One more week is over. Halfway through February now. I have just booked some vacation time in July. I’ll be heading to Asturias, in the north of Spain. If any Asturian want some records do let me know. No hurries. There’s time.

Now some new finds?

Seventeen Years Old and Berlin Wall: “Reflect” is the 2nd mini album by the Tokyo based dreampop band. It came out back in 2018, but I’m only listening to it now. A bit late. But better late than never right? There are 6 songs in the record  which was released on cassette by the Kyoto label Sango Records.

Chestnut Bakery: I actually stumbled upon Sango Records as I noticed they had reissued the album “Diaries” that the Chinese band put out back in 2015 on the superb Boring Productions. The original release has been long sold out so those who missed out have a great opportunity now to get one of course!

The Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness: the magnificent duo formed by Andrew Taylor and Gonzalo Marcos will be releasing their debut album “Dead Calm” on March 1st on the Alicante, Spain, label Pretty Olivia Records. 10 songs of top pop will be included I am sure, but at the moment we can only preview two of them, “Close the Doors” and “Nervous Man”. It is definitely a record I’d want in my collection!

The Oilies: Carly Putnam is The Oilies. She has been part of The Art Museums. That’s a good thing. On her songs she says she wants to combine the subtle creepiness of Rose McDowall with the wistfulness of the Marine Girls. Sounds that she is into something. There is a new EP called “Psychic Dog” on her Bandcamp which will be released on vinyl on April 5th. You can preview one of the songs, “Psychic Dog”, at her Bandcamp.

Boyracer: well I missed this. There was a new Boyracer 7″ that the Finnish label Royal Mint Records put out. It was limited to 75 copies. So good luck finding one. At least we can play time and time again on Bandcamp the two songs that are on the 7″, “Strong Arms” and “Teardrops”. Bear in mind too that these two songs won’t be part of the upcoming Boyracer LP that will be released this year.

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Every couple of weeks it seems like I want to restart that compilations project that was supposed to be The Sound of Starke Adolf. I really loved how the first volume came out many many years ago. As you know I started working on a 2nd volume but because of the lack of interest of the bands it proved almost impossible to complete it. I wonder if these days some of the people behind that amazing music done in Sweden between 2000 and 2007 are still apathetic about it?

As time goes on I discover bands that weren’t in my radar and that could have been part of these compilations. It definitely was a prolific period for indiepop there. And most amazing this band, The Radio Arts, actually hailed from the same place as the legendary Starke Adolf club, Gothenburg.

On Discogs only their last release is listed. A 2005 CD called “This Morning Makes Me Okey”, which was self-released. It included four songs, “04:30 Am”, “Let Go”, “The New Waves to Come” and “The Song I Love”. So far I’ve only been able to listen out of all of their songs, “Let Go”, and it is great. Will I be able to find all their songs one day, be able to listen to them? Which one was their best?

I ask that because there were more songs. Not just these 4. The previous year, 2004, they released two demo CDs. CDRs I am guessing. I’m not sure which one was first. But they do appear listed in Popfakta. There was “People People” which included three songs, “Come On”, “Walk Right Through” and “Endless Show”. These songs were engineered and mixed by Dave McEwan. The photo on the sleeve is credited to Olof Brandt while the design to Bikelife. Then we find the band members:
Hannes Sandahl on bass
Jonas Lyckander on guitar
Nils Lyckander on keyboard
Jonas on vocals
Andreas Hansson on drums and vocals

These same members played on the other CD, “I’m Gonna Shout it Out”. This one included two songs, “Satisfaction” and “The Beautiful”.

Going through different newspapers from Sweden, I find that the band played the Frizonfestivalen in Örebro sometime between the 10th and 14th of August 2005 alongside Tomas Anderson Wij and Wonderland.

Then there is an article with Jonas Lyckander about some Irish Festival that invited the band to play in 2007. Sadly there is a paywall on this article on the website HD, a Helsingborg paper. I can’t read the whole thing. But I could read an interesting detail, that the band had toured not just Sweden but also Europe. Where in Europe is the question then!

Then on the same website, and without a paywall, there is an article from 2010 mentioning that Jonas is doing electronic music, somewhere in between the Tough Alliance and Pet Shop Boys under the name Dufvan. Here I also learn that Jonas was originally from Helsingborg.

Then I lose the trail. Not much written about them. Nor I can’t seem to find whereabouts they played in Europe. Or if they release any other records or songs. Did they appear on compilations? Who remembers them?

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Listen
The Radio Arts – Let Go