Just got back from a small break in Puerto Rico and I wanted to start blogging immediately, being sure that I’ve missed a lot of music these past few days! What have is new in the world of Bandcamp?

The Perfect Kiss: “Filter” is the name of the 10″ mini-album that the band released on Elefant Records late in June. There are 8 songs of terrific synth-pop that I’m already hooked with. I definitely need to order this record in the next couple of weeks after I recover of my trip expenses! I hope by then it is not sold out. It does look as its 500 copies are only available on vinyl.

Ultra Material: Sarah Deasy, Nick Skepper, Zuzana Kovar and Matt Deasy form this band from Brisbane, Australia, a city that in the past few years have given us so many great bands and songs. The band are releasing their second full lenght titled “Cosmic Anti Stuff” on August 29th on Black Wire Records and you can hear/stream two of the songs to be included, “Rhodamine” and “Transfer” at their Bandcamp. They sound ace!

яблоня: I have no clue about this Moscow, Russia, band. But it sounds AMAZING. At least that was my first impression when I played “мысли”, their latest song on Bandcamp. Who are they? There is very little information. But there is a trove of super bedroom indiepop with boy/girl vocals. Would be great to know if their music was available in physical format.

Hyperdream: the new project by Jesús Sandoval from Emma’s House Records and many great bands, shoegaze and indiepop, from Culiacán in Mexico. There are three songs on his Bandcamp (with lyrics!), “Abstention”, “Selfish Dream” and “Someone Like You”, were their trademark are a fuzzy wall of guitars. My favourite is the oldest one of them all, “Someone Like You”, which perhaps is also the poppiest of them all!

Arsenic!: this New York band which I have never seen live have two lovely classic sounding songs on their Bandcamp: “What Tone Colors The Whole?” and “Amy”. Please have a listen to both of them, they do sound great! The band formed by (two Italian-Americans or second or third generation, am I guessing right?) Tony Fischetti and John Mazzoni (with help from friends) may have recorded their best two songs!

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I stumbled upon “Crashing Down” by The Gift on Youtube and wondered how come I have never heard about this brilliant track before? I’ve been an avid guitar pop fan for a long time I think, but had no clue about it. Well, it happens. Of course you can’t know it all, though I do try to find out as much information about the songs and bands I like. I will have to find out now, anything, any details, related to this obscure band.

Discogs lists one record the one that has “Crashing Down” and “It’ll End In Tears”. A double A-sided record. But the mystery starts here. There are two versions of the same single! Let’s investigate!

The first version was released in 1982 on Venus Records (Orbit 1). It is no surprise to anyone that this is the only record listed on this label. It might have been a self-release. Also notice the year. 1982. It was pre-indiepop. Around the time where a bunch of bands were starting to create what I like to call proto-indiepop, bands that were punk and new wave influenced, like many that appear on the Messthetics comps. Though it must be said that The Gift sound more elegant, more proficient than the bands on those comps.

Both songs were recorded at Spaceward Studios. This was a recording studio based in Cambridge, in the UK, that was founded by Mike Kemp and Gary Lucas. The studio was around from 1972 to 1988.  The producer for the record was of course Mike Kemp and the band. We do get some credits on the sleeve for the band members. We get to know it was formed by Carl Walker, Dave Hodges, Daz, John Jacques and Nick Halliwell. We also find an address for Venus Records in Exeter.

The second version of the single came out two years later, in 1984. This time it was released under the name Nick Halliwell & The Gift. I wonder why they changed the band name, why now Nick’s name was on the front. Also as I mentioned earlier, the A side was now “It’ll End in Tears” and the B side was “Crashing Down”. Maybe because “It’ll End in Tears” was written by Nick while “Crashing Down” was written by Carl? The art also changed, before we had seen the band’s name typed big using kind of a Japanese looking font, whereas this new version had the black and white photo of a woman. This 7″ was released by Off Chute Records (OCS1), and as you imagine, it was the only release on the label. So probably a self-released record.

