Another week and quite excited as I am already in touch with a band for a future Cake Kitchen release. I really hope it works out and eventually I can announce that. For the 7″s there’s been a few projects planned so I need to see the status of those. I guess now with holiday season things might get a bit slower but I will check!

In the meantime, here are a few cool finds from over the weekend!

Night Hikes: This Seattle two-piece was quite a surprise when I found them on Bandcamp some time ago. I know they are working on an album called “Chalice” that will be released on November 15th. We’ve heard a few terrific songs that will be included in it, and now there’s a new one called “Belltown”. And this one on Soundcloud is the single version. So definitely check it out.

Sally Haze: now another two piece, this one hailing from another US city, Chicago. The people behind it are William Wright and Jessica Wright. Are they siblings? Are they a couple? The one thing I know is that they have a 5 track EP called “Dining Room” which is available on cassette. It is pretty interesting, with standout tracks, “Tell Me Everything” and “You & Me” .

The Catherines: our friends from Hamburg just let us know that they have a new album out called “This is Good!” which is now available on tape. It is a short album, there are 8 songs, of classic bedroom jangle pop by Sandra and Heiko. And as usual we find their trademark melodies, interesting and long song titles, and summery vibe.

Kosmetika: don’t know much about this band aside that they have released an album on Roolette Records from Melbourne. It says the band has members from Russia, New Zealand and Australia, and so this album is their first one, called “Pop Soap”. It is also short, 8 songs. But it is quite interesting as there is a cool mix of elements like psychadelia and some krautrock like in the track “Kraftneu” that is a fine pop song with kraut influences!

Whimsical: more shoegaze. That’s more popular than indiepop. At least for the last 5 or so years. Maybe 10. This Griffith, Indiana, band has released their new album “Bright Smiles & Broken Hearts”, just a few days ago, on the 5th. The album is available on CD and includes 9 tracks of luminous dreampop. Lovely.

—————————————————————–

I was just checking new music on Youtube the other day and stumbled upon “Real Surprise” by Valerie and the Week of Wonders and well, I started digging on the web for more info about this song that was released in 1984.

The first thing I notice is that Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (Czech: Valerie a týden divů) is a 1970 Czechoslovakian surrealist horror film directed by Jaromil Jireš and based on the 1935 novel of the same name by Vítězslav Nezval. It is considered part of the Czechoslovak New Wave movement. The film stars 13-year-old Jaroslava Schallerová as Valerie, with a supporting cast that includes Helena Anýžová, Karel Engel, Jan Klusák, and Petr Kopriva.Valerie and Her Week of Wonders was filmed in the Czech town of Slavonice and surrounding areas. The film portrays the heroine as living in a disorienting dream, cajoled by priests, vampires, and men and women alike. The film blends elements of the fantasy and horror film genres.

Pretty obvious then that the band took their name from this film. I haven’t watched it. Do anyone recommend it?

The record was released on Piggy Bank Records (BANK 998) which was also the house of a much more known band, The Lucy Show. It does look like this was their only release though it was released on both 7″ and 12″ formats. The 7″ had two songs, “Real Surprise” on the A side and “Holy Picture” on the B side. The 12″ on the other hand had “Real Surprise (Wonder Mix)” on the A side and “Holy Picture” and “Too Late” on the B side.

All songs were engineered by Jon Turner and mastered by Noel Summerville at PRT Studios. The producer was Bobby Henry. The photos on the sleeve are credited to Tony Harrison (for the band photo on the back) and Michael Ross (beach photo on the front).

But then I find out something really interesting. Discogs only lists this record bt 45cat actually has a record that was released previously! A 7″! Wow.

A plain white sleeve, die-cut on one of the sides and hand stamped and drawn on the other, presents us “Too Late” on the A side and “Helpless” on the B side. Bobby Henry produced again the two songs. What a mystery this record is. I know too that it was released in 1983 by a label called “Soon-Come Records” (VA 01). This might as well have been the band’s own. And it might as well have been what made them end up signing with Piggy Bank? Piggy Bank was actually owner by A&M, a big label. Also something worth mentioning is that the band did a British tour supporting The Icicle Works.

Then what else? There are no compilation appearances listed. Odd.

I find then a mention of the band that might be quite interesting. Seems Greg Kane was the band’s saxophonist. he was later in Hue & Cry. Thanks to that fact I end up finding out that Valerie and the Week of Wonders was actually a Scottish band. It had Gerard Burns on vocals and Brian McFie on guitar in their lineup. Brian McFie would then be lead guitarist in The Big Dish! The other band member was Ewan McFie.

This helps me to find that Gerard Burns is now a painter, winning the Not The Turner Prize. He has also taught at St Aloysius College in Glasgow. And before all that he had studied at the prestigious Glasgow School of Art. On this article of the Herald he reminisces about the time in the band and why they didn’t make it big: “It was a shame, it was politics within the record company, but that got me out of art school and I was about two years with the band, and then I continued on with my music with other people.” . It looks like after the band split he formed a band called Heaven Sent which actually supported Simple Minds.

I then find an auction for a screenprint poster from the 80s where it advertises the band playing at the Joanna’s nightclub in Glasgow alongside Significant Zeros. Tickets were just a pound fifty back then.

Another interesting trivia is that his son is also a musician and recorded an album called “Burn on Burns”, where Gerard helped.

Now what a find! Another song on Youtube called “Ships on the Clyde“. Was this released on a demo tape or what? It has a promo video. So that is quite a mystery, how there is a video but no release? This song was recorded at Palladium Studios in Edinburgh in 1984 and was produced by Bobby Henry and engineered by Jon Turner and Gordon Rintoul. Jim Gillespie produced and directed this video which was featured on a 1985 Old Grey Whistle Test video competition for unsigned bands, judged by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme.

Lots of info, and it is only the first time I’m listening to their music. I find it so cool that the band was formed at the Glasgow School of Art. Gerard and Brian being painters. What about Greg and Ewan? Were they into visual arts as well? Did they have more songs? What other bands had they been in? It’d be great to find out more about them. I am very curious and I definitely want to hear more by them!

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

Listen
Valerie and the Week of Wonders – Real Surprise (Wonder Mix)