So I feel, and I may be wrong, that the blog has gotten a bit of a following as I see more bands tagging me on Facebook and Twitter. That’s cool. But I really hope that people don’t think that this labor of love is just about the blog, it is mainly about the Cloudberry label. And I am hoping people continue to support it. If there’s no label, there’s no sense for me to have a blog I think. Anyways, I continue looking for the perfect pop song, so here are a few good discoveries from the past few days!

Le Superhomard: “SDVB” is a track from the album “Meadow Lane Park” that was released on Elefant Records. It is a very cool song so it is no surprise whatsoever that they have picked this one to make a promo video. On top of it all it is a fun video, with cool animations. Now, what does “SDVB” stand for?

The Vapour Trails: the Detroit, Michigan, label Futureman Records has put together on Bandcamp a compendium of demos by The Vapour Trails called “The Inner Truth – Home Recordings and Demos”. There are 17 tracks by the Scottish band and even includes a few covers by The Byrds and The Beatles.

Follow Me Not: some superb French janglepop here on the Unknown Pleasures label also from France. There are just two songs to preview, “Walls” and “Bliss” from their upcoming album “Vanishing Smile” that will be released on January 20th on CD and vinyl. It sounds terrific.

Pony in the Pancake: back in August I was reviewing a track called “Summer” by this Albany, New York, band. I really liked and was left hoping for more. Well, it turns out that last September the band released their album “Summer Sun” and now you can preview all 11 tracks on it as well as ordering a tape version of the album!

Young Guv: Lastly a new album, a double vinyl album, by the Toronto based project. The album contains two albums that were released previously online, “Guv I” and “Guv II”, and it is pretty good and keeps you busy with 19 songs total! It is summery, it jangles, it is catchy. The record is available now on Run For Cover Records.

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Some weeks ago (or maybe a few months ago!) I received the “Behave Yourself!” compilation just in time to prepare an interview with the great Japanese band All Twin’s Birthday. I listened to the record many many times and I noticed that there was a superb song by a band I had never heard before in my life, Lucy was an Engine. Who were they? I asked myself with no answer.

The song the band contributed to this 1993 mini-CD compilation released by the Behavior Saviour label (BS008) was called “Wig”. Fortunately the band members names are listed and this may or may not help my investigation. The band was formed by:
Matthew Aulich on bass
Stewart McLeod on drums
Colin Gregory on guitar
Mark Austin on guitar
Martin Andrews on vocals

This was not the first compilation the band had been on. A year earlier, 1992, the band had their song “My Socks” on a CD compilation called “Nu-Music Sampler Series 4” released by Studio 52 Records (52CD020). This label was Australian, based in Melbourne. First question then, was Lucy was an Engine an Australian band?

Behavior Saviour would include them in another compilation in 1994 when the label had already moved to Australia. On the “Come All Ye Faithful” (BS011) the band appears with two songs, “All in Green” and “Winter, Windy, Wednesday”. So far, four songs I am counting. My question is then, why no proper releases by them?!

The last compilation they were in was also from 1994. It was a tape that the French fanzine Gloomy Biscuit released and was aptly called “Gloomy Biscuit II”. The band would contribute the song “Wig”, the one and only song I’ve heard so far by them. I believe the fanzine included information about the band, details, but I don’t have this zine. Maybe someone could scan their page for me? I can understand a little French.

After the demise of the band I know Matthew Aulich went to be in bands like Drugstore, Small Slips and The Paradise Motel. All Australian bands. Okay. Then I confirm that Lucy was an Engine was an Aussie band.

Now, Colin Gregory. This is perhaps the biggest surprise. It is the same Colin Gregory as in One Thousand Violins, The Dylans and The Page Boys. I think I once read that one of The Page Boys moved to Australia. Is this how the story went? Who can confirm me this?

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Listen
Lucy Was an Engine – Wig

Another week and quite excited as I am already in touch with a band for a future Cake Kitchen release. I really hope it works out and eventually I can announce that. For the 7″s there’s been a few projects planned so I need to see the status of those. I guess now with holiday season things might get a bit slower but I will check!

In the meantime, here are a few cool finds from over the weekend!

Night Hikes: This Seattle two-piece was quite a surprise when I found them on Bandcamp some time ago. I know they are working on an album called “Chalice” that will be released on November 15th. We’ve heard a few terrific songs that will be included in it, and now there’s a new one called “Belltown”. And this one on Soundcloud is the single version. So definitely check it out.

Sally Haze: now another two piece, this one hailing from another US city, Chicago. The people behind it are William Wright and Jessica Wright. Are they siblings? Are they a couple? The one thing I know is that they have a 5 track EP called “Dining Room” which is available on cassette. It is pretty interesting, with standout tracks, “Tell Me Everything” and “You & Me” .

The Catherines: our friends from Hamburg just let us know that they have a new album out called “This is Good!” which is now available on tape. It is a short album, there are 8 songs, of classic bedroom jangle pop by Sandra and Heiko. And as usual we find their trademark melodies, interesting and long song titles, and summery vibe.

Kosmetika: don’t know much about this band aside that they have released an album on Roolette Records from Melbourne. It says the band has members from Russia, New Zealand and Australia, and so this album is their first one, called “Pop Soap”. It is also short, 8 songs. But it is quite interesting as there is a cool mix of elements like psychadelia and some krautrock like in the track “Kraftneu” that is a fine pop song with kraut influences!

Whimsical: more shoegaze. That’s more popular than indiepop. At least for the last 5 or so years. Maybe 10. This Griffith, Indiana, band has released their new album “Bright Smiles & Broken Hearts”, just a few days ago, on the 5th. The album is available on CD and includes 9 tracks of luminous dreampop. Lovely.

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I was just checking new music on Youtube the other day and stumbled upon “Real Surprise” by Valerie and the Week of Wonders and well, I started digging on the web for more info about this song that was released in 1984.