Discogs also has 3 compilation appearances. One of them dating from the 80s and the other two much more recent. The 80s one was a tape called “Advice From a Caterpillar” that was released in 1985 by Acid Tapes (TAB 022). I’m familiar with Acid Tapes as they released the Stormclouds, a big favourite band of mine, but to be honest don’t know much more of their output. This label was started by Alan Duffy in 1983 and released records until 1998 I believe. Anyhow, on this tape, The Gift contributes a song that wasn’t included in the 7″, one called “I Saw Blue”. I wonder then if the band had more songs, more recordings. I definitely would love to hear them.

Then in the year 2000, the band contributes “It’ll End in Tears” to a compilation called “Year Zero: The Exeter Punk Scene 1977-2000” that was co-released by Hometown Atrocities (Home 008) and Boss Tuneage (Bostage 509). To be honest I don’t know any of the bands that appear on the comp, but what I do get from it is a very important detail, what each of the members of The Gift played. Daz Coles played bass, Dave Hodges played drums, Carl Walker played the guitar and sang while Nick Halliwell sang and played the guitar.

Lastly there is an unofficial CD listed called “2008 Choking on Cufflinks Gift Pack” that was given away to the people who pledged to the Choking on Cufflinks show during the 2008 WFMU fundraising marathon. It is a CD compilation put together by this US radio station. I wonder if they got permission by the band to include their song “Crashing Down”?

I look as always into the band members, if they have been involved in any other bands. I see Daz Coles had played for The Lou Reichner Band who released a 7″ in 1980. The only other band member who seems to have other bands listed on Discogs is Nick Halliwell. He was also in The Lou Reichner Band but most interestingly he was in bands that I have recommended in the blog before like The Distractions or The Granite Shore. And that’s not all, in 1984 he released a solo album called “Tender Hours”. It was put out by Acid Tapes on tape. Would love to hear that too!

More interesting details. Nick Halliwell also runs the label Occultation Records who released the comeback of The Wild Swans for example. And of course I was aware of the label and his bands, but never knew about his 80s past, about this great record by The Gift.

I find an article on the page Velvet Sheep where Nick picks 7 songs. On there he mentions that when he was in The Gift he used to play Kim Wilde’s “Kids in America”. Are there any recordings of that? Then on another interview, on the Stereo Embers magazine, Nick mentions The Gift but he doesn’t seem to be pleased with the record, he says it wasn’t noteworthy.

I can’t find any more information about The Gift. Of course there is quite a lot written about Nick’s other projects, and there are a few interviews with him. But none really mention this band. But I’m curious. I would love to know more about The Gift. And if possible listen to more recordings. Do you remember them?

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Listen
The Gift – Crashing Down

I’m publishing this post just hours, minutes, before I head to the airport for a few days in Puerto Rico. I will be away for 6 days, so no posts on Friday or Monday. Any orders placed these days will be mailed next Wednesday. So don’t worry!

But before I leave I’m leaving you some cool music to check out!

Zimt: “Empathielosigkeit”, one of the songs that was included in “Glückstiraden”, the debut album of the German band, has just got a video. And it is top class. Zimt is one of my favourite bands and I owe discovering them to Ronny, but now the band is on Tapete and I suppose they keep getting bigger. Maybe one day I’ll get to see them in New York? Or in Germany? It is been a while since I’ve visited!

The Sunbathers: “If Only” is the new song and video our old friends The Sunbathers have shared with everyone as they promote their upcoming album “A Weekend Away With…” that will be released by the good Chris Mac on Jigsaw Records. It is gorgeous. It brought me such good memories of the time I got to release a few of their songs, and even better when I saw them at Indietracks, when on the platform they played a few songs for me and a friend. It makes me nostalgic, their precious music. One of the albums I’m looking forward the most this year.

The Lousy Pop Group: the one man project from Depok, Indonesia, has uploaded a brand new popstatic song to Soundcloud called “I’m Waiting For You to Shine”. Will it be released in any other way? Will some of the fine pop labels in Indonesia pay attention to this brilliant song? I hope so!

