Well, well, here is a new post.
Univers: our Barcelona friends are back with a release on the Modern Obscure Music label. The A side comes with “Joventuts Unides” and “L’Home i L’Epasa” and the B side comes with a bunch of remixes. I like of course the guitar based songs the best, you know me, not a fan of remixes. But so happy to hear these songs, do check “L’Home i L’Espasa” on Youtube which I’m linking here. Great track!
No Fucks: Discos de Kirlian is releasing a 10″ vinyl record by the wonderful Spanish band No Fucks. 10 short songs, including the superb “Punkipop”, fit perfectly in the record. Formed by Elisa, Stephen and Dani or Dru on bass, the Asturian band looks to be in good form. Now, if I’m lucky when I visit Asturias in the summer, will I get the chance to see them live?
Andy Pawlak: a few days ago the “Lost Demos 1985-1986” album was released by Firestation Records. I noticed I didn’t recommend anyone yet to check the song “Squeeky Clean” which is available on the label’s Bandcamp. I think it is a good idea to do so and order the record too of course!
Carnival: another new release on Firestation will be that of this Liverpool band on 12″ vinyl. Titled “From Strawberry Fields to the Pyramid Club (With Love)”, the record includes 5 songs. I wasn’t aware of this band before but it seems it was around the early 80s. The story goes that Ian Fradgley from the band ordered a copy of the Candy Opera album that Firestation released and the label was sure to ask if a release could be done for Carnival!
The Linger Effect: I must say that this is fhe first time I listen to this St John’s, Canada, band. But it does say that 2019 marks 20 years since the first release of the band. Wow. To celebrate this landmark Kent Burt, who is behind the band, has re-recorded five favourites from the cassette years (1999-2002).
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I don’t have the complete catalog for the US label Candy Floss. I mean, in my collection. Though I must say I’m not sure if the label only released 17 records. Maybe there was more? Would be great to be in touch with Mike Toy who ran the label back then. I do have a CD and some 7″s. The first ever release on the label, the Delightful Little Nothings 7″ has always been a favourite for example. Or the Poastal 7″. That one is fantastic as well. I should dedicate some posts to the bands on the San Francisco 90s label, as they are not that well known (unless you are The Brian Jonestown Massacre that is). Maybe I can do that in the next months.
About The Cherry Smash I know very little. I know they put out one 7″ on the label though there is no date listed. A safe guess would be sometime between 1995 and 1996. It had the catalog number of CF-010 and it had three songs in it. The A side was “Nowhere Generation” while on the B side we find “Californya Burn Trip [You Made Me Hate the Beach Boys]” and “Airport Girl”. The first one has a sample from the Beach Boys. They must have paid some good money to do that (?)!
The 7″ EP was titled “West Coast Rip-Off”. I wonder why this name. The sleeve shows an illustration of three silhouettes, three guys. Maybe there were three people in the band?
Three compilations are listed. The first dating from 1997 on the Mint Sound (MSRCD4) label, a compilation CD called “Attack of the Terrible Boots” where the band contributes the track “Lousy California Feeling”. The next year, 1998, they contribute a song to a CD compilation on Candy Floss (CF-017) called “Pure Spun Sugar”. The song was “Split Screen”. I have actually written a bit about this compilation in the past when I wrote about the band The Sleazy Beats who also appear in it.
Lastly, and oddly, in 2009 their song “Nowhere Generation” was included in a Captured Tracks compilation called “Captured Tracks Mix CD”. I don’t understand how the song ended up there, and you know my aversion to this label, but that’s what happened.
According to the superb Wilfully Obscure blog, the guy behind The Cherry Smash was singer/guitarist/songwriter Blake Miller who was later in the band Moving Units. With this band he has released a few albums in the noughties. He has also been in other bands like Lies in Disguise, Spectacle, Trade Secrets and Weird Science. From what I understand Cherry Smash changed names to Spectacle, and under this name they released the album “Glow in the dark Soul” on Supreme Recordings that was part of Island Records. I guess another story of an indie band signing to a major and not succeeding.
Spectacle does have a Wikipedia entry and lists three more members Alex Crain, Brad Laner (ex-Medicine) and Brent Rademaker (later of Further and Beachwood Sparks). So two of them were in The Cherry Smash. Who then?
Not much more information about them on the web as usual. So now I will have to trust in your memories, if any of you remember them. Maybe you saw them live? Maybe you know of more songs? What happened with them? Why did they change names? Had they been in other bands previously? Any information will be appreciated!
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