A bit of a quiet week for Cloudberry now although the fanzines arrived home today and I should start shipping all pre-orders tomorrow. The official release date is for the 10th. I’ve talked already a bit too much about the zine so by know either you are fed up with reading about my excitement about this new issue, you have already ordered a copy or you don’t understand what the fuss is about. So let’s move on to other essential topic of the indiepop world: Indietracks.

It’s true that there is still some announcements to be made. And I don’t know when that is happening. Perhaps it says somewhere on the Anorak Forum, but if there’s a place one feels unwelcome, it is in that forum sadly. So I decided to stop visiting it for some time now. I feel that if you are not British, if you are probably not from Nottingham, you have not much to do there. So fair enough. In any case, and who cares really, I didn’t wait for that last announcement and I booked a very expensive flight to spend almost six days in my favourite country, England.

Four of those days are almost exclusively dedicated to Indietracks. Friday you travel to Alfreton/Mansfield/Swanwick or whatever the place you are staying at. Saturday and Sunday are exclusive to the festival. And Monday you leave knackered around noon back to London. Arriving at 4 or 5 and then having late lunch. So I count Monday as an Indietracks day. Especially as these lunches are with all the nice friends that are traveling with you on the train back to the city. This year I’m going to a pre-Indietracks show too on Thursday. So that’s another indiepop day. 5 of my days for the cause. For the good cause.

I did have a room reserved at the Mansfield Premier Inn since January. Or maybe it was since December. I still didn’t know if I was going to go. Not because of money but mostly about vacation days. Though I admit I never thought I was going to pay this much. This year it seems everyone wants to go to London for the summer! But as bands started being announced for Indietracks, and as things started to develop with Cloudberry in ways I didn’t expect, it started to make sense to go for my fourth Indietracks. Fourth in a row too.

I believe that knowing that The Secret History were going to play was a big bump for me to buy the ticket. The new release and getting to see them in such a great place, with the right crowd, cleared all my doubts if I should be there or not. Of course all my friends have been telling me to come over. Jennifer especially who convinced me by 100% as she asked me to DJ an event. Very important. Can’t let my dear friend down. And then of course getting to see my favourites Alpaca Sports and Flowers. One more time after the NYC Popfest. It all makes sense.

The latest Indietracks announcement was also very important to make up my mind. If minutes earlier before the announcements I was telling Emilie that I really hoped to see The Brilliant Corners this year, that it was unfair that they were playing Berlin and the Scared to Get Happy gig, someone was going to tell me they were getting booked for the Derbyshire festival I wouldn’t have believed it. But they did! Emilie funnily enough told me right away that I might have been crossing my fingers way too hard for this to come true. I might! Of course! I love The Brilliant Corners and I can’t wait to at least say hi! to Davey. If he can sign me a record, then that would make me the happiest. The question being should I bring my own records or would they sell some of their old stock there? This is important as I love to travel light!

Then the other two bands that melted my heart. Helen Love and McTells. Two of my favourite bands ever are also playing. And these two came very unexpected to me as they are not playing around or promoting anything new. So hats off to team Indietracks for booking these two. I’m sold. You make me happy. Now who else will you book? Can you do The Popguns as well? I’d be thrilled. Thrilled to bits!

Sure, some might say that older bands are not what the young crowd wants. And we need some of the young guns at the grounds. Aren’t they the ones that buy the most beers and the most records? Who knows. But they do know how to camp whereas I don’t. If the young crowd aren’t pleased by the classic sound of indiepop then maybe they shouldn’t come to an indiepop festival? I think in any case the team is catering to them with some bands like Fear of Men (who in my book have only one “indiepop-sounding” song and it’s really good), The Wave Pictures (zzz), and really a lot of bands that make me feel I live under a rock (though not trying to be a moron but usually if I haven’t heard the band it’s not real indiepop haha, but it’s true). So the young crowd should be pleased I think. There’s a bit for everyone and I have more than enough with this good lineup.

Add to all these the new-comers Pale Spectres who I hope don’t play at the church because I don’t want to miss them.  The Ballet are quite great too and I haven’t seen them since NYC Popfest 2007, though I might have seen Marina at NYC Popfest 2010? I don’t remember. I had a quaint conversation about La Pequeña Suiza, the beloved and cult indiepop band from Spain she used to play with many moons ago. Also looking forward to seeing the Fireworks, Matthew, Isabel and Emma’s new project! The 7″ single on Shelflife sounds fantastic! German’s The Soulboy Collective is also rather a surprise, it’s not the kind of sound I thought team Indietracks loved. But then, I really liked their album on Firestation Records, so this is one not to be missed. The Understudies are also on my “bands to watch” this year. Also I need to grab all of their releases. Seems I’m missing some. Shame on me.

Camera Obscura, The Pastels, Still Corners, all of them I will watch. I’ve seen them all before, and I’d say I liked Camera Obscure a lot in Berlin. That was quite a show and I’ve been meaning for a couple of weeks now to frame the huge poster that Andy ripped from the wall for me. Thing is, A1 posters are not standard size in this country. So I need to look into some custom framing here. Sucks. I’m thinking of bringing a frame from the UK though now. Wonder how easy will that be. Does it fit in a big bag? If it does that would be the best solution!

I’m very curious about Finnmark! More because their principles, their love for Sweden. Music-wise I hope to be surprised.  But they do represent everything that is great about indiepop I think. Big Wave. I ordered their 7″ some weeks ago. Still waiting! Then The French Defence, Lardpony and Nalda. Three bands that I originally scheduled for the 3″ singles series. Sadly it never happened. Glad that they are back though, I look forward to their sets.

