Monday again. Time goes fast indeed. Not much news this weekend, just waiting and waiting, maybe two more months of waiting, for the Dayflower 7″s to arrive. But we do have our latest, Den Baron’s 7″s, that if you haven’t checked it out you should as it is a timeless record I think!

Kammahav: the latest from Kammahav, the project of Sweden’s Christian Gustafsson and England’s Tony Jenkins is back with a wonderful EP called “Scrapbook” that has 4 songs in total! It not only available on digital formats but also on CD which is great news. If you like classic indiepop, with jangly guitars and elegant melodies, as well as classy vocals, this is definitely a must have!

“Lo-fi es Mentira vol.4: ¿Y dónde están las cucarachas?”: that is indeed a long name for a compilation album. This one comes all the way from Chile, from the Gemelo Parásito Records, and I am recommending this comp on the strength of the two tracks the band Mitimitis have contributed, “Caracoquesos” and “Yorokobi Hachi Gatsu Wa Owatta”, which are great and are the best on it!

Surf Friends: now a band all the way south from Auckland, New Zealand. I know little about them but this album they just released called “Doing Your Thing” sounds great! Catchy, fun, and guitar-driven, as record should be. It looks though that is only available in digital format which is a shame. But at least we can stream it over and over.

Low Key Crush: and then to the neighboring country, Australia. Low Key Crush are “pop monsters” from Melbourne according to their Bandcamp. Well, their latest song is terrific. It is called “Shelter” and is a fine slice of indiepop. The band is formed by Taycian Lord on drums, Ella Irene on bass and vocals and Tim Haines on guitar, synth and vocals. Good stuff.

Dreams of Empire: I have featured them in the past and as I like them, I’ll do it one more time. Their latest is finally their debut album called “Nothing’s ever Finished”. The duo will include ten songs on it and two are available to stream now, “Swarm” and “Skinny Dipping”. Top stuff from the Brighton couple!

—————————————————————–

I only discovered Headtime a few days ago. They must have made some noise in the early 90s as they signed to Cherry Red but at the same time it seems they didn’t get too much recognition and are kind of a lost band these days. Cherry Red doesn’t even add them to the many compilations they have released the past few years showcasing indiepop and shoegaze. Who knows why?

The band released two EPs, both of them in 12″ and CD formats. The first one, from 1990, was titled “Have You Heard EP” and had the catalog number CHERRY 118. It included 4 songs, “I Visualise” and “Need to Be” on the A side while “Have You Heard” and “Float” appear on the B side. The songs were recorded at Woodhouse Studios in Leeds and were produced by Mike Stout and Richard Formby. It is important to mention of course that Mike Stout had been in the superb The Bachelor Pad as well as an stint in The Wedding Present. Formby on the other hand had been in In Embrace and The Jazz Butcher among others. So pretty cool people to produce you. The photography on the sleeve is credited to Anthony Thompson.

It is also interesting to mention that this was a Porky cut. As usual with his cuts there are matrix/runouts on each side. The A side says “I SENSE A CERTAIN DANGER” while the B side has etched “SURF’S UP(OUTRAGEOUS)”. Both CD and vinyl have the same running order for the songs.

The year after, 1991, the band released their second EP, “Graham”. This time the songs were recorded by Brian O’Shaughnessy at Bark Studio. Again there were four songs, “Born in a Day” and “Being There” on the A side while  “Graham” and “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” on the B side. This last track being a cover of the John Barry original written for the James Bond movie of the same name. Here again there are etchings on the vinyl, the A side says “THERE’S LIFE BRIAN, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT” while the B side says “HELLO PAUL AND DAVE”. Who are Paul and Dave? Maybe the band members?

I said that because Paul Lewis played bass and vocals and David Kennedy drums. Also on the band was Edward Mason on guitar and Matthew Dring on guitar and vocals. Something interesting too about the band members is that Discogs doesn’t list any other involvement with other bands.

There are some compilation appearances though. In 1990 they had their song “Contagious” on a 7″ compilation called “You’re Going Home” released by Hometown Atrocities (STORM 2). This 7″ was largely given away for free in the Exeter area. I suppose then the band hailed from this area. The 7″ came with free inserts with information about the bands. What did it say about Headtime?

Then in 1992 Cherry Red released a CD compilation called “My Favourite Flavour” that featured Headtime and also bands like Mexico 70, The Charlottes, Blind Mr Jones and Stan. On this CD compilation the band contributed the songs “I Visualise” and “Being There”. The booklet says about Headtime that the band was signed to Cherry Red because of a very promising demo, that the label hadn’t even seen them live before signing them.

This same compilation was re-released in Japan by Toy’s Factory but adding a 2nd CD, the “Amen” compilation from Cherry Red. It includes then the same two songs by Headtime.

Sadly that’s all I could find on the web. The great blog The Finest Kiss also has a mention of the band but doesn’t have any interesting details about them. I wonder then who would know what happened to the band? Why did they didn’t release an album? If they were from Exeter? What about their demo that got them signed? What songs were on it? Did they play all over the UK? Many questions… hardly any answer!

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

Listen
Headtime – I Visualise

Time flies! It is again another weekend, time to relax! Not much news in indiepopworld at the moment, but as always there are good finds to share!

Still Dreams: wow! the song “Satellite of You” sounds amazing! This track is part of the 2nd album by this Osaka, Japan, band that is titled “Lesson Learned”. The cassette album will be released by the very fine Miles Apart Records on August 31st! Great stuff!

For Tracy Hyde: a few posts ago I shared a “trailer” of the Japanese new album “New Young City”. Now it is time to share a promo video for their track “櫻の園”! It is dreamy, sweet, and classy. I definitely need to get a copy of their 3rd album. I actually think everyone should get a copy, do not miss it!

Destello Floral: the Mexican band is back with an 8-song mini-album called “El Tiempo lo Destruye Todo”. The album keeps the band’s trademark lo-fi dreampop and to see that you can stream the three songs that are available to check out at their Bandcamp!

122 North: there’s only one song by this project from Québec. Behind it is Danny Provencher, the genius behind Under Electric Light, so it is no surprise this is pure beauty. The song is called “Drive” and it would be a perfect soundtrack for any driving of course. But it would be even better if we get to listen more of his songs!

Pastel Coast: lastly this brilliant French band has released a single with the tracks “Vacation” and “Home”. It is actually available in physical format, on CD! This is good to me. Tired of digital-only releases, you see. Here we have two great catchy and elegant tracks. Paris Popfest, take note, maybe you can book them next year?

