The last few days there’s been an interesting debate on the facebook group Indiepop Shop Talk about a post Xanthi wrote on her blog Songs for Girls to Sing. After seeing the results of a survey (that I will go over in a bit), she expressed this:
I’ve been meaning to put forth this theory for sometime now and this kinda confirmed it (check the ratio of people who have been fans of indie pop music for 20+ years). It’s a theory I came up with whilst following what is happening in this indiepop schtik all these years: that in fact, the indiepop scene, community, clique or whatever you want to call it is largely sustained and driven by people who are in their 40+ years.

I agree with this. Will even say that this is a theory but a fact. But let me go step by step so I can explain what’s going on.

A week or so ago on the indiepop-list a nice chap by the name of Brian asked the listees if they could participate in a survey he was doing for a research paper. He is studying for his Masters degree in Library Information Science. He said that he was trying to collect data so he could write about the indiepop community, with a focus on how people get exposed to new music these days.

I participated answering the questions. Other 99 people did too. I guess 100 is the limit for the free SurveyMonkey service? It doesn’t matter. It’s a small number, that is true, but it’s significant. How many people are really into indiepop? Arguably some 3000 in the world? So 100 is still not such a small number.

It’s from the results, which you can see here, that Xanthi proposes the theory. From the results we see that almost 40% that answered the interview say that they’ve been fans for 20+ years. This will mean that more or less the big group into indiepop goes from 35 years and older.

This would be no surprise to anyone that attends festivals or gigs. You can see this. I never minded this, but some people get annoyed by it.

90% of the respondents wrote that they support the scene by buying records and going to shows. The remaining percent is a big question mark. I think if tt 10% is not doing this then definitely they are not supporting the scene in any way possible.

Vinyl seems to be the number one format choice. Yes, people love vinyl more than anything, but still CDs sell better.

There are a bunch of interesting results there, though I find the more surprising one the one that says more people use Myspace to find bands. Seriously? Who uses Myspace these days?!

Anyways, on the Indiepop Shop Talk, there are people that have said that this is not true, that express:
“” are making the music as well, starting labels as well, and building scenes as well. The emphasis on “40 yr olds” as those who have expendable income is also a bit meh as I had much more expendable income as a student because I didn’t have a mortgage, or other mouths to feed than my own. I could drop money on records and just put off lunch, and I often did.”

When I read things like this I wonder if seriously whoever wrote this is actually knowledgeable of the indiepop scene. I wonder what kids this person talks about? Which kids are organizing labels? Or gigs? Or festivals? Perhaps in other scenes this might be true. Maybe there they are proactive and creative and all that. But in the indiepop scene? It’s not true. At least not yet.

I won’t go into his expendable income argument as it’s pretty obvious a 40 year old should, generally speaking, make and live more comfortably than a 20 year old. But let’s talk about indiepop. Right?

I agree in one point with this person. The youngsters are making music. But the older guys too. The Orchids are still penning beautiful songs, The Hit Parade too. Then you have The Spook School, young and full of life, or Flowers, making beautiful noise. I think when it comes to music there’s a 50/50 thing going on.

There was one post that I really liked and I think sums up what the “kids” are up to:
“I’m also not so sure kids want to be limited in one “scene” these days. Most of the people I know in between 15-20 are way more eclectic than I was at the same age. They’re gonna listen to Rihanna, French Films, Thee o sees, Kurt Vile and The Field Mice, but they don’t really care about who belongs where. I tend to think they just want to build their private own musical utopia.”

This is dead on. And you can also see it when you see gig lineups for many of these younger bands. They just don’t mind. They don’t want to be part of one scene.

In the end, I think the main idea behind Xanthi’s post is that of pointing out that we do need a new generation to step up. I’ve been writing about this for years now. A new generation that organizes gigs, release records, and bring new ideas to make the scene fresher and more exciting. I think age in the end doesn’t matter, but it would be great if this great scene keeps going strong for many years to come.

And yes, I’m under 40. And I don’t mind accepting that they are the ones who keep supporting the scene in a way or another. And I’m very thankful to them.

—————————————————-

Charlot may refer to:

+ Charlot, son of Charlemagne in the Matter of France
+ Charlot Byj (died 1983), American artist
+ Charlot Kaské (18th century), Shawnee war chief
+ Jean Charlot (1898–1979) French-Mexican painter and illustrator
+ Charlot, the French, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian name for Charlie Chaplin’s character The Tramp
+ Charlot, the name of a high spec Bicycle maker in Paris in the first half of the 20th century

I was looking into some old CDs on my Benno shelves. I have a section just for the slim cardboard CD singles (or albums) that is a bit of a mess. They don’t have a spine so it takes forever to find anything.

Among those CDs there’s one by the Charlots on Firestation Records. So I played it.

This make me look into their other releases. I was aware for a long time of their other single, a 7″, but I had no idea they had released an album! So now, I have to look into getting it! Anyways, let’s go discover this obscure band from the 90s!

Online I found on a Swedish blog a small biography of the band. So let’s start there:

Charlots was a Swedish pop band formed in Stockholm in 1994. The members were Per Lindén (Guitars), Love Eklund (Synthesizers), Sofie Sörman (Vocals), Mattias Carlsson (Drums) and Sven Granath (Bass). On their first single Lars Antonsson played drums, and Roger Kallin bass. Love and Sofie were schoolmates at the musician program at Södra Latin’s High school, and Sofie was at the same time singing in another band, Ridis, formed by some other schoolmates as a school project. Like many other Swedish pop bands in the 1990s, Charlots released records only in Japan and Germany. Nevertheless, they also climbed the charts in former Yugoslavia.

Today Sofie lives in Paris, where she is involved in various projects, performing and recording music. On her Myspace page she presents mostly jazz music. Love lives in London, and runs mrlove.org – a website about his impressive collection of Depeche Mode records.

A quick visit to Love’s page I notice he has been updating his Depeche Mode collection recently. Is he still making music in England? I wonder. Then another visit to Sofie’s Myspace. There are a bunch of songs taken from three albums “Hidden Space”, “Ripples” and “Defrost”. Definitely not indiepop but more into jazzy sounds. Quite nice still! Seems the last update on this Myspace account happened early in 2013.

Let’s get back to their records then. Almost 20 years ago. 1995. That’s when they released their first 7″ on the fabulous Japanese label Motorway Records (catalog MOTOR 009). There were three songs included, “Even If I Like You” (the sole A side), “Rocky Boy” and “Summertime Affairs”. The photo on the sleeve came thanks to Annette Samuelsson. The record was produced, recorded and mixed by J.A. Novak, who was part of Cinnamon (I love this band). And yes, you can see some similarities between both bands. Also it’s good to mention that Per participated in some of the Cinnamon releases too!

Their last  release was the one I was talking about, the one on Firestation Records. This one came in 1998 and was one of the first releases on the Berlin-based label (catalog FST 004). This CD included four songs, “Always Someone Else”, “Playboy”, “Night People” and “The Painter”.

In between these two releases, in 1997, their album came out. I had no clue until today that it existed. It was only released in Japan on the L’Appareil Photo label (catalog PHOTO 14). This label also had Japanese releases for Momus, Stereo Total, Saint Etienne and more. It seems you can find a used copy for a fair price on Amazon.

And that’s more or less when I lose their track. There’s not much more written about them online. And aside from Sofie, I don’t know if the rest of the band continued making music. Also would love to know and listen if they had any other musical projects before or during Charlots. Or if they have any unreleased songs? Does anyone know?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Charlots – Even if I Like You

November. Time flies. Last October was the sixth anniversary of the blog.  Now 2015 is around the corner and we actually have a new release coming up soon. At last the Shine! compilation will be out hopefully next month. I have put up a pre-order button. You can’t miss this fantastic release!

Hopefully now that the midterm elections are over I will have more time to dedicate to the label. The past couple of months had been hectic at work and I haven’t spent too much time in designing and nagging the bands to get me the stuff that is needed. Now I should start getting on track and hopefully early next year the promised fanzine, the Pale Spectres 7″ and the Don’t Cry Shopgirl 7″ will be out. Oh! and the Fibi Frap compilation too! So I’m on that now.

Also next year I have a planned trip to China in April. More vacations than pop related, though if there are any pop friends out there in Shangai, Beijing or Hong Kong, I’d love to meet you! Or if anyone know any events that month that I’d be interested (I cross my fingers that when I’m there there will be a My Little Airport gig) please let me know. Aside from that it seems that I’ll be enjoying the city’s winter. Hoping it’s not as snowy as last year of course.

Memories from winter. I had never seen snow before I moved to NYC. Though many years ago I released a small compilation, “Do You Think it Will Snow Tonight?”. Maybe some of you remember it. I thought it was one of the best I did. It included Evans the Death, Seapony, Cassolette, Sweater Girls and The Garlands. Evans the Death went to sign afterwards with Slumberland and Fortuna Pop and re-recorded for their album the included song, “Catch Your Cold”. I still prefer this earlier version, rawer, and poppier. Seapony at that point I believe had just put their songs on Bandcamp. They will later release a couple of albums. Cassolette joined the Cloudberry family and released a 7″. They had another handful of EPs on various labels. Sweater Girls released a couple of 7″s and an album, a delicious album. They were one of the bands that I always wanted to release a 7″ but for a reason or another it never happened. One of my favourites from that time period. And The Garlands, well, I have ten thousand stories to tell about them. I’m happy to say that all of the band are still friends and Christincita is one of my faves. They had a fa-fa-fantastic album on Shelflife that even went to be repressed.

