I was asked to write an article for a South Korean magazine. As it turns out, Yeongene and Linus’ Blanket are far too popular for the magazine and they declined to publish this small piece. I thought maybe you’d enjoy it

When I was younger my Korean knowledge revolved around the automotive industry. My home town was plagued by these little Daewoo cars. The model was called Tico, not sure if they ever sold these in Seoul, but, in Lima they were multiplying in exponential numbers. All the cities’ arteries were dominated by yellow Tico taxis. They were like ants, believe me, they were all over. Hyundai was also quite popular but second came those Kia buses, these were the main public transport for many people during the 90s. I was never interested in cars and so, I wasn’t very fond of these Korean machines swarming my city.

When I tried gui for the first time I started to enjoy Korea. I loved grilling my food and the great taste of bulgogi and dakgui was enough to make me fall in love with the food. In recent days I’ve been a bit surprised about eating live squid not sure if I’ll try it, but I don’t find nothing wrong with that. Food is food my friends. So it wasn’t true love. There was the up and downs of a common relationship. What about the football team? I liked Korean national team indeed and enjoyed the run in 2002 World Cup! And I always liked the name Daejeon Citizen for a football team. I think I would be their hooligan if I lived there. But the only time that I fell in love with Korea, the one and only love, the one that happens at first sight, that was when I heard Yeongene’s fragile voice. I was wrapped by Linus’ Blanket and since then I slept dreaming the nicest dreams.

Some years ago I got a copy of the “Labour in Vain” EP. Can’t remember how it found me or how I found it. It just happened to be there. And this beautiful pop, that reminds me of the classy Swedish pop of the 90s and to the cutesy bossa influenced J-pop, came straight as an arrow to my heart. I was thrilled that Minsung, the original guitarist of Linus’ Blanket, played at the Japanese outfit Miniskirt, an underrated band that wrote such fantastic tunes as “Woody Allen Likes Japanese Noise Rock” or “Her Blue Contact Lenses Make Me Crazy”. Now Yeongene also contributes with international artists. What about working with Dugly Stewart! With him and his BMX Bandits, Yeongene released “Savoursmiles”, a fantastic record that should have been a winner on the year end lists everywhere… well if it was in a world were sites like Pitchfork clueless reviews didn’t influence people. Sadly bad taste put up on topp stupid bands as Vampire Weekend. Anyways, honey wasn’t made for the pig’s taste indeed.

I’ve stalked Yeongene and found her on Myspace. “Save Our Smiles” is playing but I can’t save my smile. The upbeat music doesn’t let me save it. I smile, because her voice makes me happy, because of inertia maybe, because pop is what puts my heart in motion, and this is POP! The way it has to be done, with sincerity, without any formula, just what comes out from your guts. And it seems our heroine has some very sweet guts right? Born in 1981 and waiting for the person who will be her husband she says. Lucky the person who wakes up everyday next to her candy-coated voice. That is pop heaven, and it only happens in Namyangju. Must be thanks to Gorosei.

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Listen
Yeongene – Save Our Smiles

The fourth split 3inch CD is out now and comes courtesy of two bands that I wanted to release for over a year: Ferns and The Shandy Express.

I have been in touch with Warren from Ferns for a long while. I remember falling in love with his band when Fruit Records released the Peachy Little Secrets compilation in 2006. Not long after the Singapore label was putting out “On Botany” the debut album by the Malaysian pop wonder-band. On Botany must have one of the strangest and most curious packaging ever. The front cover has artificial grass! Even today, when looking at it, it always strikes a chord in me, it always surprises me and makes me smile. I have to save it in a different box. It cant go along the other CDs as Im always scared this little piece of art would break. Playing that album felt the same. Fragile songs of perfect pastoral jangle. Some influence of long forgotten Harvest Ministers and the jangly perfection of Another Sunny Day when they want to be upbeat. Ferns are truly a discovery for me and maybe the world. According to them there is no other band in Malaysia making indiepop. I haven’t found any by myself either. Hopefully they inspire other kids to grab their guitars and make perfect pop!