The first thing I notice is that Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (Czech: Valerie a týden divů) is a 1970 Czechoslovakian surrealist horror film directed by Jaromil Jireš and based on the 1935 novel of the same name by Vítězslav Nezval. It is considered part of the Czechoslovak New Wave movement. The film stars 13-year-old Jaroslava Schallerová as Valerie, with a supporting cast that includes Helena Anýžová, Karel Engel, Jan Klusák, and Petr Kopriva.Valerie and Her Week of Wonders was filmed in the Czech town of Slavonice and surrounding areas. The film portrays the heroine as living in a disorienting dream, cajoled by priests, vampires, and men and women alike. The film blends elements of the fantasy and horror film genres.

Pretty obvious then that the band took their name from this film. I haven’t watched it. Do anyone recommend it?

The record was released on Piggy Bank Records (BANK 998) which was also the house of a much more known band, The Lucy Show. It does look like this was their only release though it was released on both 7″ and 12″ formats. The 7″ had two songs, “Real Surprise” on the A side and “Holy Picture” on the B side. The 12″ on the other hand had “Real Surprise (Wonder Mix)” on the A side and “Holy Picture” and “Too Late” on the B side.

All songs were engineered by Jon Turner and mastered by Noel Summerville at PRT Studios. The producer was Bobby Henry. The photos on the sleeve are credited to Tony Harrison (for the band photo on the back) and Michael Ross (beach photo on the front).

But then I find out something really interesting. Discogs only lists this record bt 45cat actually has a record that was released previously! A 7″! Wow.

A plain white sleeve, die-cut on one of the sides and hand stamped and drawn on the other, presents us “Too Late” on the A side and “Helpless” on the B side. Bobby Henry produced again the two songs. What a mystery this record is. I know too that it was released in 1983 by a label called “Soon-Come Records” (VA 01). This might as well have been the band’s own. And it might as well have been what made them end up signing with Piggy Bank? Piggy Bank was actually owner by A&M, a big label. Also something worth mentioning is that the band did a British tour supporting The Icicle Works.

Then what else? There are no compilation appearances listed. Odd.

I find then a mention of the band that might be quite interesting. Seems Greg Kane was the band’s saxophonist. he was later in Hue & Cry. Thanks to that fact I end up finding out that Valerie and the Week of Wonders was actually a Scottish band. It had Gerard Burns on vocals and Brian McFie on guitar in their lineup. Brian McFie would then be lead guitarist in The Big Dish! The other band member was Ewan McFie.

This helps me to find that Gerard Burns is now a painter, winning the Not The Turner Prize. He has also taught at St Aloysius College in Glasgow. And before all that he had studied at the prestigious Glasgow School of Art. On this article of the Herald he reminisces about the time in the band and why they didn’t make it big: “It was a shame, it was politics within the record company, but that got me out of art school and I was about two years with the band, and then I continued on with my music with other people.” . It looks like after the band split he formed a band called Heaven Sent which actually supported Simple Minds.

I then find an auction for a screenprint poster from the 80s where it advertises the band playing at the Joanna’s nightclub in Glasgow alongside Significant Zeros. Tickets were just a pound fifty back then.

Another interesting trivia is that his son is also a musician and recorded an album called “Burn on Burns”, where Gerard helped.

Now what a find! Another song on Youtube called “Ships on the Clyde“. Was this released on a demo tape or what? It has a promo video. So that is quite a mystery, how there is a video but no release? This song was recorded at Palladium Studios in Edinburgh in 1984 and was produced by Bobby Henry and engineered by Jon Turner and Gordon Rintoul. Jim Gillespie produced and directed this video which was featured on a 1985 Old Grey Whistle Test video competition for unsigned bands, judged by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme.

Lots of info, and it is only the first time I’m listening to their music. I find it so cool that the band was formed at the Glasgow School of Art. Gerard and Brian being painters. What about Greg and Ewan? Were they into visual arts as well? Did they have more songs? What other bands had they been in? It’d be great to find out more about them. I am very curious and I definitely want to hear more by them!

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Listen
Valerie and the Week of Wonders – Real Surprise (Wonder Mix)

I keep posting Dayflower and Baby Lemonade records and also sent a few to different mailorders. Have you ordered your copy already? I am very proud about them and will start working on new releases soon! Hopefully I’ll be able to announce some news before the year ends. In the meantime support the label as that always helps to fund future releases!

Now, I know you came for new music. Here’s a fine share of that.

Dream, Ivory: the California band, from Lake Elsinore, keeps giving us wonderful songs. “Making Faces” is the third single from their upcoming album “Lost Dogs” and one can only wonder when this record will be out. Because everything we’ve heard so far sounds terrific. At least a release date would be good!

Turnover: another American band, this one hailing from Virginia. They have released their album “Altogether” and that is good news. It is out now on vinyl LP, CD and cassette. There are 10 songs of dreamy sweet songs with standout tracks like “Still in Motion” or “Plant Sugar”.

K. Campbell: two very cool songs by this Houston project are now available on tape and also on lathe cut 7″. The songs are “Chords Come Easy” and “Static Threads” and they take me back to the 90s, to American indiepop sounds from labels like Bus Stop or Harriet. Good stuff.

Basic Plumbing: I wasn’t aware that Patrick Doyle from Veronica Falls left us an album. This is very good news and it seems that all profits from the “Keeping Up Appearances” album will go to the LA LGBT Center + CALM. That’s nice. The record will be out on vinyl and CD. At the moment we can preview two tracks on Bandcamp, “As You Disappear” and “Constant Attention”. And they sound great!

Quivers: from Hobart, Tasmania, and sounding amazing, I discover this four piece formed by Sam Nicholson, Bella Quinlan, Holly Thomas and Michael Panton. Their latest track is a shimmering song called “When it Breaks” and I am really enjoying it. As their small bio says, they sit somewhere in between the janglepop that was done in Australia in the 80s with a touch of American 90s. It is a good combination. A winning one.