The name of the compilation if you noticed was taken from a Cat’s Miaow song. A beautiful song. Like every song that Bart has been involved with. I would later be lucky to work with him.

But the story of the theme for the compilation is real. There was a night in Miami that the temperature actually went down. Down to 2 degrees Celsius. And there were flakes. Yes. They happened around 4am or 5am. It was terribly unusual. I lived by the beach so I missed them, but supposedly in South Miami people were able to see them. There weren’t many either but, there were some. And it was such an event.

I thought this strange happening, because come on, Miami is just palm trees and sun, could make an interesting theme. I remember talking with Christin for the artwork about the artwork and even though she suggested a unicorn (she always does),  she was happy that I chose a cute reindeer. I used some old imagery from children’s books for the whole design and on the inside I wrote a bit about this event. I wonder if anyone actually believed it. But I tell you, it was cold. And there is no heating usually in houses in Miami. It wasn’t easy to sleep like that!

Anyways, that’s the story behind that little release. When I think of winter and Cloudberry, the mini-CD sleeve always comes to mind.

—————————————————————

So, last week I was talking a bit about the fabulous Slowdive gig I attended here in NYC. Wow, I still remember it with awe! I was actually watching some footage I recorded a couple of days ago, and I was blown away again and again.

On that blog post I mentioned that I wanted to cover the obscure Pumpkin Fairies, the band that came before Slowdive. I’m sure most hardcore Slowdive fans know about it, but I think a bunch of indiepop, c86 kids don’t. And they are missing out as the sound of The Pumpkin Fairies is way closer to say The Charlottes or The Nightblooms than to Slowdive.

So what do we know about them. There’s a bunch of information around on the web so what I’m going to try is to put it all together and to make some sense of it.

Wikipedia mentions:
Slowdive was formed in Reading, England by Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell in October 1989. The two sang and played guitar, and had been friends since they were 6 years old. At a Sunday youth group, they began making music in an indie pop band called The Pumpkin Fairies, with bassist Mike Cottle and drummer Adrian Sell. When the Fairies disbanded, Slowdive formed, also including drummer Adrian Sell and Sell’s friend, bassist Nick Chaplin.

Last.FM also has a small biography. Here it mentions that The Pumpkin Fairies were born in 1988, meaning just a year before Slowdive. This brief history is credited to a John Kupchik.

1970 Neil Halstead is born on 7 October in Wokingham, England (near Reading).

1971 Rachel Goswell is born on 16 May in a small village outside Reading, England.

1976-77 Neil’s family moves to Sonning Common in Oxfordshire, and that is where he first meets Rachel (at school when they were about six years old).

1978 Rachel begins to learn guitar from her father at the age of 7.

Sometime in the early-mid 1980s Rachel and Neil begin to take classical guitar lessons from Rachel’s best friend’s mother. They continue to pass eachother often, as they attended the same schools. Their friendship develops further.

Sometime in the early-mid 1980s Neil does a paper round, saves up some money, and buys his first electric guitar.

1984 Rachel gets obsessed with Grace Jones.

1985 Rachel gets obsessed with The Smiths.

Sometime in the mid-1980s Rachel discovers the Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees from her older brother.

1988 Rachel and Neil get together and form the band the Pumpkin Fairies, along with Nick Chaplin on bass and Adrian Sell on drums.

1989 The Pumpkin Fairies record and release their 7 song cassette demo. It was recorded on 2 Jan 1989 at Reading Berks Rehearsal studios, when Neil was 18 and Rachel just 17.

Now let’s check out this seven song cassette demo. On Discogs we actually find two cassettes. Both released in 1989.

The first one, the one mentioned in the timeline, includes: “Everything You Breathe”, “Stephanie Says” (a Velvet Underground cover), “Fifteen Million Smiles”, “You Make Me Feel”, “What Matter With Me” and “Dream On”. 3 songs in each side. This also includes an untitled live ghost track. All songs were written by Neil in this tape.

There’s a nice interesting story about this tape on the site Souvlaki Station:

The exact number produced is unknown to me, but from what I gather it was in the neighborhood of a few dozen. They were sold at the few gigs they played in Reading, and given to friends. It is uncertain how many copies have survived to this day. On these songs Rachel was the only lead vocalist, although Neil does sing backup on “Stephanie Says”. This song (albeit a Velvet Underground cover) was the first example of how naturally Rachel and Neil’s voices harmonized. On the whole the songs sound highly derivative of My Bloody Valentine, the Primitives, and other similar bands of the time. But throughout there are definite hints of what Neil and Rachel would later write. Rachel’s vocals are up front and prominent, and sound surprisingly good for her young age. Neil’s guitar work consists of mainly basic chords played through fuzzy effects (primarily distortion). The song “whats the matter with me” is probably the highlight of this demo, a wonderful little acoustic ditty with Rachel singing and Neil plucking away on the guitar. It sounds very quirky in a charming Syd Barrett sort of fashion. The bonus track at the end is of unknown origin as it isn’t listed in the credits. It is a recording presumably from 1988 in Rachel’s parent’s garage, where they practiced. It sounds as if it were recorded on a boombox or a cheap portable cassette recorder. There’s some talking at the end, consisting of the usual teenage band member chatter.

The second tape includes: “Love Me”, “September Chills” and “Jesus”. This tape was single-sided.

Souvlaki Station says about this tape:
The other tape is a three song tape consisting of the tracks “Jesus”, “September Chills”, and “Love Me”. This was probably recorded after the 7 song demo, but I’m not totally sure about this. “Love Me” was re-recorded as Slowdive during the “take me down/beach song” session, but never released.

But where did I hear them for the first time? It was actually on a very indiepop tape compilation called “You Can’t Be Loved Forever Vol.1”. I’ve mentioned this tape so many times as there were so many great bands in it and because this tape was compiled by the great Phil Ball from Feverfew and The Rileys.

Then I keep digging online to find any more information about The Pumpkin Fairies. I find an interview from Pennyblackmusic with Rachel Goswell. She says: Pumpkin fairies (Laughs).We started when we were 15 and the Pumpkin Fairies was our gigging name around town for a few years (Laughs).  And funny thing, when asked about the C86 stuff she says: Yeah, I really hated all of that stuff. I was a Goth at that point. 

And that’s more or less there’s online about this short-lived band. But after listening to their songs and the high-profile of their next band you’ll be wondering why these songs are not more popular within the indiepop crowd. Questions to be answered? Well, why hasn’t this been properly released? I would! And are there any live recordings perhaps? And where did their name come from?! Any clues?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
The Pumpkin Fairies – Jesus

Last Saturday I got to see Slowdive for the first time. I loved every single second of it.

I can’t say I’m a huge fan though I really like their music. I would say I’m a good fan that doesn’t know the name of every single song of theirs but does have all their albums on CD and their flexi on Sunday Records. Not the complete collection of their records. But I think they are pretty fantastic you know. So I wasn’t going to miss their one gig here in NYC.

Unlike other concerts where I know and can sing the lyrics of the songs, I enjoyed this one in a different level. How? Well, the sound was truly fabulous, the guitars were crystal clear, they soared. I guess I didn’t like the venue too much (Terminal 5). Having 3 floors felt a bit like a movie, or a place were someone like Britney Spears would play. Maybe. It felt huge. But then, it was also sold out. It was packed, and a cold day of autumn felt so warm.

The music was beautiful as expected. Okay, even more than I expected. It was lush. Everything, even the lights on stage were perfectly synchronized I thought. It was definitely one of the best gigs I’ve attended this year.

The band were perfect I think, they talked little, but enough to charm the crowd. They played all the songs I thought they were going to play, and for me, “Alison” and “Machine Gun” were the highlights. What a beautiful racket of guitar effects in the air. I was daydreaming.

It’s funny that there was a big queue for the merch. Even funnier that I skipped it as I was hanging with a friend of a friend that knew the merch guy (a bit like a Pooh Sticks songs). Small world. I got myself a t-shirt and a lovely tote bag on the way in. On the way out after the gig, there was again a big queue. I guess their tour has been a success judging by this. I’m glad. It’s a great comeback I think. They seem true to themselves though of course one misses their haircuts from back in the day ha ha.

At the end of the gig I got the setlist. My friends left the venue thinking it was impossible for me to get it as we weren’t that close to the front. maybe halfway to it. But when there’s a will there’s a way. So I got it. No problem. Typewritten, band name, city name, and songs. It’s like they want fans to take them.

Sadly after the gig only Neil came out. Would have been nice to take some fan photos. But well, perhaps they are tired. He was nice enough to take photos with the fans. I would have wanted a photo with Rachel. I love her singing. Maybe there will be a next time?

I didn’t see many friends at the gig though I know many were there thanks to Instagram and Facebook and such. Only got to see the great Carrick around. I guess that’s the bad thing about a big venue and a big gig. So used to see smaller bands.

Thinking about this, why not, I’ll try to do a Pumpkin Fairies (their previous incarnation) blog post next week. I love the songs from their one and only demo tape, proper C86 sounds! Promise!

