I know, I know, I said I was going to announce a new release this week! It is all ready but just waiting for the mastering of the songs. I want to share a song at least when I announce the album, right? So that’s what is keeping me. I am crossing my fingers I get something over the weekend so I can share and announce this. On the other hand I have already contacted 20 bands (hoping all of them say yes) to be part of the first volume of the Australian indiepop compilations I hope to start releasing this year. I am aiming for summer, no later than that, for the first release. I am very excited about this and I hope it works out well!

Now, what have I found lately?

Corduroy: this was a very cool surprise! I wasn’t aware that Paul from Expert Alterations had a new band until I got an invite on Facebook to like this band’s page. Then I listened and I immediately fell in love with this TVPs ramshackle pop influenced band from Baltimore, Maryland. THe band has released a demo back in May 2018 and their latest is the “Corduroy EP” that came out a week or so ago. It is a 6 song EP and it is available on tape. Of course I’m hoping a vinyl record or a CD in the near future, but in the meantime I’m enjoying these top songs!

She Sir: this very good band that had released previously in Japan and the US seems to have signed to Austin Town Hall Records to release their latest effort, a 6 song EP titled “Ways a Season”. It will be available on March 22nd on 12″ vinyl and so far we can only preview one of the songs, “OK Tono Omepo”.

Funeral Advantage: I’ve been a fan of this Boston band for a while. This year the band is releasing a limited cassette mini-album called “Nectarine” which is coming out on February 22nd. Only one of the songs is available to preview now and it is called “Black Horse” and it sounds great!

Dream, Ivory: Christian Baello and Louie Baello are Dream, Ivory, a band who has just released a tape on the San Francisco label Blind Love Tapes. Their self-titled 8 song mini-album sounds terrific. Dreamy, jangly, blissful, evocative. The interesting thing is that these 8 songs seem to have been originally released in 2016. I didn’t hear them then. I don’t really know where or how they were released at that time. But I’m glad all these songs are available one more time even if it is on tape.

Elna Rae: and of course I decided to explore more releases on this label which is new to me. And I found Elna Rae who have released a lathe cut that is limited to 20 copies! So hurry up I suppose? Because it is pretty good, 4 lovely guitar pop tracks, “Ultra Lord”, “Marmalade” “Turkish Silvers” and “Sonic” make up the “Dexter EP”.

—————————————————————–

I must say that the first song I ever heard by this Norwich early 80s band I really liked. It was poppy, fun, kind of a proto-Anorak Girls kind of song. Then I went to check out their other songs and I wasn’t that into them. They were darker, less poppy. I suppose that makes sense as the band is normally categorized as a synth-wave band. But still I thought recommending the one song I loved,”Life’s Not Worth It (yeah)”. I think it is a great slice of indiepop if I may say so.

At first I thought the song I liked was an earlier track. You know this happens a lot. The band is first quite poppy and then they develop a different sound. But it might not be the case this time as this song, “Life’s Not Worth it (Yeah)” was included in a 1984 compilation called “Reel Number 3″, whereas their first 7” came out in 1983. Or it could have been a song they had saved from their early days?

This compilation actually included two songs by them. The other song was “Bandwagon Tango (Edit)”. This song was actually the A side of their first single. I’ll get to that in a bit. But what else do we know about this compilation? Well it was released by Backs Records, the label and shop based in Norwich, and didn’t have a catalog number. There were some great bands on it like Vital Disorders, Mad About Sunday, Kamikaze Sex Pilots and The Farmer’s Boys among others.

As I said “Bandwagon Tango” was their first 7″ and came out also on Backs (NCH 004). The B side was “Unfamiliar Room“. Actually both of these songs have promo videos and I’ve linked to them. And you’ll notice that the sound is much different to “Life’s Not Worth It (yeah)”.

The 2nd and last 7″ was “Third Stroke” with “If Only If it Wasn’t”. Again the sound is heavier, and darker. Perhaps “Life’s Not Worth It (yeah)” was the only song of theirs in that style, with that pop sensibility. I wonder. This single also was released by Backs Records (NCH 010) and came out in 1984.

There are a few more songs by the band. There was one called “Damp Hands and Breathlessness” that appeared on the 1984 cassette comp “The Norwich Tapes Vol. 1” that was released by Nationsounds (STN 09). This same song also appeared with a remix version on a 1985 tape called “A Street Tape Named Desire” that was released by Venue One. Then the song “Blanket Expression (Peel Session Version)” was included in the 2013 tape “Pap Smear Tears – Cindy’s HitszTape” that was released by Grovl. It seems only 19 songs were made of this tape. Is it an official release?

Their B side “If Only if it Wasn’t” was also included in an unofficial CDR comp called “None Night of Flexipop Vol. 4”. Flexipop being a bootleg label from Germany.

Now we know a thing or two. And we know they did a Peel Session. When was that? What songs were recorded? The answer is easy to find. It was on December 18th 1982 and they played the songs “Bandwagon Tango”, “Blanket Expression”, “Ransom” and “Unfamiliar Room”. I find too the lineup of the band on the BBC site.
Sue Hope – vocals
Pete Roberts – synthesizer
John Hartwell – electric drums
Vince Rogers – organ

Keep looking. I find an article on the website Sofacom. Here it mentions that the band formed in 1981 and had recorded an early demo that was supported by Radio Norfolk. What songs were on that demo? The writer, who seems to be familiar with the “Testies”, describes the bands gigs as shambolic. I like that. That they had a very primitive drum machine and that they played gigs at places like The Big Apple in Great Yarmouth where they had some issues with the police! We also know the band supported OMD and SPK, and won a Battle of the Bands. Then the band was over.

The Battle of the Bands gig is actually on Youtube. The TDK Battle of the Bands Norwich, October 30th 1982 were the band played “Desire is My Downfall”, “Suburban Life”, “Blanket Expression”, Unfamiliar Room” and “Unfamiliar Room (Encore)”.

It also tells us a bit about the band members. Pete Roberts used to call himself Pete Casio. Vince Rogers after the demise of the band went on to Gee Mr. Tracy and at worked at the BBC in the Soutth East. Sue Hope seems to have been replaced by Angie Thornby Burt in July 1984 and later by a Rebecca Slater. John Hartwell is/was a technical guru at Norwich Arts Centre. The article mind you was written in 2004!

It is also safe to assume they took their name from the tuning signals test card that were broadcasted by the BBC. Test Card F seems to be the most famous one and even has its own Wikipedia article. It was the longest-running test card and it featured Carole Hersee and Bubbles the Clown.

Lastly the website Music from the East Zone – East Anglian Music Archive can give us in which other bands the members were involved with.
Vince Rodgers had been as mentioned earlier in Gee Mr Tracy but also in The Browning Version.
Susan Hope (also known as Susan Flynn) had been in Count Lorenzo and Funk Turkey.
Rebecca Slater had been in The Browning Version.
Angie Thornby Burt (also known as Angie Nee Dixon) had been in Egotism, The Kamikaze Pilots, Children of the Revolution and Garden of Delights.

And that’s about it. It is true that I’m not loving all of their songs. They are not what I normally listen to. But the one song I like, I think it is ace. I hope you like it too. Also if anyone know if they had more poppy songs like this, perhaps on their demos? Or if they have any other details about the band, please share!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Testcard F – Life’s not Worth it (Yeah)