The first half of the 80s. This is perhaps not yet indiepop. Possibly indiepop is going to be born with the C86 tape. For other fans indiepop already exists, there’s Orange Juice, The Pastels, the Television Personalities. It depends how you understand indiepop.

For me, there are indiepop bands already in 1983-1984. But there are others that are quite indiepop but not completely. It is hard to explain. In previous posts I’ve called them proto-indiepop, like they seem to have the sound that will become indiepop but there are other influences at play at the same time.

For me Tralala is one of these bands. They are pop and have great songs.

They released three singles, three 7″s. I have the last one, “Always Close at Hand”, the only one that came with a sleeve. But there were two earlier ones, a bit more rare, worth tracking down.

Nowadays I buy very few records, so not sure when I’ll catch up with you all, great record collectors. But if anyone has extra copies do let me know.

The band’s first 7″ came out in 1983 and didn’t have a label behind it. It did have a catalog number though, YUN 02, which is a bit strange. No label but yes to catalog number?

The record was a double A sided single, with “Impeccable” on the A side and “What’s the Matter” on the AA side.

This record has a few little details. We know that the producer and engineer was Keith Nichol, who worked from Impulse Studios in Newcastle, England. We also learn that the songs were written by Kevin Ridley and Paul Laing. Ridley was from the Newcastle area, and was in bands like Forgodsake, Screen Idols, Skyclad and Theigns & Thralls. Eventually he would move to Madrid where he lives now.

Kevin Ridley has a website, but strange enough there is no mention of Tralala. I tried to track down Paul Laing, but no luck.

The band’s second single came out in 1984. This time there was a label name, Floating World, and a catalog number, FLOAT 01. Not sure who were behind this label. Perhaps it was the Impulse Studios’ people?

The single had two songs, “Room to Be Cruel” on the A side and “Overjoyed” in the B side.

That same year the band releases their last single, “Always Close at Hand” (FLOAT 02)”. The title song is on the A side and on the B side we find the track “Don’t Take to Love”.

Sadly there is no information online about the band. I am of course hoping this will change. Hopefully some of you remember them and can share some details about Tralala!

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Listen
Tralala – Always Close at Hand

Time to head to the US today. The Goldenrods. A trio that seems to be forgotten now formed by Barry Hall and Jenny Gunston in the early 90s.

The band’s first release was in 1992. HARP Records from San Francisco would put their music out. It was a two song single, with “Barbwire Chair” on the A side and “Cagiva Elephant” on the B side. Catalog was HARP 004. 300 copies on black vinyl and 100 on yellow. I read the edition was of 500 copies, so there are other 100. There is a version of this same single with a different sleeve, maybe that’s where the other 100 copies are.  In any case, look for yourself, one sleeve has two people, a girl and a guy, walking and the band’s name in green ink, while the other shows two different people posing by the stairs. I don’t think the photos are of the band.

The record was recorded and mixed at Lowdown Studios in San Francisco by Greg Freeman. On this record Jenny sung, Barry played guitar and keyboards while Kevin played guitar, keyboards and programmed the drums. Barry is credited for writing the songs.

I check a little bit about the band members. I see that Barry hailed from Braintree in Massachusetts. He relocated to San Francisco. He was also in a band called The Cat Heads.

The band’s second single was the “Lesbian Nation & I Can’t Reach You” 7″ (HARP 011) in 1993. As it is obvious the songs on the record were “Lesbian Nation” on the A side and “I Can’t Reach You” on the B side.

Again the songs were recorded at Lowdown Studios by Greg Freeman. Greg also played tambourine in the B, “I Can’t Reach You”, side by the way. This song was a cover of The Who.

The A side was written by Barry and also featured bass by Sam Babbitt from The Cat Heads and The Ophelias. This record also features John Stuart from Flying Color and Map of Wyoming on drums, Oz on guitars and Roger Hand on piano.

The design is credited to Bhdg Sf, Ca., the cover photo to Dave Mamelka, and the model was Johanne.

In 1994 the band would appear on a Motorway Records (MOTOR 002) split 7″. On this Japanese release the band would share the single with Bubble Bus. The band would contribute the song “Prince of Edinburgh” that featured some changes in the band.  We see Alan Korn from Schematix, The Cat Heads, X-tal and She Mob on bass, John Farinacci on drums, Brian Good on guitar and Cindy Wiggington from Bedlam Rovers on violin. Again the songs were recorded by Greg Freeman at Lowdown Studios.

The band appeared on a few compilations. On the CD and LP compilation “It’s All True Harp Records… San Francisco… 1992-94” released by Big Cat (ABB 59) the band had two songs “Barbwire Chair” and “I Can’t Reach You”.

On a compilation CD called “The Moderna Wunda-Major All-Automatic Convenience Centerette” that came with the fanzine Burning the Midnight Firefly #2 that Keith D’Arcy made, the band contributed with the song “Cirque D’Amour”.  On this compilation they appear with great bands including Bomb Pops, Tree Fort Angst or even The Cat’s Miaow among others!

