Draft:Land of Giants

• Comment: Improper reference formatting and heavy handed AI usage. Sulfurboy (talk) 02:09, 5 October 2026 (UTC)

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Land of Giants is a Canadian electronic band formed in Toronto in the early 1980s, later associated with the minimal-synth and cold-wave genres. The group consisted of Marc Wonnacott, Henryck Jesiak, Anya Varda and John Tucker. The group released the 1982 single Cannibal Dolls / Seven Men, with additional recordings from the period later collected on a 2008 archival release and the band's work later receiving retrospective attention.

History

Formation and Cannibal Dolls / Seven Men

Land of Giants began taking shape in Toronto in the early 1980s, when Marc Wonnacott and Henryck Jesiak started working together. John Tucker later became involved, followed by Anya Varda.

In 1982, Land of Giants released their debut single on AV Records. Pressed on 12-inch vinyl at 45 RPM, the record contained two songs, “Cannibal Dolls” and “Seven Men.” Recorded at Keen Studios, the single featured Anya Varda on vocals, Henryck Jesiak on synthesizer, John Tucker on programming and synthesizer, and Marc Wonnacott on synthesizer and vocals. Jeff Packer contributed percussion to “Seven Men.” The release credited Land of Giants collectively as writers and producers. A press party for the record was held at Toronto’s Rivoli in June 1982.

Reception and early exposure

Toronto Sun music critic Jonathan Gross was an early supporter of the group, giving the single coverage shortly after its release. Wonnacott later credited Gross with helping promote the band through his column and within the Toronto music community.

The single also received press coverage from Gorilla Beat, which published a review accompanied by a photograph of the band. Toronto radio station CFNY supported the release on air and included Land of Giants its “Music of the 80’s” feature. Radio McGill in Montréal listed the release repeatedly from August through October 1982. In July, Toronto’s Klub Domino ranked “Cannibal Dolls” at No. 3 on its “hot tunes for July” singles chart.

Further recordings and later activity

After the release of their debut single, Land of Giants continued recording new material, including “Thing Called Love,” “Fountains in the Rain,” and “I Will.” In early 1983, the group recorded “Security Squad” and “Just Yet.” “Fire with Fire” and a version of the Sonny and Cher song “I Got You Babe” followed. By 1985, Marc Wonnacott and Henryck Jesiak recorded “Room With a View” and “Key to Your Heart” using a home recording setup referred to as the Dining Room Studio. Much of this material remained unreleased until the band’s later archival release.

International interest

In late 1982, the band began attracting interest outside Canada. Wonnacott later recalled that Henryck Jesiak delivered a copy of the single to John Peel’s staff in London and that he was later told the record had been played on Peel’s BBC program, although he was unable to verify the broadcast through BBC archives. He also recalled having extensive discussions with Rusty Egan, with arrangements eventually made for the band to record in London. Wonnacott said that much of the group’s international response at the time came from Eastern Bloc countries, where the band received fan mail. Decades later, renewed interest came from listeners in Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Rediscovery and archival release

Decades after the group’s original recordings, Wonnacott rediscovered the surviving Land of Giants material and began working toward its restoration and release. This included transferring the analog recordings to digital.In 2008, the band issued Cannibal Dolls / Seven Men, an archival collection combining the original 1982 single with previously unreleased recordings made between 1982 and 1985. The album artwork reproduced the design of the original 12-inch release.

Retrospective recognition

In 2009, Swedish music publication Release Magazine reviewed Cannibal Dolls / Seven Men, noting the original 1982 single, the band’s later collector following, and the addition of nine previously unreleased recordings. The review also discussed individual tracks including “Thing Called Love,” “Fire with Fire,” “Room with a View” and the band’s version of “I Got You Babe.”

In 2010, “Cannibal Dolls” appeared on Wierd Presents: Cold Waves and Minimal Electronics, Vol. 1. A review in Pitchfork specifically discussed Land of Giants and the track, placing the group within the retrospective minimal-synth and cold-wave context.

Later reissues

On October 16, 2015, Cannibal Dolls / Seven Men was reissued by Artoffact Records as a limited-edition vinyl LP, catalogue number AOF168. It was issued in black and white vinyl editions. Its track listing differed from the 2008 CD release, which had included nine previously unreleased recordings alongside the original single.

Legacy / later appearances

In 2018, "Cannibal Dolls" was featured in an episode of the American TV series, Dietland.

Discography

• Cannibal Dolls / Seven Men - 12-inch single, AV Records, 1982
• Cannibal Dolls / Seven Men - archival CD, 2008
• Cannibal Dolls / Seven Men - limited-edition vinyl LP reissue, Artoffact Records, 2015