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I remember many years ago Kris from the Heavens is Above Your Head blog and also from the Don’t Die on My Doorstep club in Malmo recommended me to find a record. He actually wrote about it and I was intrigued…

Delphine Passant, Fabien Guidollet, Alexandre Cayrac and Thierry Tonelli might be four of my favourite French indiepopsters. No, I haven’t met them nor they probably know Cloudberry exists. But, they left a perfect 7″ that for years has been a treasure of mine, their “Longer Lasting Beauty” 7″!

Four perfect pop songs. That’s what you’ll find on this record released in France by Nessie Records (Loch 1) back in 1994. Was it their own label? I don’t really know. I’ve mentioned this label when I talked about the tape “Superqualifragilistic” when I posted about Nothing Else or Les Poissons Solubles who appear on it.

The A side, called “The Rhythm Side”, opens with one of my favourite songs ever, “Laurie”, and includes another top hit, “House of Magic Cards”. The B side, “The Ballad Side”, has two more songs, “Time” and “Close-Up”. All four were recorded at Lutecia Garden Studio with Damien Bertrand and Jean François-Marvaud as engineers. Marvaud used to run this recording studio in Clamart, a southwestern suburb of Paris. Does this mean then, that the band hailed from the French capital? The answer is yes. A small insert with the label’s catalog gives us an address for Fabien in Paris and for Thierry in Montmorency, a suburb in the north of Paris.

It is also worth mentioning that Sabine Dubocage played violin in the record. She had been in the past in a band called Christine.

The sleeve of the record reminds all of us of classic indiepop art from the late 80s. They clearly knew what they were doing. The record even comes with a sticker with the band’s name. All packaged beautifully. On the back of the sleeve we learn that all songs were written by the band, and “Time” is actually co-written with Alexandra Easton. Then we get what each of the band members played, Alex played the drums, Delphine the guitar, Fabien sang and played guitar and Thierry the bass.

Aside from this release it seems there was a 2-track tape that had “Longer Lasting Beauty” on the A side and “UFO” on the B side. It seems it came with an insert featuring a small interview with the band. This was released in 1995 and I wonder if it was some sort of demo tape, or a tape sold at gigs. Would be good to find out.

No other releases are listed but they did appear on a few compilations. On the Italian label Shiny Sunset (which I tried to interview and I hope one day I’ll get interview answers as this label is such a mystery!) they contributed two songs to a tape called “The Colours of an Enchanted Dawn” (SUNSET 9). The songs were “Drowning Memories” and “Longer Lasting Beauty”. Oh! I would really like to listen to them! No year is specified for this release.

In 1995 they contributed “Longer Lasting Beauty” and “Why Not Your Baby” to “Nine Month Summer” a compilation tape released by Does This Work? (DTW 20) from the UK. Interestingly the band Sabine, the violinist, was in, Christine, also appears on this one.

That same year on the “Sapphire” comp cassette released by the British Bliss Aquamarine (BLISS 20) they had the last song of the tape, “Drowning Memories”.

On another tape that has no release date, “Fairy Tales”, released by the German Meller Welle Produkte (MEL 23) they appear with two tracks, “Drowning Memories” and “Knife”.

Lastly in 1996 two songs, “Knife” and “Abilene”, appear on a CD comp called “Les Belles Promesses – Collection “Acoustique”” released by XIII Bis Records and Ora Pro Nobis.

In total then we know of 9 songs? Are there any more?

About the band members we know a few things too.

Fabien had been in other bands like Facteurs Chevaux and Verone. Delphine was also involved in Verone while Thierry played in Pills and Saez. Thierry Cayrac seems to go now by Leax or Alexandre Cayrac, a techno DJ (!).

But there is more. I am pretty sure that at some point they had to change names to Lollypops as there was an American band with the name Evergreen. With Lollypops they even recorded “House of Magic Cards”, “Laurie” and “Time”. Were these different versions? They even recorded at least another song called “The Girl Who Never Know Whether She Can Do it Or Not”. How did that one sound? Lollypops were also known for covering The Pastels’ “A Million Tears“.

But as it is the same band let’s check out their discography which was only appearances on compilations. Firstly they recorded a cover of “Darklands” for “A Tribute to the Jesus and Mary Chain” cassette compilation released in 1994 by Candy Chérie Records (001). This was a French comp.

Then their song “The Girl Who Never Knows Wheter She Can Do It or Not” appears on the cassette “Entendons Nous Bien” released by Loaded (LOAD 001) in 1994, in the tape “Plouf” released by Les Tartines and also on the “Des Gents Simples” another tape compilation this one released by Ora Pro Nobis (OPN 9402) in 1994. This last one was perhaps a different version, it says (version Huit Pistes), meaning 8-track version.

Their song “Time” would appear on the “Breeze” double cassette comp released by Alphyen Viwit (004) in 1994 and also on the “Superqualifragilistic” tape I mentioned earlier. on Nessie (NES587). Lastly on the Meller Welle Produkte compilation “Europopsongs” they had “Laurie” and “House of Magic Cards”.

Now all of these songs are wonderful, I am starting to think it would make a very nice collection as a compilation album. That’s an idea. What do you think? I’d be interested to explore that idea with the Cake Kitchen!

Ah! Evergreen, Lollypops, such beauty. What a wonderful pop band. I need to know more about them. French friends, do you remember them?!

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Listen
Evergreen – Laurie

On Monday we  awoke to the news that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are no more. They call it quits. As a music fan it makes me look with nostalgia the gigs and the times I saw them. As an indiepop fan it may feel like an end of an era. As Cloudberry, I feel gratitude once again for having being able to work with them in the very beginning of the band (and the label). This is the message Kip Berman, the main driving force of the band shared on various social media:

Kip here.

My life has changed radically from the time I started Pains with Peggy, Alex and (soon after) Kurt in 2007, and I’ve decided to focus on a new project @the_natvral.

