Nocturnal Projections - Nerve Ends in Power Lines (1995)

Capturing the nascent recordings of Graeme and Peter Jefferies, 'Nerve Ends in Power Lines' collects the best of the Nocturnal Projections' recorded output; the moody, post-punk outfit was formed in 1981 and disbanded in 1983 after releasing two albums--one a cassette release limited to 100 copies--two EPs, and one single. You may remember "Walk in a Straight Line" from the Xpressway Pile=Up compilation. From aggressive, jerky rhythms to plaintive folk-inflected ballads slightly reminiscent of the Axemen's quieter moments--now that was a fun band--the Nocturnal Projections' songs offer a taste of the hypnotic darkness later perfected by the legendary This Kind of Punishment, the brothers Jefferies' next and most widely-known musical venture.

NOTE: Following "Restoration," the final four unlisted tracks of the compilation--collected from self-released cassettes-are ordered as follows:

12.1 - The Down Song
12.2 - Alone in the Corner
12.3 - Obsessions
12.4 - Inmates in Images

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Peter Jefferies - The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World (1990)

Peter Jefferies' debut solo outing, 'The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World,' was originally a Xpressway cassette release in 1990; the album was reissued on CD by Ajax in 1991 and fortuitously featured the classic 7" single "The Fate of the Human Carbine." That song, telling the sparse, surreal, and strangely poignant tale of its titular figure, and its B-side, the propulsive, dynamic "Catapult," are among the best work of Jefferies' career. The album employs a characteristically primitive recording aesthetic, lending such tracks as the relentlessly bleak "On an Unknown Beach" an air of austere intimacy. This is an impeccably crafted wonder of restrained beauty that is laced with a distinct sense of tension; it is an album perpetually poised before an intangible abyss.

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