Some good news for our European friends is that I will be bringing to Paris records to Hands and Arms, the great mailorder and store that is based in the French capital. So, if you are in Europe and want to save on postage, check this great store next month and order from them!

Again, I’ll be in Paris and Brussels next month, anyone that wants a record let me know and I’ll bring with me. I know postage is a killer.

3 A.M. Again: Subjangle Records is releasing a limited CD titled “Let Me Take a Picture”. This collection of songs by the Gloucester, MA, band includes 18 songs of wonderful pop. I have recommended this band time and time again, so there’s no need to continue praising them. They know how to craft wonderful pop songs. So have a listen and order one of these rare CDs!

Blue-Very Pavilion Vol. 2 – 3rd Anniversary Edition: another superb release on Blue-Very label from Japan. This one is a CD compilation of many covers by many superb bands including Bubblegum Lemonade, Den Baron, Ivory Past, The Caraway and more.

Re:lapse: continuing in Japan, here is a great shoegaze band called Re:lapse. Their latest song is a digital single titled “Say” that the band says was inspired by The Jesus and Mary Chain, Medicine, Westkust and The Primitives.

Soft Set: the latest from the Toronto duo formed by James Gray and Nathan Athay is a digital single titled “Diamond”. Here we find some great jangly guitars and post punk vocals. Nice!

Wilt: the second single from the band’s upcoming EP that Shelflife Records is releasing on July 1st is titled “Amour”. It is up now on the band’s Bandcamp so you can all check out this new track by the Manchester combo. On this song Thomas Lee and Mayzie Cocco Wallen from the Melbourne band Oceans contribute vocals.

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Giraffe in English. Giraff På Engelska.

Fredrik Trossö, Christian Lilja and Jonas Svefors formed this terrific Swedish band that released a CDR titled “Ta Inte Sönder Någonting Nu” in 2003.

I was able to include them in Plastilina Records’ “The Sound of Starke Adolf Vol. 1” (PLAST020) in 2011. There they told me a bit of their story:

You have probably heard the story before; a few young friends who decides to start a band in an attempt to canalize their middle class teen-angst into something fun and good sounding. This is a true statement about Giraff på engelska, but not very interesting. Instead it’s the numerous members that at different points in the short time span of GPE played and rehearsed with the band (none mentioned, none forgotten). If there was a contest regarding the most members over the shortest time, it’s more than certain that this band would win the gold. 

With a main troop of three people, more members than anyone tried to count, came and went. Songs were written, composed, rehearsed and thrown away before anyone learned how to spell twee punk. As strange as it seems, only three people ended up recording the CD-R single and only two of them were part of the original trio. Nonetheless, all of the members legacy echoed on between the walls of the garage. With these rough pop gems, a name with pun and an adventurous mind, GPE made a few, but very memorable gigs on the swedish indie scene. But that, of course is another story and again, one you have probably heard a thousand times before.

The song I included was called “Need to Be Cheated”. This song had originally appeared on the 2003 CDR they self-released. The other two songs that were on that record were “Falling in Love Again” and “Contempt to the Rich”. The producer of the CDR was Hampus Bengtsson according to Popfakta.

The CDR was distributed by Popkonst I believe. They also announced a new demo to be put out in September of 2003, but I don’t think that was ever released.

The only other appearance of the band was on the compilation “This is Popkonst and We Love You” (POPK02) that came out in 2004 on Popkonst. The song they contributed was “Falling in Love”.

I am now filled with nostalgia. How I wish I had released a second volume of the Starke Adolf compilation. Maybe I should do it some day. I think it is one of my most favourite records I have released.

Christian Lilja would later be in the band Pale Corners who released a split 3″ CD in Cloudberry. He was also in The Last Party. I believe nowadays he works as a publicist for Universal Music Sweden.

I believe Fredrik Tross¨ö is now a photographer in Malmö. I recently discovered that he used to have a Myspace for his solo music with songs like “My guineapig”, “Jag Minns” or “Xmas Love”. Sadly can’t listen to them.

That’s what I could find, that’s what I remember. I don’t have a copy of the CDR which is a shame, but it was great to be able to work with them even if it was for a compilation.

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Giraff På Engelska – Need to be Cheated

Happy Monday! last full week of posts. I think next week I’ll post on Monday and Wednesday only. Wednesday afternoon we fly to Paris. So yeah, again, just a friendly reminder that if you want to save on postage and want some releases from our label, send us a message and I’ll be more than happy to bring the records to your city.

Skiftande Enheter: I remember missing the first 7″ by this wonderful Gothenburg band. Well, I wasn’t going to miss their second! So I just ordered “Öppna Landskap EP”, a 7″ released by Happiest Place Records last February. The EP has 4 wonderful songs. Definitely a favourite band, one to continue following!

Shinowa/Alvysinger: last May the Blue-Very label released a special split tape with the wonderful Shinowa and the Cloudberry-favourite Alvysinger. On this tape each band contributes 3 songs. Shinowa covers “Wallflower” by The Monochrome Set and Alvysinger does a rendition of “Open Air Song” by Peter and the Lions. The EP is still available and includes a fanzine!

