Gasp! “July – October edition”? It’s been that long. Oops. I suck. I’m hoping to get with it and start posting on a regular basis again (although I say that every time). We’ll see… I’ve been getting heaps of great new records (even on my “budget”). Here’s some that I’ve been listening to quite a bit.

Sail A Whale – Find Me A Boy 7″ – Fastcut Records
www.myspace.com/sailawhale
I’ve been super curious about Sail A Whale ever since I saw one of their strange videos. They’ve been described as M83 meets Air France and that’s pretty accurate. Although they did a remix of Memory Cassette’s “Surfin” that I actually thought was Moscow Olympics when I first heard it. So who knows… I was happy to see Fastcut have released their debut single and if these two songs are a glimpse of what’s to come, I’m very excited!

The Golden Dawn – No Reason Why 7″ – Heaven Records
www.myspace.com/thespirophonegoldendawn
Thankfully Heaven Records has re-opened their mailorder and we can all finally own a copy of this lost Golden Dawn single! I think it’s been about 10 years that I’ve been after it. Yes, I can finally sleep at night… Get a copy here.

V/A – The Garage Pop EP cd-r – Please Rain Fall Records
pleaserainfallrecords.blogspot.com
Stephen’s second release featuring songs by Andus (The Cudgels and Oporto), The Proctors, Spencer Roberts (Steamtown and Oporto), and Oddsocks (who are from Sweden). All and all another excellent cd-r compilation.

Epic45 – In All The Empty Houses cd – Make Mine Music
www.myspace.com/epic45
I’ve really fallen in love with this release and I’d be shocked if it didn’t make my top 10 of ’09. It’s like if members of Hood and The Sugargliders got together and started a super pop group.

Lake Heartbeat – Trust In Numbers cd – Service
www.myspace.com/lakeheartbeat
“Golden Chain” might be one of the songs of the year for me.

Maribel – Aesthetics cd – Quince Records
www.myspace.com/maribelband
After being in love with their “Taste The Trash” 7″, the “Aesthetics” album is equally great. I usually tend to not like shoegaze bands who sound anything like MBV “Loveless” era stuff, but somehow this one works for me. (For those who read my older posts, I did end up with the Quince version after convincing myself not to spend $27 on the Norwegian import.)

The Depreciation Guild – In Her Gentle Jaws lp/cd – Kanine Records / Fastcut Records
www.myspace.com/thedepreciationguild
My infatuation with The Depreciation Guild continues. I’m so happy “In Her Gentle Jaws” was properly released on both lp (US) and cd (Japan) and of course I had to have both. Somehow it just sounds like an entirely new record even though I’ve listened to the free mp3 version a million times. Oh and the artwork is also beautifully done.

Sally Shapiro – My Guilty Pleasure lp/cd – Paperbag Records
www.myspace.com/shapirosally
I had such super high expectations for this Sally Shapiro LP and it’s more than surpassed them. It’s easily ahead of the pack for album of the year for me. “Looking At The Stars” is INSANE! Perfect in every way. So Cloetta Paris last year, Sally Shapiro this year. Makes perfect sense.

Magic Marker Records has made all of us Free Loan Investments fans incredibly happy by releasing their final EP “The Last Dance” on 7″. It’s pressed on lovely red vinyl and comes with a download code to get all four songs on the single (“Emanual’s Song,” “BBC,” “Bedroom Eyes,” & “Anyone Can Dance”), plus a bonus track called “14 Years” on mp3 format. Needless to say this is essential!

Listen to our favorite track “Anyone Can Dance” below:
[dewplayer:http://www.shelflife.com/mp3-bin/fli_mm053.mp3]

We’ve stocked the single in the Shelflife shop, which you can order here for $4!

www.magicmarkerrecords.com

Drew from Horse Shoes has just launched a new indie pop fanzine called Wishful Thinking. He sent us a stack of the debut issue and we’re giving them out for free with every new Shelflife order starting today (while supplies last). You’ll find interviews with Pallers, Air France, Argyle Wishlist, Bonfire Kids, and… Shelflife :). Congrats to Drew for creating such a fantastic zine!

There’s two really great shows coming in October.

Horse Shoes record release party
Oct 2 – New York, NY at Don Hills (Mondo)
more info here

Socialist Leisure Party w/ The Primitives and Amida
Oct 9 – London, UK at the Buffalo Bar (Twee as Fuck)
more info here

Thanks to my Shelflife blog post (here), John Hamlin from the (then) lost 90s UK band Autumn Parade has been in close contact. As I said in that first post, I’ve been a fan since hearing the two tracks “Julia Blue” and “White Sand” on the “Expo 1” compilation in 1992. Well John has now released an EP available at iTunes for those very tracks, plus two other unreleased songs “Phased” and “Skylight” (also recorded in 1992). All are available to preview on the band’s myspace page and you can purchase them here!

And more good news, John says there’s another iTunes EP coming soon that will feature more tracks from the early 90s recording sessions (aka the “Indian Ocean” album that was never released). I haven’t heard any of these songs yet, but I can’t wait to.

Order Autumn Parade EP

www.myspace.com/autumnparade

We’re excited! The eagerly awaited Horse Shoes “The Imperial School” CD+7″ release is finally here! Hopefully you’ll appreciate all the extra time and care that went into it. While it’s not “officially” out until September 22, you can order a copy from us right now (and have it in your mailbox in a few days). It’s another fantastic addition to our growing 1000 series.

Horse Shoes consists of Jacob Graham (also part of The Drums) and Drew Diver (soon to launch the Wishful Thinking fanzine). It’s no mistake Horse Shoes ended up on Shelflife. Jacob and Drew share our obsession with strong melodies and pure pop hooks. They take a simple approach to song writing that’s fresh, honest, and not at all self indulgent. Not to mention they’re influenced by all our favorite bands… The Wake, New Order, The Field Mice, The Embassy, Air France… we hope you like “The Imperial School” as much as we do.

$15.00 + shipping

Compact Disc
1. Changing Winds
2. Hey Come Back!
3. Midnight Running Club
4. I Can’t Decide
5. Dying in the Countryside
6. Keep Believing

Seven-Inch (+ free mp3s)
A. The Imperial School
B. The Perfect Combination

Listen to “Changing Winds” and “The Imperial School”:

Artwork by Alex Roulette

Horse Shoes are playing this Sunday at the POP Mayhem festival in Florida. It’s their first show since playing in Stockholm earlier this year. If you have a chance to go 1) I’m incredibly jealous, 2) they’ll have records with them for sale.

They also just released a cover of a rare Field Mice song “Wish I Meant More To You” available as a free download on Holiday Records. Get it here!

www.myspace.com/horseshoesmusic
www.horseshoesmusic.com

Thanks to José Antonio, I just saw there was a new song and video by the Liverpool band This Final Frame posted online. The track is called “My Blue Heart” and it’s from Let Me At Him Ralph’s Myspace video channel. I’m pretty excited about this. There was talk of a new release compiling more of the band’s demos back in 2007, so hopefully it’s on it’s way now.

If you’re not familiar with This Final Frame, the band has an excellent and informative bio/history on their myspace page: www.myspace.com/thisfinalframe. “The Mask (Falls Away)” is one of my all-time favorite tracks! Have a listen below:

This Final Frame – The Mask (Falls Away)
[dewplayer:http://www.shelflife.com/mp3-bin/b_thisfinalframe.mp3]