Their side includes two songs: Miss Stormcloud and Anti Social Scene. I can’t stop giggling with the first track, because it’s great, but also because The Stormclouds were a favourite band of mine and still are. Two brilliant songs that Im very honoured to have put out.

Helena Lindén contributed with the columns photograph for the CD cover. The columns, one after the other, stop being objects to become a beautiful pattern and so The Shandy Express, Andrew Everett’s solo outing after The Blue Smarties, brings the patterns and blueprints of the kind of pop he loves: quirky, fun, upbeat, very English, and why not, whimsical. The bouncy Muffin Top opens the Shandy Express’ side. Catchy is the word that comes to mind when listening to it. And when the kazoo comes you can’t stop dancing to it! But I do really hope the song is about a real muffin, and not about a girl’s “muffin top”! Even though, good humour is always welcome

Surfing in Love’s Wave is The Shandy Express’ happy song. A hopeful shout to falling in love. Of that moment when you and your partner are on the crest of happiness. Yes, just in top of the wave. And even though it is the introspective song, it still is upbeat and catchy. A fantastic tune, one of my favourites Andrew has ever recorded. Just as a curious note, the master Alan Jenkins produced these two tracks. Who? Well, the Cordelia Records main guy, the Deep Freeze Mice gentleman that was also in the brilliant Chrysanthemums. The Shandy Express is not stopping, the fast steam engine is now almost halfway to release their new album ‘I’ve met the Man in the Street’. This will be their second after the ‘L~Songs’ that you can download freely from their website.

The CD is out now and you can preview two tracks here and get it by sending US$ 5 (includes postage to anywhere in the world) to shop [a] cloudberryrecords.com

Thanks again for the fantastic support!

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Listen
Ferns – Miss Stormcloud
The Shandy Express – Surfing on Love’s Wave

The last day of February was the release date of the latest 7″ on the label. It’s a fantastic 2 track record by the fantastic Play People out of Derby, England, including their catchy hit “Goes Out” on the A side and “Just Don’t”, the introspective piece, on the B side.

This is the second time we worked together, first time was on the sold out compilation “Ever Get the Feeling You’ve Been Cheated?” that came along the Bottle Rocket fanzine. On this team effort they opened the 3″ inch CD with the great “Meet Me Saturday”. Since that day we planned to make a 7″. It took a while indeed. Problems with delays on the pressing plant (it was sent to print at the same time as Hari and Aino) made it to come a bit later than expected! But those things don’t matter, now Play People are on what suits best for them: on plastic, on a black round bit of plastic. The elusive Playmobil gang, who may be the invention of one person, or maybe ten, have a great single in their hands. But will this be the end of the mystery of who really are the Play People? Seems not, maybe the wait will be over when they play their first gig? But none is programmed. I don’t even know their real faces! Maybe the story is true and they were born in a cold German factory? Seems there are not many answers around.

What we do know about them comes from a small press release:

Play People are Ralph, Clint, Nancy and Keith. They were formed in a dark German factory in the spring of 2008. Clint’s the lead singer and plays some guitar, Keith’s on drums, Nancy and Ralph share the rest between themselves, depending on what they fancy doing. Maracas or Rickenbacker? What do you fancy? They live in middle England, deciding the dark German factory was too dark and they settled for cold and rain. They don’t go out much but there’s not much outside, anyway. In September 2008, they released their debut single, “oh what a life…” on This Almighty Pop. They teamed up with Cloudberry Records and the track “Meet Me Saturday” was released on the ep “ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” “Goes Out” is the new single released on Cloudberry records, and this popkids, comes out on 7” vinyl.

But of course, what speaks best about them are their songs. So check them out, grab the single, listen to their songs on myspace, show some love. Don’t Stop Indiepop!

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Listen
Play People – Goes Out

Put your seatbelts on. Be prepared! The new volume of the fantastic series will be out in around a month! Again, after almost ten years of the first volume, we’ll have a new chance to listen and discover some fantastic pop slices from the heyday of indiepop. It’s all thanks to the lovely and friendly people from Firestation Records in Berlin. They, together with Clarendon Records and Billbery Records, have compiled a twenty one track CD that no one should miss.