Axolotes Mexicanos feat. Ciberchico: this one is sort of an oldie. As you know I wasn’t posting on my blog for many months late last year and early this year. So I missed a bunch of releases. I just discovered that Axolotes Mexicanos released “Dile Que Me Quieres” last November. A poppy and fun song for which they also put together a video.

Pierre Andersson Ek: Here is the solo project by this artist and neighborhood rascal from Landskrona. He makes some top shoegaze sounds. For a taste of it do check his latest digital single “For a While”.

Orange & Lemons: the legendary pinoy band put together a sort of concept album last April. Titled “La Bulaqueña”, the album features a band going back to their Bulacan roots, paying tribute to the Tagalog language and important figures and artistic landmarks of their country including Juan Luna, Nicanor Abelardo and Jose Rizal (who I read not that long ago!).

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I just discovered that “The Meaning of Life” 7″ that The Loneliest Christmas Tree put out on the Bus Stop Label in 1992 is actually a reissue! Did you know this?

Turns out a 7″ with the songs “The Meaning of Life” and “Purgatory” was released years before, in 1987 on Loud Records Inc.(LOUD 01). I wanted to think this was the band’s own label but I see this label also released a 7″ by a band called Pariahs. That 7″ looks interesting by the way, anyone knows how it sounded like?

Back to “The Meaning of Life 7”. The songs had been recorded in autumn of 1987 at Pine Trax in Holyoake in Massachusetts. Mark Merrigan had been the producer with Dave Pine engineering.

A little more background info about this American band. They were formed by Stephen Rand on vocals, Dan Oxenberg on guitar and vocals, Jon Shere on guitar, Randy Peacock on bass and Josh Belknap on drums.

We know Josh Belknap had been in a few indiepop bands including The Caroline Know who released on Bus Stop and The Veronica Cartwrights. He was also in Kid Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds. Jon Shere was in the Supreme Dicks. Dan Oxemberg was also in the Supreme Dicks and Volume. And Stephen Rand was in The Caroline Know. Sadly I just found out that Stephen passed away in 2011.

I think the band hailed from Boston. I’ll see if I can confirm this while I write these lines. The 7″ that Bus Stop re-released in 1992 included one more song, “The Treasure Chest of Me” which was recorded at Chez Spike in February of 1992. Maybe there was a reunion of sorts? This song was written by Steve Ausbury and was engineered by Spike Priggen. The catalog number for this record was BUS020. Another interesting detail of this release is that the artwork has a credit unlike the original release. Andre Busi is credited for the cool sleeve graphic.

Then I find out that The Loneliest Christmas Tree is the name of a story by Deborah Allen. But this story came out in 2011. Did she steal the name?

Then I find something amazing. A reunion gig, 19:10 minutes of footage, of the band playing the Knitting Factory in New York City! This reunion gig dates from 1994 and it is terribly cool! In the comments section someone mentions the band had played at the Zone in Springfield in 1989.

That’s indeed a great find. Sadly I couldn’t find any other songs by the band. You’d think they would have recorded more. And also you wonder what are they up to now.

Anyone remembers them?

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The Loneliest Christmas Tree – The Meaning of Life

Another reminder that in a little more than a week I’ll be heading to France and Belgium. Any people in Paris or Brussels that may want some records, please let me know in advance and I’ll be happy to bring them with me.

Flowertown: the upcoming tape album “Half Yesterday” by the Bay Area band Flowertown is available to pre-order but you need to act fast. Very few copies are still available from their label, Paisley Shirt Records. The album has just 8 songs and two of them, “Half Yesterday” and “Beachwalkers”, are available to listen at the moment. Great work here by the duo of Karina Gill and Mike Ramos.

Robert Sekula: this is really GREAT! There’s a new single by the `14 Iced Bears singer/songwriter! It is called “Pamela” and it sounds superb. For sure, the vocals take me back to hours and hours of me playing the 14 Iced Bears, but I do find the melodies and the song itself is much more upbeat than his mid-80s band. The song is out now as a download-only release on Shambotic Recordings. I really hope it gets released in a physical format!

Armstrong: the Welsh band that releases on the fine The Beautiful Music label has put together “Clarence Place”, a compilation album that includes new and old songs. And how many songs? 17 songs! Quite a bit! Julian Pitt, the man behind the band, has has made this available for free download.

Lisasinson: “Canción de Entretiempo” is the new hit by the Valencia duo! This song is just a digital single but the good news is that the band has put together a video for it. I hope they release a new record soon.

Cour de Récré: another digital single, with a video, on Elefant Records. This one is by a trio formed by Quentin, Stan and Chloé from Toulouse, France. The song is titled “À L’ombre D’une Jeune Fille En Pierre” and it is a nice mellow track that eventually becomes into a much more fun electronic disco song!