—————————————————————–

I wasn’t aware of the pre-Mighty Lemon Drops band Active Restraint until now. I was exploring some lists of records I want (crossing fingers). I write their names down or add to my wantlist on Discogs all the time. But then most of these times I don’t know much about the bands. Then when I get back to these lists, to these bands, especially when I want to feature them on the blog, I end up finding out so many new things about them. Well, today I found out, and probably many of you already knew this, that Paul Marsh (vocals), David Newton (guitar) and Tony Linehan (bass) all later in the Mighty Lemon Drops were in Active Restraint. I guess Andy Barker, the drummer, was the only one who didn’t end up on the Mighty Lemon Drops.

The band was around in the early 1980s and they weren’t as poppy as The Mighty Lemon Drops. They were more of a post-punk outfit. They would only release two songs during their time as far as I know. These two songs were to be included in a 7″ and also on a compilation 12″.

The songs were “Terror in My Home” and “Turns Out Roses”. The 7″ that had them was released in 1982 by The Sticky Label (PEEL-OFF 3). This label released some bands I’m not aware at all like Data Control, Another Dream, Underground World and Stench, all of these releases in 1982. Both songs were recorded and produced at FSR Studios in Birmingham. The producer and engineer was Frank Skarth. The back of the sleeve confirms that the band hailed from the same city as The Mighty Lemon Drops, Wolverhampton.

As I said earlier, the same two songs appeared on “The Young and The Free” a 12″ compilation released by Luna Records (MOON LP1) that same year. “Turns Out Roses” appears as A4, the last track on the A side while “Terror in My Home” as B4, again the last one on that side. Three other bands appear on the compilation also contributing two songs, Vietnamese Rose, Experiments with Ice and Stranger Comforts.

Aside from Active Restraint and The Mighty Lemon Drops, I know that Dave Newton was in Fonda, Aberdeen, Starfish, The Blue Aeroplanes and The Wild Flowers. I don’t see the other band members of Active Restraint listed on other bands. Hmm…

Last.fm surprisingly has a biography for the band. I’ll end up learning a lot thanks to this! Who wrote this by the way?

• The band formed in 1980. David Newton was 16 years old at the time and he was joined by Andy Jones (aka Cookie) from the band Gang Warfare. Afterwards Nick Peter joined on drums and Vini/Ed Balbour joined to play melodica and vocals. This was the first lineup of the band.
• They made their debut at The Star Hotel in Shifnal supporting Future Toys.
• Peters would quit just before a recording session on August 10th 1981, so the remaining three asked John Taylor, owner of M.R.S. Studio to play drums on the recordings. I ask, where are these recordings? Which songs were recorded?
• Then Andy Jones quit. Martin Peake from Stourbridge replaced him on bass and also Paul Hollis joined to play drums. This new lineup made a recording at Rich Bitch Studio in October of 1981. Again, where are these recordings?!
• Vini/Ed Balbour and Martin would leave the band to form Giant Treads Clean.
• Then in early 1982 Dave Newton and Andy Barker would ran into each other and decide to join forces for Active Restraint Pt. 2. They would ask Paul “Titter” Marsh to join them as a vocalist and found Dave Ashe  to play bass through a local ad.
• This lineup played many gigs and recorded the 7″ whichi would receive many plays by John Peel, Kid Jensen, etc.
• Ashe would quit in the summer and Tony Linehan would replace him.
• This is the classic lineup of the band. With this lineup the band recorded a live 4 song session at Rich Bitch. Sticky Label after hearing these songs wanted to release a new single.
• They recorded new songs for the single at Cargo Studio in Rochdale. They got the artwork together and the single was ready. But it seems that Newton at this point decided to split the band and join a supergroup that was being formed at the time, what would become The Wild Flowers. What happened then with this single!? I want to hear these songs!

On Youtube there a few recordings by Active Restraint that not appear on the 7″, they must be from these other recordings. I found “Honesty“, “The Other Side“, and even an early version of the classic song “Out of Hand” that later the Mighty Lemon Drops would release as a single! This last recording, “Out of Hand”, was recorded on April 9th 1983 at Different Guises Studio.

Also someone in the comments mentions the songs “Head First” and “Whispering”.  I would like to hear those too!

So the big mystery here are about all of these recordings. All of these songs that exist but they are not available anywhere. Maybe someone should put them together and release them? Don’t know the quality but the ones that are on Youtube sound fine to me. I would love to hear the 2nd single., which songs were supposed to be on it?

Who can fill in the blanks here? Would be great to know more about them!

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

Listen
Active Restraint – Turn Out Roses

I’ve been looking at photos of friends that have been at Indietracks and it has made me feel way too nostalgic. I am very jealous, hope everyone had a good time. I won’t have any indiepop festivals this year, so I really hope next year will be different. Indietracks would be nice. Last time I was there was 2014!! So long ago! Anyways, just another friendly reminder of our new releases and offers, just because I am very excited with Den Baron and the Dayflower 7″ which is being pressed at the moment!

Palm Friends: first time I’m listening to this band from Minneapolis who are debuting with the “Nice Weather” 6 song EP. The band is formed by Jesse, Will, Shawnna and Jon and we can preview one of their tracks, “Governor”, which sounds nice.

James Clark Five: I got the London band’s newest album “ParlourSounds” a few days ago thanks to the Canadian label The Beautiful Music. I’ve played it around 5 times now and I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit. There are 11 songs of 60s influenced pop on it, and it also seems the band continues to produce new music as the album is not their latest on Bandcamp, but a digital single called “Annelise”.

Cheesemind: Qii Snacks Records from Guangzhou has released some very fine records in the past. It is no surprise then that their latest song, by the wonderful Cheesemind, is a winner. It is such a sweet song, with terrific jangly guitars. It is called “真空情书” and it is so far my favourite track this week even though I don’t understand a word! Good stuff.

Worries: another band with great guitars is Worries who have just released a cassingle with two tracks, “Age” and “Sometimes” on the New York label FMT Recordings. Is the band also based in New York? That’s a good question. Maybe I could catch them live sometime? Or maybe it is a one-man band? Only one name is listed for music and words, Alex Williams.

The King in Mirrors: you know I really like the Swindon band as I have featured more than once on the blog. Their latest track is called “Stop and Look” and it is, as always, a fine slice of classic indiepop. Check it out!

—————————————————————–

Here is a very obscure band and track that I stumbled upon on Youtube twice. One of the times on my friend Heinz’s account, which as you may know is a trove of indiepop treasures.

The band is called Close to Carmel and the song is titled “Let the Light In”. Both times I saw the song on Youtube there were people asking who is it? who is behind this song? if there is any more info about it… but no one seems to know.