Anyhow, if you have the chance catch Slowdive live. Even if you are not a big fan. you are going for a treat. Brilliant really!

———————————————————————————

Another week, another obscure band. Not strictly indiepop, but what I like to call proto-indiepop. That sort of post-punk that was melodious, that was closer to pop than say goth or other sounds in the early and mid 80s. Closer to bands like Two People, Big Outdoor Type, and so on. Bands that would definitely be showcased in the sadly defunct Leamington Spa series. Maybe it’s time to organize some sort of compilations of this kind? I know Cherry Red has done the Scared to Get Happy and the C86 boxsets but, are they enough? Will Cherry Red cover the more obscure bands that truly deserve to be rediscovered because they penned songs that should have been classics? I really doubt it. They are more of a proper business, so I doubt they will risk doing so, like Firestation did before. What do you all think?

Anyways, this week I want to cover this band that from what I gather two of the members went to be more popular with another band called Songdog. I don’t know about them but I found they even have a Wikipedia page.

Songdog are a Welsh three-piece folk noir band noted for their intelligent lyrics and sparse (often acoustic) musical arrangements. Band members include Lyndon Morgans (vocals, acoustic guitar and songs), Karl Woodward (electric guitars, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, keyboards), Dave Paterson (drums, keyboards, accordion, percussion), and Jasper Salmon (violin). Morgans and Woodward had previously been in 80’s “hunchback funk” band Sad Among Strangers who scratched the surface of the charts and toured Europe as support to A ha.

Then I track another mention to the band in an A-ha diary:

 November 19861 – Mags arrives in Vienna. a-ha are interviewed backstage in Vienna for the Italian TV show “Pinky”. A-ha start the European leg of the tour with the American support band, “Sad Among Strangers”. The first gig is at the Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria. The hall has a capacity of 10,000 people and has been sold out for weeks. It’s approximately three times bigger than the other halls they have played in so far. The concerts starts 30 minutes late and there are sound problems during the first three songs, especially for Morten. The problems are solved and the shows get very good reviews in the biggest newspaper of Vienna which compares them to the Beatles.

Strange that they are called Americans. I’m pretty sure they are Welsh.

I keep googling and can’t find much more stuff. There’s a mention of them playing at The Marquee in London on October 12 , 1982. So let’s turn into their discography to search for clues.

Their first release was a 7″ released in 1980 on the Brave Tales label (catalog NOW1981). This record includes three songs (the three you can find on Youtube if you want to listen to them) and they are: “Sparks Fly Upwards”, “A Better View of Baxter” and “The Gongs”. The composer for all the songs was Lyndon Morgans and the record was produced by Ian Dinwoodie. Cool trivia fact is that the record was a Porky’s Prime Cut. Also I like the motto for the label on the back cover, it says “Records that tuck you up at night (and turn out the light)”.  On this record my favourite is definitely the opening track, “Sparks Fly Upwards”, which is much more poppier than the other two which are much more angular. For some reason this song reminds me a bit of The Room.

Next release, also from 1980 (though again the catalog is misleading NOW1982), is yet another 7″. Two songs by the same composer and same producer, the A side is “Here Come the Caesars” and the B side is “I Know Nothing Of the Jungle”. I haven’t heard none of the songs, though there’s a cover of the B-side by the band  Jellymoulds on Youtube. The two songs were recorded at Sounds Workshop and the pictures on the back cover were taken by Len Kinnion.

1981 and yet another 7″. These were prolific times for the band. Catalog is NOW1983 for this double A side 7″. “My Kind of Loser” and “It’s So Good It’s Incest” are the tracks included in the record. Again haven’t heard them yet. The cover artwork is credited as “Dionysus versus the Crucified – by Pod”. Same producer and composer for this one as the other two. Seems a bit of a darker record this one, but I’m just guessing.

Now fast forward to 1986. This is the one release I own and I think it’s pretty good, especially the A side. This record came in both 12″ and 7″ formats, and it was as far as I know also pressed in Germany by Teldec. The Uk pressing came out on Broken Hill Records (catalog BHP 002). The song I’m talking about is called “Taking Off the Breaks” and it’s a proper and beautiful pop song. Chiming guitars, heartfelt vocals and a fab dancey melody, all very 80s for sure. Even a saxophone thrown in there. Freddy Cannon produced this great track. I’m sure Japanese fans are more knowledgeable about this record as I’ve seen a couple of listings in Japanese websites, and makes sense, they would happily file this under their neo-acoustic genre.

The B side for this record is “I, Salamander” and it’s definitely much darker and less fun. It’s alright, though I think the A side eclipses it way too much. “Taking Off the Breaks” could have been a dancefloor filler. This record I got for around 5 euros. It’s not that complicated to track down. I recommend doing so!

And that’s all I could find about them. If you know anything more, would love to hear. Would be curious to hear more songs by them!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Sad Among Strangers – Taking Off the Breaks

I remember how easy was to blog a couple of years ago. There was always some news, discussion or interesting topic being raised in the indiepop community. These days not so much. Definitely the scene is much quiet. There are fewer new bands appearing, labels releasing less stuff and so on. I thought I haven’t been blogging much because I’ve been busy. And I have. I have been super busy. But in the past being busy didn’t stop me from blogging and discussing some topics.

There is this one Facebook group, Indiepop Shop Talk, that raises some interesting questions now and then. I’m always a bit too late in the discussion to participate. I follow the group with interest as most people discussing are people that are really involved in indiepop. They have bands or labels. There are some fans, and some club organizers, as well. So definitely they have an idea of what’s going on.

Some people post about their new releases. I find it funny when they mention they are doing “shameless self-promotion”. I think it’s totally okay to promote yourself, but only if you also participate in the rest of discussions. Just being in a group to promote yourself is really stupid. Or anywhere (as this has also happened in the indiepop-list or other forums). You have to be fair and square. If you want attention, you need to give some attention.

Other people post about their forthcoming gigs or parties. I think this is cool. I wish there were New Yorkers organizing proper indiepop parties, but then, NYC is too cool for that.

But my favourite topics are when someone just asks: “Why do so many people hate ukuleles? They’re a stringed instrument. They don’t sound all that different from a nylon string guitar. I don’t get it.” Of course, that is INTERESTING. I’ve always wondered why people like this silly gimmick, so to see a discussion about it was quite refreshing. I mean, I’ve asked this same question on my blog but I feel the commenting system might be a bit too intimidating for many. I think in cases like this a closed group makes people feel safe to express their ideas.

Then there’s also people who ask for suggestions. Like, where to press records? how to distribute your releases? and so on. There is so much knowledge within the people that are part of Indiepop Shop Talk that picking their brains is an excellent idea.

There has been other times when some people just come to pick fights or criticize indiepop and so on. I suggest to ignore this people, but usually indiepop people are way too nice and listen all the moaning by these saddies that just come to annoy everyone. The day indiepop stops taking all these people that hate indiepop but at the same time live comfortably within the scene, that’d be a good day. It will be easier to build something better.

Though in any case, right now our scene is dormant, waiting for a new generation to appear. So it doesn’t really matter.

I think in two or three years time we might see it. I read someone the other day saying that it comes in cycles like, 1976, 86, 96, 2006, more or less. It kind of makes sense. So perhaps a new exciting wave is brooding right now. I see some thrilling stuff happening right now in Latin America, but that’s a bit too removed for European and North American fans. Or Japanese fans even (though to be honest Japan is producing fabulous indiepop at the moment).

So yes, it feels Europe and North America are falling behind. A good example might be Sweden, a country that traditionally has many indiepop bands, these days produce barely any. What has happened? I tend to blame Spotify, MP3s, etc, etc, that have killed the love for buying and discovering records. But is that it? Or is it really a cycle? Or a mix of both? When will we see a new explosion like that of 2006-2008? Or 1985-1988? A world full of fanzines (or blogs), concerts, festivals and most importantly AMAZING bands? I’m looking forward to that.

———————————————————————————

I’ve seen some comparisons to The Primitives. I’ve read about they being similar to Girls At Our Best. I’ve wondered a million times who were Annie and the Aeroplanes.

“I know something about love”

Addictive, contagious, effing catchy.

“I know something about you”

How could one not like this? How cone one not get happy after listening to this song? How not to smile?

And how come it’s not an indiepop staple, a classic? How? Why is the world so unfair with the better songs? Things that will always be a mystery to me.

What’s sad also is that I don’t even have a proper MP3 of this song. I think I took this track from a mix MP3 someone did ages ago for some blog. Might have been So Tough So Cute blog? And Sumire who made the mix? It’s possible. I just had cut the MP3 from a very long MP3 that included a bunch of songs. There is a bit of overlapping at the end of the song sadly. But you’ll get the gist of how good this song is.

I don’t own the record either sadly. I don’t know how rare it is. Would love to play it one day on my record player of course.

But what do I know about the band? Not much I’m afraid, but let’s go over that.

Only released the one 7″, with two songs: “A Million Zillion Miles” and “Travelling Song”. One in each side. It came out in 1988.

It was released by Pipedream Records (catalog PIPE 001). And the record was produced by a Kirran Wheeler.

The artwork is quite cool, an aeroplane kind of flying towards us and around it there’s a bunch of roses. The logo for the label is cool too, Pipedream Records is hand-drawn over a backdrop of the Stonehenge and a setting sun. The design was done by Tim No-Tail.