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After writing about Moose Club I needed to write about Rhythm Method. If you read my post on Moose Club you’ll see that I mention that Bill Blair had played keyboards in Moose Club, a project by Dean Gifford.

Before that project he was in Rhythm Method where he also coincided with Dean. Rhythm Method was formed by Andy Norton on vocals, Dean Gifford on guitar, Miles Dunkley on bass, Shane Blackshaw on drums and Bill Blair on keyboards.

The first recording I find by this band I find is “Straight Talk“. It dates from December 12, 1987 and was recorded at Attic Studios in Stroud. The engineer was Franco Lautieri. Bill plaayed an Ensoniq Mirage, a Roland Juno 106 and a Yamaha FB-01. He mentions that the piano solo he plays in this song was Bruce Hornsby inspired.

The next recordings date from Sunday May 22, 1988. Same engineer, same studios. Same keyboards for Bill too. Two songs were recorded that time,
“Jealous Heart” and “Hope in Hell”. So far “Jealous Heart” is my favourite song by this band and it is the one that made me write this post. It is a great song!

Two more songs were recorded on Saturday October 29, 1988. These were “Into Yourself” and “Strawberry Blonde”. These were recorded at Dungeon Studios in Chipping Norton. Of this set, “Strawberry Blonde” is my fave.

As you will notice the band’s music style changes quite a bit. Their next recordings prove that. Three songs were recorded on Sunday December 4, 1988, at Dungeon Studios. These are perhaps the songs I like the least by the band. Other style for sure, not what I normally like. These were “Walkin’ on Hot Coals”, “Only Myself to Blame” and “Prejudice”. As you’ll notice not very indiepop these ones.

The other recordings by Rhythm Method are live recordings! There is a full gig of them playing at Gloucester Park in July 1988. 9 songs were played that time: “Hope in Hell”, “Straight Talk”, “Crocodile Tears”, “Walk on By”, “Heart in Doubt”, “Up to My Neck”, “Strawberry Blonde”, “All Around the World” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”.

At this gig, John Eeles was their engineer and Steve Clutson did backing vocals. It was on a Saturday. The date? July 30th. Bill shares some anecdotes about this gig: A few problems with the mix on the first couple of tracks (think it was John Eeles coping pretty well with a load of different bands and some really bad weather), but it settles down as the set progresses. Not a bad set, “Straight Talk” still stands out as one of the most complex pieces I’ve ever played live, in terms of the sheer number of keyboard sounds per minute, all played live and on just three keyboards.

Outside the Youtube channel couldn’t find any other info on the band. But this was a good investigative work! Any more details about them, please share!

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Rhythm Method – Jealous Heart

It’s hard not to keep thinking about how disappointing is the state of indiepop right now. It does feel labels are losing their magic, their power, their allure. I mean indiepop labels. I do see bands finding home in other sort of labels, ones that are not boutique labels but labels that release all sorts of music. Maybe that’s the future. Indiepop labels with the exception of a few are struggling these days. It would be silly to not notice that the problem is economic. Records are much more expensive these days. They are pressed in limited quantities, and then the shipping costs double the price of the record. Also the lack of festivals, where you’d set up a merch table and was able to sell many records, is another big factor. With the inflation that’s going on right now, there are definitely other priorities for people. I don’t know if this will be fixed someday. I want to be positive, but I don’t want to be naive now. What’s your take on this? Will we get back someday to what it was?

An Ocean of Embers: what a superb song is “Butterfly Girl”! The duo formed by Jimmy Arfosea and Elsa Muller cover here the classic song by The Nightblooms and they do it just right! The Nantes band gives us here different versions of their cover, 5 different versions. So do check them all out!

The Caraway: the Japanese band is back with “Starry Eyes EP”. That’s great news. The bad news is that this limited pressing on Blue-Very Label is already sold out. Two of the songs, “Starry Eyes” and “Flash Back” are available to listen on the band’s Bandcamp, and as you can expect, they are great.

Cheerbleederz: “Even in Jest” is the naame of the new album this London combo formed by Kathryn Woods, Phoebe Cross and Sophie Mackenzie are releasing on July 27. As far as I know Alcopop! Records is putting it out but I don’t see a physical release. The album will have 10 songs, and three of them are up to preview. Also the band is touring the UK in July, so if you are lucky and they play your town, check them out!

Grazer: The Melbourne shoegaze band is back with “Melancholics Anonymous”. The duo formed by Matt and Mollie are releasing their new album on August 12. No physical release it seems, just digital. One song to preview on this one, out of 9, the really really good “These Days (Pass Me By)”.

The OK Nines: on my previous post I recommended their EP “Chien Renaissance”. Today I recommend a new digital single called “Puppy Pants (I Lost My)”… a very surfy, 60-vibe track!

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So stoneeyedkiller shared a killer song called “I Remember” by a band called Moose Club. I was immediately hooked and went on a detective investigation, see if there was anything I could find about this band!

