Day 392

CF7: let’s discover this Helsinki-based band! There is not very much information on their Bandcamp, just the one song called “Golgata” which is a jangly song. So of course I like it. This is so far the first song of the band, mixed and mastered by Joel from the band Tvärtom. I look forward for for their next releases.

The Lodger: what a nice video and song is “Black and White (Pete’s Song)”. I need to order the new album “Cul-de-Sac” by the Leeds popsters so I can listen this song on repeat. I’ve seen so many friends posting their copies on Instagram. And as usual I am late. But I’ll make up for it in the next couple of days. Promise. Watching this I have felt that I need it now.

The Harriets: this Leeds band will be releasing “A Little Something” on May 7. This is a very limited CD, 50 copies, that will have 5 songs. Right now we can preview the opening song, “Little Something”, that has a very nice feel to it. It is a bit chamber pop, folky, with indiepop melodies as well. It is a nice combination I think.

Mashmellow: what a nice lovely song is “In the End” by the Moscow band. This song is to be part of the “Pole Pole EP” though we don’t know which other songs will be included in this EP. We only know of this one song and it’s good to play it on repeat. Great stuff by Masha and Egor again.

Vanille: now we head to Montreal, Canada, to discover Vanille! This band started as the solo project of Rachel Leblanc in 2017 and back in January she released the “Soleil ’96” album. The album came out in vinyl and is already sold out. Yeah, we got here late. But we can listen the 9 songs on Bandcamp.

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A few days ago I got the compilation CD “Shake Yer Popboomerang”  released by Popboomerang Records (PB 002) in 2003. This Australian label as many people know release fine indiepop and powerpop. I have a few of their releases. I actually had ordered the lost Earthmen album “Periscope”, which I think everyone should get and got a few more records I didn’t have.

I know compilations are not the type of releases that do well these days. They are the hardest to sell I think. But back in the day they were a great way to discover new bands. That’s how with this compilation I discovered quite a few new bands. I wanted to recommend this time the band Magneto who are featured in this comp with the song “Living on the Moon”.

I was to discover that the band released an album packed with upbeat pop tunes and also got to appear on a handful of compilations.

You can actually listen to the full album “Resistance is Futile” on the label’s Bandcamp. Copies are still available. This record came out on CD in 2006. Catalog number PB018. It had 11 songs, “Underground”, “Shooting Star”, “Let it Go”, “Stronger Everyday”, “Living on the Moon”, “Falling”, “Heart of Mine”, “Everything Has Gone”, “Not a Day Goes By”, “Prima Donna” and “Incomplete.

Here we find that the band was formed by Geoff Barnes on drums, John Baxter on vocals, Michael Snowball on guitar and Paul Inglis on bass. The album was mastered by Craig Lewis (from the band Kaleidoscope) and mixed by Craig Lewis as well and Shane O’Mara. All songs were recorded at Octane Studios in Melbourne. Another interesting bit is that four songs of the record were written by Andy Strachan from the bands Alcotomic, The Living End and Violetine.

There are connections to these bands of course. John Baxter had been in Alcotomic, Five Mile Sniper, Holocene and Prettyness. He also owns and operates Mountain Sound Studio in Victoria. Paul Inglis was also on Alcotomic, Five Mile Sniper and Prettyness. Michael Snowball had been in another band as well, Groundswell. Finally Geoff Barnes had been in P76 and Jericho.

The blurb on Bandcamp tells a little bit more details about them. It mentions that the band hailed from the town of Richmond. That they were influenced by The Stems. That they liked crafting pop songs under 2 minutes and a half. That was their philosophy.

As I mentioned earlier the band had a few compilation appearances. I already told you about “Shake Yer Popboomerang”, but then in 2006 the band contributed “Shooting Star” to “The Kids Who Kill for Sugar: Popboomerang 5th Birthday Sampler” (PBPRO-03). This same song would appear on the 2007 US triple CD compilation “Sweet Relief” that came out on Jam Records (JCDSW 17).

Then in 2012 once again the song “Shooting Star” gets released on the double CD compilation “Aches and Shakes: A Decade of Popboomerang 2002-2012” (PB084).

There is at least another appearance, but this time a digital compilation titled “Popboomerang Presents: PopGeekHeaven.com“. Here the band appears with the song “Everything Has Gone”.

A few more details I found on the web. For example that Michael Snowball was born in the UK. I also believe that John Baxter and Paul Inglis were later together in a band called The Douglas Normans.

Not much more info on the web. Seems that after the album release they sort of went quiet. I wonder if they left more recordings? And I wonder too if they named themselves after Magneto from the X-Men?

Who remembers them?

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Listen
Magneto – Let it Go