Romeo Void “Benefactor” 1982. Early 80′s post-punk/new wave with lots of saxophone, Benefactor was Romeo Void’s second LP and includes their minor hit “Never Say Never” (produced by Ric Ocasek) which made it to #147 on the US charts. Vocalist Debora Iyall’s ice-cold snide lyrics make the bass-driven dance track an 80′s classic: the track would go on to be included in the 1984 film Reckless (and later films as well like Dodgeball and The Wolf of Wall Street). Allmusic says, “The unforgettable chorus of their best-known song, “Never Say Never,” the phrase on its own makes the song sound like some kind of shock-value novelty, and indeed, that’s probably how many people remember it. Yet a careful listen to the verses, with their intimations of incest, murder, homelessness, and other dark subjects, makes plain that singer/lyricist Debora Iyall has more on her mind than simple salaciousness. The combination of Iyall’s powerful vocals and searing imagery with the band’s muscular blend of Joy Division’s atmospherics and the Gang of Four’s rattling momentum, with Benjamin Bossi’s splattering free jazz saxophone coloring everything, made Romeo Void one of the strongest of the American post-punk bands.”

The rest of Benefactor is equally as bass-driven and sax-heavy as “Never Say Never.” Tracks like “Undercover Kept” and “Ventilation” are dance-floor hypnotic with that big, airy 80′s production sound that characterizes most new wave albums from the era (think INXS, Duran Duran, etc). “Chinatown” is amazing, reminding me of a frantically crazed mashup of New Order, Modern English, X-Ray Spex and Siouxsie and the Banshees. “Shake the Hands of Time” mixes the detachment of “Never Say Never” with a frenzied off-kiltered Madness ska beat – very cool. The record concludes with the atmospheric, heart-wrenching “S.O.S.”