Turns out the band is more of a solo project by Dean Gifford. Bill Blair had originally uploaded a 2-song demo back in 2019 with the songs “Don’t Want to Talk About It” and “I Remember”. This demo dates from 1990, and the only other detail Bill shares was that he played keys on this demo. He played a Korg M1.

I notice my friend Joel from Portugal beat me to it and asked Bill about more songs by Dean. Bill shares us another demo by Dean. It is a superb song, right? But we don’t know the name of it. Was this also a Moose Club track? Or on this one Dean preferred to just use his name?

But we do know too that Bill Blair and Dean Gifford were in a band called Rhythm Method prior to Moose Club. While looking at Bill’s account I notice I have written about his Youtube account before! When I wrote about Apple Mosaic! Bill was an early member of the Gloucester band.

I wonder why I didn’t listen to the songs by Rhythm Method or Dean Gifford’s projects before. They are there and maybe there’s even more to discover.

I definitely would love to find out more about all the projects Bill and Dean were involved with.

Anyone remember these cool bands?

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Moose Club – I Remember

Thanks so much to Johnny Dutton for the interview! I had written about A Month of Sundays time ago and was hoping to learn more details about the band. I had tried interviewing Neil Preston but I guess live got in the way and never got a chance to hear his insights. Happily Johnny, who was early on on A Month of Sundays, was able to share some interesting stories about the band! Also he has shared a photo of the band playing in 1998 and a press clipping from 1989! Enjoy!

++ Were you or any of the members involved in other bands before being in A Month of Sundays?

Terry, Neil and myself all went to St Mark’s College together. At the age of 14 we decided to put together a band when we realised we all played an instrument. In fact looking at a interview with a magazine in 1989, Terry says “Neil and I were jamming one day when John rode past and heard us. It was just me on drums and Neil on guitar. John rolled up and he came in and started playing scales.  I thought, wow man, scales, this is where rock ‘n’ roll begins and ends.”

We then recruited another friend from school, Neil Magro and he played synthesizer. We started playing school dances and parties as Mirror Images (we thought that was a fitting name because of Neil and Terry being twins). Somewhere between 1985 and 1987 Mark (who also went to St Mark’s but was a year older than us) joined the band and on Wed 2nd March 1988 we played our first pub gig at the Fitzgerald Hotel.

So yeah, to answer your question, none of us had been in other bands before AMOS.

++ Were you all originally from Perth?

Neil, Terry and Mark were living in Morley and I was living in Dianella (neighbouring suburbs east of Perth City) and we’d all head to the back shed at Neil and Terry’s place nearly every Sunday to jam.

++ How was your city at the time? Were there any bands that you liked? What were the good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

DaDa Records and 78s were the best. We even did a live performance at DaDas once in their basement.

The Old Melbourne put on a lot of good days and really tired to help out the local bands. The Shenton park Hotel and the Seaview Tavern were also really great places to play as well as check out other up and coming bands.

++ Were there any lineup changes?

After I left the band they brought in Caleb Merry and after Caleb they brought in Grant Fersat. I believe (and I could be wrong so you might want to check with the boys) that after Grant they decided to perform as a three piece. To be honest, they have always had a big sound so they really didn’t need an extra guitarist.

++ What’s the story behind the name A Month of Sundays?

This is a quote from Neil taken from an interview in 1989 “We actually went up to the state library and took out a book on colloquialisms, and after picking a few terms, decided on that one”.

++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?

In the shed behind Neil and Terry’s parents’ place. After many years of doing that we started hiring a studio in East Perth. In fact it was right near the Claisebrook Station where the cover of Bell Book and Candle was taken (if my memory serves me correctly).

++ You were around in the late 80s and early 90s and I feel there were lots of great Australian guitar pop bands at the time. Did you feel part of a scene at all? What were your favourite Aussie bands then?

The Stems

++ And who would you say were influences in the sound of the band?

It started with The Smiths, The Church, REM, Big Star, Matthew Sweet and other jangly pop bands then moved onto more heavier guitar bands like The Replacements.

++ Your first release as far as I know was “Bell, Book and Candle” a 6-track tape. I suppose this was a self-release, but I wonder because of the format if this was a proper release or more of a demo?

From memory it was a “proper” release. I think that format was all a bunch of young kids could afford at the time. Any money we made from gigs went into a kitty for recording or gig related expenses. I never saw a cent from this band, but that’s the way we wanted to do it.

++ “Faithfully Patient” 7″ was next. This one was released by Amos. Who were they? Who was behind this label and how did you end up signing with them?

AMOS = A Month Of Sundays. So, self released basically.

++ I really love the A side, “Faithfully Patient”, and was wondering if you could tell me the story behind this song? What inspired it?

Neil will have to answer this. He wrote the song. In fact I think he wrote all the songs and brought them to us to mould into the AMOS sound.

++ “Seesaw Child” was your next record and on this one Dom Mariani guest appeared! How cool! Were you friends? Or how did this collaboration come to be?

