I think one of the most exciting news this week is the announcement of “The Sound of Leamington Spa Volume 10 – German Edition”. Now we know the tracklist and that is really exciting. It will be released on CD and vinyl (though once again with that gimmick of adding an extra track on the vinyl just to make sure fans buy both versions, something I don’t agree with and I think is a bit of a capitalist trick). But what can you do? The album is announced for February 2019 and will the tracklist is as follows:

The Pariahs – Going Down Niagara Falls
The Mirror Images – Paint
Die Tanzenden Herzen – Sag Mir Was Du Siehst
I Burnettes – Buildings
Goldstein Circus – Far (Alternative Mix)
Second View – Machinery
The Artpress – Anyway
Candlestick – Be My Baby
The Hyde Parkas – I Confess
Die Blinzelbeeren – Keine Hoffnung Mehr
Angry Flowers – When She Dreams
Starfish – Shortsightedness
She Splinters Mortar – Brown Sugar
The Butterfly Collectors – Hope You’ll Never Go
Die Wurzelsepps – Sweet Aggression
Paperback Writers – A tale of love + honour
Ein Warmer Sommermorgen – Fahrradfahren
The Dead Adair – Jacqueline B
Viola Crayfish – Besser Scheitern
The Groovy Cellar – My America (Demo)

Some of these bands have been featured on the blog, which makes me quite happy. Now I’m sure we’ll learn a detail or two more about them thanks to the always lovely booklet that comes with these compilations. I do find it strange that the label is calling the compilation The Sound of Leamington Spa as when they started these comps they were very focused and had the rule of only including English and Irish bands of the period. I guess with time things and idea changes. But maybe a different name would have worked? Just thinking out loud. In any case I’m very much looking forward to this compilation as there are many bands and songs I’m not familiar with!

Fanclub:  I think it wasn’t that long ago that I discovered this Austin band. Well today I’m listening to a new track called “Stranger” that is really lovely! The sweet vocals and melodies are just what I needed today. I hope to see a proper release by this band in the near future!

The Catherines: another band that is heavily featured in the blog is this German band. Today I want to share with you the news that the band has a full-length tape, their second, available on their Bandcamp. It is titled “Cheers!”, and it includes 9 super tracks, many of which have already been recommended here!

Les Bicyclettes de Belsize: 12 tracks for this digital album “The 12 Days of Christmas”. Now you have no excuse to get into the holiday season mood. This is the first release by the London band fronted by Charlie Darling since 2017’s “Christmas Revisited EP”! He surely loves Christmastime!

The Autumn Stones: Checking out what this Toronto band has now to offer I stumble upon a 4 track EP called “Into the Light”. This lovely record includes the title song, “Hardwired”, “Higher” and “The Bigger they Fall (Acoustic Mix)”. I remember some months ago I was recommending the last track when it was released as a digital single!

Parsnip: “Feeling Small” is the 2nd 7″ by this Melbourne quartet after their lovely self-titled 7″ from 2017. This time around there are two new songs, “Feeling Small” and “Winter” that are influenced by indiepop and girl-group pop too!  It does feel like there is a great scene these days in Australia! Every single time we discover a fantastic band!

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It seems I’ve made my own challenge with that list posted by Janglepophub of obscure jangle pop. There is not much info on that list, just a bunch of names, mostly bands I’ve never heard before, and Youtube links to check out these band’s music. But as you know, I need to know more. So I’ve been digging for more information of course.

Today it is the turn for Blue TV from the US. “Back in Time” from 1985 is the song that is shared. I quickly find out that this was actually a B side for “Train Wrecks” and it came out on a 7″. It was released by a label called Twilight Records (TR001) which looks like an Atlanta based label. Needless to say I have never heard about the label before or any of the bands on the catalog. Those who know about it, would you recommend me something on it?

And was the band based in Atlanta?

The truth is that Discogs doesn’t have much information. But happily the sleeve has been scanned. The songs are copyrighted to the Swell Guy Songs. That doesn’t say much. Then the songs were produced by the band and Joe Wolff. Joe Wolff also engineered the record. It was recorded in May 1985 at Lotus Studios.

The art for the record, which is quite cool, was designed by Galen Smith.

Then the band members. That’s a breakthrough.
Doug Hamilton on vocals
Dennis Klein on drums
Jeff Cohen on guitar
Jan Dykes on bass

I keep looking. I find a post about the band on the great blog Wilfully Obscure.  Even though there is not much information on the post, there is a comment by Doug Hamilton, the vocalist, mentioning that the band was influenced by R.E.M. but that the bass player, Jan Dykes, was into the British bands like New Order and Gang of Four.

I keep googling. It doesn’t seem to take anywhere. I hit walls. I guess this is a proper obscure band. I read a bunch of comments saying that the Atlanta scene in the 80s was unfairly in the shadows of the Athens one, in the shadows of R.E.M. but that there was quality and many good bands in Atlanta. Would be great to discover them.

Anyone remember Blue TV? Whatever happened to the members? Did they continue making music? Why just one 7″?

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Listen
Blue TV – Back in Time