The record was recorded at Home From Home Studios. All songs composed by the band and special thanks to Toby, Ian and Wee Stevie.

And that’s about it. On the Turntable Revolution blog, Rupert mentions that he was going to do an interview with the singer with this London based band. It seems this never happened… but he does mentions about some cassettes by the band. This is I’m very curious about!

Anyhow, anyone know anything else by them? Have a better set of MP3s? Have a spare record? Would love to know more about this obscure but great band!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Annie and the Aeroplanes – A Million Zillion Miles

Yet another very busy week for me thanks to my daytime job and friends/family visiting town. So I’ll share this week an interview I did back in 2011 for a Japanese fanzine called “Weekend Never Dies”  that was beautifully and lovely written and put together by Sayuri.

1. Many bands who have released from your label played at NYC Popfest 2011. What did you think about this year’s NYC Popfest?

Yeah, that’s really cool isn’t it? Must be that NYC Popfest people have good taste when booking bands! 🙂
Jokes aside, I think NYC Popfest was great. The lineup was really good, with strong headliners and treats from overseas. Compared to other years this one had the best dance parties for sure. I haven’t danced as much in previous years. So that’s definitely a plus. Also having the acoustic sets during the evening shows was a smart idea. My only complains would be about some bands canceling at last minute or some disorganized band where only one member showed up, but that is nothing to blame to NYC Popfest organizers. They did a FANTASTIC job, and I’ll definitely be there again next year.

2. Any favorite act?

I was very much impressed by Caucus live set, such a strong performance! From the bands I have never seen before I  liked Go Sailor, Persian Rugs, Tiny Fireflies, The Motifs and Days. And I always enjoy seeing Gold-Bears, Felt Tips and The Sunny Street, even though I’ve seen them a couple of times already!!

3. What was the most impressive thing at NYC Popfest 2011?

The most impressive thing? The 8 dollar beer at Santo’s Party House? That was crazy expensive for a beer!
Also the amount of international fans! It was really cool to see so many Japanese fans this year! There were French people, Spanish, Scottish, English, Canadian, Swedish, even from Singapore! That happens often in European Popfests, but not here in America. So that really impressed me.

About Cloudberry Records

1. Could you tell us the story about how you started the label?

Must have been January 2007 when I came across a little 3″CD for the first time. It was from a Spanish band called Bicicross. Immediately I got the idea that this format would be fantastic for single releases. After some weeks figuring out the packaging, I got in touch with my friend Andreas from the band Celestial and asked him if he wanted to be part of this new idea/project I had. And he said yes! And that was it, Cloudberry was born.

2. Releases of Cloudberry records are consistent in a way. How do you find and choose a band to release? Do you have any kind of criterion for selecting bands?

To be honest my only criteria is liking the band and that it fits in the style of music I release. That’s where the consistency comes from. Also for me bands are also friends, and not just some sort of business colleagues. So it’s very important the relationship we have. I don’t like working with complicated or demanding people. Oh! and a plus will always be if they are indiepop fans. Of course.

3. Do you have any ideal label or labels that you can emphasize with?

I’d say Fabulous Friend Records from Sweden, Heaven Records from UK and YAY! Records from the US. The reasons go from their aesthetics, their taste, and most importantly the passion behind them.

4. Did you have any hardships in running the label?

Sure, but nothing that hurts. Haters are going to hate, you know. People will always have something to criticise.  Though there was one time that I didn’t get to release a single because the band and me didn’t agree about the artwork. As of now, this band is one of the biggest bands in indie, not just indiepop, but indie in general!!

5. When and how did you first get into indiepop music? Did you have any friend who you could talk with about your favorite music when you were a student?

Interesting that you ask about it. After a year I moved to the US, when I was 18, I met my friend José. We both attended the same college. He was much more into music than me then I’d say, and my competitiveness kind of sparked a flame in me, so tried to know more about music. We had a very similar in music taste, even though he loved some tropical music. We started a band and stuff too, but that’s another story. During that time we started working too for the first time in our lives, and had money at last! We started ordering records from Spanish labels as that was the music we knew. Elefant, Subterfuge, Siesta. That stuff. I think it was the connection of Alaska y Dinarama with Elefant and Subterfuge that made us discover indiepop. Alaska is huge in the Spanish speaking world. So from there, ordering Berlanga CDs, or Pegamoides reissues on Subterfuge, made us discover a whole world of indiepop thru the catalog of these labels. Eventually I found out about Twee.net, the indiepop-list, and the Twee Folks group on Soulseek. The rest is history.

Sadly my friend had to move back to Peru many years ago. He was once part of a label called Plastilina. We talk often about music but not as much as before of course. Now he has a really cool indiepop band called “Eva y John” that I look forward to their first release!

6. What bands did you listen to when you were younger?

Before listening to indiepop? As you know I grew up in Peru and the influence of Spanish pop was big during the late 80s, early 90s. I tell you that my first concert was by a Spanish band called Christina y los Subterráneos. Really nice band. One of my favourite Peruvian bands when growing up was called Mar de Copas, they had some great jangly tunes. During those years I loved Duncan Dhu, Hombres G, El Ultimo de la Fila and Aerolineas Federales. Later I got into lots of  80s italo disco. But that it’s kind of cheesy isn’t it? But I love it still.

7. You also make a fanzine which looks so beautiful in terms of single color printing, a font of typewriting manner and authentic layout. When did you start making a fanzine?

Thanks Sayuri. I started my first fanzine back in October 2007 and released it in December that year. I was still in university then, I was a graphic design student, and saw the opportunity to do something Cloudberry-related as a project in one of my classes. Something that I could use both for school and the label. Then I got in touch with some bands I had released, I put together the 5-track CD compilation that came with it, designed it, print it, got some plastic sleeves for them, took orders and started posting them. So that’s how the first fanzine started. I got an A if you were wondering. 🙂

8. Do you think your fanzine plays a role of complementing or promoting the releases of the label?

Definitely, but more like complimenting. I say that because I usually do one-offs by bands, just one single and that’s it. So on the fanzine I believe we can further explore the bands, with an interview, and perhaps including a song on the 3″CD that comes with it. It would be fantastic if it was more of a promotion tool, but I find that many of the people that order the fanzine don’t really order the records or vice versa. It’s like a totally different crowd. It’s very strange but interesting at the same time.

9. Do you have any favorite fanzines?

Definitely yours and the Twee Grrls fanzine. So far this year they are the best I’ve read. From the past I’ve loved This Almighty Pop! and Woosh fanzines.

10. I was also impressed with a large amount of information of your blog. How do you separate things to put on a fanzine or on a blog? Do you think it’s important to manage both a fanzine and a blog?

Well on my fanzine I exclusively feature bands associated to Cloudberry whereas on the blog my I don’t give myself any restrictions, I just write about anything that comes up to mind. And that’s usually some obscure 80s band and sometimes about some personal experience concerning indiepop. So it’s quite different what you read on the fanzine and on the blog. And I don’t plan publishing online any of the stuff that appeared fanzine, I want it to be special for those who bought it.

If it is important to manage both a fanzine and a blog? I would say yes, at least personally it is. It’s really great to have a space to speak up and later find people that are interested in the same things as me. That exchange of information between readers, bands and me, is just fantastic. That’s why I think it’s worth to do both, or even one!

11. Could you give your recent favorite bands?

New up and coming bands? I really enjoy Evans the Death, Seapony, Tiny Fireflies, Cassolette and Pastel Blue.

12. Could you give us 5 best albums in your life?

1- McCarthy – The Enraged Will Inherit the Earth
2- Wedding Present – George Best
3-  Heavenly – Heavenly vs. Satan
4- Blueboy – Unisex
5- TCR- Paro, Siesta, Días de Fiesta

13. Any future plans?

Sure thing, more releases! Very soon I’ll release my 6th fanzine and I have many 7″s lined up. After Very Truly Yours 7″ I should be releasing Youngfuck and Nixon 7″s. There are also some cool Cloudberry Classics 3″CDs on their way! And hopefully I get to go to Japan to DJ someday in the future! That’d be a plan!

Thanks so much Sayuri for the interview.

————————————————————–

Chaps are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps’ integrated belt, but unlike trousers they have no seat and are not joined at the crotch. They are designed to provide protection for the legs and are usually made of leather or a leather-like material. They are most commonly associated with the cowboy culture of the American west as a protective garment to be used when riding a horse through brushy terrain. In the modern world, they are worn for both practical work purposes and for exhibition or show use.

Batwing chaps are cut wide with a flare at the bottom. Generally made of smooth leather, they have only two or three fasteners around the thigh, thus allowing great freedom of movement for the lower leg. This is helpful when riding very actively, and makes it easier to mount the horse. This design also provides more air circulation and is thus somewhat cooler for hot-weather wear. Batwing chaps are often seen on rodeo contestants, particularly those who ride bucking stock.

Hanley, Stoke On Trent. 1985. Let’s transport us in time. That’s where we’ll find The Batwing Chaps.

The information online is very small. I know a bit about them thanks to an old compilation done by Brucey on his Sideroom blog, and also thanks to a Japanese review somewhere online that likens them to Decoy Avenue.

There was a 7″ released in 1985 with the songs “I Won’t Change” and “Crave”. I’ve only heard the first one, and you can listen to this pre-C86 neo-acoustic gem on the MP3 linked here.