Dom was a friend of the band. I think Neil and Dom got to talking and arranged for Dom to co-produce.

++ “Idiot Star” came out in 1994 and something that always caught my attention from this release is the art, the photos on it.  Who is the kid in the photos?

I believe that’s an old photo of Neil. (But I could be wrong) I know the single cover for Faithfully Patient is Neil’s legs.

++ You also appeared on a few compilations. For example on the classic “Out of the Woodwork” that featured many of the best Australian bands at the time. Do you remember how you end up there?

I can only remember the studio session. Not sure how we came to do it or who asked us to get involved.

++ If you were to choose your favourite A Month of Sundays’ song, which one would that be and why?

Any of the ones I recorded with the band. ha ha  I really enjoyed all the songs Neil wrote during my time in the band. He’s one very talented songwriter.

++ Was there ever interest by other music labels? Perhaps big ones?

Not that I know of. We were hoping the momentum would keep going after our Eastern States tour but it all kind of seemed to slow down a bit and that’s when I started contemplating leaving the band.

++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?

One of my personal favourites was supporting Spy vs Spy at Curtain Uni on 9th Sept 1988. I was a big fan of that band at the time so they were rock Gods to me.

++ What about the rest of the band, had they been in other bands?

Once I left AMOS I started up a band called Cartoon Horrors for a few years and then got into Rockabilly in a big way. I form a Rockabilly outfit called Johnny Law & The Pistol Packin’ Daddies and released 4 full length albums and 1 single. We’ve played in places like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, France etc. As of Dec last year the band has been performing for 20 years.

A few years ago I also started up another band called Atomic Stagecoach where we take 1980s songs and tweak them to sound like they may have been written and recorded in the 1950s. It’s a really fun band.

++ Has there ever been a reunion? Or talks of playing again together?

Not with me there hasn’t.  I turn up to their shows when I can. Sometimes Neil even gives me a shout out from the stage. ha ha

++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?

E-press magazine loved the band. I have all the articles ever written about the band while I was with them.

++ Looking back in retrospect, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?

For me it was working with legends like Dom Mariani, Errol Tout and Greg Dear.

Winning a West Coast Rock award for Most Popular WA Cassette.

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A Month of Sundays – Faithfully Patient

After the bad taste of the issue about the Feverfew sleeve that was copied by another label, I’m trying to start this week a bit more positive.

But it is hard. I can’t deny I’m disappointed. There was no acknowledgement of the wrongdoing. I was told I could have waited more than half a day to listen their points of view. Maybe that’s right. But at the same time, they took months to put the release together and, with the front cover of the records being essentially the same, I was never contacted. So being demanding for more time to share their views (which turned out to be a simplistic and wrong, ‘you don’t own the logo and the photo’), before I made public my discomfort of the situation, it’s a bit out of place.

I’m beyond sad. As you know it is a label I like and I have championed because their music taste is excellent. But things like this and other questionable practices, do affect my idea of them.

Anyhow, last time I touch this topic, you all saw the images, as they say the speak louder than words. You all know what’s right and what’s wrong.

The Postcards: wow! this is a blast from the past. I worked many years ago with the wonderful UK band The Postcards on a split mini CD. Now to see 6 of their recordings pop up on Bandcamp is exciting! These 6 songs date from around the time I was releasing mini CDs, from 2008-2009. The EP is titled “At Home with the Postcards EP” and I totally recommend it!

Laundromat Chicks: the Austrian band quickly became a favourite of mine last year. They know how to make some superb indiepop tunes and it is no exception in their latest release, “Trouble”. This mini-album that consists of 7 songs is now up on Bandcamp. No physical release as of yet for these Vienna combo.

Captain Cocoa: here are 27 songs by the classic Melbourne band! This collection that is on Bandcamp includes songs recorded between 1985 and 1989. That means the full “Kite” album, three singles, B-sides and demos. There’s also live recordings from the Melbourne community radio station 3CR.

The Baggage Handlers: this Edmonton, Canada, band released digitally a 5-song EP titled “The Baggage Handlers Collected” a few weeks back. These 5 songs were recorded for the 155pod covers section. I am not sure what that covers section is, but maybe someone can tell me. Anyhow, 5 good lo-fi pop gems here.

The OK Nines: last May I discovered this Berkeley band. So cool that a month after we get 5 more songs by them! “Chien Renaissance” is the name of this new EP. The band, that clearly loves dogs, surprises here with some great pop melodies, hooks and fun lyrics. A band to keep an eye for sure.

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Another fantastic find. This time on the Brighton based label Slightly Off Kilter who specialize in short-run cassettes, cds and vinyl.

The band’s only surviving recorded output is up on this label’s Bandcamp. It consists of just 6 songs: “Faded Pictures”, “Illusion”, “Invisible Man”, “Perfect Day”, “Magic Pixie Dance” and “Beatonthebrat”.