Pains was a distinct moment in my life. I started the group when I first moved to New York and completed our last record, “The Echo of Pleasure,” shortly before my daughter was born and I moved to Princeton, NJ. From that time forward, I never really felt the same – and the music I was creating didn’t feel the same either.

I could probably tell a few anecdotes from the early days, don’t know if they would add to the legend of the band as they are personal of course.

I think it was thanks to the Summer Cats 3″ that Cloudberry caught Kip’s attention. At that time the indiepop-list was much more active than today. And yeah, Scott from Summer Cats sent a message to it promoting his band’s upcoming 3″ as well as Horowitz’s one. A day or a few days later I heard from Kip on Myspace. They didn’t have any songs uploaded or anything. They were a brand new band.

I am by nature skeptical, so it was quite a surprise to hear such wonderful music. They shared with me the three songs that would appear on the 3″, 3 songs that are classic in their repertoire, “This Love is Fucking Right!”, “Orchard of My Eye” and “Doing All the Things That Wouldn’t Make Your Parents Proud”. They were the second U.S. band to release on the label after Apple Orchard.

They were the second band to design their own sleeve after the Summer Cats. Let me tell you, this is the hardest thing for me to give away, the artwork of the sleeve. It is hard for me to trust that to anyone! But it came out good and in the early days that sort of fuzzy aesthetics became a trademark of the band. A very similar sleeve would be used for their next release, the EP on their own Painbow Records.

At that time Kip said very nice things about the label on the poplist, things that reading them now, makes me really miss 2007, when indiepop was beginning to make some noise (and to be honest, a lot had to do with The Pains).

I feel The Cloudberry series is one of the most exciting things going on in indiepop right now. I’m consistently amazed by the quality (and volume) of bands Roque is releasing almost every week! It’s really a great thing, and it was an honor to be a part of the series. We really love Roque & Cloudberry a lot– he’s really doing it for all the right reasons. Please do check the bands he’s putting out– it’s all quality.

I don’t think the label gets that sort of praise anymore! At least not publicly. I am very thankful to the band, especially the earlier lineup as that was the one I knew best. Kip, Peggy and Alex. The first time I met them, I remember clearly, it was so cool. It was at NYC Popfest 2007. Then I would see them many times, even abroad like in the UK, or in Miami once, a place no band would visit. And that time I remember now they played a song called, “You’re Better by Far Than Everything Around Here”, and I wonder today, is there a proper recording of that track? I can’t seem to recall how that sounded!

I could write many stories as I said, but in retrospect, we must be thankful for the music as they left us many hits, songs that should be classics in the indiepop canon like “Young Adult Friction”, “Higher than the Stars” or “Everything With You”. But they also had a big part in the indiepop renaissance of 2007-2012. They managed to be in the spotlight of just not indiepop fans but also on more mainstream media and that helped indiepop gain more fans. And that is important.

I have a huge poster of a gig in Stoke-On-Trent were The Pains played alongside Horowitz, The Parallelograms and Slow Down Tallahasse… a Cloudberry Night. Dear dear. And it is signed by all band members. On top of that at a later Cloudberry gig, organized by LostMusic, we gave away a CD with a song each for the first 50 that attended. The bands playing were The Manhattan Love Suicides, Strawberry Story, The Hillfields and The Pains of Being pure at Heart. They contributed “A Teenager in Love”. The band was always up for doing these sort of things, gaining popularity didn’t mean forgetting their DIY beliefs. That speaks greatly of them.

It is true that in the last few years I lost a bit of touch. I wish I had attended more gigs of them while in NYC. I regret not doing that now. I didn’t think the band was going to end for some reason. All things end of course. I was naive. Sure I can still go and check out their new projects, and I should do so. I am especially curious about Store Front, Peggy’s band, as it sounds amazing, just up my street. I’ll make a note to go to their next gig. Especially as it was always lovely to see her, always happy and smiling!

But that didn’t mean I didn’t follow them. I bought all the records they put out. They are not signed by them like the earlier ones, but it’s all good.

I remember too working at the Miami newspaper and receiving a promo copy of “Heart in Your Heartbreak”, according to Kip, a very rare CD. How random was that.

As I write these lines I can think of more and more stories. And I am happy about that. Because they were a big part of the label, it happens that a lot of people knew the label thanks to them. And even today, 2019, I get emails asking if I still have a copy of the 3″ single. Can you imagine?

I don’t think this post has any sort of structure. I am just writing as thoughts come to me. I wanted to say thanks for all the years of great music, of waving the indiepop flag with pride. I guess that’s about it. But I can’t stop thinking of good moments, jokes, beers, and different cities we coincided.

I wish them the best in their next adventures and hope to have a beer with them soon. Or as how Kip said just before meeting for the first time, “a beer”? LET’S HAVE AT LEAST THREE!!!!!

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Listen
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – This Love is Fucking Right!

Back in 2012 I shared a cab ride with Colm and Bentley. That was the one and only time I talked with Bentley and I must say it was a fun ride. From the Travelodge to the Indietracks grounds. Joking and gossiping about the indiepop scene. Me sharing a cab with these two friends that have formed the wonderful Language of Flowers, a friendship which I believe started in the mid-90s when both of them shared a flat in Leicester. The story says that they would eventually record a 4 track demo, when Colm and the rest of the band (Marc, Ashton and Tara) were looking for a drummer in Belfast. It didn’t matter that Bentley was in Manchester at the time, Colm would get him into the band, it was the right choice, and then with the new completed lineup in 2003, they would record a demo that would get them to release the album “Songs About You” in 2004.

It was going to take 8 more years for me to see them at Indietracks.  Yes, Language of Flowers was playing! The band had already split by 2012, but they were doing a reunion gig just because, I am guessing here, it was Indietracks, the most important indiepop festival.

