Misplaced Pages

Second Layer were an English post-punk band formed in 1979 by Adrian Borland (vocals, guitar) and Graham Bailey (keyboards, bass guitar, drum programming), both members of the Sound.

History

The duo's first release was the Flesh as Property EP, released in 1979 by Tortch Records. This was followed by another EP the following year, State of Emergency. The band's only studio album, World of Rubber, was recorded in France and released in 1981 by Cherry Red Records.

Borland died on 26 April 1999.

In 2015, Dark Entries Records reissued the band's entire discography, augmented by five unreleased demo tracks, as the World of Rubber collection.

Musical style

Andy Kellman of AllMusic wrote that the band "retained some of feel" of the Sound, "albeit in a slightly detached fashion that's to be expected when synths and drum machines replace more human elements".

In a 2015 retrospective review, The Quietus said, "The first thing that's noticeable on listening to World of Rubber is how utterly different the sound and aesthetic of Second Layer is compared to that of The Sound. While The Sound had songs of gloomy introspection and a sweeping romanticism, Second Layer strips all of that away, leaving in its place a monochrome worldview morbidly obsessed with the dehumanising effect of war, nuclear weapon annihilation, and the fracturing and negation of the self within an increasingly distorted and technologically mediated society."

Discography

Studio albums

• World of Rubber (1981, Cherry Red Records)

EPs

• Flesh as Property E.P. (1979, Tortch Records)
• State of Emergency E.P. (1980, Tortch Records)

Compilation albums

• World of Rubber (2015, Dark Entries Records)

References

1. Larkin, Colin, ed. (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Muze UK.
2. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Second Layer | Biography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
3. World of Rubber (Media notes). Second Layer. Cherry Red Records. 1981. Retrieved 23 July 2013.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
4. Pierre Perrone (17 May 1999). "Obituary: Adrian Borland". The Independent. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
5. "Health Fear Led to Death". Wimbledon Guardian. 15 July 1999. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
6. "Reviews | Second Layer". The Quietus. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2020.

External links

• Second Layer discography at Discogs

• English post-punk music groups
• Musical groups established in 1979
• English rock music duos
• British male musical duos
• Cherry Red Records artists