We know the first 5 tracks were recorded back in the day, between 1989 and 1990 by Pete Dale. Pete Dale from Milky Wimpshake? The studio they used was the Electric Drum in Westbourne. That’s in Dorset. In the south.

The 6th song, “Beatonthebrat” dates from 2013. This one was recorded at Absolute Studios in Wallisdown in 2013 by Paul Khimasia Morgan. That’s also in the south, close to Bournemouth. Did the band hailed from this area?

Also when did they get back together? Was it a proper reunion of sorts? or just the recording of one song?

We know the first names of the band members, but no last names. Mark on guitar, Paul on guitar and vocals, Tony on drums and vocals, Marc on bass and vocals and Pete on keys.

It also says on the small text in the Bandcamp that members of the band went to different bands including The Cherryblades, Hybrid Kid and Imitation Electric Piano. Doesn’t say who was in which band, but maybe we can find out.

Then there’s a link to a blog called “The Stigs are VAGUE“. By now I don’t know what a stig is. What is it?

On the blog we find a discography.

There was a 1990 self-titled tape. On thiis one we find the songs “Perfect Day”, “Shadows in the Nursery”, “Magic Pixie Dance”, “Faded Pictures”, “Illusion” and “Invisible Man”. These were recorded at The Electric Drum by Pete Dale. So here are the songs from Bandcamp. Missing one. This is their only releasee as The Stigs.

It does look like that many of the members, Mark, Paul and Marc, went to form a band called VAGUE. This band released “Apocalypse Now” in 2017.

There is also a section of posters. In there we see that the band opened for a band called The Spoons at a venue called Whisky’s.

Lastly the band made a video for the song “Magic Pixie Dance” in 1989. Wow! This is indeed a find!

By now I think Paul, guitarist and vocals, is actually Paul Khimasia Morgan. Could I be right?

I see that he is the one behind the Slightly Off Kilter label. And he has been in many bands including Brambling, Imitation Electric Piano (a band with Simon Johns of Stereolab), Rubber Bus, The Seen and Vitamin B12.

That’s what I could track down about this obscure band. Anyone remember them?

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The Stigs – Perfect Day

Lunarways: Paska Records from Surabaya, Indonesia, has released “Sun/Daze” a two-song single by Lunarways. The two songs are “Be the One” and “Flowering Hearts”. There is no information about the band or the release, just that it came out last May. But it’s ok, the songs are really lovely and that’s what matters in the end, right?

The Guild: now a jingle jangly band formed in Claire, Australia. Yes, you guessed right, if it is from Claire it will feature Caleb Carr from the superb English Summer. It also includes Susan Anne Messner of The House of Silence and Kris McAleese from Hi, Kate. Their latest single is “Murder at Dawn”, which is ace.

The Summer Triangle: last May our friends Dale and Connie put out two new songs on their Bandcamp. Somehow I missed them. This is their first release after the fine Melotron Recordings self-titled record they put out a year ago. These two new songs are “Cassiopeia” and “Nimbus Clouds”.

Smile: Torino, Italy. Michele, Hamilton, Mariano and Francesco are Smile, a four-piece from Italy’s motor town. Their latest single is quite a nice surprise. “What a Heart Is” sounds really good! It is not common to find some great sounding Italian indiepop bands and this is definitely one!

Snow Coats: Doetinchem, Netherlands. We will end this week’s reviews with this four-piece that know how to make some upbeat top tunes. “Chevy” is the latest track by this group fronted by Anouk van der Kamp. It is a fun song indeed. And I just noticed our UK friends will be lucky that they are touring their country with upcoming gigs in Manchester, Leeds and Cardiff.

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After my post about the band Double Vision, where I could find very little info, I have to write about another band that I found on the same Soundcloud account. It was called Those Guilty Minutes and it also featured John Henrywood.

Hailing from Coventry in the UK, we find 6 tracks for this band. They are all demos.

They all date from 1988 and they are credited to Gavin Yates. The songs are: “Games You Play”, “Hurrying Man”, “Dark Yesterdays”, “Those Guilty Minutes”, “So Hip it Hurts” and “Social Worker”

I find their name listed on the A2Z of 1990s Coventry Music Scene. But that’s it. There is no info whatsoever about them.

But then I hit something. Something interesting! Nicola from The Applicants has a great Instagram account. There she has posted a photo of Those Guilty Minutes playing live at The Dog.

The interesting detail here is that it mentions that Robert Dillam from Adorable was the band’s drummer. Wow!

On the photo we see the band being a four-piece. We have the names of three of them. Maybe I am missing the tambourine man’s name? The setup is an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, tambourine and drums. No bass?

I mentioned too on the post about Double Vision a few details about John. He works as a test analyst and he was in a band called Spill in the late 80s, early 90s.

And that’s what I could find. More than I expected to be honest. Hopefully we can find out more about this cool sounding band!

