Tune of the Week: Tones on Tails

Tones on Tail was a band created out of the ashes of the goth unit Bauhaus. Operating without members Peter Murphy and David J, they created music that was every bit as weird and varied as their preceding band. Perhaps less sinister, their music still had that unsettling feeling that also made you want to dance. “Lions” was the fourth of their six singles and displays an ample reggae influence. With its spare arrangement, one could argue an even more dub emphasis. Like a lot of Bauhaus songs, the lyrics are fairly opaque and not worthy of much investigation. However, the haunting and catchy quality of the tune brings to mind a similarly stripped back approach Depeche Mode utilized on their super-popular release Violator. Put on some black clothes, eye liner and skank to the rhythm!