In the past I had seen him playing, in 2011, with Help Stamp Out Loneliness with him now as guitarist extraordinaire. An amazing gig at the outdoor stage. It was truly fantastic. Of course I had a softer spot for Language of Flowers, they were the older band and for many years I had played their CD on Shelflife Records time and time again. I knew the songs by heart and I always wondered if I was ever going to release some of their songs. That was a dream. I had bugged Colm many times about three songs that were never released, if they could be put in a 7″. As you might have noticed that never happened. But yeah, it was special.

Maybe now that I think of it, I may be mixing 2011 and 2012 Indietracks festival. Maybe the cab ride took in 2012 and not 2011. I can’t say. But that wasn’t the only time that I shared a moment with Bentley. As many Indietracks goers that stay at the Travelodge might know, after the festival closes its doors for the day, those staying at this hotel in Alfreton, hang around for some more drinks in the wooden picnic table that is just outside the front door. I remember a night that Bentley was there, among many of my indiepop friends. Sharing a drink and having a good time.

And last week I get to learn that Bentley is no longer with us. It came as a shock.

I really wish I had met and talked to him properly. As I said earlier, I was quite the fan of this two bands he was involved with and he seemed a genuinely interesting person. I only have this two snapshots of him, plus of course the gigs when I saw him play. Always at Indietracks. I know the bands played many other places but I wasn’t lucky enough to travel to Europe in those occasions. But I was terribly happy to at least be able to say that I saw them and that they were brilliant.

I am very sorry and hope things get better with time for his family, friends and bandmates. Condolences to them. In memory of him, a charity has been put together for The Smile Train, who empower medical professionals to provide free cleft treatment to children. At the time I am writing this post 89% of the goal money has been raised. I am sure any help will be appreciated.

Rest in peace.

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Listen
Language of Flowers – Songs About You

Some good music to enjoy over the weekend! Today I will finally finish sending all outstanding orders for Baby Lemonade! So yeah, thanks everyone for that!  Hope you liked the album!

Unhappy Fly: Emotional Response are releasing a lathe cut 7″ that is very very limited, just 100 copies and it seems at the time I am writing this post there are only 8 left! The 7″ contains two songs, “The Vision and the Poison” and “Unhappy Fly”. None of this songs were included in the band’s LP.

Rei Clone: now a dreamy, shoegazy, band from Denton, Texas. First time I am listening to them and it is thanks to their latest effort, a digital single called “Heaven is Eternity”. It sounds pretty good I must say! The band describes themselves as an anime shoegaze band, which is quite interesting. They are formed by Ash, Zach, Charlie and Simon.

Perrogato: the superb Chilean duo has a new digital single out on Mexico’s Stupid Decisions netlabel! It is a perfect song for Halloween, even though that was yesterday!  It is called “Noche de Muertes” (night of the dead). It is a fun track with boy/girl vocals, and it makes you want to see a Perrogato album on physical format soon! Terrific band indeed.

The Epigones: this band from Ontario, Canada, is actually a duo comprised of guitarist Vic Ciampini and vocalist/bassist Darko Smolcic. They have just put up a four song debut EP on Bandcamp that sounds great! It is poppy postpunk, with class and elegance. Definitely check it out. I can’t wait to hear more by them.

West Coast Music Club: from West Kirby, UK, we meet this sweet sounding band! They have a 3 song EP now out on CD called “Sometimes EP”. The songs on it are “Saturday”, “Sometimes” and “Fall” and all three are really really good. Top vocals, chiming guitars, good melodies, everything one wants on an indiepop record!

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I had this post prepared for later in the year if I am honest. But just a few days ago my friend Vernon was talking about Rebecca Fishpond and ended up getting in touch with one of the members of the band, Zack Yusof, so I decided to unearth the draft with the little bits and bobs I had from them and see if eventually, there’s a way to get in touch with this fantastic band.

I am hoping of course there will be an interview in the coming days, but I still thought it would be a good idea not to lose all this information and maybe it serves as a good introduction to this great band!

You see I heard of Rebecca Fishpond’s existence thanks to the Firestation blog back in 2010. Back then the Uwe was running a terrific blog where he shared his knowledge of all sorts of obscure indiepop. He would have these posts called “Something to Look Out For” where he listed bands he’d like to know more or get in touch with. Many of these, if not most, were unknown to me. He wrote about Rebecca Fishpond saying that he couldn’t tell if the band existed or were just a dream. He didn’t know any details but he had listened to them. One of the songs even made a big impression and he took one of the lines from it and named the sixteenth release on his label, Firestation Records, “You Thought it was the End of the World when the Rain Ruined Your Hair”. It was a compilation CD, and yes it would have made lots of sense to have Rebecca Fishpond there, but no, no luck.

Second time I heard about them was on an interview I did on my blog with the band Kind. They hailed from the Deptford/Bermondsey area in Southeast London. I asked them if they were part of a scene and yes, he mentioned they did of the one that was happening in their area, a scene that included the bands Lavern and Shirley and Rebecca Fishpond. So I could place them now, early 90s and in SE London.

But what about sounds?

Well there is Soundcloud page by someone called Dan Rowlands. He must have been part of the band. As he has uploaded the demo of the band which seems to consist of 5 songs: “All I Ever Wanted”, “Tell Me When it’s Twelve”, “Beauty”, “Laugh” and “Always in a Dream”. This demo was recorded in 1989. At this point we know that previously the band members had been in The Kildares. There are songs on the Soundcloud by this outfit too, jangly and awesome. Maybe I should even dedicate a post to them eventually. So I believe The Kildares hailed from not SE London but from Shropshire, so did they move? And then there were some lineup changes. The bassist of The Kildares left. The drummer switched to bass and a new drummer came in. A third singer joined. So about the same people as The Kildares but two new ones.

But aside from this demo there are two more songs, “Revolved” and “Bought and Sold”. So in total we know of 7 songs. And perhaps one more, there is one called “Two Ways to Die” that at least I know there is a live performance from 1989 online, on Youtube.

Other little tidbit of information is that the band played at The Falcon in Camden on November 18, 1989 supporting the amazing Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes!