On another fanzine from 1994, Red Roses for Me, there was a tape called “Beyond the Valley of the Polar Bears”. On this tape the band had three songs, “Told You So”, “Prince of Edinburgh” and “Hey Jay (Live)”.

I keep looking for more info. I find a scan of the Gavin magazine from March 26, 1994. Here it mentions that the second 7″, “Lesbian Nation”, was released after the band had split already.

And lastly a very cool find! A live video! The band playing live in the early nineties a venue called Hotel Utah in San Francisco. In this live gig the band was formed by Jen Gunston, Barry Hall, Alan Korn and John Stuart. The songs they played were “Told You So”, “Barbed Wire Chair”, “Cirque D’Amour”, “Lesbian Nation”, “Gone, Gone, Gone”, “Cagiva Elephant”, “I Can’t Reach You”, “Nothing I Do”, “Pale Blue Eyes”, “Discipline”, “Lazy Ways”, “Lullaby”, “I Wrote a Letter” and “See You”.

And this is what I could find! Anyone remembers them?

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Listen
The Goldenrods – Barbwire Chair

After a few French bands that appeared on “Teeny Poppers”, the 1992 compilation tape I’ve been going through with a fine comb, now it is time for a one that is not French: In Heaven.

On this cassette that Anorak Records released in France the band would appear opening the B side with the track “It’ll Keep Awhile”. That wouldn’t be their only compilation appearance. in 1992 too they would have the track “Coast to Coast” on a tape titled “Sandcastles in the Sun” released by the German label Meller Welle Produkte (MEL10).

Lastly, in 2021, their song “Aquanova”, was on a British compilation tape called “Deliberately Lo-Fi” that Kyle Productions (001) released.

Speaking of “Aquanova”, that was the name of the band’s 1993 tape album that they self-released. On the sleeve of this tape it has an address as a contact information. It is in Devizes, in the UK. I had never heard of this town before. Looking at Wikipedia I learn…

Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century civil war between Stephen of England and Empress Matilda, and again during the English Civil War when the Cavaliers lifted the siege at the Battle of Roundway Down and the Parliamentarian Army of the West under Sir William Waller was routed. Devizes remained under Royalist control until 1645, when Oliver Cromwell attacked and forced the Royalists to surrender. The castle was destroyed in 1648 on the orders of Parliament, and today little remains of it.

The tracks on this album were: “Ultramarine”, “Kodak”, “Aquanova”, “Coast to Coast”, “Head for Home”, “Seen it All”, “My Mine”, “Setting Sun”, “Mirror Me More” and “It’ll Keep a While”.

That same year, 3 songs from this album would be picked up by Meller Welle Produkte to release a 7″ titled “Aquanova E.P.” (MEL5). This great sounding shoegazey record had “Seen it All Before” on the A side and “Ultramarine” and “It’ll Keep Awhile” on the B side. The songs were produced and engineered by the band. The band also took care of the artwork with a photo of a cat named Bob on the back cover. Tracks were recorded at My Disco in 1992.

There is one name here, on the labels, though, J.M. Philipps. He wrote all the songs. Was his name Justin perhaps? I saw a Justin commenting on a blog post saying it was his band. No last name though.

And that’s what I could find. The songs are available to listen online, on Youtube, so you won’t have have difficulty to check them out. But there is no information about who were behind this band. How long did they last as a band or if they played in other bands before or afterwards. Would be nice to find out!

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Listen
In Heaven – It’ll Keep Awhile

I think it will be over soon. Over my investigation on the bands that appeared on the “Teeny Poppers” (SHOUBIDOUWA 01) cassette compilation that the Limoges-based label Anorak Records released in 1992.

I’ve written of quite a few by now. Also I don’t plan to write about all of them (maybe some day), but only about the bands I don’t know anything about, or very little about. That’s why I wrote lately about Monsieur de Foursaings, The Through Corners, Meek and today I will write about the British band The Music Scene.

Yes, they were British, Fabien mentioned that to me when I interviewed him. And I know it was formed by Roy Thirlwall, Pete Jarvis and Emma Saunders.

The song that they have on the compilation is a nice mellow track titled “Isabelle” that appears as the 5th track on the A side of the tape comp.

One wonders then who is this enigmatic Isabelle they dedicate the song. The name Isabelle is French, I’d say. Maybe it has to do with Isabelle from the band Caramel, the band Fabien from Anorak Records was in? Maybe it is a wild guess…

It is also worth noting that in 1991 the band appeared on the classic “The Waaaaaah!” CD released by Bring on Bull (BULL 3-0). On this legendary comp the band had contributed the track “Friend of a Friend”.

Other than what I’ve been able to share here there is no information about the band.

Who were behind this band? Are there more recordings? Anyone knows?

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Listen
The Music Seen – Isabelle