I wonder how or when this song was released. It seems it was part of a release called “It’s Close to Carmel” that had a pink photocopied sleeve. Was it a CDR? It looks like it. I tend to think it is instead of a cassette because of the format of the cover artwork, it is square.

I do believe the band took their name from a song of the same name by the 60s band The Fun and Games. They had a song called “Close to Carmel” in their 1968 album “Elephant Candy”. And for those who are geography buffs, most probably it refers to Carmel-by-the-Sea in California which is often simply called Carmel.

Carmel is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history. In 1906, the San Francisco Call devoted a full page to the “artists, writers and poets at Carmel-by-the-Sea”, and in 1910 it reported that 60 percent of Carmel’s houses were built by citizens who were “devoting their lives to work connected to the aesthetic arts.” Early City Councils were dominated by artists, and the city has had several mayors who were poets or actors, including Herbert Heron, founder of the Forest Theater, bohemian writer and actor Perry Newberry, and actor-director Clint Eastwood.

I do find a Soundcloud page that has this song uploaded. This is perhaps the only important detail I found so far. It mentions that this song was written by the 2nd band the Soundcloud account owner was into back in 2003. It doesn’t say what was the first band he (I think it is a he as there is a guy on the photo) was in. It does mention though that he is based in Malmö, Sweden. This is important too

Sadly I couldn’t find any names or any other songs. No mention of the release either.

So I will ask for your help. Who remembers them?

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

Listen
Close to Carmel – Let the Light In

Hello! weekend is over once again, and yet it is another Monday and we are almost in the month of August. The year has gone so fast. Just to let you know that the Dayflower 7″ is now in the pressing plant. That the Den Baron 7″ is out now and you shouldn’t miss it. And that we have an offer, for you to pick 3 7″s out of 5 for a very good price. So head to our website and support the label! 🙂

Now some good finds!

The Color Waves: our friends are back with two new songs, “The Bay” and “Paper Tiger”. They are classy and dreamy indiepop songs, with jangly guitars and introspective vocals. The digital single is now available only digitally but hopefully we’ll see a release of it soon. And yes, I still have some copies of their debut 7″ if you are interested!

The Model Spy: the Greek label Make Me Happy has made a splash by releasing retrospective of legendary Greek indiepop bands. Their next release is a contemporary Gerek band, The Model Spy. The band’s debut album “Serenest” will be released on November 8th on 12″ vinyl I am guessing! There are 12 songs of very finely crafted and elegant synth pop.

East Village: I wasn’t aware of a promo video for the song “Her Father’s Son”! Well on the East Village Facebook group this was shared last week and immediately everyone was ultra excited! The video was made to promote the band’s second single “Back Between Places”…. the only problem is that the video is not complete, just 1:57 minutes of it are available! I hope we get to see the complete version some day. This is fantastic!

Soumbalgwang: I believe that is their name in latin alphabet, the band is actually called 소음발광 and come from Busan, South Korea of course. I know absolutely nothing but I do know they have a song called “샤인” which they have made a promo video which is lots of fun, and the song is even better!

Las Infrarrojas: the Madrid based label Hurrah! Música has released a 7″ single for this four-piece (3 girls, one boy) that has also four songs: “Oh Kiss Me!”, “Darkest Night”, “La Misión” and “Contactos de la Star”, so two songs in English and two in Spanish. Fun poppy indiepop!

—————————————————————–

I stumbled upon this lovely song called “Elizabeth” by The Beautiful Strangers. As I know nothing about them I will take on the challenge about finding any interesting details about them and hopefully some records?

Well, it would be just one record. The band only released one 7″. That’s too little. Well, better 1 than none as many bands from the 80s only left us demos or just compilation appearances. The Beautiful Strangers left us a two song 7″ that was released in 1986 by the label Two Zeros Above (TZA 001). As expected this label seems that it was the band’s own, that it was a self-release. There are no other releases listed for this label on Discogs…

The songs on the record were “Elizabeth” on the A side and “Heavens!” on the B side. The credits on the sleeve do give some background to us. The songs were engineered by Nick Robbins at Elephant Studios on March that same year. This recording studio was based in Wapping, in London. Probably then the band hailed from the capital city. The sleeve confirms this, they were based in Streatham Hill in London. We know that the photography for the sleeve was taken by Mike Collins. Then the producer was Jon Hurst who also added keyboards to the recordings.

The band was a four piece formed by Keith Sparrow on vocals, Jerry Cooke on bass, John Foxcroft on drums and Sheila Gill on guitar. Sparrow and Gill were the main songwriters.

Discogs doesn’t list any other bands for the band members. That can’t be true, it can’t be that they were just in The Beautiful Strangers. They must have been involved in more, right?

There are also no compilation appearances listed. Just the one single and that was it? Oddly enough there are more than 1 photo available on Discogs. I wonder if the band updated the info and added the photos. That’d be nice. I also notice that Twee.net has the band listed with band members, that’s not common. Again I wonder if the band did these updates. Or a big fan that remembers them?

Who knows. I can’t seem to find anything about them. There is a comment on Youtube where I listened the song saying that the band used to play often at the Woolwich Tramshed. Maybe some of you remember them too?

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

Listen
The Beautiful Strangers – Elizabeth

Friday! Weekend is here at last! I just want to remind you that the Den Baron 7″s are available, so do get your copies! And the Dayflower 7″ is  now in the process of being pressed! Exciting times for the label!

Also we have a new offer on the website. We have 5 records that are now 10 years old, 5 7″s released in 2009! So we are letting you pick 3 out of 5, any 3 you want out of these 5 (Play People, Hari and Aino, Signed Papercuts, Socialist Leisure Party and The Parallelograms) for a very low price including shipping. For US orders the price is $15 and for international orders it is $28. Hope you take advantage of it to complete your collection!

Finds for the weekend? Sure thing.

For Tracy Hyde: one of my favourite bands from Japan is back and will be releasing their 3rd album on the label P-Vine. It will be titled “New Young City” and there is a sort of trailer on Youtube to promote the album. This trailer consists of small clips of the songs on the record. In total the album will include 16 tracks and will be out on September 4th. The band will also be touring to promote the album and will be playing not just in Japan but also in Singapore, Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia and more! Why not the US?!

The Korova Milk Bar: this is amazing! It seems Disques Blue Very will be releasing the pre-Johnny Dee band as a 2 song flexi and 7 track CDR. It will be limited to 250 copies. I hope I can manage to get one for myself. The opening track of the flexi is called “Rain Girls & Gentle Girls” and sounds ace.

Poppel: this Belgian band that surprised me last year will be releasing the album “Make Sense” on September 20th. The record will be released by the Spanish label Meritorio Records and will include 12 songs. At the moment we can preview one of the songs from the Turnhout-based band, “Listen”. And, pardon the pun, I urge you to listen.

