28 Apr 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 Maribel – Taste The Trash 7″ – Oslo Grammofon Wake The President – Miss Tierney 7″ – Electric Honey/Lucky Number Nine Je Suis Animal – Fortune Map 7″ – Electric Honey/Lucky Number Nine Sea Lions – Let’s Groove 7″ – YAY! Records The Mayfair Set – Already Warm 7″ – Captured Tracks Wake The President – You Can’t Change That Boy cd – Magic Marker/Electric Honey Jamie Long – The Never Years cd – Platiqmusiq (promo) Arthur & Martha – Navigation cd – Happy Robots Brilliant Colors – Highly Evolved 7″ – Captured Tracks
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23 Apr This first KG 7″ single “Candy Loves Me So” is so good I own three copies of it. It’s what noise pop should be — short songs, great vocals and NOISE. It has the pop sensibilities of Rocketship and noise making skills of The Swirlies. All five tracks are pretty much perfect in my opinion. There was a compilation cd planned gathering all the early stuff (I think on Slumberland), but it never happened. So you’ll have to try and find the original vinyl copies. I recommend the first three singles: “Candy Loves Me So” 7″ on lo-fi (1993) There was also a 10″ released in 1997 called “Baraka,” but I was never able to find a copy (any one have it – should I be looking for it?). After these singles (from 1999-2002) KG went into a completely different spectrum… more experimental, noise (like “Merzbow” noise) and mostly unlistenable. I remember there was a cd with all the tracks named S.P.E.C.T.R.E 1-68. I’d be curious to hear this stuff nowadays, but back then I was not much of a fan. KG reappeared in 2004 remixing a song for Gooom labelmates M83 on the “Run Into Flowers” 12″. Anyway, back to this single, here’s their best song “Candy Loves Me So” and one of my other favorites “Jukebox Rider.” Enjoy! Listen to Candy Loves Me So Listen to Jukebox Rider
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21 Apr I can’t believe I’m posting this, but here goes… The Diplomat Haircuts was my early recording project/band before (and during) the early stages of The Autocollants (1994-1998). It started off with just me and then became a proper group (basically all The Autocollants members and my friend Rodney). We played a handful of shows (one supporting the Swirlies), but only released one track and one remix — “Outside” for the “Something Cool” compilation on Cher Doll and “Send Me Back” (The Autocollants) for the “Epithalamia” compilation on Clairecords. We actually have a 7″ EP slated on Clairerecords (you can still find it listed in their discography as: fern007 – Diplomat Haircuts – s/t 7″/CDep), which is a running joke at this point. I guess you can say the Diplomat Haircuts have now morphed into what Tears Run Rings is today. Those familiar with TRR may hear some similarities in guitar noise (listen close – ha), although the years have taught me some self-control. TRR songs “Mind The Wires” and “Send Me Back” were even taken from old Diplomat Haircut demos. Anyway, I found this early tape of demo/test recordings from 1994 I think. It’s freaking hilarious to me. Hopefully you’ll find it funny too (and not too painful)! It’s back from my “noise/experimental” phase — screeching guitars, distorted bass, haphazard drums and my lovely out-of-tune vocals. You can tell I listened to a lot of Hood, FSA, Beatnik Filmstars and Henry’s Dress. Oh and I remember I had a crappy three string (I couldn’t manage to play the other 3 strings so I took them off) thrift store guitar that wouldn’t stay in tune. There are obviously some distortion pedals and reverb involved (I don’t remember what I had at the time — nothing fancy) and I wish I could make some of those feedback tones again. It was all recorded on my Tascam 4-track, which I obviously was just learning by the levels present (wow bass!). So, I posted one song below and if you can make it all the way through download the EP. Warning: one track is an early version of “Tennis Racket” (later nicely recorded by The Autocollants). This version sounds like Mercury Rev and Hood got drunk together and then got sick. That’s all I’m saying. Um, enjoy! Listen to The Diplomat Haircuts – I See Things >> Download EP (13.94 MB) p.s. Check out this bad ass Diplomat Haircuts website (thanks web.archive.org)
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17 Apr The Almanacs were a band from Derby featuring Ian Turner on guitar and vocals, Paul Stewart on vocals and guitars, and Rob Fleay on bass, vocals and solo guitars. Ian and Paul started the band as a bedroom recording project originally called The Hairgods. Later Rob joined and they recorded a number of demos, many which appear on now rare indie pop compilation cassettes. Their first (and I believe only) 7″ single was released in 1994 on Fabian Garcia’s Anorak Records (anorak 001, and the same Anorak still releasing records today). The first song on the A-side “Living On Another World” is maybe the “hit” of the single, but I also love the last song on the B-side “I Sure Do!” Have a listen below. The band has a bunch more songs on their myspace which I believe are all unreleased. The Almanacs called it quits in the mid-90s as members left to go to different universities. Other projects emerged in the late 90s (mainly from Ian and Rob) such as Motorcade, Evil Jukebox, SBD Project, Frankie Machine (brilliant!), and Everyone. Ian Turner is now doing some solo stuff and film soundtracks (as of 2007). Listen to The Almanacs – I Sure Do! Watch the video for “Living On Another World” Discography: “No Difference” – on v/a Teeny Poppers cassette – Anorak Records – 1992 www.myspace.com/wwwmyspacecomthealmanacs Read the Cloudberry interview with Fabian of Anorak Records
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15 Apr Hushpad were an acoustic pop group from Illinois featuring Matthew and Angela (and later just Matthew). They released two 7″s, the first “From Here To There” features my favorite song “Saturday”. There were rumors of an album and another single recorded to be released on Saltwater Records in the late 90s, but it sadly never came to be. Matthew if you’re reading this, let’s hear it! Listen to Hushpad – Saturday Discography: Oh and for those who missed getting these singles back in the day, Laura and I have listed our dupe copies on eBay ending in a few days.
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8 Apr Shelflife is keeping me busier and busier these days and I just don’t have time to post about all the great new records I’ve been getting. So I decided I would start a new blog feature simply called “New Arrivals” to showcase items in my own new arrival bin (in this case the shelf and floor next to my stereo). Don’t worry I still plan to do my usual posts, but this will serve as a catch up when I fall behind. Hope you like the format okay. CFCF – You Hear Colours 7″ – Acéphale JJ – jj no° 1 7″ – Sincerely Yours Joel Alme – The Queen’s Corner 7″ – Sincerely Yours Lansing-Dreiden – The Dividing Island cd – Kemado The Artisans 3″ cd-r – Cloudberry Classics Cats On Fire – Our Temperance Movement cd – Johanna Kustannus Testbild – Aquatint cd – Friendly Noise Jackpot – Uno Dos Tres 12″ – Service Dum Dum Girls – Yours Alone” 12″ – Captured Tracks
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4 Apr Today I’ve been listing more 7″s up on eBay. I happen to have multiple copies of this Poastal / #Poundsign# split single, so I thought I would offer up a copy. The Poastal side is especially excellent! This single is also important to me as it’s one of the first SF Bay area indie pop singles I purchased. Members from both these bands went on to form The Aislers Set, Skypark, Wussom Pow, and numerous others. Listen to Poastal – Dizzy By request for Gilberto, #Poundsign# – Disaster
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