Day 380

Would-Be-Goods: “Spring Fever” is the 2nd set of songs from Jessica Griffin! How beautiful it is to hear her voice again. I hope at the end of the lockdown someone could release all these songs in a form or another. They are beautiful. This last set includes 5 songs, “Charm School”, “The King of the Moon”, “Temporary Arrangement”, “The Kiss of Death” and “There’s a Star on My Dressing Room Door”.

Flowertown: the San Francisco band is releasing a compilation of their first two cassette-only releases on vinyl. This self-titled collection of 12 songs is coming out on April 23rd on Mt.St.Mtn. Records. Right now you can preview two of the tracks, “The Rope” and “RCP”. Flowertown aree Karina Gill from Cindy and Michael Ramos of Tony Jay.

Beachy Head: this is the new project by Christian Savill from Slowdive. He is releasing a tape album called “Beachy Head” as well on the Savannah, Georgia, label Graveface Records. The tape album will have 8 songs and right now we can preview the last track, “Destroy Us”, a dreamy, moody, slice of guitar pop.

Tangled Shoelaces: I recommend just a few days ago the “Turn My Dial” reissue on Chapter Music. Well here is a new video and it is as wonderful as the songs we’ve heard and the video we’ve seen! This one is for the song “Oceans Away”. Can we call this band the Aussie TVPs? What a discovery!

Bart & Friends: staying in Australia it is worth noting that the classic band led by the ex-Cat’s Miaow is releasing a 10″ mini-album on one of our favourite labels, Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten. The mini-album will be titled “Tolmie Wild Thymes” and will be released later this year. We can preview on Soundcloud the pretty pretty song “All the Stage Belongs to You”.  This is a record no one should miss this year.

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After writing about Jesus Trip I sort of felt that there was at least one very obscure band on the “You Can’t Be Loved Forever vol. 3” compilation casseette that I needed to know more details: She’s Gone.

This tape from 1990, compiled by Phil Ball from The Rileys and Feverfew, is a superb indiepop tape. It is made with such great taste, all bands are great, from the well-known ones (Happydeadmen, Strawberry Story, They Go Boom!!) to the obscure ones (Blue Summer, The Hoverchairs, Big Decision). I’ve covered many of the bands on it and these past days I’ve gone back to the tape, revisit the songs, and find out more about those bands I know nothing about.

She’s Gone appears on the B side of the tape, almost at the end. They have the ninth song on this side out of eleven. It is interesting that the most obscure bands appear one next to the other, The Hoverchairs, Big Decision, Blue Summer, She’s Gone, Jesus Trip to close the tape with Dreamscape, who would later become Secret Shine. She’s Gone contributes a beautiful song called “Clear Skies”.

Discogs lists another song for She’s Gone, but it is clearly not the same band. I got excited for a minute. I wouldn’t expect the sweet and fragile She’s Gone from the tape among many DJs in a compilation. Even less if it dates from 2017.

So as it happened with Jesus Trip it seems impossible to search for She’s Gone. Back then there was no internet of course, and people didn’t think that their band names would be keywords to be searched by an obsessed indiepop fan. Nah. That wasn’t in the books. I am sure these days bands think of that. At least some bands. The truth is that that today I am bit frustrated. I haven’t been able to find any information about She’s Gone. Literally they are gone.

We know there was a female member on the band. Her vocals are so so pretty. Who was singing? Perhaps there were no other band members? I can’t say. I would love to know if anyone remembers this band. Any details will be appreciated!

Edit: our friend Phil, who made the compilation and was in the band Feverfew, just told me that She’s Gone was the band of Paul Stewart before forming Blueboy. Actually this song, re-recorded and sang by Gemma, appeared on “If Wishes Were Horses”.

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Listen
She’s Gone – Clear Skies