I don’t have the record but there’s a Facebook page created by fans for the band, looking also for more information about the band. On it, someone has uploaded the sleeve. From that we can learn a couple of things about this obscure band:
The record was produced by The Batwing Chaps
It was engineered by Stuart Pickering of Factory Records fame.
There are some names that I would assume are from the band members: Hanky P, Lamumba R, Phillips R., Rogers M. and Wagg R.
There are thanks to Karn and Bullet Records (this one is a metal label from Stoke I believe).The cover was designed by Robin.
The record came out on Pinnacle Records (catalog FM01). Safe to say it was a self-release?

Most interesting of all in this group is that someone posted a tape from 1982 that includes 4 other songs not included in the single. Sadly I can’t figure out the full names of the songs, though I guess the first one is “Imagination”. These were recorded in 1982 and they are copyrighted to Batmusic (!).

And that’s all I could find about them. Do anyone know anything else? Were there more recordings or releases? What happened to the members? Were they involved in other bands? Does anyone have “Crave” or a spare copy of their single? Would love to hear more!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Batwing Chaps – Crave

2014 has been the quietest year for Cloudberry. That’s a fact. We’ve put out only a handful of releases this year and I think that by the end of the year there might be one or two more. Long are the days when I could put out 4 little CDs every month.

It has to do of course with a couple of things. Definitely sales have been down in general, for all indiepop labels. Also the bands I have a commitment to put something out have been slower than usual in getting ready all the elements needed. But in any case, in the pipeline, hopefully, we have the Shine! CD, the Pale Spectres 7″, the Don’t Cry Shopgirl 7″, a new fanzine, and the Parcel Post 7″ co-release with Kingfisher Bluez. Aside from that I’m working on another two Cloudberry Cake Kitchen CDs for next year. So please keep supporting the label because these are fantastic releases that need to see the light of day!

On a small note, on my trip to Germany I picked some copies of the new Secret Shine 7″ released on the new label Dreams Never End of my friend Andi. This is a superb release, something you expect from Secret Shine. I’m selling copies only to domestic (US) fans. This brings me so many memories, of the second time I was in Berlin and went to Secret Shine there. Even went backstage and met the band. That was such a good night.

Speaking of my trip, it was a great. I got such a good haul of records this time around mostly thanks to Uwe from Firestation who I visited the same day I arrived. I stopped by his place, as it has been the case in every trip I’ve done to Germany, and he already had a bunch of obscures 7″s that he had selected for me. Of course I had no clue what they sounded like but I trusted his taste. I will go through some of them here on my blog in the weeks to come. In Hamburg I got some records, very classy records that I thought I would never ever have, from my friend Andreas, and also dear Johanna took me to a couple of record stores were I bought some second-hand records for a good price. And again I bought some records I already have. My memory is starting to fail.

Then of course the best “indiepop” moment was the Throw That Beat in the Garbagecan! show. Oh dear, how could I explain it it?! I was there, almost at the front, next to the pogo, singing along and recording many of my favourite songs. They played so so many of them. 20 years after their last gig, one special night, and I went all the way to Germany to hear “Lotsi Go Go” or “Little Red Go-Cart” live. I wish I understood German, I wish I had understood whatever the band was saying in between songs. Everyone was laughing, they must have been great jokes. I will learn German though. I’ve decided it. Though I doubt I’ll get to see them play again, unless they come to NYC, which if a very very difficult thing, even impossible, to happen.

Afterwards there was a bit of dancing too. At night, at some sort of disco that looked illegal, in between abandoned buildings. How cool, Berlin knows how to play it cool. Jule, one of the girls that used to do Pop Kombinat Berlin and was part of Indiepop Days festival, was DJing that night. Many other friends that I haven’t seen for years were in the club as well. It was really lovely to meet them and catch up, even with all the high volume of the music. The club of course doesn’t play indiepop. Sadly for me. But I guess they need to keep it running, and the indiepop scene in Berlin is really tiny. So it was mostly post-punk, some 80s hits, some coldwave. It was fine. They threw some Belle & Sebastian and The Smiths here and there. I danced, the beer was really cheap. Jule was super kind though for playing a request of mine, The Names’ “Calcutta”. I danced this one with Silke, another great friends who was also part of the Pop Kombinat and Indie Pop Days. Damn. Feels like yesterday. Wish NYC had a night like this.

I must got home around 5 or so. I was supposed to wake up at 8 to catch an early train to Stettin, in Poland. But I didn’t wake up till 9:30. At 9:30 the train I was planning to take had left already. I had to take the next one. In the end it all worked fine. But that’s a story for another day.

———————————————————————–

Feral: of, relating to, or resembling a wild beast—used to describe an animal (such as a cat or dog) that has escaped and become wild.

What do you know about an early 90s band called Feral from the semi-rural Crawcrook in Tyne and Wear?

I didn’t even know the existence of a place called Crawcrook.  A little story from wikipedia:
At the turn of the twentieth century, and in common with the nearby areas of Greenside, Clara Vale and Stargate, Crawcrook was a village with a vibrant coal industry. With major pits such as Emma and Clara, as well as several smaller pits, Crawcrook became a major coal mining centre. However the coal industry collapsed in the village during the 1950s and 1960s. As has happened to a number of other northern English villages employment in tertiary industries has replaced the coal industry. However, Crawcrook’s coal mining heritage is still evident; a number of the old miners’ homes still exist in the surrounding area, including Clifford Terrace and Morgy Hill near to Crawcrook’s main street, and the Simpson Memorial Home in nearby Barmoor. Old wagonways used to transport coal are also still present, although they are now maintained as footpaths. During the 1970s and 1980s, with the creation of the Kepier Chare and Westburn private housing estates, Crawcrook grew significantly in size and became largely suburbanised and is being used increasingly as a commuter village for the conurbation of Tyneside.

Wonder if I’ll ever pass by that area. I kind of doubt it. In that area I’d like to visit Newcastle of course. I would assume the band would play mostly there, and hang around in this much bigger city. It’s no surprise then that they signed to a Newcastle label, Lust Recordings. This was home of other bands we’ve been happy to showcase in the blog like the Lavender Faction or Aspidistra, as well of St. James Infirmary or The Keatons. Their one and only record came out in 1991, and it included three songs, “Change You Leaving”, as the sole A side, and “Bridge” and “Away” on the B side. The record had that shoegazy feeling of the early 90s. The catalog number was Lust 009.

The A side was produced by John Hughes and engineered by Dave Mander. The cover photography was also taken by John Hughes.

There is an insert included in the record that gives us a bit more information about this obscure band:
“Change You Leaving” was recorded at Hi Level, in Newcastle in July 1991. The other two tracks were bedroom recordings done in a portostudio, in their home in Crawcrook, Ryton, in June 1991.

On it we get the band members first names. Sadly no last names making it impossible to track them down on Google. We know that Arlo played guitars and vocals, Stu played guitars, Felix played the bass and Steve the drums.

And here again I hit a wall. There’s no more info whatsoever of this really nice but obscure single. But I’m sure some people out there might know a thing of two about them. Did they have any more recordings? Did they play many gigs? Were they involved with any other bands?

What else do you know about them?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Feral – Bridge

Wow! It’s been like two weeks since the last update on the blog. I was on vacations and traveled to Germany for 10 days. Definitely one of the highlights was the Throw That Beat in the Garbagecan! gig, it was possibly the best gig for me this year. I never imagined I was going to see them.

But I don’t feel yet like going over my vacations here YET, I need some more time to process the good times, all the experiences, of my trip. I still haven’t gotten back to my regular schedule, I’m still jetlagged and waking way too early. I’m not used to it. In a way it’s good, at least today it has given me time to sit down and try to at least come up with a small update here.

I got a bunch of records also during my trip, many of them unknown to me, Uwe Firestation’s recommendations. I will go through them, maybe I find some interesting stuff that I’d like to recommend you here too. Bear with me. At the moment time is a bit precious for me as my daytime job is keeping me pretty busy. In the meantime, let’s get back on the rollercoaster and let’s dig some forgotten bands. This week, let’s find out a bit about Dan Dare!

Dan Dare is a British science fiction comic hero, created by illustrator Frank Hampson who also wrote the first stories, that is, the Venus and Red Moon stories, and a complete storyline for Operation Saturn. Dare appeared in the Eagle comic story Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future in 1950, dramatised seven times a week on Radio Luxembourg.The stories were set in the late 1990s, but the dialogue and manner of the characters is reminiscent of British war films of the 1950s. Dan Dare has been described as “Biggles in Space” and as the British equivalent of Buck Rogers. Dan Dare was distinguished by its long, complex storylines, snappy dialogue and meticulously illustrated comic-strip artwork by Hampson and other artists.

They took the name from the comic hero. They released 2 7″s. And then disappeared from the face of the Earth? What happened to the members of this band? Where did they go? Did they keep making music afterwards?

Their first release was on Meller Welle Produkte from Germany. It was titled “Top Quality EP” and it included the songs: “Hammerhead”, “Unfashionable”, “Laura” and “Martin Maverick”.