Aside from that I believe one of the members, Zack Yusof, lives now in Australia. He had been in bands like Release, Fast Boyfriends, Trafford (in Malaysia), and as of 2007 he was going under the name Kid Kowalski as well as playing in a band in Kuala Lumpur called Deserters. He is also a music journalist and DJ. Dan Rowlands, in the other hand, seems to have been in Emergency Exit, Open Up, as well as making music on his own.

Of course you also end up wondering who was Rebecca Fishpond? Why that name? But wonder if I’ll ever know. I did try to get in touch through Soundcloud but no luck. Maybe this post will help. I’ll definitely would love to hear more songs, if there are more. And as many friends have suggested, maybe these songs should be re-released. Of course I can offer myself to do that. But if anyone else does it, that’s great as well. The thing is. We want to know more about them? And what happened to the other band members?

Any help would be appreciated!

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Listen
Rebecca Fishpond – All I Ever Wanted

Still more Baby Lemonade orders that need to be sent! This is exciting! I am very glad and happy with the response of fans on this one. Soon I’ll be announcing the next release on the Cloudberry Cake Kitchen!

In the meantime, here are some good new finds from around the web!

Victorian Tin: there is a new recording by the classic Swedish band that I interviewed some time ago. it is called “Silver and Perfume” and it will be including in the upcoming Everlasting Records compilation “The Sound Your Dreams Make”. Hopefully there will be a Bandcamp to preview this compilation, but in the meantime you can check Victorian Tin’s track!

Ex-Vöid: I was raving about the song “Only One” by the new band formed by two ex-members of Joanna Gruesome that is now available on 7″. Well, they know this song is pretty good so there’s a video for it, with all members wearing metal band t-shirts (?). Definitely worth listening and watching!

Grrl Cloud: first time listening to this Manila dreampop project. Their latest track “Winding Streets” has been up on Soundcloud for about a month, so I am glad I have stumbled upon it, even if it is a bit late! It is a lovely song, with female vocals, fragile and sweet.

Alpaca Sports: so happy to see my friends from Gothenburg back in action! This video might be the last one they make to promote their album “From Paris with Love” and it is for the song “Saddest Girl in the World”! Of course this is one of my favourite songs of the album, so very happy to see some images to go with it! Now, where was this filmed? Was this a Swedish beach?!

Little Scream: Merge Records has just released a new album called “Speed Queen” by Little Scream on CD and 12″ vinyl! I’ve been playing a few songs, and even though I am not sold on them there is a track called “Disco Ball” that is gorgeous! So I recommend to check at least that one out! There are some other fine pop moments in it like on “Don’t Wait for It”,  “Privileged Child” and more… and there are some more indierock kind of songs.

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More from Ireland, and more discoveries thanks to the amazing Fanning Session blog.

See, I may have stumbled upon Wilder in the past as they released a 7″ on the Danceline label. This label put many very good indiepop records. But the thing is, the 7″ this band released is not listed on Discogs, so I wouldn’t have known about it. It was thanks to a post of the aforementioned blog, where they featured the Dublin’s band song “Babel Road” that I first met them.

The blog post is short but does give some interesting factoids. First of all we learn who the band members were:
Dez Foley was on vocals
Richard McDermott on guitar
Stephen Owens on keyboards
Bill Crawford on bass
Frank McGrath on drums

This song, “Babel Road” was actually released as the A side of a 7″ released by Oedipus Records (OR 001) in 1990. The B side being “Little Secrets”. You wonder of course who were behind Oedipus Records. Was it the band themselves? This is the only release I am aware on this label.

“Babel Road” was produced by Paul Byrne and Martin Clancy. The B side was produced by the band and Pat Dunne. The engineer for both tracks was Pat Dunne. Both songs were recorded at Sun Studios in 1990. The art for the sleeve is credited to Siobhan Hyde.

After this release I think they got the attention of the Danceline label. This label was responsible of putting out records by great bands like The Would Be’s and Rex and Dino among others. In 1991 the band would release with Danceline a 7″ (DLS 018) with two songs, “Can You Shake” on the A side and “Dark Heaven” on the B side.

I haven’t been able to find a sleeve of this 7″ so don’t have any details about it, like where was it recorded or who produced it. I should try to track copies of both records as it would be nice to have them in my collection.

The band also participated on the compilation “Fresh Evidence – New Exhibits from Ireland” that Danceline Records (DCD 1007) released in 1992. The band appears last, out of 17 songs, with “Can You Shake”. I don’t know any of the bands on this record, I wonder if there are good indiepop tunes in here?!

Fanning Sessions actually have another post about them, one where they share a song called “Get Happy” out of their 1988 demo. Well then, what other songs were on this demo tape? It’d be great to know.

Then Irishrock.org offers a couple of more details, especially about what happened after. So the band was around from 1988 to 1992, then they decided to change their name to Bliss and recorded a demo with John Scott in The Factory. Sadly they didn’t have any proper releases. How did they sound like? Are any of the tracks on that tape available to listen?

Then it adds that Dez Foley would join The Sewing Room (from 93 to 96) and later in the superb Crumb (2003-2009). According to a Crumb family tree I found, he was also in a band called Melba. Much later, in 2015 I think he went solo under the name Acton Bell. Interesting.

Cool! Now I know a little bit more about them. Now I just want to hear to more of their songs, hopefully get their records, and who know, maybe I’ll get to interview some of the band members and be able to find out the story behind this Dublin band!

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Listen
Wilder – Babel Road

Today I continue posting Baby Lemonade CDs! I am very happy about the support for this new release. Thanks everyone that have ordered! I will have new surprises, very soon (I hope!).

In the meantime, I looked for some good new music over the weekend. Check them out!

Dumb Things: the very good Australian band will be back this November with an album called “Time Again”. It is going to be released by the Coolin’ By Sound label on 12″ vinyl on the 8th! At the moment you can pre-order it and listen to two tracks, “Crash Barrier” and “Today Tonight”.