Tracey Read: this is a new discovery for me, that I found through David, but it does look as these recordings are older. They date from 2001. Tracey Read had released before the “Buster Keaton” 7″ on Chapter Music, and this 8 song album called “Everything is Real” is long sold out on its CD version but it is available digitally. Lovely indiepop in the vein of Tiger Trap or Tracey Thorn (?).

Glider: there are a few copies remaining of the Falmouth’s band new 7″. It includes two songs, “See You There” and “Wen (Summer1991CE)”. The duo formed by Tom Lobban and Louie Newlands recorded these songs back in 2015 and the record was released in 2017. Now, I want to buy everything I recommend, but it is not easy. Bands that I feature, I’d love to get your records and review them, but I don’t want them for free, maybe we could trade. Drop me a line if interested. If not, doesn’t matter. I do it for the love of music. And I’m really loving what I hear from Glider. Are they still going?

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This might surprise you, but Cyclon86 will be the first band I do some “investigative blogging” since I came back from Mexico. Yes, that’s right, I’ve had a bunch of posts ready, always a step ahead.

As I’ve been rotating the countries of origin of the bands featured on the blog, I thought it would be a great idea to return to Japan. And even better with a band I know very little about, whose records I still don’t own, a blank page. I only know the songs that I’ve been able to hear on Youtube, which are just 4. Are there more? Where were they released? Interested? Then join me in this search.

Cyclon86 on Discogs has very little listed, mostly compilation appearances. There is one split 7″ though, one that they shared with Soft Parade sometime in the early 2000s I believe. It is also the only record listed for the label, Pillow Case Records, having the catalog number PCR-001. Was it a self-release by one of the bands on the split? Or perhaps it was a joint effort? Or maybe just a label that was interested in both bands? How could we find out?

The band had the A side for themselves. There they had two songs, “K Girl” and “Shooting Star”. Soft Parade on the other hand appears on the B side with “Blue Blouse Female” and “Sunday”. The first song by Cyclon86 catches my curiosity, is it about a K Records fangirl? And what about the band’s name? Is the 86 in their name a homage to C86?

The first time I heard the band was through a 2002 compilation I had Mp3s of. Must have been through Soulseek ages ago as I don’t have those files anymore. It was the “Bluebadge Compilation Vol.2 Pop Comes Up!” that was released by Bluebadge Label (BBCD-002) back then. On this gem of a compilation (there are many obscure Japanese bands on it) the band contributes the song “Letters”.

But that wasn’t the first compilation appearance by the band. A year earlier, on another CD comp, they had the song “Running Planet”. This CD was titled “Mo-Rough” and was released by Coa Records (COAR-0008) in 2001. Something interesting about this release is that Cyclon86 appears as Cyclon 86, with a space between letters and numbers. Was it how they were called originally? Or did they change a little bit their name after this compilation?

Lastly, in 2005, on another Bluebadge compilation, “Guitar Pop Crazy! (Bluebadge Compilation Vol.3)” (BBCD-009) the band had the song “Scapegoat”. I believe I’ve talked about this CD before, when I featured the fine band Margarets Hope*.

Then I’m pretty sure the band contributed to a compilation called “Sunshine Pop Show! Vol.3” released by the Smile Pop Label in 1999 with the song “Summer in the Pool”.

But most importantly, what Discogs is missing, is a split CD with the band Harmony Hatch. I could find a tracklist for the CD on Amazon Japan but doesn’t specify which songs belong to who. There are 8 in total so I’m going to guess there were 4 for each band. If that was the case Cyclon8 contributed “K Girl”, “Scapegoat”, “Summer in the Pool” and “Ice Coffee” while Harmony Hatch had “White Pearl Worts”, “Blue Blue Bicycle”, “My Red Watch” and “His Honey Bunny”. Would love to hear this records sometime, discover Harmony Hatch as well.