The back sleeve warns us “Dan Dare can seriously damage your baby’s health!”. The catalog number of the record is MEL 3 and came out in 1992. The record sounds like those days, pure guitar pop with influences from the C86 bands like The Wedding Present, and fitting along nicely with bands from their period like The Lovelies, Bulldozer Crash or the Gravy Train. All songs were credited to Henry/Barnes/Askew and they were recorded at Birdsong Studio in December 1991.

The second release came a year later, in 1993. I notice I need to buy this one! For some reason I thought I already owned it. Oh well… This time the then up and coming Elefant records put out their “Heavenmetal EP”. This time around there were 3 songs included: “Faceache”, “Yellow Yellow”, “Hello Cruel World”. On this release, catalog (ER-111) we get some credits: Cooper on guitars and vocals, Barnes on bass, Henry on guitars and vocals (and stylophone on Hello Cruel World) and lastly, Askew on drums and percussion. Sadly we don’t get to find their full names, maybe it would be easier to track them down online if that was the case.

The songs follow the same route of their first record though and they were also recorded at Birdsong Studio. The photos for the sleeve came courtesy of Virginia Calvo. Luis’ sister perhaps?

That same year, 1993, they participated in two compilations by Bliss Aquamarine. The first one was on the tape compilation “Peacock Blue” (BLISS 002). On it they collaborated with two songs: “Deceived” and “Mouth Almighty”. The second one was the tape compilation “Cerulean Sky!” (BLISS 005 and Grapefruit 007). On this second tape they contributed “The Man from U.N.C.O.O.L.”.

The next time we would see something from them would be 1997, on Meller Welle’s compilation tape “Caught by the Warmth” (MEL 17).  On it they also appear with three songs, “Disco Dwarf”, “Kill all Your Heroes” and “Another Cigarette”. Making a fast count, we have a total of 13 songs released. Enough for an album.

Keep digging. We find their old Myspace site. We find out they were from Scunthorpe in the UK. This town appears in the Domesday Book (1086) as Escumetorp, which is Old Norse for “Skuma’s homestead”, a site which is believed to be in the town center close to where the present-day Market Hill is located. It is the third city, after Lincoln and Grimsby, in importance in Lincolnshire.

On the Myspace site we can stream many of their songs, even other ones that I’m not sure if they were actually released like: “Shameless”, “Autumnfall” and “Old Four Eyes is Back”. Now we have 16 songs total. On GEMM then I find a tape for sale that I would dare is a demo tape. On it we have included “Shameless” and “Old Four Eyes is Back” and also another two songs not found anywhere else, “Henry Fonda” and “With A Another Angel”. 18 tracks now.

And this is where I hit a wall. Anyone know anything else about this great band? Had they been in bands before? Or after? Did they recorded (or released) any more songs? Would love to hear more from them!

Until next week popkids (with a longer post, promise)!

EDIT: Kim from Bliss Aquamarine has told me that at least one of the band members was also part of The Hoverchairs and that they also appeared on another tape compilation called “Burnt Sienna” (BLISS 004) with the songs ‘Nothin Bout You Baby I Like’ and ‘200 Miles’.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Dan Dare – Hide and Seek

Some time ago I wrote a bit about a fantastic band from Wales that released the one 12″ single, the obscure and thrilling “Introducing Jane”. This single has been later re-released under the name of Johnny Dangerously on a CD. The band though had many more recordings, all of them top-notch and I hope one day they get released in some way. I was lucky that Justin Salmon, who was once part of the band contacted me and was happy to tell the story of this great band. Also he was so kind to share an exclusive song, “Ah My Luchia”! Hope you enjoy it!

The deBuchias story as told by Justin Salmon (guitar player from the band)

My brother came home from school with a tape that a girl called Jo had given him. It was her step Brothers band called “Ignition”, and a solo demo just marked “Johnny Dangerously”.

My brother played it all the time, and at the time, 1986-7 I was just learning the guitar as I had one for my 16th Christmas. I never had any lessons I just bought 3 guitar chord books. 40 Elvis’ greatest hits, A-Ha “Hunting High and Low” and the complete Beatles. As I grew up with Elvis playing I knew the songs really well, the same with the Beatles, and I never told Johnny but A-Ha too. I learned all the songs and was on my way to becoming an accomplished guitar player.
As the days rolled on I could hear this tape keep playing from Joel, my brother’s room and I was starting to get to know all the songs and was really surprised as at the time I think we had to hate whatever our siblings were into at the time. I was 16 and Joel 14. Then one day when he was out I made a copy of the tape and played it everywhere I went. I knew the songs inside out.

I asked Joel a few months later who this guy Johnny Dangerously was and he told me that this girl in school who fancied him gave him the tape because he had told her that I had a guitar. He then rang her up and she told us to come up the following evening and meet him if we were free.

So we wandered 2 miles to their house and were welcomed with open arms. It was very nice. So we met John Harrold Arnold Bramwell that evening and yes he got his guitar and played “You’ve got to hide your love away” by the Beatles and his new song, “Table and Chair”.

Then a couple of years later I left school and went to work as a postman here in my hometown of Monmouth. But all the time I was practising the guitar and set up my own band called “The Only One’s”, then we became The Paper People. We started off by covering Beatles’ songs and generally all our favourite and then I started coming up with some good songs and I sidereal that I too could write pretty good stuff. Here is one that I put on you tube recently:

This is the A side – Footloose and Fancy Free:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-bhkO8zRiw&list=UUOYAlwKskU71n4fdjf57MWg

Then the B side: Baby Jane:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdAaypW2ju8&list=UUOYAlwKskU71n4fdjf57MWg

This one I know you know – It’s an I Am Kloot Cover, “From your favourite sky”. There is also a live pic of us playing at The Hostery Inn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvcEu0smcDs&index=3&list=UUOYAlwKskU71n4fdjf57MWg

I’m not the greatest singer as you are probably now aware.

Then one day my mum asked me if I could give her a lift to Abbergavenny and who should I see as we approached the town? Yes it was little John Bramwell with what looked like a huge guitar next to him. So I pulled over and went to have a chat. He was very nice and said he remembered me and invited me to come down and listen to his new band, The deBuchias in 3 weeks time. They were supporting a local band called The Partnership. Then in the next few weeks that passed my brother was going out with a girl from Abbergavenny who gave him a tape of this band called The Partnership. So I listened to it and loved it. How they never got a record deal I’ll never know, they were awesome. Then we found out that Mike Pritchard, the guitarist from The Partnership had left them to play with John’s new band. He was an amazing guitar player. He sounded similar to Johnny Marr from The Smiths. High end melodious riffs.

Then we heard that the guitarist from The Partnership had committed suicide by jumping in front of a train at Abbergavenny station.

Then by the time we got to the gig we could already see that something was wrong as there were groups of girls crying and hugging. I took a tape player to the gig to record it as I hadn’t heard any new stuff of his. So John went on with the band and announced the tragedy that was Mike’s suicide. I think he even joked and said he’s now left with a UK tour without a guitarist.

Then after the gig we saw him dancing with a short red haired girl who we later found out was his girlfriend. Flora Bradley her name was and she was a great singer. Then after we all sat on a table and I asked him for the chords to black and blue and he wrote them down on a napkin.

He was then telling us about the advertising his record company have spent on his forthcoming tour and he doesn’t have a guitarist yet. He was holding auditions at the moment but still haven’t found what he was looking for. Then my brother piped up, “get Justin in, Justin’s awesome”. or something along those lines and he said “OK come to 20 Ross Rd a week next Tuesday for my audition”. Wow were we all excited going back in the car.

So the first thing I do is play the tape on the way home in the car. I wasn’t great quality, but it was good enough for me to learn the songs. (don’t I ever wish I had a smart phone back then) Then I played it at home Monmouth noon and night, playing along with the songs and learning the chords and then writing my own guitar parts. So the evening arrives and I get to Abbergavenny and I am so very nervous. We went up to a bedroom and set up and he said lets start with this one, it’s called “Joe and Luchia”. It’s in D for you, but I’m using a different tuning. So he starts and I eventually join in with my riff and he says, “did you just make that up?”, I said yes and he said that’s good, remember that. Then after that we played “Ed deBuchia”, “On my life” and “Not like me at all”. I had learned the songs so well that I think I impressed. He then said ok, lets get a meet sorted for you to introduce yourself to the band and see what occurs yeh? I said yeah cool and we scheduled for the following week.

The rest of the band were from Cardiff. The drummer owned his own recording studio which was very handy as I would come to eventually play all my guitar riffs here. We recorded loads of demos down there. Audio matrix the studio was called. We arrived and John introduced me to Steve Perry on drums and Tig on bass. They were really nice guys, all a lot older than me. In face John was 26 at the time to my nineteen. So I lied about my age and said I was 23. Steve said to John before we started that a photographer from NME would be coming at 10pm to do the head shots.

So we are all plugged in and we start playing “Shot Amelia” which was sounding amazing with drums and bass and I was truly feeling it. We ran through all the songs we had done the week before and I had come up with a few new bits and pieces too and they sounded good to me at least. Then the buzzer went and the photographer guy was there and we went down into the photography studio beneath the recording studio to meet him. As he was setting up I heard him telling John that he wants head shots. Then Tig and Steve went over and the guys says to John, so it’s just the 3 of you, yea? Then to my surprise John says no Justin is in the band too. That was the first sign I had that I was actually in the band. We had the photos taken as you have a copy of them on your website.

