Holiday time! I’ll see you in two weeks time, on Monday 16. Again just a reminder that all orders placed in these two weeks will be posted on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

Now, if you are not up to date with the blog, there will be lots of post perhaps for you to catch up. That until there is a book of course. One day. That’s the dream. In the meantime go through the obscure bands, the interviews, because there will be more of them after my return! And of course, new releases too on the label. So as always keep an eye to this space!

5 new finds for you to enjoy this coming weekend!

Jetstream Pony: definitely one of my favourite contemporary bands, and it is one that is not on the Cloudberry label, so that means a lot I think? They continue to release quality popsongs on the amazing Keline Untergrund Schallplatten label from Augsburg, and their latest 7″ is not an exception. Because it is not an exception, because it is terrific it is also no surprise that the band has put together a cool video for the song “I Close My Eyes”. I really need this record!

Lucie, Too: the Japanese band will be releasing a new CDEP on Thistime Records. The EP is called “Chime” just like the opening track. The CD will be available on December 4 and from the two songs we are able to preview we know they are a rush of poptasticness! Exciting, catchy and fun!

Short Story Picture Book: Leah Short and Liam James Marsh are a duo from Nottingham and through 2019 they have recorded a handful of songs which they’ve put together on a digital EP called “These Days”. There are 5 jangly poppy lo-fi tracks here that shouldn’t disappoint popfans.

Sprinters: Meritorio Records from Madrid have been quite active this year. Their latest release comes from Manchester and in a form of an album called “Struck Gold”. Sprinters is the name of the band behind 11 songs that are now available on vinyl LP. Jangly and dreamy, contemporary-sounding indiepop.

Fred Fredburger: Elefant Records won’t be releasing “Colegas” or “Ei, Uriel” the two songs that are now on Bandcamp as a digital single. There is though a video for “Colegas” and that is a good thing. The good news though is that next year, 2020, the band will be releasing a 10″ vinyl on the Spanish label and that is exciting! The band sounds so much fun, and it feels a bit like a revival of the punky pop that was quite common in Spain back in the late 90s, early 2000s. Definitely one to keep an eye.

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I believe Beware the Green Monkey sometime in the early 2000s put together a CD called “The Good, the Bad & the Ugly”. Probably in 2003, I can’t say. The issue is that I don’t know how to find a copy of it. Maybe it was very limited. Discogs doesn’t list it. And I don’t see any mentions to it aside from forums. So it is a big mystery to me. I would love to get a copy as what I’ve heard so far I really like!

Where have I listened to them? Well there are a bunch of songs on Soundcloud. All of them date from the early 1990s, that’s when the band was around. Also something curious is that there are different versions of songs, you could find the same song with Bruce, Ian or Lara’s vocals. That’s quite interesting.

I don’t think the band released anything at all during their time. I read that many labels wanted to sign them but the band ended up splitting, not releasing any records. Discogs lists a demo tape from 1991 that included four songs, “In My Time of Dying”, “Precious Time”, “Overnight” and “Caroline Kisses”. Are these songs with Bruce, Ian or Lara’s vocals?

Then I know that another demo tape exists with 5 songs, “Precious Time”, “Million Smiles”, “Happy Man”, “8L:23” and “Stone Garden”. Also released in 1991 and this one has a green sleeve while the other one had a black one.

Colne is a town and civil parish in Lancashire, England, six miles north-east of Burnley, 25 miles east of Preston, 25 miles north of Manchester and 30 miles west of Leeds. It is a market town and the cross allowing a market to be held there dates to the 15th century. The cross was originally at the junction of Colne Lane and Church Street. It was first moved to the grounds of The Gables on Albert Road, the location of Colne Library until around 1970. It has now been relocated to outside the Market Hall on Market Street, part of the main road through the town centre.

The band hailed from Colne in Lancashire. Just like the Milltown Brothers who they supported on their “Slinky” tour. There is a mention of Beware the Green Monkey on the Milltown Brothers Wikipedia page where it says that Bruce Thomas was fronting the band and Paul Chapman was on bass. That’s two names, I am missing at least 3 if I guide myself by the photo of the band on Soundcloud.

Back to the Soundcloud. Yes, so you can find with Lara’s vocals the following songs: “Wake Up”, “Precious Time”, “Mother”, “In My Time Dying” and “8.23”. With Bruce’s vocals there’s “Pray for the Rain”, “Party Town”, “Overnight”, Mother”, “Happy Man”, “Caroline Kisses”, “Precious Time” and “In My Time Dying”. And Ian has “Gary Boy”, “8.23”, Beatrice Dalle”, “2 Amusing Ourselves to Death” and “BTGM”.

That’s not all. On Youtube I found two promo videos. There’s a video for “Precious Time” and for “In My Time Dying“. The comments give me some little details. For example that they played at the Canal Boat in Nottingham or at the Subterrania Ladbroke Grove. Also that their manager was called Steve Stone.

And as you’ll see after listening to the tracks, there are many that are fantastic. You wonder how come there were no releases by them. It is so odd. With songs so good they deserved at least a 7”. And how do I get my hands a copy of the CD? This is superb. They deserve to be more known! Just listen to Lara’s version of “Precious Time”, you’ll get hooked immediately. Whatever happened to them?!

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Listen
Beware the Green Monkey – Precious Time