So pretty busy already, huh? It should be a good one indeed. This year I’m probably going by myself. First time without the crazy Christin and Emelie’s, first time without the quiet As of my life. That might change my mood a bit perhaps when I’m there. But who knows. I don’t dislike traveling alone. And it’s been a while now since all of these things happened. I feel it will be more like 2011, where as Jennifer said to me, “I was all over the place”. Hoping then that I see many familiar faces, all the people that make this festival the best around.

Probably I’ll blog about the festival a week or two before with my planned schedule for the whole thing, the clashes, the decisions to be made. The DJs (once again I wish I played some records there! maybe the next one?), the food, and the latest announcements. I’m very happy to go there again!

One question though for all of you. Should I bring some Cloudberry records to sell? If so how many? Last year I didn’t bring any because I wanted to spend a lot of time with my then girl as I didn’t get to see her too often. But this year I’m all for spreading the word and the love for the label. Previous years I’ve brought around 50 7″s. And always they sold out. Especially the latest releases. Maybe something like that this year too? Maybe 60 or so? Let me know if anyone is interested in anything in particular too so I can bring that and everyone can save on the crazy US postage prices.

PS. Can I ask for the Felt Tips to play Indietracks? I want to listen to their new album live!

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After this ‘short’ Indietracks review of mine, let’s move into another obscure band I’ve been trying to track for years now after seeing their name listed on the Twee.net Future Leamington Spa bands page: A Tune A Day. What a good name I thought. Though perhaps these days with the internet a lot of people listen and discover more than a good tune every day. Though a tune a day, the idea of it, the principle of it, is just perfect. For example I have this thing myself of a 7″ a day. That way I force myself, at least when in town, to listen to one of the 7″s in my collection.

I would have thought that the band was from Clapham in London because their label name was The Clapham Omnibus, but the address listed on the back of the sleeve of their sole 7″ is closer to Tooting or Balham. But perhaps there was a bus that ran (or still runs?) from their place in Hillbury Road all the way to Clapham. Perhaps a bigger clue would be the catalog number of their 7″, ‘FARE 37’. Perhaps that was the bus number? Maybe someone familiar with the area could tell me. I’ve never been to Clapham myself in any of the visits I’ve done to London. Perhaps the Brockley is the place I’ve been the south-est in in London. From what I gather Clapham is mostly known for:
its extensive 220 acre green space Clapham Common, which features three ponds and is overlooked by large Georgian and Victorian mansions, and the village-like atmosphere of its historic Old Town. And also for being home of Holy Trinity Clapham the Georgian Church on Clapham Common, from where The Clapham Sect led by William Wilberforce and a group of upper class evangelical Christians campaigned for the abolition of the slave trade in the 19th century.

The name of Clapham is thought to derive from the Old English clopp(a) + hām or hamm, meaning Homestead/enclosure near a hill.

And Omnibus –  1829, “four-wheeled public vehicle with seats for passengers,” from French (voiture) omnibus “(carriage) for all, common (conveyance),” from Latin omnibus “for all,” dative plural of omnis “all” (see omni-). Introduced by Jacques Lafitte in Paris in 1819 or ’20, in London from 1829. In reference to legislation, the word is recorded from 1842. Meaning “man or boy who assists a waiter at a restaurant” is attested from 1888 (cf. busboy). As an adjective in English from 1842.

The one 7″ A Tune a Day released had two songs, one on each side. On the A side “I Am Going Home” which I remember listening long time ago on one of the compilations Jessel used to put online on Myspace. I can’t remember right now how the song goes, though I remember liking it. The B side is “I’m Not Going To Get Out Of Bed In The Morning” and I found it on the From a Norther Place blog. And of course, it is a nice guitar pop tune, classic indiepop sound from the late 80s.

And it did came out very late in the 80s. The 7″ was released in 1989. It was recorded and mixed by Lance Philips. Other credits include the cover photo by Jane Skinner and design by Sharon Sutcliffe. The front cover is indeed a photo of who I would guess is the vocalist of the band. Couldn’t say where was the photo taken. I could guess Brighton Pier, but most probably not. It looks less glamorous, though I don’t know how it looked in the late 80s. Also I assume there are more piers like this in the UK.

No band members listed. The only other credit appears on the labels of the 7″. Both songs are credited to I. Bain. A safe guess, as there are not many names starting with I is that he was an Ian or an Iain. And yes! Thanks to that I stumbled to a blog post by the essential Fire Escape Talking. How are thing all connected in this world, it seems Iain Bain before A Tune a Day had a band with Martin Cotter who I interviewed some years ago about the great Wee Cherubs!

So Bain was in a band called Radio Ghosts before A Tune A Day. With this band they released an EP called “Say Hello To The World of Love EP!!” which I just found on Discogs for a good price. There are more copies there if you are wondering. Hopefully when it arrives I can maybe do a blog post about it. On one of the listings it says they sound a bit like The Times! Curious to hear! Also the lead song of this EP, “My Room” was included on the Messthetics #105 release. I’ve been meaning to buy the Messthetics releases and I still haven’t. Shame on me. Hopefully I get around to it soon. It has to be done, especially as they include booklets with great information.

And this is where I hit a dead end. So Iain moved from Scotland to England. Then he put out this record. I wonder what he did after. Also what he did before it, in between Radio Ghosts and A Tune a Day. Maybe more great guitar pop? Anyone knows? And does anyone happen to have an mp3 to refresh my memory on how “I am going home” sounds like? Or maybe a spare copy of the single that I could buy or trade? I’d love to have it! Does anyone out there remember them? Did they play any gigs? Did they have more songs? I’m curious to know!

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Listen
A Tune A Day – Im Not Going To Get Out Of Bed In The Morning