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Listen
Those Guilty Minutes – Games You Play

I’m still bummed by the no-qualification of Peru to the World Cup. The game against Australia was probably the worst we’ve played in so long. Australia did well, and they deserved to tie the game, take it to penalties and win it there. They did much better than anyone expected. But still, I am unable to digest this blow and my head and heart are not working properly. Anyhow, that’s football. And will have to watch the World Cup as a neutral, as it used to be before Gareca took over the team. We all had so much hope on this team for them to choke at the last game…

The Wendy Darlings: I wasn’t aware that the Clermont Ferrand faantastic pop band had released a digital record last March. Titled “The Insufferable Fatigues of Idleness” has 14 songs of upbeat popsongs! Fun and catchy, Suzy Bo’s vocals, this is a great record and you wonder why no a physical version of it. Lovely as always.

Poppurabu: Temuco, Chile. That’s where we go now to find a demo tape bby this obscure band. The tape has been uploaded as is, there are no tracks, just the one long track. The music is lo-fi pop punk, but can I call it twee punk?

The Sensitive: one of the best Indonesian bands is back with a digital single! That’s great news of course. “Mono Donkey” is the name of this new track that sounds great. It’s being released by the Let’s Kiss a Secret label from Jakarta.

Stella Star: now to Poland, to Cracow to be exact. Stella Star first release is a self-titled EP of 5 songs. Their music? We can described it as shoegaze and dreampop. It has a lot of punch. The songs are strong and well-produced. They sing in their native Polish so that gives it an extra I think. Nice discovery!

Jetzt!: There’s a new album coming out on Tapete Records by Jetzt!. It is titled “Können Lieder Freunde Sein?”. It came out just a few days ago and it is available on CD and vinyl. On Bandcamp you can preview 3 tracks out of 12, one of them being the superb “Hilf Dem Widerstand”.

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7 years ago John Henrywood from Coventry, UK, uploaded songs by his 1980s band Double Vision to Soundcloud.

The first track we find is “Like You Do” which was recorded in 1986 on a Tascam 388 (Studio 8). This song had been written by John and Steve Hawkins.

Then we find “It’s Always the Same“. It was recorded by Gary Watson at Perky Benson Studio. Again written by John and Steve.

The last song is called “Shadows“. Same details for the recording, but this one is credited just to Steve Hawkins.

So, by now it is safe to assume both John and Steve were in the band. Were there more members?

The only other Double Vision thing I found on this Soundcloud account is that in 2010 John and Steve reunited and revised the song “Shadows“. Recorded at John’s own JBHStudios, it is an interesting take on the original.

Then we find recordings by another band called Those Guilty Minutes. John was in this band and I feel that my next post should be about them! They sound good too!

What else could I find about this band?

I found that John  works as a test analyst. Also he was in a band called Spill in the late 80s, early 90s.

And that’s it. Not much to go on. But some nice tracks to share with you all.

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Listen
Double Vision – Like You Do

I was to publish this post yesterday but wasn’t feeling well. It was a bit of a rough day in general, but well… at least I am feeling much better today.

Still expect a post tomorrow and Friday.

Love, Burns: 3 out of 5 songs that were recorded for the Tom Gallo podcast, are available on the Love, Burns’ Bandcamp. These songs are “To Say Goodbye”, “Wired Eyes” and “Something Good”. You can also check the full session plus interview if you follow this link.

Midlife Poetry: here’s a fun pop punk indiepop band from Berlin. Their latest release were two songs they put out last April. These are “Miss” and “Tomorrow”. The band is formed by Flowzee on drums, Lucy on bass and vocals and Ber Von Largue on guitar. Do check their previous release that includes a song called “Entre Rios” that is ace.

The Age of Colored Lizards: the Norwegians have been featured many many times on the blog. So yes, you know I like them. Their latest song is a mellow one. It is called “Sirens” and it is a pretty one.

Calamity Jane & Wild Bill: the synth-pop duo from Berlin/Malmö is back with “Midnight Praises”, a 4 song EP. Always fun and with smart lyrics, they know how to craft catchy poppy songs. I highly recommend this EP. Hopefully gets released on physical format.

The Orchids: and lastly the legendary Glasgow band, one of the best bands ever, is releasing a new album on September 2. “Dreaming Kind” will be available on vinyl and CD and you can pre-order now. And that’s not all, one of the songs, “This Boy is a Mess”, is up on Bandcamp for everyone to listen on repeat. The album will include this song and 12 more. This track is gorgeous… the album seems promising. I can’t wait for September!

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Back in 1994 the Australian label Phantom Records released “The Corridor” (PHCD-34). This CD was a compilation of 4 EPs recorded by four prominent Newcastle (NSW Australia) bands of the early to mid 90s.

The bands on this CD were Burning Winter, Golden Section, Me Me Me and Bugbears. The band I want to investigate today is Burning Winter.

The four songs they included were “Sandcastles”, “Cecile”, “Denial” and “Wrong”. The only other song I know they properly released was called “Killing Me” which appeared on another Phantom Records compilation, “My Beautiful Pigeonhole” (PHCD-26). This was also a compilation of Newcastle bands but this time only one song each.