The Belafontes: we stay in Australia, but now we head to Melbourne, to discover this duo that have just released the song “Big Man” as a digital single. Jess and Paul are The Belafontes and they make fun indiepop!

Ex-Vöid: the debut 7″ by ex-members of the brilliant Joanna Gruesome has two songs, “Only One” and “Ex-Vöid”! It is out already and it was released by a new London label called Prefect Records. The two songs are a bit different, the A side is a terrific indiepop track while the B side is a punky track, that I must admit not loving much. But the A side is worth the 5 pounds the 7″ is!

Cachorro: the first songs by this Valencia, Spain, band make up the aptly titled “EP 1”. Four songs of sunny bedroom pop by this duo formed by R. Peiró and D. Abadía. I believe the songs are only available in digital format, but we’ll be keeping an eye on them.

Los Jambos: Caballito Records is a very fine Spanish label.  It is no surprise they have signed this band from Pamplona that sound really good! Lots of fun in their songs, catchy and even good for dancing! Los Jambos are a trio formed by Iñigo Maraví, Txema Maraví and Tamu Tamurai and they have released on the aforementioned label an album called “Chicos Formales”. Ten top tracks are in it! And yes, available on 12″ vinyl!

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The Gladstones is a band I discovered through the superb blog Wilfully Obscure. There are only a few blogs that are worth checking out these days, and that’s one of them. True, I love and prefer British and European bands in general and this blog’s best discoveries are American, but what discoveries there are! Like The Gladstones!

What we know about the band is that they were from Lincoln, Nebraska, and were part of the same scene as the more well-known For Against. The blog also tells that the band was originally called Playground.

The Gladstones only released one record, “Jeremy”. It was a p[roper album with 9 songs. Jangly and classy, the LP came out in 1990 on Tall Records (TR001). Why did they call the band “Jeremy”? None of the songs in the record are called like that. Was Jeremy someone important to them? Also who were behind Tall Records? According to Discogs they only put out this LP. Was it a self-release then?

With those questions I start tracking the songs, many of them on Youtube. I listen to them and enjoy them. On the A side there were just four songs, “Garden”, “Olduvai”, “Energy” and “Top of the World”. The B side had the remaining 5, “Ten Times a Minute”, “Mary I”, “Hurting In”, “Gallery Key” and “Horns of a Dilemma”. All songs were recorded at Mastertrax in Lincoln and were mixed by Dave Snider and Scott Leach at Downtown Records in Boston, Massachusetts. Snider was also the engineer.

The band, at least on the record (not sure if there were lineup changes), was formed by:
Karl Stephen on bass
Bruce Stephen on drums
Steven Hinrichs on guitar
Jonathan Baker on vocals

The record also got some tambourines on the song “Olduvai” thanks to Bobby Snider.

I wonder, were Karl and Bruce brothers? Or at least related? Was Bobby Snider related to Dave Snider the engineer?

Also why were there no more releases? Why release an album first, before releasing any singles? Why no compilation appearances? I find that quite odd. I am sure that there must. have been demo tapes and more songs.

After the demise of the band in 1989 Steven Hinrichs joined For Against. Karl Stephen also played on For Against at least on the “Echelons” album.

According to the Words on Music bio for For Against, Bruce and Karl Stephen were also part of Playground alongside Hinrichs and vocalist Marty Clough. It seems there was a tape recorded with tracks by Playground!

When Marty moved to Minneapolis, he left Playground and Jon Baker joined, that’s when they were renamed The Gladstones. Then we also learn that Karl and Bruce Stephen were founding members of the band Cartoon Pupils. Bruce also was away for a while, leaving the band (being replaced momentarily by Paul Engelhard) but came back for the recording of the album.

It seems too that the fine C86 radio show (by David Eastaugh) did an interview with Steven Hinrichs back in February this year. You can check that episode here. From it we learn that the band played a lot in Lincoln and Omaha in Nebraska, and also once in St. Louis, Missouri. A funny anecdote he shared was that the band sent a tape to Sarah Records and they got a reply saying that they “sounded too American” for Sarah!!

Steven also mentions that after recording the album they recorded 5 demos afterwards, but nothing happened with them.

Of course lots written about For Against on the web, but very little about The Gladstones. In any case, I am super amazed that I am not the only crazy person trying to find out more about them. That of course means that their songs are really good! But I do keep wondering if at some point we’ll be able to those demo songs that weren’t part of the album!

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Listen
The Gladstones – Garden

Well the big news is that the Baby Lemonade CDs are here!! I am beyond excited and at the same time not worried anymore. You see it took quite a bit to put out this release. Maybe it is the one that has waited the longest. But I am so very happy they are here now. I will post a batch of the CDs tomorrow and hopefully by Monday finish with all pre-orders. So yeah, order yours if you like. The website is www.cloudberryrecords.com… just in case!

Now I have to run to work. I am a bit tired as stayed out late yesterday as NYC was lucky to have the visit of the great Patrik who used to play in Hormones in Abundance and The Garlands and who still makes music under Ring Snuten… among other many indiepop-related things! That was a fun night.

But maybe you only came to find new music from around the web. I have that too!

Vernon’s Future: If you follow the blog since its inception you might remember that a long time ago I interviewed a fantastic Liverpool band called Vernon’s Future. Turns out the band has been making music again and recording some very fine tunes, like their latest “Just Can’t Help Myself” which is a lovely poppy tune, haven’t lost any of the band’s freshness since they put out their album back in the 80s!

Mo Dotti: this band is totally new to me, but it seems that their dreampop sounds have been around since 2017 at least! They have just released a new song called “Gravity Well” which is sweet, precious and fragile at the same time.  Would definitely like to hear more by them!

Sports Dream: more dreamy pop, this time from Pamerston North in New Zealand. They have just released an EP on Papaiti Records. Sadly this cassette EP is now sold out. But you can still stream the five tracks that were included in it on Bandcamp.

