This is a cover of a Young Marble Giants song found on the B-side of the Why I Cry 7″. I’m excited to see YMG perform all of Colossal Youth when I go to ATP in May.

Listen to The Magnetic Fields - The Man Amplifier.mp3

This Magnetic Fields 7″ is long out of print but you can get the original version of the song here.

Listen to Jens Lekman - I’m Leaving You Because I Don’t Love You (Spoolwork Remix).mp3

Spoolwork needs friends on Facebook.

I made a reference to the Creation band Pacific the other day and I received an e-mail asking who they were. Unfortunately there’s not a lot written about Pacific on the web. The band is a bit of a mystery, just crediting the song writing to Denniss. They released two singles “Sea Of Sand” (1988) and “Shrift” (1989) and the album “Inference” (1990) compiling those singles. They’re also on the very rare “Sugar” flexi with My Bloody Valentine. All Pacific stuff is highly recommended and worth seeking out. Their 12″ sleeves are really gorgeous. I think they were done by Chromatic Design which has designed most of my favorite Creation sleeve artwork.

Here’s the excellent “Shift” off the “Shrift” 12″ (Creation, CRE 064). It was recorded in November 1988 at Woodbine St., Leamington Spa and produced by John A. Rivers (who worked with Felt, Talulah Gosh, Close Lobsters, Mighty Mighty, The Pastels, Love and Rockets, etc.)

Listen to Pacific - Shrift

I just received my copy of Tim and Sam’s Tim and Sam Band with Tim and Sam’s (what a band name) “Put Your Slippers On” EP! I like it so far. It’s like if The Album Leaf were on Sarah Records with maybe a little Go! Team thrown in. Laura Watling says “that’s an accurate description and I even still like it!” So there you go!

Watch the video for “Join The Dots”:

Listen to Tim and Sam - The Badger Set

Buy the “Put Your Slippers On” EP here!

www.timandsam.com

We still have a few copies left of the fantastic debut 3 track 7″ single from The Castaway Stones (including members of Black Tambourine, The Pines, Glo-worm, The Saturday People, The Ropers, and The Shapiros). “Sunday Came and Went” is a classic Shelflife track! Get a copy while you still can!

$3.00 + shipping (sold out!)

Listen to The Castaway Stones - Sunday Came and Went

Indiecater is a new label in Dublin dedicated to releasing lost pop albums. They just re-released The Brilliant Trees album “Friday Night” (1996) as a digital-only download. The band had moderate success in Ireland and a top ten hit in the Irish charts. Sadly the rest of the world never took notice when this brand of “britpop” became a heavily over-saturated genre in the late 90s (Thousand Yard Stare anyone?). It’s great to see this release finally get the attention it deserves.

My favorite track on the album is “Don’t Believe The Right” which sounds like a mix of James (their finer 90s moments), Adorable, and maybe a more jangly Family Cat. The 58 second intro in this song also reminds me of something the Creation Record’s band Pacific would do (albeit a bit shorter). All and all well worth the 3,50 euro asking price for the album download. Special thanks to Kevin for writing and cluing me in to this release.

Listen to The Brilliant Trees - Don’t Believe The Right

Buy and download The Brilliant Trees from Indiecater Records

myspace.com/brillianttrees

I don’t know a lot about this band, other than that they call themselves “A Nottingham based Dadaist rock band,” which is pretty funny. I came across this release when I started collecting the Monsters in Orbit label catalog. With a name like “One Million Fuzz-Tone Guitars” I was intrigued.

“Risk of Love” is my favorite track on the “Twenty Six” LP (Monsters In Orbit, 1983). It reminds me at times of the English power pop band The Records. I can’t get enough of that guitar sound!

Listen to One Million Fuzz-Tone Guitars - Risk of Love

www.onemillionfuzztoneguitars.co.uk

Listen to Hot Silk Pockets - Body Clock.mp3

www.myspace.com/hotsilkpockets
Robot toy by Chris Ware

I’ve been listening to The Wake a lot again this week. “Something That No One Else Could Bring” 12″ (Fac 187) was released in November 1987. This was their last release for Factory before moving to Sarah in 1989. In fact, they’re the band that introduced me to Sarah in the first place. The “Make It Loud” cd was one of the first releases I purchased in 1990. That’s a “fun fact” for you (ha!).