My next big find in this investigation was to find out that one of my favourite Japanese shoegaze bands, Bertoia, has at least one member that was in Cyclon86. That is Yuta Ikawa or Shokk as he likes being called. According to a blog I found, he also was a support musician for the one-woman band Murmur.

There used to be a Myspace for Cyclon86 too, but it doesn’t exist anymore.

On Twitter, on the Philia Records account, I find a post where I clearly see a cassette by Cyclon86, a red cassette. What is in that one? I would love to know. The mystery becomes bigger and bigger. It is strange, but I can’t find gigs they played. It usually is easy with Japanese bands to find that. Usually gigs are very much recorded on the web, on old geocities pages and such. Not this time around.

I can’t find the other band members names either. Who were they? What was their complete discography? When did they start as a band and when did they split? Where they based in Tokyo or another Japanese city? The questions are many. But there are little answers. Do my Japanese friends remember them?

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Listen
Cyclon86 – Shooting Star

So all Okama Flannel Boy 7″ pre-orders are on their way to everyone who placed an order. Very excited about it. Looking forward to what you think, and any reviews that may appear in the next few weeks. I will also make sure the Bandcamp with Okama Flannel Boy songs is updated.

There is no time for being lazy now as I have a new 7″ around the corner by a superb band. I will be announcing it this Wednesday. I do have to say that there won’t be any posts this Friday or Monday as I will be away in Puerto Rico for a small break. I will return next week of course.

What did I find this weekend when it comes to new indiepop? Let me share with you:

Jasmine Minks: definitely a great thing is to see surface the “Scratch the Surface” album demos on Soundcloud. There are 7 demos available to stream that were recorded as demos for the 1989 album. Some of them made the final cut, others didn’t, some became live favourites, and some haven’t been heard publicly before. And I urge you all to have a listen! I remember when I got the chance to interview Jim Shepherd, and later meet him in the UK, happy times!

Space Daze: not sure if Seapony is still going, but Danny Rowland, their guitarist and main songwriter has been making available songs for his solo project Space Daze. The latest is a 5 song digital EP titled “Miss the World”. The music is a bit different to the poppier Seapony, but don’t be afraid. There are some very sweet moments like the song “In the Dark”, with a jangly guitar and a dreamy vibe.

Citrus Clouds: the Phoenix, Arizona, band that I have featured in the past is back. The trio formed by Erick, Stacie and Angelica, have two brilliant new jangly tracks on their Bandcamp, sort of a digital single. They are called “Golden Sun” and “Nothing Familiar”. Also worth noting for those in the Arizona area, the band will be touring this August, so please don’t miss them!

The Jangle Band: the brilliant Perth, Australia, band is back with a limited CD single! The band formed by legendary Australian musicians like Ian Freeman, Jeff Baker, Joe Algeri, Dave Wallace and Mark Eaton, is sharing with us “The Guy Who Used to Care” and “Now That’s Over” which I’m hoping are a teaser of a second album to be released in the near future (?). I hope that’s the case, but if not, it doesn’t matter, these are superb songs to have on repeat.

March, April & May: there is a new fanzine by February Records. It features a bunch of great bands, interviews with Tracyanne & Danny, Night Flowers, Sushi Backpack or Math & Physics Club. It also comes with access to download the 6-track EP that you can stream on the label’s Bandcamp with bands like Famous Problems, Gabardine, Mini Dresses, Sushi Backpack and Kevin Hairs.

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The name Justine is a girl’s name of French, Latin origin meaning “fair, righteous”.

I go back to the Kittenish CD. I still don’t own a copy but most, if not all, of the songs are on Youtube to stream. I should try to get a copy soon. The bands on it are mostly unknown to me so I keep discovering new sounds and new bands from Sweden thanks to it. Last time it was the Soapflakes, who I got in touch with and I hope to get interview answers pretty soon. Today I want to investigate about a band whose song I also liked quite a lot, a band called Justine Ahead.