I don’t own any of these releases, not sure what information is available about the band in them, in the liner notes.

The thing is that on Youtube there are more than a few songs by them, including official music videos.

“Sandcastles” that appeared on “The Corridor” comp has one video. I learn from the details included that the band was formed by Darren Rowe (lead vocals/guitar), Rachel Rose (guitar/vocals), Craig Beck (bass) and Mark Hetherington (drums). This song was produced by the band and engineered by Rob Taylor.

“Killing Me” That was on the “My Beautiful Pigeonhole” also has a video. Heree the band is a bit different. Instead of Rachel Rose we find Phillippa Rees on keyboards and vocals.

I believe this was the original lineup of the band.

This same lineup is credited for the video of the song “Mesmerised“. This track had been recorded by Dave Henderson.

Then we find a song I really enjoy a lot, “Painful Memory“. On the details it says that this was a live favourite. The footage was filmed by Simon Kokins in the band’s rehearsal studio in Hunter Street. It says that the 12-string Rickenbacker was the signature sound of the band’s early days. No wonder I really enjoy their sound!

Then there’s “Typical Life” but no information is available for this song.

Also good to mention a song called “Fireglow“. This one doesn’t have a video but it was recorded in 1990 by the band’s original lineup.

The only other upload in this Youtube account is a song by a band called Moonscope. It seems this band was the predecessor of Burning Winter. It features Darren and Phillippa. It sounds great too! Would be a good idea to write about them next!

Then I find that the band released in 1991 an EP titled “Lap of the Land”. It is not listed on Discogs. I know the songs were recorded and mixed by Dave Henderson.

They were four songs, “Lap of the Land”, “Mesmerised”, “Let Her Out” and “Relic”.

Then probably the best find. A soundcloud account that has 11 more songs by the band! The songs are compiled under the title “The 90’s Vault” and include the tracks “A Crystal, A Clover”, “No Surprise”, “What I Need”, “Take it Away”, “Sunday”, “Stranger (So it Goes)”, “Sheryleisha”, “Her Aura”, “Enchanting” and “What Goes On”. The account is by Purpelelf Records from London, UK. Who were behind this label? Someone from the band moved to London?

Another piece of the puzzle that I found was that Craig Beck, the bassist, was later in the band Skybaby Siren.

And I think that’s it. A lot of great stuff. Hopefully someone reading this remembers them and can shed some light about their releases. Did they put more stuff out? Tapes? Where do all of these songs come from?

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Listen
Burning Winter – Lap of the Land

The Leaking Machine: two new songs by this group that features ex-Mighty Mighty members. The Birmingham combo has been making superb indiepop songs for years and after a few years in silence they are back with “The Love Lawn” and “Chocolate & Cars”. Great stuff!

Overly: here’s a lovely song from this Portland, Oregon, project. It is called “Effortless” and we have very little info about who is behind Overly. I guess we just enjoy the music.

R.E. Seraphin: now to Vallejo, California. A 7-song EP titled “Swingshift EP” is out now on 12″ vinyl. 7 songs is more of a mini-album than an EP for me. But what do you think about this? I have never had it that clear! The album is quite nice. Seraphin says he was influenced by the Television Personalities. That’s always good.

My Raining Stars: a new single from the upcoming album “89 Memories” is now available to listen! And as always our friend Thierry delivers. “Behind Her Lovely Smile” is a sensational song that will bee included in this record that will be released on June 18 by Shelflife in the US and Discos de Kirlian in Europe.

Gabriel’s Dawn: and lastly the English band, from the Midlands, is releasing a self-titled album in October! Available on CD and vinyl, on very limited quantities, the 10 songs sound superb and jangly. There’s actually a song titled “Gentle Chimes” and I think that describes the album, it chimes and chimes. Katie’s vocals sound great too.

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Here’s another good find on Soundcloud, Dancing with the Bride from Guildford, UK.

There are three songs: “Wheels Within Wheels”, “Man of Sorrows” and “Another Time Another Place”. The three of them were part of a demo tape the band recorded in 1984. They were on the tape in the order I mentioned them.

The songs were recorded at University Studios in June of 1984.

The band was formed by Paul Carey, Jonathon Snowball, Paul Beckwith and Andy Cragg.

That’s all the info we find for them on Soundcloud. The songs had been uploaded 8 years ago and there are no images either.

I keep digging. And finally found something.

There’s a band called Hemantic. On this project we find Paul and Jonathon (Jonny), two of the members of Dancing with the Bride. Something interesting we find is that they make Christian music. Also that Jonny continues to be in Guildford while Paul has moved to Porirua in New Zealand. The Soundcloud was updated last 4 years ago.

So what happened in between these two bands? Were any of them involved with other bands? Did they record more songs? Were they for sure based in Guildford? Many questions that I hope we can solve soon!

Any details you might have, please share with me!

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Listen
Dancing with the Bride – Wheels Within Wheels