{"title":"Second Layer","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSecond Layer was a post-punk musical act formed in 1979 by Adrian Borland (vocals, guitar) and Graham Bailey (keyboards, bass guitar, drum programming), both later in The Sound. Their unique sound blended elements of punk rock with experimental electronic music, creating a distinctive and influential style.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eInspired by artists such as Bourbonese Qualk, The Outsiders, and Colin Newman, Second Layer's music pushed the boundaries of conventional genres. With their thought-provoking lyrics and innovative use of synthesizers and drum machines, they quickly gained recognition within the underground music scene.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOther notable artists that share similarities with Second Layer include Dark Day, Section 25, Eyeless In Gaza, The Passage, THE NAMES, Minny Pops, Chris \u0026amp; Cosey, Modern Eon, Iron Curtain, Chrome,Swell Maps,Siglo xx ,Isolation Ward,Lives Of Angels,Solid Space,and Snowy Red. Their contributions to the post-punk movement continue to inspire musicians today.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"world-of-rubber-4","title":"World of Rubber","description":"\u003cp\u003eAdrian Borland and Graham Bailey might be better known as members of legendary post-punk group The Sound, but the two were childhood friends and had been playing together even earlier in The Outsiders, and continued their deep musical rapport as a duo, creating these intense and engaging songs as Second Layer at the same time as their higher profile band output. Following the release of \u003ci\u003eCourts Or Wars\u003c\/i\u003e, combining their early material, 1972 is proud to reissue their only full length album, \u003ci\u003eWorld Of Rubber\u003c\/i\u003e.   Fuelled by experimentation in both song construction and recording techniques, the duo leave you enveloped in what The Quietus described as “a monochrome worldview morbidly obsessed with the dehumanizing effect of war, nuclear weapon annihilation, and the fracturing and negation of the self within an increasingly distorted and technologically mediated society.” Indeed, the goal had been to make each album a concept album, with this to be titled: Second Layer’s World Of Rubber. Alas, this was to be the first and last of those efforts. New detailed liner notes from Graham Bailey shed considerable light on the creation of this cold classic and its immediate aftermath.   Bailey’s inventive construction and deconstruction of various electronics, effects boxes and tape loops form the propulsive base for these songs. Borland’s guitar playing is jagged and unleashed. Above it all is an undeniable sense of melody and Borland’s distinctive vocals. Soon, they would wonder where Second Layer ended and The Sound began, but \u003ci\u003eWorld Of Rubber\u003c\/i\u003e would stand as a document of this fertile period. It would also be a lasting testament to their desire to push the boundaries of their creativity. Dark and brooding the result is what Bandcamp described as “brutally bleak, blank-eyed post-punk that remains chillingly compelling.”    \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"1972","offers":[{"title":"Purple LP","offer_id":50416746758475,"sku":"2048672","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/SECOND_LAYER_197212_SLEEVE_4d025658_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726709259"},{"product_id":"world-of-rubber-rsd-2020","title":"World of Rubber - RSD 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003ePost-punk duo Second Layer was formed in London in 1979 by southpaw guitarist \/ vocalist Adrian Borland and bassist \/ keyboardist Graham Bailey, who would both gain greater fame in the somewhat more mainstream act, The Sound; Borland has previously been active in Wimbledon punk trio The Outsiders, which released two albums and an EP on their own Raw Edge label before disbanding. Second Layer’s heavily synthesized and dystopian ‘cold wave’ sound first surfaced on a couple of EPs, issued on their own Tortch label, and when debut album \u003ci\u003eWorld Of Rubber\u003c\/i\u003e was released on Cherry Red in 1981, it was a very different beast indeed, being far more abstract, the minimal instrumentation masking occasional morbid lyrics about \u003ci\u003eBlack Flowers\u003c\/i\u003e, bodies in an open grave and, on \u003ci\u003eIn Bits\u003c\/i\u003e, the disintegrating personality of Borland’s protagonist; \u003ci\u003eJapanese Headset\u003c\/i\u003e subjected an unknown foreign soundtrack to stereophonic effects. Since The Sound signed with major label WEA shortly after the released of \u003ci\u003eWorld Of Rubber\u003c\/i\u003e, the album ended up being Second Layer’s swansong,\u003cbr\u003emaking it all the more sought after today.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Radiation","offers":[{"title":"Grey | LP","offer_id":50452665368907,"sku":"1091063","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/935bf21a-a99b-4f34-9f86-80d35be71251_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727160086"},{"product_id":"courts-or-wars","title":"Courts or Wars","description":"\u003cp\u003eAdrian Borland and Graham Bailey from The Sound. Compilation including early and sought after EPs Flesh As Property and State Of Emergency, plus two previously unreleased tracks and more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Adrian Borland and Graham Bailey might be better known as members of legendary post-punk group The Sound, but the two were childhood friends and had been playing together even earlier in The Outsiders, and continued their deep musical rapport as a duo, creating these intense and engaging songs as Second Layer at the same time as their higher profile band output. Combining their early recordings, including the 1979 Flesh As Property EP and 1980 State Of Emergency EP,\u003ci\u003e Courts Or Wars\u003c\/i\u003e takes its title from the first song that served as the pair’s introduction to listeners. Right from the beginning you are enveloped in what The Quietus described as, “a monochrome worldview morbidly obsessed with the dehumanizing effect of war, nuclear weapon annihilation, and the fracturing and negation of the self within an increasingly distorted and technologically mediated society.” Where The Sound fit snugly next to Echo And The Bunnymen, Second Layer had far more in common with the pulsing menace of Suicide. Borland’s familiar vocals and sense of melody hold a connection to his other songwriting, but within these songs he takes far more risks in his guitar work to suit the subject matter. What really drives everything is Bailey’s propulsive bedrock, formed by his homemade pre-drum machine rhythm generators, creating an innovative mechanical approach that somehow inserts a jittery neurotic touch that merges perfectly with his electronic layers driven by the wasp synth, various unique effects boxes or tape loops. Adding in Bailey’s own distinctive bass playing, the results feel personal and experimental, pointed and harsh, while also bracingly accessible and covered in dark manic energy. Over forty years later, these recordings feel shockingly appropriate. In painting a bleak reality and frightening future, there is real desperate beauty here.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"1972","offers":[{"title":"Red LP","offer_id":50490044318027,"sku":"2003816","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/image001_9f91886a_thumbnail_4096.png?v=1727650170"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_cd7624bf_thumbnail_4096_3c1f95e8-21de-4215-8eb4-884426f08813.jpg?v=1726709241","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/second-layer.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}