National Velvet - National Velvet

New Year, New Me?? Nah...doubtful! Anyways I'd like to give a HUGE shout out to DJ Jef at My Vinyl Dreams for sharing this band/album a while back and reminding me just how good they/it were/was. 

National Velvet was initially a four piece goth-rock band from Toronto fronted by charismatic singer Maria Del Mar, who was the statuesque cigarette girl at a trendy Toronto nightclub, The Copa. The initial spark for the band was following a chance meeting between Maria Del Mar and bassist Mark Storm (real name Mark Erickson) during an argument in an alley during a party. Six months later, they released an independent, self-titled EP with original drummer Ken Sinclair and saxophonist Chris Reis. Storm, Del Mar and Sinclair lived together and ran a rehearsal space at 50 Carroll Street called the 'Jam Factory' used by many Canadian and International acts of the day. The music was primarily the work of Storm and Del Mar, and featured guitarist Mark Crossley and replacement drummer Garry Flint. The band was signed to independent Canadian label Intrepid Records in 1987, and then to EMI Capitol in 1988 for the USA. The first breakout radio single was Flesh Under Skin on their self-titled debut album. National Velvet was a fantastic mix of alternative rock with goth influence and aesthetic. 

Ripped to MP3 @ 320kbps

1 Flesh Under Skin 4:54
2 A Wake 3:44
3 Change My Mind 4:04
4 Equus 5:47
5 Another Day (In The Life Of You) 4:49
6 Bam Bam 5:02
7 68 Hours. 3:57
8 Pacifist at Risk 5:21
9 Meet My Match 5:38
10 Shout 3:02