Some familiar faces of this blog, as our pop trobadour Kevin McGrother, the Wee Cherubs and their magic, Mighty Mighty and that elegant jangly (who are announced to play at Indietracks festival!) and Home and Abroad’s introspective and classic indiepop. Opening the CD is Ala Pana Fuzo who I have interviewed and will be on the blog soon. A great band who I can’t wait to learn more. The Ferrymen is another band that will soon show up on this blog, especially as they have also just released a retrospective album titled “Tunes for Saturday Boys” on the Firestation label too. I recommend this one too, of course. And there are some new names for me as Huge Big Massive, Screaming Silence and Feline Jive to name a few.  But better look yourself what treats will show up on volume number seven.

01. Ala Pana Fuzo – Friend
02. Huge Big Massive – Here To Stay
03. Whirlpool Guest House – The Plumber’s Daughter
04. Screaming Silence – Same Old Story
05. Wee Cherubs – Dreaming
06. Endless Bob Brown – Be Good To Your Blood
07. Mighty Mighty – Emile
08. Home & Abroad – Back Were I Belong
09. Fire Hydrant Men – Baby I’m A U-Boat
10. The Dadas – Mercy Mercy
11. Irony Board – No Ties
12. The Gits – JK Rent
13. Reflection AOB – Only In My Dreams
14. Borgnine – Everything You Need
15. Hookling & Silverfish – Christine
16. Feline Jive – Blue Dawn
17. The Ferrymen – Summertime
18. Don’t Feed The Animals – Wealthy Man
19. Penelope’s Web – The Gap
20. Elephant Noise – New Town Tom
21. Kevin McGrother – You’ll Never Know

Looks great doesn’t it? And Uwe doesn’t stop, he is already working on Volume 8!

I’ll share with you another track by The Irony Board, an early nineties band, were Charlie Big Time’s Matthew and Broken Down Lorry’s Jon played. Hopefully an interview to them soon!

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The Irony Board – Gullible’s Travel

There’s a new split CD out now and it’s shared by The Gresham Flyers from London and The Pale Corners from Stockholm. Both bands from capital cities, both bands from Europe. Two songs each, from the British island “Berry Buck Mills Stipe” and “Blackwall Tunnel” and from Scandinavia we got “Steve Buscemi” and “Brighter than the Sun”. Artwork comes from a lovely San Francisco picture from my friend Jennifer Reiter, who is the most fervent reader of this little blog of mine. Thanks again!

So, The Gresham Flyers? A quick search on google for the word Gresham, which of course sounds like a place, gives me a town in Oregon. Can’t be, these Flyers are from UK. Well, in UK there are many Greshams: in Surrey, in Hampshire, in East Sussex… and the list goes on. So, that part of their name will be a mystery. What about Flyers? Could it be those photocopied papers kids give me so I go to their shows? Or could it be about a normal passenger on an airplane? Among other meanings of the word flyer, did you know that a flyer is a female kangaroo? What I do know, and I can tell because it’s an easy one is that “Berry Buck Mills Stipe” are the last names of the members of REM. But the song doesn’t sound like REM at all, as it has a heavier, fuzzier, guitar than your usual Georgia-Athenian fare. It also includes some fantastic boy/girl melodies and a keyboard that accompanies perfectly. Really catchy stuff! And then, again, they start with more locations, more questions for me to answer. Where in the world is Blackwall Tunnel? Answer: The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, linking the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the London Borough of Greenwich. Good to know! And hey would you imagine playing this song inside a tunnel? I’ve never thought about indiepop inside a tunnel. Maybe closing a tunnel once, having a party inside, indiepop tunes? That echo we’d get… wouldn’t it be brilliant? This track is a winner of course, inside a tunnel, on top of it, below, anywhere. Listen to both at the band’s myspace and download the first one at the Cloudberry site.