2D Foil: this band with weird name comes from Beijing, China. Will they be releasing this 5 song EP on Boring Productions? That’s a good question. The songs on “:-) Foil” EP are dreamy and sweet. I think it would fit nicely in the Chinese label, though it does seem like a label called Letter Records has put it out. But is it only in digital format?

Japanese Heart Software: a one girl band from Melbourne who have just released a tape called “Lonely Hearts” and whose songs are terrific lo-fi pop gems. Who is she? She is called Nat Chippy and has recorded 5 songs for this release, which seems to be her first. Has she been in bands? Melbourne has an exciting scene, I think it is fair to ask. In any case, check it out, especially the track “Something” which is pure lo-fi guitar bliss.

—————————————————————–

Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is a holiday in some countries. Easter Monday in the Western Christian liturgical calendar is the second day of Eastertide and analogously in the Byzantine Rite is the second day of Bright Week.

Maidenhead. The 80s. That’s the setting for Easter Monday. A band who happens to be terribly obscure. A band who released just the one 7″. A 7″ that had many versions though.

The self-titled 7″ had three songs, “Rain” on the A side and “Children of the Harvest” and “Independence Day” on the B side. Released on their own and christening their label Easter Monday as well. This 7″ came out in 1989 and had the catalog number T.T.W.W. 001. Will I find a copy for myself?

We know that the band was a four-piece formed by Chris Phillips on vocals, Gus Evans on guitar, Adam C. Hodgson on drums and Stevie J on bass. I can’t find any other bands they might have been. Was this the only band they ever played in? That is hard to believe!

The 7″ with the black and white sleeve was limited to 500 copies and it says it came on an oversized plastic bag. It also features a photo of the band on the front, some snapshots of them on the back and then another cool photo of the band posing in front of a sign of Lloyds’ Old Holborn Blended Virginia. Then on one of the A side label and an illustration of the Statue of Liberty on the B side label. Now, 46 of these 500 copies, the first 46, came with a red and white sleeve. Why?

There are no compilation appearances listed. There is nothing else on the web it seems.

So that’s all really. I will need to ask you, my indiepop friends, to help me figure out this band! Who remembers them?

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

Listen
Easter Monday – Independence Day

Thanks to everyone who have pre-ordered the Dayflower 7″! The masters should be sent to the pressing plant any day now, just need to organize myself, and then it is just a matter of waiting. Waiting for the records to arrive! Of course in the meantime there is the process of writing and getting the inserts printed, and that is a cool part of the process. Then the records arrive, and then it is time to dress them in polybags and get the inserts inside the jackets. Then ready to be mailed. This is much fun. And I can’t wait for it.

Now new finds? Of course.

Cattle: the great Japanese band is back and will be releasing their debut album “Sweet Dream, Tender Light and Your Memory” on September 4th!! There are going to be 10 songs on this album and we can preview the first one called “Shooting Star” on Youtube! The fine Testcard Reecords is releasing it.

Fern Murphy: this Indianapolis band have a new EP out called “Gringo Love” and it is a great introduction to their quality dreampop. The EP contains 5 tracks and I find it intriguing why they called their EP and one of their songs “Gringo Love”. Curious.

Superdrone: another shoegazey kind of band, but this time from Southampton in the UK. Their latest is the album “Starcade” that was released digitally last June. A 10 song shimmery and dreamy guitar pop album that is thoroughly enjoyable.

The Reds, Pinks and Purples: and finally the Califonia band will be releasing an album! It will be called “Anxiety Art” and it is coming out on our friend Javi’s label Pretty Olivia, all the way from Alicante in Spain. The album will include 14 of the already classic jingle jangly tracks the band has been showing us on their Bandcamp for years now. At the moment you can preview the first 4 on the album on the label’s Bandcamp as well as preordering the vinyl version of it!

Airhockey: lastly a band from Miami!! Wow, when I lived there I think there was only one good pop band, Little Beard, then there was nothing else. So I am happy to discover a new band that likes these sort of sounds! Their latest track is called “Hidden by the Sun” and it is a fine slice of dreampop. The band is formed by Melanie Sarria on bass, Sebastian Hidalgo on vocals, guitar and synth, Mike Diaz on guitar and synth and John Olin on drums.

—————————————————————–

Many years ago, way too many I got in touch with the wonderful The Ammonites. Remember them? They put out a split flexi on Waterbomb! Records (Splat 001) in 1990 alongside a band called Paintbox. This flexi came alongside the fifth issue of the Waterbomb! fanzine. Does this sound a bell to you? I wonder. The Ammonites of course released a 7″ and appeared on many compilations. But what about Paintbox? I must say that I’m totally clueless about them. So today, after a long long time, I return to that flexi, see what I can find about them!

Paintbox appeared first on the single sided flexi with the song “Hatebomb”. The Ammonites were to appear second with “Missing You”. The cool thing was that the flexi came with an insert and thanks to that we know that the band was formed by Dean Morbey, Matthew Smith, Hilary Jeffery, Edward Dickens, Simon Glenister and Dan Preece. Dean Morbey wrote the song. The song was recorded at the Music Shop in Kidderminster and was engineered by Snowy. It is also noted that the band hailed from Kidderminster too. First time I hear of this place!

Kidderminster is a town in Worcestershire, England, 27 km south-west of Birmingham and 24 km north of Worcester. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 55,530. The town is twinned with Husum, Germany.

That same year the band contributed the song “Opus 10″, again penned by Dean Morbey, to the flexi 7” compilation “Four Bands Four Songs” (WINDMILL ONE) that came out on Windmill Records from Cheshire. Yes, the same label that put out in 1988 the “Corrupt Postman” tape that has been mentioned so many times on the blog in the past. And don’t worry, I’ll get back to it again in a second.

This flexi was double sided, which is a cool thing you’ll agree. On the A side we’d find The Fat Tulips and The Applicants while on the B side there was The Haywains (whose Paul Towler did the artwork for the record) and Paintbox.

So as I said, returning to “Corrupt Postman”, Paintbox also contributed a song to this classic tape. It was the one titled “Who’s Got the Money” and it appears as the twelfth track on the A side. And as many of you know, there was a sort of similar version of the tape that was re-released by Elefant Records from Spain in 1990 called “Hacia la Luz” (ER-5). This time though, this same song, appeared as the sixth track on the B side.

I look on Discogs for the band members, if they had been involved in any other bands. I could only find info about Hilary Jeffery. It seems he is a trombonist and composer in the fields of improvised electronic and contemporary music. He had played in the Band of Holy Joy, Chora(s)san, Kreepa, The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation and many more. But what about the others?

