life comes tumbling down
Feel the spirit rise inside
Feel the spirit rise

We don’t need hunger to drive us on
We don’t need anger to fan the flames
Falasha, falasha
Lift me up, up in the air
Lift us up

Good things come in small packages
Good things come to those who wait
We stand and wait, we’ll wait and see
We’ll wait and see, we’ll wait and see

We don’t need hunger to drive us on
We don’t need anger to fan the flames
Falasha, falasha
Lift me up, lift me up
Lift us up

Money is power, and power is money
Money is life
Money breathes, money breathes in me
Money, money, money,
Money is all

We don’t need hunger
We don’t need anger
We don’t need pain

Money, money, money
Money is God
Money, money, money
Money


KILL YOUR CHILDREN

Nothing is true
Except you
Make one mistake, you’re on trial
Make one mistake, I’ll be there
Make one mistake, I’ll come running
In the middle of the night, I’ll kill your dreams
Nothing is true
Ecstasy is the key
Ecstasy
Last night I met a great big man
Walking in the shadows of my mind
We sat and talked for a little while
He showed me his foot, I showed him my scars
We went out into the country
To see the night, to see the stars
To see the night, to touch the stars
To see the light, to be the stars
Ecstasy
Nothing is true
Ecstasy is the key
Ecstasy