This Southville song is in honor of el Guapo’s last set at Teenage Kicks tonight. There’s a bit of an inside joke associated with this single and we’ll leave it at that.

“Inside and Out” was released on Pillerbox Red in 1993.

Listen to Inside and Out

TEENAGE KICKS
a monthly P!O!P! party
80s indie … powerpop … post-punk … indiepop … 60s pop

on the turntables:
el Guapo (BBQ)
DJ in the Manner of a Leprechaun (East Bay Pop Mafia)

Friday, December 12
10pm to 2am
the Attic
3334 24th Street (Mission and 24th, right next to BART station)
San Francisco
FREE

“Ariel Atlas” by Always (aka Kevin Wright) was released on él Records in 1986. The first track, “Dreams of Leaving,” sounds like a song Josef K or The June Brides could have released. That’s about the highest compliment I can give.

Listen to Always – Dreams of Leaving

Buy Always “Thames Valley Leather Club” from Boomkat or direct from Cherry Red.

www.myspace.com/thamesvalleyleatherclub

18th Dye are playing in Portland tonight.   It got me listening to this older song by them again called “Plumbing and Soon Forgetting,” which I used to love!  It’s off the “Dive” 7″ on Che (1993) and also on “The Noise And The Melodies” comp.  I doubt they’ll play it, but it would be really great if they did.

UPDATE: 18th Dye were FANTASTIC last night! If you have a chance to go see them, don’t miss it!

Listen to 18th Dye – Plumbing and Soon Forgetting

www.myspace.com/18thdye

Blab Happy were a band from Leicester comprising Mick McCarthy, Jon Dennis, Tony Owen and Jeremy Clay. The band split up in 1993, with singer Mick and bassist Tony forming Perfume. “Perish the Thought” is from their “Fruits Of Our Labor” 7″ on Wisdom Records (1988).

Listen to Blab Happy – Perish the Thought

I’ve had this song in my head all weekend, so here’s my attempt to get it in yours. This is “Easy Girl” from 2002 by the Manchester-based pop duo Snowblind.

Listen to Snowblind – Easy Girl

Here’s the video:

In the 90s, I was crazy in love for anything “This Happy Feeling,” a Greek indie pop label that released records by Next Time Passions, One Night Suzan, Kissamatic Lovebubbles and The Crooner. These bands all had some obvious Sarah Records envy, but to me still managed to hold their own. Shelflife was involved early on trying to expose these bands to the world (working with The Crooner and releasing a number of the others on Shelflife comps).

The Next Time Passions were possibly my favorite “This Happy Feeling” band and I remember how happy I was when I finally tracked down this single. I almost convinced the band to release a retrospective on Shelflife in 2000, but it never came to be. So these songs remain a lost treasure. Luckily there are newer bands like Moscow Olympics to keep the torch burning!

Listen to Next Time Passions – Not Here Anymore

www.myspace.com/greekindiepop

Here’s the legendary “Something To Do” single by Buba and the Shop Assistants. It was released on Villa 21 in 1984. These songs have been shared on blogs a few times now, but the quality hasn’t been great. So my goal here was to make a nice mp3 rip of it. Unfortunately my copy is a little battered as well (especially the B side). Well… I’m posting it anyway!

Listen to Buba and the Shop Assistants – Something To Do

Listen to Buba and the Shop Assistants – Dreaming Backwards

For a proper review, read Tom’s indie-mp3 post a few years back.

The Shop Assistants web site