Then I stumble upon a Soundcloud where the song “Hatebomb” has been uploaded. The user which seems to be based in Manchester comments that this was the band he was in in the 90s. He has other songs but they are quite different. They are mainly electronic. Who is behind this account? Is it Dean Morbey?

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

Listen
Paintbox – Hatebomb

Thanks so much to Etta for the interview! I wrote about The Avocados many years ago, and then was even able to find a copy of their wonderful one and only 7″, but since then I never got to know any other details about the band. So I am very thankful to Etta, the vocalist of The Avocados, to answer all my questions and finally know a little more about this short-lived London band! If you are a fan of sweet and punky female fronted early 80s pop, this is a must-read!

++ Hi Etta! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? Still making music?

You are welcome and thanks for being interested! I am very well and life is good here in Bath, Somerset. I don’t make music anymore, but often sing around the house. The nearest I come to making music is writing lyrics for children’s songs. I’ve written lots over the years ( I work in children’s publishing), but leave the musical part to people more talented than myself.

++ Let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what was your first instrument? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen at home while growing up?

My first memory of loving music is dancing with all my brothers and sisters while my dad played (or mimed playing) to our pianola (an old Victorian device that played a piano automatically when you pedalled – the music was punched out on great rolls of paper. My favourite song for this was The Sun Has Got His Hat On – I was around two years old. I learned the piano for a while when I was around seven, but lacked the concentration and was not very good at it. My voice has always been my instrument. At home, I listened to all sorts of things: my dad’s old jazz 78s (Fats Waller was a favourite and Scott Joplin), my older brother’s records (Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, David Bowie) and my sister’s (Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, Don Mclean, Jon Denver). The first single I ever bought was Wig Wam Bam by The Sweet. As I got older, I loved The Buzzcocks, Elvis Costello, The Jam, The Clash, Gang of Four, The Fall and loads of post punk type stuff. I also like girl groups and was thrilled to discover Dolly Mixture with their new wave take on The Shangri-Las. I also listened to Dusty Springfield and lots of other female vocalists and developed a love of jazz, listening to Ella Fitzgerald (who I was lucky enough to see live) , Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Nina Simone. So very eclectic tastes!

++ Had you been in other bands before The Avocados? What about the rest of the members? If so, how did all of these bands sound like? Are there any recordings?

I should explain that The Avocados was never really a band – we formed just for that one single. It was a spin-off from a band called The 49 Americans  https://www.discogs.com/artist/397805-The-49-Americans which was very experimental and involved lots of people. We decided to make a single and I had written I Never Knew a couple of years earlier when I was around fifteen with a friend, Oisin Little (who was the only Avocado not in The 49 Americans, but was in a band called Push (where Seal started out – my brother Ed was the original singer) http://www.pushband.com/about.html and then The Weather Profits. David Toop and Steve Beresford were a big part of The 49 Americans and produced The Avocados as General Strike https://www.beatport.com/artist/general-strike-steve-beresford-and-david-toop/691851 They also played with The Slits and The Flying Lizards https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-P2qL3qkzk Else played drums for The 49 Americans and The Avocados. She was a very dear friend of mine, but sadly died at the age of just twenty three when she took her own life after suffering from mental ill health.

++ Where were you from originally?

I am from North London, near Camden Town.

++ How was your town at the time of The Avocados? Were there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

Camden Town was where it was all happening! I used to go to The Dublin Castle every Friday night and see this new little band playing in a pub – Madness! Other venues were the Hope and Anchor in Islington, The Music Machine and Electric Ballroom in Camden and, of course, Dingwalls. There was always something going on. Being a fan of Dolly Mixture, I stumbled across U2 playing their first gig in England in The Moonlight Club (at a pub in West Hampstead) – they were the support act. My favourite record store was called Honky Tonk and was nearby in Kentish Town. Camden Lock was also a great place to find music. The 49 Americans used to hang out at The LMC (London Musicians Collective) where there was always something new and experimental happening.

++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?

We practised at people houses – my parents house and various places.

++ What’s the story behind the band’s name?

Growing up in the 1960s and 70s, Avocados were an unusual thing (hard to imagine now) and I had recently discovered them and thought them the most delicious thing in the world. So we named the band after them!

++ And who would you say were influences in the sound of the band? You were telling me you were huge fans of Dolly Mixture then?

We wanted The Avocados to have a naive, poppy sound  (not too hard for the sixteen-year-old me). I loved Dolly Mixture because they combined girl group Motown sound with a punky edge and I guess that’s what I had in mind. Else’s unique drum sound gave the song a quirky edge that I loved.

++ The 7″ was released by Choo Choo Train Records. I was wondering who were they? Who was behind this label? Was it yourselves?

Choo Choo Train Records was set up by Andrew Brenner (known as Giblet) – he was the brains behind it all!

++ I was also wondering about the artwork of the 7″, who made it? And why the shrimps on it? I understand the half avocado of course!

At the time, I was working at Marvel Comics (UK) and I was surrounded by lovely, creative people. The artist and designer was my friend, Rahid Khan. He drew the image and designed the cover. I loved eating avocado and prawns and Rahid thought it would be funny if the band were all prawn characters. I am he one sitting in the Avocado.

++ I really like the song “I Never Knew”, was wondering if you could tell me the story behind this wonderful pop song?

I wrote this when I was fifteen. It reflects my teenage insecurities – I never really believed that anyone could love someone as monstrous as me and so didn’t trust anyone who said they did. It’s the old Groucho Marx thing of not wanting to belong to any club that would have me as a member. I wrote the song in a more lucid moment when I thought perhaps somebody had loved me after all – but it was too late by then, hence the lament!

++ If you were to choose your favorite Avocados song, which one would that be and why?

There were only two (the a and b sides) and I like them both, but I Never Knew means more to me. John Peel once played the b side!

++ Are there more recordings by the band? Any unreleased tracks?

No, nothing more.

++ What about gigs? Did you play many?

No gigs at all.

++ When and why did The Avocados stop making music? Were you involved in any other bands afterwards?

After The 49 Americans and The Avocados, I started to sing more jazz and sand in a band called Take It! Mostly though, I concentrated on my career in children’s media and being a mother (from the age of 22).

++ What about the rest of the band, had they been in other bands afterwards?

As mentioned above, Steve Beresford and David Toop continued making music and Oisin was in Push and then The Weather Profits.

++ Has there ever been a reunion? Or talks of playing again together?

No. There was a reunion of The 49 Americans a few years ago, but sadly, I was not invited to it. I have lost touch with most people.