Jangle pop, classic style. That’s what the great Pale Corners bring to the table. Is it true that their name is a combination of The Pale Fountains and the always underrated Brilliant Corners? Or maybe The Pale Saints and Davey’s band? Whatever is the case, The Pale Fountains have taken the 80s jangle pop school and made it happen today, with a fresh twist to it. A fantastic bassline opens the introspective “Steve Buscemi” waiting for a great violin to show up and make us almost cry for the glorious sound it makes. I don’t think Steve Buscemi needs any introduction right? I don’t think I know anyone who dislikes this great American actor. I wonder if he knows there is great song named after him. Second track is much more upbeat, much more sunny, much livelier. For some reason the drumming beat reminds me of that of The Stone Roses. Brighter than the Sun is indeed, bright, shiny, refreshing. A great way to close this 4-track EP with a big smile. I really hope you’ll enjoy it! Listen to both tracks at the band’s myspace.

The 3″CD including these four songs is now available on the Cloudberry homepage!

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Listen
The Gresham Flyers – Berry Buck Mills Stipe
The Pale Corners – Steve Buscemi

At last the new Hari and Aino single is out! It took quite a bit for it to happen, mostly because of the pressing plant being turtle-slow. I sent it to press in early December but I didn’t get the records till the first week of February. The release date was this past Sunday and by now all of you that pre-ordered should have gotten the record! Just in time to be a perfect gift for the past Valentine’s Day. Which brings to mind that fantastic Darling Buds’ tune that is Valentine. I think that is the catchiest and poppiest moment of the band fronted by Andrea Lewis. Twenty something years later, “A Considerate Kind of Home” may as well be one of the best moments of the Swedish five-piece that is fronted by our new favourite Andrea: Andrea Dahlkild.

The 2 song single has, as it’s B side, the song “Maple” which could easily be a terrific A side with it’s sugar sweet vocals and breezy guitars. Hari and Aino is the only Swedish band today that recalls the heyday of the first Swedish Invasion, that of early Acid House Kings, Cloudberry Jam, The Cardigans, Red Sleeping Beauty and my favourite, The Seashells. When I listen Andrea, the way she swoons, I’m reminded of the greatness of the 90s in Sweden. It also reminds me how forgotten are these sounds for us in the west but not in the east, as Cloudberry Jam is still HUGE in Japan. What’s with us? Happoly Hari and Aino are not forgotten at all and they are in great shape right now. Touring all over UK and playing even in Holland. In a couple of weeks they’ll visit Spain.

The band comprised by Andrea (vocals), Gunnar Jacobsson (drums, guitars, mandolin), Kristoffer Rengfors (bass, guitars), Robert Klaesson (guitars, bass, drums) and Pontus Leander (keyboards, glockenspiel and melodica) has been one of my favourite since 2007 when I heard for the first time their brilliant “Your Heartache and Mine”. We got to work on a 3″ CD single that year, and in March of 2008 we put out their debut album on Plastilina. It was a perfect album. No fillers. 10 great songs. It received many great reviews. Then we embarked on to work this new single, this time on 7″, Hari and Aino on glorious vinyl at last. We got the talent of Amy Ruppel, a great illustrator, to take care of the artwork. The result speaks for itself, it’s damn pretty!

Im praising and praising non-stop, and I think that’s the only thing I could do with Hari and Aino. This is one of my favourite indiepop bands in indiepop world right now. If you haven’t checked them yet, please do so. If you want to get the 7″ you can order directly from the Cloudberry site and many mailorders.

On another note, I’ve read some complaining on some Spanish blogs about the cost of the 7″s. Well, let me do a breakdown, postage is 5.40. The envelope and paypal fee are, together, more than a dollar. So if you notice, the record actually costs around 3.50, that’s the cost price. That’s what it costs me to get it done. If you want, I can send the record in between two pieces of cardboard and tape it all around. I bet it would be cheaper, maybe around 1.50 less, or 2. If you’d like to do that, send me an email and I can make it happen for you. Not a problem. I won’t be held responsible though if the record doesn’t show in pristine condition.