The song they contributed to this compilation CD released jointly by Ceilidh Productions (CEI 037) and the Ultra Magazine in 1994 was called “Popflower”. And it is brilliant. If you want to read a bit more about the Kittenish CD and also about the Soapflakes, I leave you the link of my previous post here. As you’ll see for Soapflakes at least I could find a poster, an image, to create the top image of the post. For Justine Ahead, I haven’t found any photos nor memorabilia of the band. Were they that obscure?

Well, the band doesn’t count with any other release listed on Discogs. Maybe this song, “Popflower”, was the only one that was properly put out on a physical record. But I’m sure they must have recorded some more on that same recording session. It has to be that way. And I would love to listen to any other songs by the band.

I find a blog called Tidskriften Pop Revisited. There is a mention of the band, more like a small review. They mention that the band could be the next Stevepops, that they are the typical Ceilidh band. Maybe they are right, but the truth is Ceilidh didn’t release ay records by them.

Then the Kristina venue page mentions them. I can’t recall, but I’m sure I’ve mentioned this Växjö classic venue on the blog before. In the about section the Cafe/Venue, writes about the bands that hailed from Växjö and played at their club in the 90s like Wagon, The Ark or Justine Ahead.

But after after searching and searching I’m going to have a break. The website Svensk Mediedatabas, which I assume is a database of records and the sort of Swedish artists, has another release listed other than the Kittenish appearance. There was a 1994 release called “Catchy Tunes” that seems to have been self-released by the band on cassette. There were three songs included in it, “Rain”, “Weekend” and “Summersong”.  Oh my! Would love to hear these songs someday. Anyone can hook me up with that?

Lastly I found another hit, on the Scandinavian Indie Mailing List of the 90s, as usual there is a list of addresses for fans to get in touch with bands. Justine Ahead appears among them, and here it confirms that they were based in Växjö. Also it adds a name, surely one from the band, Jorgen Westergren. What did he play in the band is of course the first question one asks?

As you can see, lots of blanks left to fill. Not much more to go on. I could find a Jorgen Westergren still in Växjö, but couldn’t find him connected to any music bands. Maybe it could be him, maybe not. Who knows. The truth is, I would love to listen to more songs by them. Would love to know who else was in the band. How many years were they active? Where in Sweden did the play gigs? Why no proper releases? Maybe some of my Swedish friends could help me out with this mystery?

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Listen
Justine Ahead – Popflower

Okay, so as you know by now all orders of Okama Flannel Boy debut 7″ have started shipping. But that’s not all. I’m very happy to announce that our 45th 7″ will coming out in a few months. Do you want more details?

Well, then you’ll have to wait until next week. I can give you some hints. It will have two songs. The band is formed by two people. They have released already a few records, and always in the same European label. The two members come from different countries. Have your guess.

So having said that, let’s see what we find on the web, what new music there is for you to enjoy this weekend.

Lost Ships: let’s start this review with the debut EP by Lost Ships from Portsmouth. The band which features Simon from the terrific band The Kites (who were interviewed in the blog), Ashley, Dev and Dave have titled this jingle jangly effort as “Best Laid Plans”, and indeed it is a good plan. The four songs on it are “Best Laid Plans”, “Rose Sings the Big Tunes”, “Half Life” and “Here’s What You Could Have Won”. All were recorded, mixed and mastered at Southsea Sound by Tim Greaves. Give them a listen, you won’t be disappointed!

Andrew Younker: the latest from the superb Mexican label Emma’s House Records is a 9 song album by Andrew Younker who I have never heard before. The album is also available on tape on Hidden Bay Records. But I’m more of a fan of CDs. Though make it fast, don’t be like me, as there are only 100 copies available. Right now only three of the songs are available to stream, “Turning Twenty”, “Oracle Girl” and “Nervous to Exist Around You”. All of them are golden.

The Muldoons: this new single by this Paisley band is truly brilliant! Where do they come from? The two songs “Lovely Things” and “Rub it In” are lovely and jangly, with all the right influences. They give me goosebumps! Oh these Scottish janglers, they always know how to do indiepop the right way. They do remind me quite a bit to Northern Portrait. And that’s a GOOD thing. Honestly, this is a winner. Please release it in physical format!

