Here’s some highlights from April. Another busy month of new purchases (and here I was supposed to save money for our UK/France trip in… 9 days? Yow!).

The Bridal Shop – In Fragments cdep – Plastilina Records
www.myspace.com/thebridalshop
After the “In Violation” 7″ and their excellent debut “From Seas” EP I had some really high expectations for this release. Unfortunately it hasn’t really reached that for me (at least not yet), but the third song “Ideal State” is worth the price of this EP alone (oh my, so good!). Too bad there aren’t any “Toomas’ Floor” jangle pop songs here. I feel like they went too Air France and not enough Moscow Olympics (if that makes sense).

Maribel – Taste The Trash 7″ – Oslo Grammofon
www.myspace.com/maribelband
I haven’t been excited about a new shoegaze (nu-gaze) band in a while. This single by Norway’s Maribel is quite good, but what I’m really after is their newly released “Aesthetics” album (after hearing the preview on myspace). Too bad the cd is $27 with shipping! I should just buy the Quince Records version as it’s way cheaper, but I like the artwork on Oslo Grammofon better… or I can just buy the digital version here for $8.91. Decisions!

Wake The President – Miss Tierney 7″ – Electric Honey/Lucky Number Nine
www.myspace.com/wakethepresidentband
I love (LOVE!) this track by Glasgow’s Wake The President! I’m so pleased it’s finally out on vinyl.

Je Suis Animal – Fortune Map 7″ – Electric Honey/Lucky Number Nine
www.myspace.com/jesuisanimal
This is actually the flip of the Wake The President 7″ — and yes I own two copies. It’s usually my rule with splits so I can alphabetize them into the shelves separately (It’s a disease). Anyway this Je Suis Animal side is excellent as well.

Sea Lions – Let’s Groove 7″ – YAY! Records
www.myspace.com/myspacedotcomslashsealions
I actually meant to include this Sea Lions record in the March new arrivals, but it was hiding in the back. Anyway, this is probably one of my favorite singles released this year! Lots of raving about them on blogs, so grab a copy before it’s gone. Order here.

The Mayfair Set – Already Warm 7″ – Captured Tracks
www.myspace.com/themayfairset
Like many of us who were waiting forever for their Captured orders to ship, we were rewarded this month with records. The Mayfair Set is one everyone has been raving about being half Blank Dogs half Dum Dum Girls. To be honest I haven’t fallen in love with this yet. I do like the B-side “Desert Fun” over “Already Warm.” That said, I’m still very interested to hear their next singles (including the one on Slumberland).

Wake The President – You Can’t Change That Boy cd – Magic Marker/Electric Honey
www.myspace.com/wakethepresidentband
“Miss Tierney” as I said above is my favorite track by them, but the album as a whole is very good and comes highly recommended. Order a copy from Magic Marker here.

Jamie Long – The Never Years cd – Platiqmusiq (promo)
www.myspace.com/jamielonger
I’ve been meaning to mention this release on the blog for a while. It’s gotten a few plays in the office this week and I’m warming up to it. The music is very Svensk synth pop and vocals remind me of maybe the Album Leaf. I tend to prefer the music to the vocals, but all and all worth checking out. Shelflife’s Horse Shoes did a remix of “Years” that you can download here! Order a copy of “The Never Years” here.

Arthur & Martha – Navigation cd – Happy Robots
www.myspace.com/arthurandmartha
I’ve been really enjoying this album from the UK synth-pop group Arthur & Martha. Order a copy here.

Brilliant Colors – Highly Evolved 7″ – Captured Tracks
www.myspace.com/brilliantcolorssanfrancisco
This is maybe the stand-out of the latest batch of Captured stuff I purchased. “Highly Evolved” is a great track that reminds me of early bay area indie pop (Sushi and #Poundsign#)! I’m excited to see them at the SF Popfest in May.