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Listen
Hari and Aino – A Considerate Kind of Home

The second split single is out! And what a cracking single it is. Take my word.

Kevin McGrother was a late 2008 discovery for me. As I’ve said, I don’t do end of year lists, but if I did, his album, “Living on Enyd Blyton’s World”, would be there. It’s a marvelous record, no fillers, just perfect songs, one after the other. The second song from the single “A Week of Wednesdays” does appear on the album, and after listening to it, you’ll have it on repeat for sure. Great lyrics and a catchy melody, what can top that? Kevin combines the magic of The Hit Parade with the elegance of Max Eider and the Jazz Butcher. The first song “A Riverside Heaven” bring us the genius of Kevin, with one of his greatest Tickety-Boo songs re-recorded. You ask who is Tickety-Boo? Well, just wait for the next Leamington Spa compilation, and some questions will be answered. Or let’s have a quick look at Kevin’s bio!

It started back in the early 1990s with Just Like Alice, raw pop songs being belted out in the pubs of North East England – chunky guitars, manic violin and glorious trumpet. Then, after a few comings and goings and a name change it was Tickety-Boo – ’sweet, not sickly boy girl vocals’, more violin and a highly regarded EP. Then came the court case when Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and his publishers took exception to the Ticketys dropping a snatch of one of his most famous tunes into their anthemic ‘Cantona’. The band taunted the lawyers, the lawyers headed North and it all ended up at the High Court. It ended in inevitable defeat – ‘they fought the lord, the lord won’ and the band crumbled away. Ten years on and Kevin McGrother, the man behind both bands has dusted down his song collection and has released a 10 song album, “Living In An Enid Blyton World”.

And now he has put out this little single in our little Cloudberry. And how thrilling it is for me to have him on board. Two bouncy pop songs that are sweet sweet sweet that feel like an indiepop merry-go-round of fun.

Then we travel to Europe’s mainland, to Germany. Awaiting us is André Daners and his My Laundry Life. Another one-man band genius. This time it’s all about the jangle. I’ve always had a soft spot for German bands but lately I couldn’t find many that gave me that rush and urgency to listen to them. So I’m glad My Laundry Life appeared with his 80’s tinged pop that reminds me to The Go-Betweens, The Smiths and The Trash Can Sinatras. This is proper jangle! The kind that makes you happy, the ones that feels epic and classy, the one that you can’t find at your local record store. And if you can’t have enough of these two great tracks, André has already scheduled an eleven-track album to appear in March in the Vollwert Records label from our good friend Werner. A bit impressive as My Laundry Life is such a new band, formed during the late months of the past year. And now, like a storm, he is all over, getting well deserved words and praise. And hopefully soon he’ll be playing gigs! That’s what the world really needs!

You can order the single directly from the label page. It comes in the classic 3″ CD format and the wraparound sleeve has a lovely Swedish post stamps photo by Joe Brooker (from The Pines). And it’s just $5 (includes postage to anywhere in the world!). Don’t Stop Indiepop!

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Listen
Kevin McGrother – A Week of Wednesdays
My Laundry Life – Sons & Guns

Last month Bluetrain’s retrospective CD titled “Some Greater Love” was released on the Plastilina label. This is an historical piece of indiepop. An artifact, that if you don’t run now, you won’t find copies. Our Japanese pop friends are taking them by storm. It seems they are huge fans of Jo and Danny’s band. Talking with Uwe from Firestation, he says that it’s probably because of the Dreamworld compilation that Vinyl Japan released many years ago. On that “Whaam! Bam! Thank You Dan!” compilation, released in 1995, there were a couple of songs by Bluetrain and Go! Service. That could be it. Another interesting fact that Uwe shared with me is that during the late eighties, early nineties, there was the rumour that a German label called Pastell was going to release an album by Bluetrain… seems it never happened. But, what did happen, was a Bluetrain tribute band in Japan and this CD in Peru! Who would have expected!

