Words On Music

09/05/2025

An interview with Should's Marc Ostermeier in Tinnitist.

A Folding Sieve — the debut ep from Marc Ostermeier’s Should, then known as Shift — stands as one of the greatest shoegaze albums of the ’90s. Lo-fi production may have doomed it from becoming the…

08/04/2025

Flyer for the sixth For Against show: December 12, 1984, The Drumstick, Lincoln, Nebraska.

26/03/2025

Flyer for the third ever For Against concert: Lincoln, Nebraska, November 18, 1984.

17/03/2025

Words On Music announces the release of the official video to “Anomie” – the third track and second video from A Gentle Collapsing by the post-punk trio Remnant Three.

The song is an affectionate testament to the tonal landscapes explored by post-punk legends Joy Division with found items adding industrial percussive elements to the charging song.

Recorded in obscurity more than three decades ago, A Gentle Collapsing is receiving accolades by post-punk and darkwave enthusiasts:

● “A Gentle Collapsing is, simply, in a premier league of its own. Remnant Three belong in every echelon etched in those holy post-punk tablets we all hold so dear.” – Stereo Embers
● "Remnant Three is a phenomenon. A brilliant find that fans of Sad Lovers & Giants and The Comsat Angles can't ignore." - Ox Fanzine
● “An impeccable album of insular post-punk." - The Big Takeover

Words and music by Remnant Three. From the album "A Gentle Collapsing" on Words On Music.Recorded over 3 decades ago. Unreleased until now. Published by Wo...

05/03/2025

Words On Music is deeply saddened by the news that Jeff Runnings – singer, bassist, and songwriter of the post punk / dream pop trio For Against – passed away on March 3rd at the age of 61.

Words On Music co-owners Eric and Marc Ostermeier have been lifelong enthusiasts of the band – first buying For Against records as teenagers in the 1980s.

Then in 2002, four years after launching Words On Music, we received a letter from Jeff along with the recordings of their brilliant seventh record Coalesced. The band was looking for a home for the album and Jeff reached out to us as he was a fan of the Words On Music artist Should. We were fortunate to work with Jeff and the band and Coalesced was released on our label later that year.

The collaboration continues to this day as Words On Music went on to also release For Against's final two albums (Shade Side Sunny Side in 2008 and Never Been in 2009) and one EP (Black Soap in 2011) plus reissue the band’s first three long out-of-print records: 1986’s Echelons, 1988’s December, and 1990’s In The Marshes.

The music world lost a unique talent whose work and creativity spanned 40 years and Words On Music will always be grateful to Jeff and For Against for taking a chance on our fledgling label more than 20 years ago.

Words On Music sends its condolences to Jeff’s husband Sean and his family, friends, and many fans across the world.

Jeff Runnings, 61, of Lincoln, died March 3, 2025. He was born on April 22, 1963 in Omaha to Darrell Mary Ann Abboud Runnings. He was the bassist and vocalist of Nebraska-based post-punk/dream pop band For Against. In addition to the band, friends will remember him for his Pastry Chef

29/01/2025

“The joy and thrumming satisfaction that obtains from A Gentle Collapsing is, simply, in a premier league of its own…The truth, readily available to every ear willing to hear, is that Remnant Three, based on this one historical piece of freshly-unearthed evidence, belong in every echelon etched in those holy post-punk tablets we all hold so dear.” – Dave Cantrell, Stereo Embers

In synchronous Stereo Embers style, we come to you at the very outset of a new year (‘let’s hope it’s a good one, without any fears,’ eh?) – I began this write-up it’s literally January first – with a review of an album called A Gentle Collapsing from a band named Remnant Three that dr...

06/12/2024

Remnant Three's "A Gentle Collapsing" album is reviewed in the new OxFanzine (Issue #177). “REMNANT THREE is a phenomenon… All in all, that's plenty of material for obscure cult status… A brilliant find that fans of SAD LOVERS & GIANTS and THE COMSAT ANGLES can't ignore.” 9 / 10

02/11/2024

We are heartbroken to relay the sad news about Jeff Runnings of For Against.

Support Jeff Runnings of For Against in His Battle with Stage 4 Cancer Jeff … Linda Barna needs your support for Help Jeff Runnings Battle Stage 4 Cancer

13/09/2024

A Gentle Collapsing, the decades-old album by the post-punk trio Remnant Three is released on vinyl, CD, and digital formats today. The eight-song album was recorded more than three decades ago, but unreleased until now.

“Think of the visceral angst of Joy Division, the shadowed tones of Faith-era Cure, and the dark processions of early New Order, and the poetic intricacies of Sad Lovers and Giants." — Post-Punk.com”

https://remnantthree.bandcamp.com/album/a-gentle-collapsing

8 track album