Massage: didn’t know Alex who used to be in the Pains of Being Pure at Heart had moved to Los Angeles. That there he had formed a band called Massage and that this month they were to release an album called “Oh Boy”. To promote it the band has uploaded “Lydia” to their Bandcamp which will be included in the record. It is great! Before that, in 2016 they recorded two songs, “Crying Out Loud” and “Under”, both highly recommendable. The band is formed by Alex, Andrew Romano, Gabi Ferrer, Michael Feliz and David Rager. Looking forward to getting the album when available!

Orchin: lastly this digital single by another Los Angeles band. “Hate” and “Talking Alone/Walking Alone” are very fine guitar pop songs, 80s new wave influenced, that sound classy and elegant. For some reason they bring to mind the Spanish band Sr. Chinarro to me. Maybe it is the way the vocalist sing. They are formed by Jeremy, Peyton, Nathan and Griffin. Top stuff!

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Sold only at their gigs and parties. That was the way the only proper release by Mondo Popless was distributed in the early 90s. How to find a copy these days? That is the question, though to be fair the two songs that appear on the 7″ are not that hard to find. I’ll explain why in a bit.

But say you attended their gig at the Portsmouth Polythecnic in 1991, you’d have a chance to buy a record directly from the band. And get two of their songs, “Last to Know” on the A side and “Canned Groove” on the B side. Perhaps you would have loved a sleeve for this 7″, but it seems there wasn’t one. A shame really as it seems the band had a good eye for design judging from the band’s logo on the B side label.

The 7″, released in 1991, on the band’s own label Totally Excellent (MOND 1) was the only release as far as I know by the band and the label. But as I mentioned earlier, these two songs are not that hard to find. They appeared on a compilation CD, in 1992, called “Kill the Flippers With Guitar” that was released by the legendary Japanese label Vinyl Japan (ASKCD9). Actually it wasn’t only released on CD, there is also a vinyl LP version of the compilation (ASKLP9).

This compilation had a cool illustration on the front cover done by the French illustrator Antoine Bernhart and incluced bands like The Revs, Joyriders, Lovejunk, Elmerhassel, Leatherface, The Hysterics and The Beyonds. Not exactly indiepop, right? But that’s how it was. Two songs each.

I find some mentions of the band on a Youtube channel called BoomhauerUK. There is one video where a user comments that one of the songs by Mondo Popless was included in an old skate video from 1993. Was it a TV commercial? or what is this person talking about? I would love to find out. Of course it is the song “Canned Groove” the one that is on this video.

Another mention I find about this band is on a book called Pop Club 1992 that was written by Mick Mercer. A short book of 100 pages on A4 size paper. On this book there are 53 black and white photos and 231 colour photos. Among these photos some belong to Mondo Popless. Would be interesting to get a copy of this book as there are other good bands I’m interested in like The Bedflowers, Thin Gypsy Thieves or Ludicrous Lollipops.

Then I find the photography website of Al Pulford, a UK based photographer. Here he has a gig list, I assume that he attended, where Mondo Popless is listed. It seems Al attended a Mondo Popless gig in Ipswich on April 24th, 1992, at the Caribean Centre. The bands that played that evening were Mondo Popless, Phobia and the Ludicrous Lollipops.

Sadly that’s all I have been able to find on the website. No band members names, nor where the band hailed from. I am waiting now for my copy of the Vinyl Japan compilation, hoping that maybe there some credits will be included and shed some light about this obscure early 90s band. Do you remember them?

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Listen
Mondo Popless – Canned Groove

Tomorrow I should be getting the Okama Flannel Boy inserts so on Friday I’ll start mailing every pre-order! I’m very very excited 🙂 That’s all I have in mind now! And of course when you receive the record, on the insert, you’ll notice that our next 7″ is announced there! What is it? I’ll announce it on the blog next week!