++ Did you get much attention from the radio?

John Peel played the single once or twice.

++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?

I think it was reviewed in the music press, but I don’t remember too clearly – it was a long time ago!

++ What about from fanzines?

I can’t remember!

++ Looking back in retrospective, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?

It was very good fun – I just remember really enjoying the whole experience.

++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?

I don’t have too many hobbies, but have always worked in children’s publishing and television – something I still love doing. I have a lovely husband and three wonderful sons who are all musical in their own ways.

++ Anything else you’d like to add?

Music is for everyone and everyone should find the music in themselves.  In the words of Mama Cass: ‘But you’ve gotta make your own kind of music, Sing your own special song, Make your own kind of music, Even if nobody else sings along.’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZVIHHET85Y

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

Listen
The Avocados – I Never Knew

Okay! this weekend I added pre-order button on the Cloudberry website for the next 7″ in our catalog, “Sweet Georgia Gazes” by Dayflower. I also have added it to the label’s Bandcamp! I will be sending the masters to the pressing plant this week so hopefully within the next 3 months I should have the records at home. I am hoping for an early October release. Very excited, and I hope you are too!

Dottie: the Austin, Texas, shoegaze band will be releasing on August 9th a mini-album with 7 songs called “Part”. At the moment we can preview only one of the songs, “Sill”, which is dreamy and sweet. Hopefully we’ll get to listen to the rest of tracks in the near future.

The Royal Landscaping Society: “Clean” is the song Matinée Recordings has picked to promote the upcoming compilation by the Seville based band called “Means of Production”. This song is fantastic of course, as everything they do, and it should be included in this 16-track comp that should be out soon and then it will be followed by a 7″ with brand new songs. Can’t wait!

Mirrorlakes: there is a new release on Dismantled Records from Jakarta and that’s always good news. It is a two song digital single by Mirrorlakes, “Three Songs” and “Kosong”. There is even a video for the first track which I suggest checking out! Good stuff.

The Lousy Pop Group: the German label Entes Anomicos will be releasing a 7″ single by the Indonesian band soon! We can preview one of the tracks that will be included, “When I’m With You” which sounds great! I definitely would want of copy of this jangly gem!

The Fisherman and his Soul: our friend Sebastian Voss is back with a new song called “Let Everything You Do Be Done in Love (Song for Johan)” which sounds really nice. The song will be part of the upcoming EP titled “Disco//Voss” which will be out on August 1st!

—————————————————————–

Time to go to the US! Who knows any details about a band called The Love In?

I do know that the band released one 12″ back in 1987. I don’t have a copy of it though I’ve been able to hear a few of their songs on the web and they are lovely jingle jangly tracks. It came out on Out There Records (OUT THERE 011) and Love Chain Records. And the first questions arise. Who were behind these labels? Where were they based?

The 12″ was a nice mini album with 6 songs, 3 on each side. The A side had “Late as Usual”, “Young Mr. Jones” and “On the Reds” while the B side had “Freedom Now”, “Dad’s So Jealous of Youth” and “Home for the Holidays”. The songs were remixed and mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering. This is a mastering studios in Hollywood, California. It was founded in 1984. We know the band is credited to the band, the songs were recorded by Adamo and remixed and mastered by Chris Bellman. The photography on the sleeve is credited to Jeffrey Bender.

The band was formed by Tom Sheppard on guitar and vocals, Scott Kellems on drums and Kurt Stake on bass and vocals. The songwriters for the songs were Stake and Sheppard and the record even comes with a lyric sheet. The sleeve also confirms that the band was based in Hollywood, California.

Discogs also lists a demo tape that had four songs: “Home for the Holidays”, “The Beet Club”, “Jamie & I Were in the Bathroom” and “Freedom Now”. It has no release date though.

I know the great blog Wilfully Obscure posted about them back in 2013. I am late to the party as always but it doesn’t matter. Let’s say this is a “refresh” sort of post. Bring back this band to memory. From that post I see that Tom Sheppard has worked making songs and writing for TV shows. He worked on Pinky and the Brain for example! And also on Annoying Orange which was on Cartoon Network. He performed too the song “Go to the Light” which he wrote for the Showtime movie “The Medicine Show”.

Another interesting tidbit is that on the 12″, him and Kurt Stake would switch vocals all the time. Also that they played gigs with many bands from the Los Angeles and Ocean Country scene like No Doubt, Let’s Go Bowling, Donkey Show, Gherkin Raucous, Pat Smear and many more.

Then I find a 1987 article on the LA Times! Wow really! Here I learn that the band originally hailed from Costa Mesa, California. Here it mentions too that Sheppard graduated with a bachelor’s degree in film from the University of Southern California.

Then another blog, from France, called Disques Obscurs also wrote about them. Here it mentions that Kurt Stake had been in a punk/mod/Paisley Underground band called The Jetz that was formed in 1979. Scott Kellems had played drums in the first EP the band put out and eventually joined them. You can actually listen to some songs of The Jetz here. Scott has been involvede too with other bands like Shattered Faith and Dischords.

Not much more information on the web though there is a Facebook page, last updated in 2014 where you can be a fan.

That’s quite some information, right? But I would love to hear that demo tape. Was it the only demo tape they recorded? Are there more unreleased songs?! And did they continue making music after the band split? Why did they split? Many questions which I hope get answered sometime!

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

Listen
The Love In – Late As Usual

My post got deleted and I wrote it again! And I hope I did it better because I am very excited. You see yesterday I announced a new 7″ release on Cloudberry, our 47th! It is by Leicester band Dayflower and it includes two songs! The A side is called “Sweet Georgia Gazes” and is really really good. You can check it out on Soundcloud at the moment. The B side is called “Daisy Age” and I like it as much! The art was created by Japanese illustrator Risa Konishi. In the following weeks I will be announcing pre-order button and also adding it to our Bandcamp. Just keep an eye here on the blog, our Facebook or our new instagram for news. The 7″ should be out sometime this fall!

Play People: our Derby friends are finally releasing their debut album “What a Life”! It includes 13 poppy tracks that no one should miss. The album is only available digitally so far, though I am crossing fingers it gets a proper release. Also just heads up that I still have copies of their 7″ that Cloudberry released some years ago.

Cariño: I really wanted to catch the Madrid band last weekend when I was there. But there was no luck. They were touring the north, Bilbao I think. I really like their music you see. And their latest video is not exception. Do check it out, it is for the superb “:(“!

Ether Feels: The Japanese shoegaze band also has a new video. It is for their newest song titled “Kowloon Sunset” which I believe is not part of any releases yet. Sounds good!