Crux of Faith: a fuzzier one now, a shoegaze band from San Antonio, Texas. I remember back in 2004 when I spent a season there there was absolutely no good music. Now I find some good bands sometimes. Things evolve, can change for good. The latest track by the band is called “November Heat”, and I totally recommend it.

Luster: and yeah, it looks like I went on a shoegaze sort of trip today. Might be that not many classic indiepop bands are around? That we are more into the dreamier and fuzzier music these days? I wonder. I still miss a good ramshackle band. But in any case this LA band sounds pretty good! They are preparing a new album called “Turbulence” and they have shared the first single from it, “True to You”!

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Who were the Birmingham band Pinkie and his Band? I’ve heard their amazing track “Burn the Citadel Down” and I am in the need of knowing more of them. It is brilliant! It does sound a bit like Strawberry Switchblade or even Young Marble Giants, and that can only be a good thing!

This song was released in 1984 on Fluffy Records (Fluff 1) as a double A sided 7″. On the other A side two other songs are included, “Certificate of Violence” and “Scared (Hay Muerta en la Casa)”. I haven’t heard these two other songs though, but I am hoping that when I do they sound as great as “Burn the Citadel Down”. I also wonder why the last song name has a part, in parenthesis, written in Spanish. Maybe someone in the band knew the language?

The 7″ songs were recorded and mixed at F2 Studios in Mont Pleasant, London. The songs were arranged and produced by John J. Leahy.  Some copies are said to have come with a small A5 letter signed by Pinkie and an A4 promo poster. All of them came with an insert. This insert had some important information about the band.

For example the band members:
Pinkie on keyboards, voice overs, synthesizers, percussion and guitar.
Angie Henry: vocals
Donna Martin: vocals
Jon Riley: bass
Neil: additional percussion
Carl Mellon: alto sax

The photographs on the sleeve are credited to Kevin Livegren.

I am curious about Pinkie. Who is he? Is it John J. Leahy? I see that Leahy is credited for written the songs on the labels. Could it be? I need to find out.

There are no compilation appearances by the band. I instantly hit a wall that way.

I try different search phrases on google. Different keywords. But it looks like there’s nothing written about the band at all! I assumed this was an obscure release but is it this obscure? Only the one track that I’ve heard is available to stream on Soundcloud. And that’s all. So many questions are left. Were the people in the band involved in other bands? Are there more songs? Why no more releases?

I think I am going to need my Birmingham friends to help me this time!

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Listen
Pinkie and His Band – Burn the Citadel Down

Good news! Tomorrow the Baby Lemonade CDs will be finally arriving! I’ll try to post a first batch on Friday and the remaining orders on Monday. I am beyond happy and looking forward to these compilations! Have you ordered yours yet?

In the meantime why not listen some of these very good new indiepop bits!

Cristina Quesada: I have really enjoyed Cristina’s album and was happy to know that one of my favourite songs from the album has just got the video treatment. Do check the new video for “Think I Heard a Rumour”!

Single: the other news on Elefant Records is a new two track single by the legendary ex-member of Le Mans. The opening track “El Roce” is truly beautiful, and the B side, “Un Roce al Paso” features Javier Aramburú from another legendary band, Family! The 7″ single will be limited to 500 copies so do get this one. The artwork is really cool too.

The Suncharms: Rich from the band told me this new track, “Monster Club”, might be a bit of a departure in their sound. I wonder. The sound is very nice. Though true, it is not the classic Suncharms sound! But it is totally enjoyable anyways! The song is sort of a tribute to The Limit nightclub in Sheffield which The Suncharms used to go in the late 80s and early 90s.

Small Planets: this Los Angeles band sounds really really good! The vocals are terrific and the melodies too. Chiming guitars, dreamy melodies, all things I like. They have a self-titled album out now on CD through their Bandcamp. There are 11 songs in total. The band is formed by Jessica Hernandez on vocals, Josh Spincic on bass, Phil Drazic on drums, Ryan Silo on guitar and Jeff Love on guitar and keyboards.

Arctic Circle:  some time ago I interviewed this great Bristol band. They have uploaded their 7″ single on Stitch-Stitch Records and you can actually get a copy of it! I think included in this 7″ is one of their best songs, “Mothers Ruin”, which is truly fantastic! Pop like this is not made anymore. The other track is pretty good too, “Prancing Pearl”!

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Some years ago I interviewed The Divorce Brothers from Dundee, Scotland. That was a great interview… and I was remembering when I asked about bands they were recommend from Dundee, from around their time, they mentioned a few. One of them was Sweden Thrü the Ages, which was led by Stephen Knight. Only now, after all this time, I am checking them out!

The band were around in the mid 80s, releasing their only release in 1986 on Snappy Records (SW 001). It may have been their own label, it is the only release listed for it on Discogs. It was a 12″ maxi single with 3 songs. The A side had the wonderful “It Helps To Cry” while the B side had “The Sweetest Sound” and “Each Day”. Jingle jangly for everyone.

The whole single was produced by Billy MacKenzie from The Associates. The engineer was Allan McGlone. The songs being recorded at Dundee’s Inner City Sound and mastered at The Penthouse.

The band was formed by Steve Knight (who wrote all the songs), Lloyd Anderson, Chris Marra and Brian McDermot. The sleeve doesn’t specify what each of them played. Maybe I’ll find that? Let’s keep digging.

No compilation appearances either are listed. Another wall I hit.

I find a blog called Retro Dundee where it mentions that Steve Knight (bass) used to play in a band called Parades between 1981 and 82. A comment by a user called Hoops says that Steve was also in a band called The Rainmates.

But there are no other mentions on the web! Strange as there is a connection with The Associates! Hmm… what a shame….

I’d definitely would love to hear more by them, they must have more than three songs. Which years were they active? Did they play live a lot? Why did they split? What did they do after? Who remembers them?

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Listen
Sweden Thrü the Ages – It Helps to Cry