Day 600

Las Infrarrojas: this greeat Madrid four-piece is back with a new record! It is a 7″ titled “Las Infrarrojas & Indy Tumbita” that includes 4 new songs (in English and Spanish) of superb pop! The record is out now on Hurrah! Música.

Fawns of Love: Sunday Records keeps releasing great music. The latest is a CD album by this husband-and-wife duo from California. Jenny and Joseph Andreotti here presents us “Innocence of Protection”, their third album. This time around we can preview the first, self-titled, track on the label’s Bandcamp and it is ace!

Laundromat Chicks: we check back with Vienna popsters Laundromat Chicks. It has been a while since we heard from them and thought it was time to see what news they had on their Bandcamp. I find out that they put out a new song, “It Must Be the Stars”, last month. Oh! and it is good. Great jangly lo-fi pop.

Useless Youth: I will be in Mexico soon and I wonder if I’ll be able to see live this band. Whenever I am there there are no good gigs. Maybe one day I’ll be lucky. Just a few days ago Cariño played in Mexico City. But yeah, I missed them by a few weeks. Anyways, “Verano 2017” is the bands latest song, a dreamy sweet melodic song. Really nice.

Melody Charade: and I end up today’s recommendation from a band from the next county of mine. From Brooklyn comes this duo and their first release “Sky Like This”. 3 songs of dreampop. 3 solid songs. I especially enjoy the eponymous track, “Sky Like This”, with some super vocals and melodies.

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Many remember Moira Margaret Lambert as the vocals on Saint Etienne’s wonderful cover of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”. This song ended up in the UK Top 40 and number 1 on the US Hot Dance charts. This was released in 1990 and then well, the story is well known as Sarah Cracknell became the vocalist of Saint Etienne.

But what happened to Moira? Well, she was in another band that maybe many don’t know about: Faith Over Reason.

This band released two albums and three EPs in the early 90s, all of them on the label Big Cat which was based in London.

According to her Wikipedia page she grew up in Africa (where in Africa it doesn’t say). There she learned to play guitar and later moved to the UK. While in the UK she got into The Smiths and other indie bands of the time. She would then study at the Conservatory of Music and eventually would sign with Big Cat. She would end up touring the UK with Lush and Slowdive, and Europe with Jeff Buckley and Heather Nova (she contributed backing vocals to this band’s first recordings).

Then she would work with Paul Oakenfold in his project Grace, co-wrriting the hit “Skin on Skin”. Afterwards Moira would form Ova, but that would last just one single. Then she would collaborate with some obscure electronica collectives like Freeloader and Data. She worked with the band Tram too doing backing vocals.

In 2002 she moved to Canada, to Victoria (what a lovely town that is, I visited once for a day, and was impressed). There she would release her solo album in 2006 titled “Coming Up Roses”. She would work and write theme music for “Survival of the Fittest: Stories from the West Coast Trail” for Fox.

A second solo album would be released in 2008.

But yeah, Faith Over Reason. Was the band around the same time as Saint Etienne? I think so, the first release from Faith Over Reason date from 1990.

This was the self-titled EP that had four songs, “Believing in Me” and “Northern Sky” on the A side and “Fallen” and “Evangeline” on the AA side. This record had catalog number ABB17 and was produced and recorded by Barry Clempson. It is worth noting that “Northern Sky” was a cover of Nick Drake. The art is credited to Style Bandits and the photography to Patrick Gilbert.

Then came another release. It was the “Billy Blue” EP that was released on both CD and 12″ vinyl. This was catalog number ABB 23. Four songs were included in this record, “Billy Blue” and “Ice Queen” on the A side and “High in the Sun” and “Move Closer” on the B side. The producer was Barry Clempson. The photography on the back of the sleeve is credited to Greg Freeman.

That same year the band appeared on the sampler flexi “Big Cat Records Flexi” (CAT086). On it they contributed the song “Sophia” which was the first song on the B side. This sampler came with the magazine “The Catalogue”, on its 86th issue. The other bands on the flexi were Steroid Maximus, The Beyond and Edith Strategy.

After this release, in 1991, the band went to release a collection of demos that were recorded between 1990 and 1991, “Eyes Wide Smile”. Again released as a CD and vinyl (ABB27), the record had 9 songs. The songs were “Lullaby (Mother Love)”, “Sofya”, “So Free”, “Northern Sky” and “Song for Jessica” on the A side and “Evangeline”, “Not So”, “Eyes Wide Smile” and “Fallen” on the B side. These songs had been recorded by Paul, Pete and Barry at Madhouse and Gooseberry.

Then we have to jump to 1994. Then we see the band release the “Blind EP” on 12″ vinyl and CD. Four songs again, “Blind” and “Easy on Me” on the A side and “Love is Blind” and “Come”. And just after they release the album “Easy” (ABB63). Again on vinyl and CD. You must assume that the label had money to be releasing on these formats and getting Stephen Malkmus to produce the record. The songs here were “Blind”, “Unsure”, “Too Soon”, “Love is Blind”, “Alone Again” and “I’ve Been Told” on the A side and “Let the Sun In”, “Work Hard”, “Half Asleep”, “So Slow”, “My Own Child” and “Some Things”. It is worth noting too that there was a promo video for the song “Blind”

In 1994 the band also contributes the song “Blind” tot a CD compilation called “The Big Cat Five” (RTD 131.1856.2). This was released by Rough Trade in Germany. The same release would be released with a different name, “Various Big Cats – Whisker A Go-Go”, in 1995 by Caroline Records (CARPRO 4) in Spain.

The only other band member name that Discogs gives us is that of Bill Lloyd, on bass and keyboards and is known for his work on Placebo. He was also on Tram. AllMusic has the names of the other band members, on guitar we find Simon Roots and on drums Mark Wilsher. Roots would leave the band and would be replaced by Tebo Steele in 1993. In 1995 Steele and Lloyd left the band but it seems Moira continued with it and even recruited Patch, The Sundays’ drummer, to work on new material. Was this material ever released?

Not much more written on the web about them, but yeah, they left some nice shoegazy, dreamy songs, were on a label that seems had enough means to promote them, but somehow they seem to be forgotten. Who remembers them?

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Listen
Faith Over Reason – So Free