Bluetrain were formed from the ashes of Go! Service in 1986 (Go! Service also released a 12″ on Dan Treacy’s Dreamworld Records). From Surrey, Bluetrain were originally – Jo Bartlett, Vocals and guitar, Rudy Carroll Guitar and vocals, Danny Hagan, Bass Guitar, and Kevin Morey, drums. This is possibly the classic line up, and played regularly at indie clubs such as Room at the Top above The Enterprise in Chalk Farm and The Buzz Club in Surrey. They supported label mates The Mighty Lemon Drops, 1,000 Violins and the TV Personalities in London and the South East and toured Scotland, supporting The Pastels. The band went through a few line up changes, most markedly when Rudy left and was replaced by the American Mark Nemetz. This line up release ‘Some Greater Love’ on the Abigail’s Birthday Party cassette / fanzine release, which came with a free lolly!

The tracklist of Some Greater Love goes like this:

01. It Makes Me Realise (from the Go! Service 12″)
02. Real Life (from the Go! Service 12″)
03. I Just Don’t Know (from the Go! Service 12″)
04. Wheels Go Round (from the Bluetrain 12″)
05. Land of Gold (from the Bluetrain 12″)
06. Parade (from the Bluetrain 12″)
07. Because of the Dollars (from the Bluetrain 12″)
08. Some Greater Love (from the Abigail’s Birthday Party cassette / fanzine)
09. Decline
10. You Bring Me Back to Life
11. Reason to Be
12. Twenty Years

So as you can see there’s a couple of unreleased tracks. Even more, there’s included in the CD some multimedia. There’s the promo video for “Land of Gold”, there’s an interview and live performance on the tv show “Time Out”, and last, but not least, a live gig in London 11/08/87. The liner notes on the lavish white & blue 6 body digipack are courtesy of Danny Hagan, the bass player of the band. And the songs have been remastered, sounding better than ever! I’m very proud of this release as you can tell.

A special thanks to Mark from The Mayfields that helped me get in touch with Jo and Danny, if it wasn’t for him this CD would never have happened. Also be around, there will be an interview to Jo very soon on this blog.

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Bluetrain – Some Greater Love

2009 starts with a great release on the label: The Understudies / Very Truly Yours split 3″ CD! This is the first reference on the 800 series, a 120 copies limited-run split singles where 2 different bands, from 2 different countries, will contribute with 2 songs. The artwork is a lovely photo by my friend Emma of Swedish ducks in her little town of Rättvik. Lucky her, she lives next to the lake.

I’m listening right now to The Understudies early recordings, some very lo-fi ones done at Brian’s living room. Flicknives and Chip Pan Glam early 2008 versions, on a burned cd in a lovely hand made sleeve that I received from Brian many moons ago. They are so charming. But it wasn’t till I listened to the re-recorded versions that I knew the band had that ’something’, that edge, that makes them different from the average band. It even made me think to release a #101 on Cloudberry. Most importantly, it made me believe (again) that I had to continue supporting the music I loved.

Flicknives by The Understudies opens the CD. It’s magical. It brings memories to the Butcher Boy’s brilliant and timeless debut. It traces their links to Glasgow. But it also goes all the way towards London and back to Edinburgh. Their englishness, their  class, impregnated on such a bright song. Brian sings and everything deliciously crackles. He has his own special timbre, like Lawrence of Felt but not quite. It’s disquieting, it’s haunting. A top tune, with some lush guitars that hammer into you. What a way to start! Then Bree takes the vocal duties bringing Chip Pan Glam to me. Is there some glam influence here? Maybe! perhaps on some on the guitars? Could be. What a lovely track. It’s their sweetest, the one that reminds you of the preciousness of The School or Camera Obscura but without that twee-girl naiveté. The Understudies should be one band to keep an eye (and two ears) this year.