Anyway, here’s the excellent “Pale Spectre” from this release.

Listen to The Wake - Pale Spectre

Buy The Wake’s LTM reissues from here!

myspace.com/makeitloudcaesar

I really like Ride’s version of the Pale Saints “Sight of You.” It was initially only available on this old bootleg 7″, but released in 2003 as part of the “Waves” cd.

Listen to Ride - Sight of You.mp3

Buy “Waves” from iTunes or Amazon.

I forgot how good this song is. “Grip” is from their first single on Fluff records, Leeds. It also happens to be the first Fluff release (and Fluff being the label that released the debut 7″s from both Hood and Boyracer). Think that says it all!

Listen to Aspidistra - Grip.mp3

This song pops into my head at strange times.

Listen to “The Fan Modine - Pageantry

Buy Pageantry/The Make We Love 7″

I’m not deejaying much these days, but when I would do the occasion set, this Personal Column single would usually make my playlist.

Personal Column were a Liverpool band that released three singles (two on their own Contrast label and one on Stiff). The first two singles, “Ignorance Is Bliss?” and “The Same Old Situation” are worth seeking out although are usually pricey on ebay. Luckily for us, the band has graciously posted all of their output from 1982-1986 for free on their website! All they ask in return is that you write on their guest book telling them what you think.

Listen to Personal Column - The Same Old Situation.mp3

www.personalcolumn.info

Swallow reminds me of the Winter 94/95. I was listening to them almost everyday and San Francisco was colder than normal, which works out because they’re like the York peppermint patties of dream pop: wintery and sweet. I read somewhere they hated being typecast as the new Cocteau Twins (they joined 4AD records around the time the Cocteau Twins left), especially since 4AD made John Fryer produce their album “Blow”. 4AD in turn released “Blowback,” a limited edition version of “Blow” but produced by the band - same songs but with a darker, experimental soundtrack feel to it. This reworked version of “Head in a Cave” is my favorite from it. It’s like the most accurate way I know how to describe my recurring nightmarish sleep paralysis.

Listen to Swallow - Head In a Cave.mp3


Buy “Blowback” by Swallow

This is the original 1986 Friendly Fires, not to be mixed up with the current XL Recordings artist Friendly Fires. “Arkansas” is from their first 7″ single on Deadbug Records. You’ve got to love bands who can sound like New Order and the Close Lobsters at the same time.

Listen to Friendly Fires - Arkansas.mp3

I keep this “East of Croydon” comp LP in my collection for this song by Greenfield Leisure. They also released the “L’Orange” 7″ (1981) and “Those Far Off Summers” EP (1982) on their own Strange Orchestra label. I tracked those down, but this is by far my favorite track by them.

Listen to “Leisure.mp3″

This is what I believe to be the first song released by Pulp. It’s from the “Your Secret’s Safe With Us” compilation LP on Statik Records from 1982. “What Do You Say” is truly a fantastic track and had me seeking out early Pulp to find more. Unfortunately this song seems to be an oddity in this jangle-y post-punk style, which is very unlike the rest of their output. Looks like I need to track down their 1981 demo tape from which this recording originated. Anyone have it?

Listen to “What Do You Say.mp3″

I need something to get me going today! “Lazy” by The Primitives is from their debut “Thru The Flowers” 12″ on Lazy Records (LAZY 01) from 1986. I wish Paul Court sang more Primitives songs.

The Primitives - Lazy.mp3

www.myspace.com/primitivesmyspace

Listen to Newkansen - Untitled.mp3

The saddest song ever written and recorded in a day and never released, till now.
Art by: Marcel Dzama

Tears Run Rings are recording a new EP today. In an effort to get myself inspired to work on music, here’s my favorite track by Sway.

Sway - US Girls.mp3

www.myspace.com/mywinterheart