Then we went on to tour the UK. I think The Green Room was my favourite gig as it was like a big cinema in there, but instead of a screen, there was us. Everyone was seated and I remember playing well that night as Flora told me later that John had said I was on form tonight…

Nottingham festival was also cool as half way through the set I saw my mum and brother about 500 yards away waving from the street. That’s a cool memory.

“Ah My Luchia” was probably my favourite deBuchias song as I wrote pretty much all the guitar parts. I think I recorded 7 over dubs with extra effects. But I have very fond memories of most of the songs which I am currently trying to upload on to Youtube, but I keep being blocked. As soon as they go up they get taken back down straight away.

One day we got to rehearsal in Cardiff and Tig didn’t show up. Then Steve said that he was leaving but he very much was still in. So Steve them played bass for a while on the recordings that we had half finished. We put an advert for a bass player but it just never happened. I wish I had this head on my shoulders back then as I’m sure I would have hung on a bit harder.John told me then one day to pick up our amps from the studio as we were dissolving the deBuchias. He said that we would continue to play as a duo from now on and I think we had just one gig at The Yorker in Nottingham and that was pretty much it. I had met a girl who I was besotted with who was going to University in September and it was mid August then. So I lost quite a lot that year. I had moved in with John’s step brother for the time I was living between Abbergavenny, Monmouth, Cardiff and Manchester. I left my job quite soon as we were gigging most nights and not getting home till 3 or 4 in the morning and I was starting work at 5am, so I left and went professional.

Although there are some really great moments in there which I will always cherish, but I got dumped with a grands worth of tee shirts and the bill for tee shirts for a band that didn’t exist anymore. I had moved back home for a while whilst I picked myself up for a few months and then met a girl from London and ended up moving in with her in Brixton. We were together for 4 years then I went back to Monmouth again and been here ever since.

I bumped into the singer from the Partnership, Paul Detheridge and asked him to be a guest on my radio show called Justin and Phils accoustic sessions. It was only local radio but he and many other local musicians came on.

I was in a band 15 years ago here in Monmouth with a guy who was an engineer at Rockfield studios. I was here when Oasis recorded the first three albums and as my mate Nick was engineer I had the chance to party with them which was also awesome. Again I wish we had smart phones back then. I saw Noel play the solo on don’t look back in Anger live, it was amazing. The band, The Dragonflies did quite well but the guy from the band Elbow asked him to build him a studio from scratch, so he left Monmouth and haven’t spoke to him much. He friended me on facebook not so long ago and typed, “Remember that night mate? Me and you were superstars with superstars”. Ah that was cool. Nick Brine his name is. If you check out your Oasis albums you should see his name on first 3. Mind you they called him Taffy a few times so it might say Taffy. Just because we live in Wales dosen’t make us all Welsh…

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
The deBuchias – Introducing Jane
The deBuchias – Ah My Luchia

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, it’s just another week of August. I’ve been meaning for some time to catch up with some records I want to recommend you. It’s true that I don’t usually do this because I’m pretty biased when I review records, but it seems it has helped a band or two to sell some of their records and reach a new and happy audience. That’s a good thing isn’t it? Then I should doing more often. So, instead of doing an obscure band today from the past, let me go over a record I’ve listened a bunch this summer. Sounds fine to you? I hope so, because sounds fine to me.

“Flores de Europa” (Flowers from Europe), is the new album by one of Madrid’s finest bands: Los Lagos de Hinault. This is their second full length effort after “Vidas Ejemplares” (Exemplary Lives) released in 2011 on the same label, the Scandi-loving Fikasound Records from Spain. In between there was a split single alongside another Spanish band, El Faro. And earlier this year, in spring, there was another split with yet another Spanish band, the highly rated Doble Pletina.  Not forgetting of course the 3″ split earlier in their career with The Sunbathers released by yours truly.

After this fast recap of their discography, for those who don’t know, Los Lagos de Hinault are a duo conformed by Carlos Ynduráin and Matilde Tresca, though when I saw them live at Madrid Popfest they counted with support from a friend on drums. That was the one time I had the chance to catch them live and listen to fantastic songs like “El Correo del Zar” or “Las Chicas Rubias de Serrano” among others. I hope next year more festivals will give them a chance, how I wish to see them in NYC Popfest for example! Or the UK should take note too! Or Berlin?

Yes, I love them. If you think about it, there songs are the only ones I released in Spanish on Cloudberry (and of course the cover of the Fat Tulips by Zipper). That must say something. I love songs in Spanish, there’s a different style of lyrics that I really enjoy, a sense of humour that is very unlikely to be found in songs written in other languages. But of course singing in Spanish is a bit of a handicap, you reach a smaller crowd. It is definitely not true that bands from Spain can reach easily Latin America. Most of the times music from Spain stays in Spain. The day that this is fixed, there will be a bright bright future for indiepop!

Let’s go through some technicalities. Important ones. The album was recorded in December 2013 in the Caballo Grande studios in Barcelona. Cristian Pallejà and Ferran Resines produced the album whereas  Javier Roldón mastered it in Vacuum Mastering in  Zaragoza. All of the songs were written by Carlos but “A una Ventana Triste” that was jointly written by Carlos and Pablo Hernández.

In this new record, released in June, Los Lagos de Hinault present us 13 new songs. In general, the “lo-finess” of their earlier works have given to a more produced feel, nevertheless they haven’t lost any edge. The poignancy of the lyrics still carry, and powerfully so, the songs. The record opens with the small vignettes of daily life in “San Juan de la Luz”, with it’s summer evening feeling, the smell of sea salt, the soft crashing of Mediterranean waves and trumpets to close the song. Songs with trumpets are always winners!

So after that subtle start the record picks up with a more traditionally upbeat song. Los Lagos de Hinault are all about upbeat when at it’s best. And short, very short songs, usually getting to the minute and a half mark, and stopping right there. The second song follows that standard they’ve been crafting since day one. “Maria del (Mar Rojo)” is a funny title, I have a friend Maria del Mar, so I can’t help but think of her when this song plays. A short story of city life, one of those meaningless encounters that mean so much if you know what I mean.

I love the next song very much, “Futuras Licenciadas”. Of course I know Carlos is joking about it, but who am I to deny that I love girls in libraries wearing glasses. “I want to die condemned by Roman Law, and by the girls who study playing with their shoes”. What a beautiful song, sweet, fun, and ringing so true. Matilde’s backing vocals are delicious in this one.

The upbeatness continues and it seems there’s no way to stop it. “Poligono Industrial” opens with a superb line, “It makes me so sad the engineers and the bonsais”.  It’s not in any good person’s nature to go for Christmas shopping or just hang out at IKEA just for fun. That’s what it’s about, again Los Lagos de Hinault nails it with simplicity, they are true modern crooners of life in the city.

Talking about that, cities, I grew on one, and every time I’ve been in the outdoors, in the suburbs, in places far away from civilization, life has been close to miserable. I need this city life, even with all of it’s funny sides and the things that don’t make sense, to feel alive. I love though when someone can so smartly pinpoint these little details that make us angry, happy, sad, relieved, etc, in the city.

Social gatherings, having to hear other people’s pointless stories of great ambition, that’s what “Viajar No Lleva a Ningún Sitio” criticizes. With sarcasm it even gives us tips on how to avoid these people, why not just break the conversation asking, “is that my glass or yours?”. I reckon it will work.  Afterwards, song number 6 comes, with a play on words: “Panero y Yo”. This is a nod to a book I really hated when I was a kid, “Platero y Yo” by Juan Ramón Jiménez. I really didn’t enjoy it, wonder if I’d do now.

“Zumba”. I don’t know anyone that actually practices that. But I’d love to change the Zumba word for Yoga here in NYC. EVERYONE seems to be doing it, and I just don’t get it. I love how in this song Santiago Auserón from Radio Futura is being quoted, giving some advice to the Zumba enthusiasts. It doesn’t make any sense but it makes a lot of sense. This is the great humour and irony of Los Lagos de Hinault, even more ending the song by repeating “Semilla Negra“, on of Radio Futura’s classics.

We’ve listened already half of the album and we get into an introspective moment with “Los Faros en el Mar”, the lighthouses in the sea. But it’s an introspection into creepiness! so beware! A line like “if there’s something I don’t want to miss is seeing a daughter of yours turning sixteen” can tell you what this is about, right?!

Los Lagos de Hinault clearly are social observers, social critics, and they continue with this trend with their next song, “En un Hotel”. Like in other songs they tackle many “sins”, here they go on mocking vanity. A sort of useless vanity that a lot of people seem to strive for. Yes, who wouldn’t want to die with an English-speaking woman in a hotel? Right?

“Quemasangre” speeds up again the record, that by the way is not just a vinyl record. It includes a CD! So you can play it everywhere! Quemasangre are those sort of people that just get on someone’s nerves. Funny enough the character in the song has no clue about the meaning of it, and his girl keeps telling him he is like that!

I wonder by now if the album title has anything to do with every song. I start having a theory, as there are seven deadly sins, why can’t they be the thirteen traits that Los Lagos de Hinault want to point that are part of the nature of the European continent? Like ambition, vanity, banality, etc, etc, as they’ve been going through in every song? And as they are so ironic, instead of calling these Horrors from Europe, they just decide to call them Flowers? Could it be? Just an idea, but don’t let me get sidetracked.