Then like a storm comes the Chicago band Very Truly Yours. I’m not that fond of American bands as they overdose me with that twee-cutesy-gumdrop-ukulele that I can’t take anymore! But Very Truly Yours are special. They do continue the tradition of bands as The Softies or Go Sailor, and that’s fine with me. That’s actually good! Why bands don’t do that instead of that folk-pop nonsense? Follow Very Truly Yours love for POP! is my advice. Why? because they add a layered instrumentation, some 60s ambiance, and they grow up bigger than the aforementioned bands. 1, 2, 3, 4 …. and there they go, winning the race, taking you faster than Mr. Bolt into P!O!P! land. Kristine swoons. Lisle jangles. Dan is pounding the bass. Andy keeping up with the drums. Because they cite Heavenly and The Aislers Set as an influence. That’s the bands you secretly want them to wear on their sleeves.

My friend Jennifer, in her last visit to Miami, made me listen them with attention one afternoon. It makes sense, she is a proud Chicagoan and runs a pop club there. Why wouldn’t she be proud of having such a great local band. I wish there was something like Very Truly Yours in Miami, but there isn’t. I did know Lisle from his fragile sounding Fireflies that recorded a pretty album for Lavender/Music is My Girlfriend and a 7″ for Colm’s Papillons Noirs label. I already knew that he was talented. So take my tip and check his new band with Teresa (ex-The Haircuts) called Two If By Sea. And if you are wondering, Very Truly Yours is no exception for his fine guitar playing.  So I told Jennifer, “I’ll get in touch, we’ll make this split happen”. A couple of days later we were working on it. Two weeks later the CDs were done. Music like The Understudies or Very Truly Yours can’t wait to be listened, they have that sense of urgency that good indiepop bands have. For this CD, the Very Truly Yours songs are new recordings of their the songs that sound much better than the myspace counterparts.

And that’s how such a powerful and strong track as Popsong ‘91 closes the CD. Honestly, I can’t wait to play this song at a dance party, at high volume, it’s catchiness, and the jangly guitars over distorted guitars under the sweet dreamy vocals would be a total floorfiller! Maybe sometime during the summer in Sweden?

This is my press sheet. Take down those corporate templates.

The 3″ CD is out now, you can order directly from the label page.

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Listen
The Understudies – Flicknives
Very Truly Yours – Popsong ‘91

What are the chances to meet half of The Bats in Hamburg? What if that half is also one half of Minisnap? Do the chances get thinner if you are DJing in a small bar a couple of blocks away from the Reeperbahn, the red light district? Bear in mind, The Bats live in far away Christchurch, New Zealand. I live in Miami. Right, the probabilities are almost down to zero.

I met Kaye and Paul on a chilly Wednesday Hamburger night. I have just finished my set and I headed to the farthest room. I left the decks on good hands: Peter from Coast is Clear. And while I was walking where my friends were, Jens popped up. “I want you to meet someone”. And I see these two familiar faces having a beer. It was Kaye Woodward and Paul Kean! Two of my heroes! The kiwi-pop legends, the Flying Nun blueprints, the ones that made a song as monumental as Claudine. They were there and I was saying hello. A thrilling moment. So unexpected.

I must have been so nervous that I couldn’t remember Robert Scott’s first name. I could only remember the Scott part. We talked. We laughed. I told them how big of a fan I was. That I had uploaded to Youtube the “Too Much” video and how much I loved their songs, from Made Up in Blue to Block of Wood. But the conversation was also about Minisnap. I have really liked what I had heard from their new band on myspace. I haven’t got around getting the Bounce Around album yet. But I remember playing Crooked Mile at the highest volume possible at home making the windows shake. Somehow we were talking about releasing a Minisnap 7″ in the future. I was so honored just by talking about it, even if it didn’t happen. Just the idea of releasing these heroes of mine on plastic was too much of a dream!

Waking up didn’t seem like an option. Friday night I was back in Hamburg after a day in Berlin. I remember being happy, drunk, chanting and shouting Claudine as loud as I could. Stomping the dancefloor, while Jens and Marco were playing it on the decks at their Hit the North party. On my last night in the city, the Grüner Jäger club was pounding like Paul Kean’s bass. My heart was pounding too. And it was incredible.

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Listen
Minisnap – Whistler