Spool: Don’t know anything about them, but found their video for the song “Blooming in the Morning” that is part of their self-titled album on the Twee Lovers Club facebook group. It sounds nice. The album is being released by the Japanese label Testcard Records.

The Pooh Sticks: Optic Nerve is releasing a boxset of 5 7″s for 50 pounds plus shipping. I have ordered it but I must say it is very pricey. I know their releases are great, very nicely packaged. But hey, I do nice packaging too I think, and I sell mine for 7 dollars plus shipping. I should reconsider the prices maybe? In any case this is a great release I think and it will be available November 22nd.

—————————————————————–

And it has also been a while since a Greek band was featured. So let me fix that today.

I was introduced to the band Sound Devise thanks to the wonderful and now legendary compilation “Try a Little Sunshine” (pop-99) that Pop Art Records released in 1999. This compilation was for many an introduction to Greek indiepop as it showed us the beauty of One Night Suzan, Next Time Passions, The Crooner and more. On this CD we would find Sound Devise and their song “This Micro”.

The second time I came face to face with the band was two years ago, thanks to the Make Me Happy label and their labour of love in bringing back Greek indiepop. Their first release was a compilation featuring many of the bands from the halcyon days and it was called “A Sparkle from the Past” (MMH001). On this compilation the band appeared with the track “Come Together”.

So far two songs. This is not enough I think. Well today I discovered a third song on Youtube which I thought sounded great, “Flowers in Your Mouth”. This song was included in three compilations in the 90s. The first was the 1994 double cassette comp “Breeze 4” that Alphyen Viwit label from Germany. The other one dates from 1997 and was a Greek compilation released by DRG Records (DRG 001) that was called “Sub Collection No 2”. The last one was also from 1997 and was called “Girls Re-Write Rock” (Voice 002) that the Voice magazine released with their second issue.

The band would appear as I am now discovering in many more compilations. The bulk of their releases were appearances on compilations I must say. The first ones seems to date from 1992. They would contribute the song “It’s Not True” to the compilation LP “Random Relations Part 2” that was released by the Greek label Elfish (elf004). Their cover of “All Cats are Gray” would appear on the “second part” of these compilations,  “Random Relations Part 2” (elf009), that same year.

Then in 1993 they appeared on the compilation “Weapons of Happiness” that was released on tape by the Greek fanzine The World of Suzie Wong. They contributed the song “Come Together”.

In 1995 they would appear on Bliss Aquamarine’s tape “Magenta” (BLISS 019) with two songs, “Utopia” and “This Micro”.

Lastly in 1996 the band contributed the song “Manifesto” to the CD and LP compilation “Act Up – …Εν Τούτω Νίκα” released by FM Records (FM 396). It sees though that for this compilation the band had changed the spelling of their name to Sound Device. Device with a C?

Discogs has two compilations where the band appeared as well but they don’thave a release date. The first is that their song “Peace in Mind” was included in the French tape compilation “Plouf” that came along Les Tartines fanzine. And the other one was the “A Glittering Christmas” tape that had two of their songs, “All Cats are Grey” (which is a cover of The Cure) and “Follow”. This tape was released by the Italian label Shiny Sunset which I tried to interview in the past with no luck. Wish I knew more about both of these to be honest as they used to be involved with great bands.

The interesting thing though is that Discogs does have one proper release listed for the band, so it wasn’t all just compilations. A self-titled and self-released tape was put out in 1991. It included 5 songs. The A side had “It’s Not True”, “Follow” and “Come Together” while the B side had “A Falling Drop” and “All Cats are Grey”. Now was there perhaps another tape later on by the band with the other songs I’ve mentioned?

It doesn’t look like it so far. We do know though who the band members were. George Kapolas was on bass, Chris Tsarmadas on guitar, Thanos Prunarus on keyboards and Polina Toll on vocals. I do believe though on some songs Goergia Gounari was the vocalist. Perhaps there was a change of vocalists? Sometimes I do find in credits the name of Andreas Papadopoulos on drums and Lambros Papageorgiou on backing vocals too.

Looking then at any other projects they might have been involved I find that Thanos Prunarus had been in the band Area. And the only other person that had connections with Sound Devise that seems to be listed in another band is Labros Papageorgiou who was also on the band Inner Wish.

I keep looking and I see some comments on a blogspot mentioning that the band was actually formed by George Christopoulos on guitar. Why was his name not listed on Discogs? I wonder. Chris and George would later be on the band Dr. Vodkatini which I heard about before when I interviewed Kissamatic Lovebubbles. Another comment in this post mentions that Polina is an editor of “Tatiana” which I asume is a magazine?

Something curious that I find on the web is that Thanos is behind the Baba Au Rhum bar in Athens and he has hosted also the inaugural Athens Rum Festival. You can read about it and other details about his life on this article by Mixology.

So that’s about all I could find about the band. I am sure I have a few Greek readers so I am hoping they can help me out find out more about the band. I think they were quite distinct as they had female vocals while most of their Greek peers didn’t. I wonder if it they only released that tape. There must have been something else, right? And also I wonder what are they up to these days? Who remembers them?

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

Listen
Sound Devise – Flowers in Your Mouth

I am back now from vacations in Spain. I am exhausted. So this will be a short post. I had prepared the lost band part before leaving but the discoveries are all from yesterday, looking for something worth sharing. Will share some of my trip memories later this week I hope!

The Moon and Back – One Small Step for Global Pop: this is the name of a compilation Jerv and his label WIAIWYA has released digitally and also on CD. It includes so many songs, by many great names. We see songs by The Popguns, Fever Dream, Jeanines, Pam Berry and more!

The Catherines: “Just a Matter of Time Until I Cringe” is the name of the latest song by the Hamburg popsters. They have released it as a digital single on Bandcamp and have the song “It’s Really Good!” as a B side. As always this is good stuff!

Mick Trouble: this is an album I need and it is called “Its the Mick Trouble LP”. And yes it seems it is only available on vinyl, no CD. It has 12 songs which are influenced by the TVPs. That’s a good thing. At the same time it sounds very original. And that is a good thing as well. I suggest ordering soon as the first copies will come with a limited flexi!

The Popguns: the classic Brighton band has a new EP titled “Carrying the Fire” with 5 brand new songs. The idea behind this record is a “Space Operetta” as the EP’s name come from the Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins autobiography. The EP is released digitally by Matinée on the 19th.

The BV’s: One of the best albums this year has been “Cartography” by our friends The BV’s. The duo, half English, half German, have just put together a video for a song included in that album, “Catapult” and of course I had to share it with everyone. Because the song is great! and the video too, with footage of many of their roadtrips!