“Metáforas que Hacéis” is a song that rings a bell to me. How many times I listen to these terrible songs on the radio (or more like I used to listen, I haven’t touched a radio in a long time). The terrible metaphors that make no sense at all, or obvious clichés, and suddenly these sort of people are celebrated, as original, cultured and groundbreaking. From the top of my head that awful Guatemalan singer called Ricardo Arjona comes to mind with his amazing metaphors, among them “come with me to be alone”. But of course, we could think of all the hipsters, and all of those who pretend by just using fancy words. Oh, just like that pretender who wrote the “Twee” book.

The record is about to end. Two more songs. Now it’s the happy-go-lucky number, “Simpático y vago”. A feel good song with it’s dose of reality, even if you are a simpleton, and you will blame television for not being smart, you can always offer love. Will the girl take him? I will guess that yes, she will. It’s too much of a happy song to have a bad ending!

“A una Ventana Triste” closes the album. After dissecting song by song, it feels sad to stop here. This song is the sad one of the album. Feels like the night is coming down. The day is over. Time to be melancholic. Time to think and meditate. Of course, that’s how the song feels. Los Lagos de Hinault always take even these feelings with humour. You can look out your window, try to be sentimental and no, suddenly there’s a big billboard there. See, life is not as simple as it appears, it’s definitely not Hollywood with it’s perfect landscapes and views. Everything is polluted, but at the same time, you need to be able to see the beauty (and the irony) in it.

The album is kaput by now. We can play it again. I’m at the office now so I keep streaming it on Bandcamp. But you should buy it here on Fikasound, because that will make yourself happy. It also includes a lovely pink totebag. It’s the first pink totebag I’ve ever owned.

Irony and wittiness, like a boy/girl TVPs of the 2000s, social critics, cultured in popular culture and the not so popular too, Los Lagos de Hinault have a very refined sense of humour, definitely not for the regular radio listeners out there, but if you want something a bit more challening that the Billboard 100, well, I won’t get tired of recommending you this album, especially if you can understand some Spanish. Beautifully crafted songs, in a lush packaged record, can you ask for more? Definitely one of the top releases of this year.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Los Lagos de Hinault – María del (Mar Rojo)

Well, some updates this week on the website as some of you might have noticed. Of course you can now order the My Favorite record and I’ve slashed down the priced on the first 20 7″s we put out. I just need some space at home for future releases and even if I won’t make much money out of these sales, I prefer these records going to a good home. If you want to support, then buy 2 or 3 of them and then maybe a little money will come for me to fund new records in the months and years to come.

So that’s that. Secondly I’ve started taking some freelance work this month. Seems like label sales are not enough anymore for releasing new records. So there I am. A bit busier than before but with a very hopeful view on the future. Can’t leave all these gems I’ve been listening lately stay in obscurity, right? You have to keep going. At least a couple more years. I think the dream of 100 7″s by 100 different bands is far far away, but I think a realistic goal would be to make it to 10 years. Maybe organize a small farewell festival then. What do you say? Maybe host it in London? Or where else? Miami would be interesting because that’s where I started, but probably no one would go.

Thirdly, I need to start catching up with the new fanzine. It’s almost done but I haven’t been able to finish it. Also I have two CDs to design. So even though Cloudberry is quiet, I’m working. And I still go to the post office every single week, two, three times. And you know I keep blogging to keep everyone up to date.

Talking about being up to date, this Thursday here in New York I’ll head to Rough Trade to see The Clean. They played like two years ago here too but I missed them. Looking forward to them. I believe next week Joanna Gruesome is playing in town too. Might as well check them out. I always miss them in UK when I’m there. They’ve played twice at Indietracks and I have been doing something else that I can’t remember. I did catch them last year in Brooklyn and they were really good. At least with them I don’t feel bad not living in UK.

Aside from that it seems that the indiepop scene is a bit quiet, isn’t it? But I’ve been doing some discoveries.

I have to say that the songs that are on the soundcloud of The Fabulous Artisans are a delight. Best thing I’ve heard in ages! Really a beauty. I’m in love. The 4 songs, “However Much I Love You, I Love Lloyd Honeyghan More”, “A Week of Wednesdays”, “The Nearly Man” and “The Night I Met Tracey Emin”, are just top class. I especially like the first one. And this is just a “demo”! Crazy. These songs would make one of the classiest 7″s I’m sure. If you are reading this, all you Artisans, I’M HOOKED! I play it so very often these songs (especially now that my work computer doesn’t let me play CDs!).

Another interesting band is Glasgow’s Bodyheat. There are two songs in their soundcloud, “Silhouttes” and “Upside Down”. As anything that I feature in this blog, they are quality (ha ha!). Perfect jangle pop, luminous, shiny shiny, I enjoy these songs very much! Would love to hear more from them. Don’t you just love this sort of elegant indiepop? True, it’s harder to sell, everyone wants the raucous, fast paced, ramshackling sort of pop these days, but who cares about that, this is just beautiful and those who can’t see it (or hear it), are just plain dumb!

And of course the best news lately is that the Persian Rugs are releasing a record. Oh dear. I want to listen to that. If you haven’t yet heard the promo single for the album then you are lucky because I’m going to share the link with you. No, it’s not secret. But I’ll help you and save you some seconds of looking for it online. The song is called Bedhead and it’s a proper indiepop GEM! Right? Now you trust me. Enjoy it! Those fuzzy guitars at the end and Kaye’s voice are brilliant in this song!

———————————————————————–

So a couple of days ago Joel writes me asking me about some songs by a band called Chrysalids. No, not the UK Chrysalids that had members of 1000 Violins. Not them. But an Australian Chrysalids. Have you heard about them?

My first encounter was many years ago with that compilation Peter Hahndorf from Twee.net made on CDR called The Sound of Glen Waverley. A compilation that I’ve written about many times here in the blog. It was a sort of an Australian Leamington Spa series.Well, it was supposed to be that. It was never released and as far as I know, Peter only gave some copies to some of his friends.

On that compilation this Chrysalids were included with a song called “Sunny Guitar Pop”. Guess what, the song sounded just like the title. It was bright, shiny, fresh, and proper guitar pop. Jangly and jangly. I liked it so much that I waited many years, maybe 5 or so years since I got the compilation, to finally find a 7″ by them on eBay. A double A side with the songs “Stop the Clock” and “Them”. And guess what, “Sunny Guitar Pop” wasn’t really “Sunny Guitar Pop”, it was actually called “Them”.

This record was produced by Chrysalids and Jeremy Smallhorn. Engineered also by Smallhorn and recorded at Pyramid Studios in Brisbane in 1987. The enigmatic artwork was made by Cathy Stephens. The record label was Mighty Boy Records and the catalog number was MB20047.

Thankfully inside the 7″ a insert is included. On it we know the first names of the band members. Cameron on drums and reverb, Alex on vocals and guitar, Graham on guitars and vocals, and Bruce on bass guitar. There are some special thanks but none of those names ring a bell to me sadly. On the insert some very high contrast black and white photos of each band member are included too.

That’s all I could gather from this fantastic band. But then googling I found out a more recent band called Generation Jones. Alex seems to have been part of this band, and I finally learn his last name: Waller. This band seems to have been closer to Wilco than indiepop, but there’s a small bio in the site that mentions a bit about the Chrysalids:

Brisbane power pop indie rock band. Three quarters of Ducks in Formation moved to Sydney and changed their name to Peso Kim, and with one eye gazing at their shoes and the other on the filthy lucre, released the single “Run for Cover”. One quarter (Alex Waller) stayed behind and formed The Chrysalids, releasing the “Texas” and “Stop the Clock” singles. Guitar pop rarely sounded this good. When Presidents Eleven split McDonald secured the bass playing services of Bryan Batley (McQueen and Waller partner in crime) in his new band The Spiny Norman Conspiracy. Just after recording the 4 track CD “Firm but Fair” (arguably the first CD release by an independent Brisbane band) Alex Waller jumped ship from the rapidly sinking Chrysalids and joined. Catherine Addow of Who’s Gerald (later Custard) was briefly on drums. Still stubbornly wearing stovepipes when the world went op shop and baggy, the rest of course was complete tragedy but that’s another story… various members are currently in oz indie group “Generation Jones”

Interesting. I could find on Youtube some stuff by Ducks in Formation. It was pretty melodic post punk, kind of like Echo & the Bunnymen. From Peso Kim I couldn’t find any of their songs online. But for me the biggest mystery is seeing that the Chrysalids released another single, “Texas”. I can’t seem to find anything about it! Because it’s listed before “Stop the Clock” I would guess it’s an earlier effort. “Stop the Clock” was released in 1987.

Sadly that’s all I could gather online about this band that made really nice songs. The three that I have heard are super. Perhaps you know a bit more about them and would like to shed some light about them? I’d love to know more and solve some of these mysteries about this obscure and fantastic band!

EDIT: My friend Andreas, such a good Sherlock he is, found out that the first 7″ of the Chrysalids, the one with “Texas”, was a split single released in 1986. It also included the song “Call Me”. This 7″ was shared with a band called Spiders and the Flys who on the B side appear with two songs: “Love Dance No. 1” and “Simple Needs”. It was released by Tombstone Records.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Chrysalids – Them