—————————————————————–

Back in 1998 a Swedish band from Malmö made a splash in the Swedish national radio with the song “I Cry Because of You, Argentina”. A play on words of the famous “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”. This band was Chocolate Barry. A mystery at the time, and a mystery now.

The band was formed by brothers John and Fredrik and Marco Manieri. We know a bit about Marco these days as he has produced many bands like The Ark, Melody Club, The Mo, Marit Bergman and has remixed big names as The Cardigans, The Corrs or even Roxette. In bands, aside from Chocolate Barry he was in Trig.  But what about John and Fredrik? John was the main force of the band, right?

I say that because in 2010 he resurrected the band and played just by himself a few gigs, starting with one at the “På Besök” club in February 27 of that year. I remember this club that was run by Krister, having had the luck to DJ once there. A small tour followed that gig and in 2011 the band stopped for good.  Among these gigs I found that he even played London alongside the great Mr. Wright at the Baby Honey club on April 9th, 2010. That same month, on the 30th, he supported Firefox AK at club Debaser in his city. He also opened for Momus in Malmö in early 2011

But back in the late 90s and early 2000s the band did release some records but never played live. That was the interesting part of this 2010 comeback, this time around there were no new records but played live. I wonder why the substantial change in approach for the band. Also it was just John then.

The first appearance by the band seems to have been “Belfast Boy” on a compilation called “The Red Album: A Mancunian Fantasy”. I doubt it was the same band as first it says it is a Manchester compilation and then on the credits we see the last names Harris, Colton and Smith. So probably not.

For me, the one that is for sure to be the band’s first appearance was the 1993 flexi “Swings Sweetly” that was released by Uppåtneråtvadsomhelst (002) that year in September. This label of course is the one responsible for the Cookie Noise Tower tape compilations. Two tracks recorded at Studio Revolver were included, “The Passion of Spain” and the most wonderful “I Cry Because of You Argentina”. On the insert included they kind of mention that they are the 90s answer to The Monochrome Set, the Beach Boys, Chris Montez, Simon Turner…

Then in 1994 the band appeared with the song “Everyday Bonaparte” on the compilation “Second Half” that the Swedish tape label Records from the Cookie Nose Tower (uppåtneråtvadsomhelst 003) released. This seems more likely that it was our band, it was a Swedish compilation in the end.

So, if it was the same Chocolate Barry as the first compilation I mentioned, then in 1995 they contributed a song to a Spanish compilation called “It’s Only Football ‘but I Like It” that came with the Zona de Obras magazine.  Then the band contributed the song “Georgie, The Belfast Boy”. But again, I have my doubts it is the same Chocolate Barry. I wonder if anyone could let me know if I’m right or wrong about this.

In 1995 the band would contribute a song to “Prego! 95 – The Menu of Trattoria Vol.2” (PSCR-5395). This I believe is our Swedish band as it is an indiepop label releasing them. Here the band contributes the song “World of Cakes” and they appear alongside top bands like Blueboy, Cloudberry Jam or Bridge.

In 1997 the band would appear on a terrific compilation album called “Tambourine Studios Volume Two” released by Vibrafon Records (VIBRCD39). Indeed the band recorded their songs at this studio, and on this top compilation where they appear alongside The Cardigans, Eggstone and Saint Etienne they contributed their classic “I Cry Because of You, Argentina”.

The year after, the San Francisco label Radio Khartoum who always loved these sort of sounds picked them up to contribute the song “Passion” to the compilation mini CD “The Flight of Everson K (19fps Vol.1)” (khz198). That same year the band was part of the “Mama, Take Me Home to Malmö” compilation that Vibrafon (VIBRCD48) released as a soundtrack for the movie “Blådårar”. Their song “München ’79” was included in it.

Then came Benno, the very fine label and fanzine. In 1999 they released a compilation 7″ called “Benno Presents Volume 2” that included their song “Gay Girl”. This was how I first listened to Chocolate Barry after finding a copy of this record in a store in Stockholm many years ago.

The Spanish labels Sinedin Music (SM-004) and Inane Records released in 1999 a compilation packed with amazing tracks and bands called “The Unheard Pleasures of Inane – Somewhere in Europe, 1972 Vol.1”. It is a terrific selection of bands and the artwork was done by our good friend Grego Soria from Annika Records. This CD came alongside, for free, the Factory (no.22) magazine. The band once again contributed their track “I Cry Because of You, Argentina”.

Radio Khartoum never forgot them. In the year 2000 the band was included with their song “Hell” in the compilation “The Stations of Abandoned Days (18fps Vol. 3)” (khz300). Benno as well repeated and included them in the CD comp “An Unfinished Retrospective” with the track “Gay Girl”.

In 2001 the band would sign to Mini Tenor Records from France. There they would release their debut album “Cucumber Trees and Ice Cold Lemonade” (lux05) which included 12 songs, “Gin and Tonic”, “Her Worldwide Search”, “Franckfurt-Firenze”, “Always Too Late (Springtime)”, “Popmusic Crazy”, “Gay Girl”, “I Got the Devil”, “The Passion of Spain”, “I Cry Because of You Argentina”, “Spacerock”, “Redirecting My Career” and “Munich ’79”.

Then a 7″ (lux11) was released too by the same label to promote the album. TheA side had “Popmusic Crazy” while the B side had “Prais-Roubaix (servais Knaven Remix)”.

Lastly, the label that was the most important to them, Mini Tenor Records, included their track “Popmusic Crazy” on the CD compilation “Have You Ever Loved?” in 2001.

There is another release listed on Discogs though, a CDR compilation called “Live at Taj Mahal” which seems to be demos and alternate versions of their songs. I would love to hear this album one day. They included 14 tracks on this and I wonder if this was sold perhaps at their 2010 tour? The songs being “Gin & Tonic”, “Worldwide”, “Frankfurt-Firenze”, “Springtime”, “Popmusic”, “Gay Girl”, “I Got the Devil”, “Passion of Spain”, “I Cry Because”, “Spacerock”, “Redirecting My Career”, “Munich ’79”, “Civediamo” and “Everyday Bonaparte”. It seems the song titles were hand written and because of that they appear shortened.

We know they hailed from the small suburb of Bunkeflostrand in Malmö. There is also a mention that they had a 22 track cassette compilation that was offered through the indiepop-list. That the label Riviera was supposed to release their “Greatest Hits Vol. 1” But for some reason it never happened. Mini Tenor came to release the album.

That’s all I could find so far. So I’m hoping my friends from Sweden, from Malmö which are not a few, will help me find out more about this great band! Who remembers them?

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

Listen
Chocolate Barry – I Cry Because of You Argentina