Now, onto some nice indiepop finds:

Bodega Sisters: I think this is the third time I mention this Swedish band on the blog. I’ve been following their music as it is one of the most interesting and enigmatic bands I’ve found in the past few months. Their latest song is called “Footnote/Static” and it has been included in a compilation called “Breakfast #3” released by Breakfast Records from the UK. Great stuff!

Coming Up Roses: a new dreampop band from Singapore that I found through the Facebook of Singapore’s one and only Vernon, the indiepop master. The band formed by Emily, Darius, Bruce and Lorenzo was formed in 2016 as a duo but last year they expanded into this full lineup. Now, in full force, they have recorded a few demo, being “Sky” truly lovely. Looking forward to their next recordings, see how they evolve.

Sky Faction: the Oakland/San Francisco band is back with two songs, “Cyber Lover” and “Farmer Joe’s”, and one starts to wonder how are they not much more known around. All of the songs on Bandcamp are terrific, very much influenced by the female led indiepop bands from the late 90s. Hoping these songs get a physical release soon!

The Catherines: I feel every time there is a new The Catherines song, which is quite often, I’m recommending them. The band makes my job easy when it comes to finding new music. And I’m not complaining, because normally their songs are great. Last week they released a new song on their Bandcamp, “I Was Struggling With Your Magic Biscuit Tin”. There is also an uncut version of the song that lasts 40 seconds more.

The Reds, Pinks & Purples: Glenn Donaldson has been in a few bands in San Francisco like Skygreen Leopards or the Art Museums. Under The Red, Pinks & Purples he has uploaded 7 demos to Bandcamp. They are lo-fi indeed, almost bare bones, but they are a wave of fresh air. What is nice though is that there will be some studio version of these songs sometime soon. Let’s keep an eye open.

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I was thinking about a Spanish band I used to love back in the day, in the mid 2000s. They were called Nobel and I really didn’t know much about them. I knew they were a girl group that made upbeat catchy pop music. That their songs were sweet, and you could probably categorize them as a tweepop band. I have one album and I had uploaded a video to Youtube. I can’t remember where I got it from. It was a live performance of the band at the 17th Pop Rock Villa in Bilbao where they are performing the song “Dónde Estará?“. I don’t remember having the rest of the gig on video. Just this song. But where did I get it from? I can’t remember!

The album I have is the one called “En el Corazón” that was released by the fine Spanish label Discos de Paseo (DP002) in 2005. The label doesn’t have any information about the band on their website. I wonder why. Maybe they sold out the CDs and there is no point for it? They do have information about their other bands. This album is a lovely sugar rush of popsongs. The opening track, “Menú Para Dos” was always a favourite of mine. Then there is “Sueño”, “En el Corazón”, “Un Nuevo Hogar”, “Levanta Tío”, “Esos Que Se Van”, “Dónde Estará?” and “El Mundo al Revés”. It is worth mentioning that “Levanta tío” is a cover version of “Wake Up!” by The Boo Radleys. There is a secret track at the end of the record, the cover of “Canción de los Electroduendes”, which is a song that was part of the 80s Spanish kids show “La Bola de Cristal”. The album was recorded in July 2004 at the Twobascos studios. It was mixed and mastered at Sweet Soul Music in March 2005.

This CD is listed on Discogs but doesn’t have much information about it. Aside from it, only two compilation appearances are also on this website. The first, a 2003 double CD called “Le Touriste Rebusca en el Desván de la Nueva Ola” where the band contributes the secret track from the album, “Canción de los Electroduendes”. This compilation was released by Ventilador Music (CDM 031) and included a bunch of classic bands from the period like Zola, Souvenir or Cola Jet Set, all of them covering songs from the 80s.

Then in 2005 they appear on a promo CD compilation called “Contamporánea – 10 Años Pop (Concurso Grupo Revelación)”. I believe all of the bands here were part of that year new band contest at the Contempopránea festival. We see some fantastic bands like Garzón, Verano en Lisboa, Tecnicolor and even our friend Zipper. Nobel appears on this record with the song “En el Corazón”.

That hasn’t really told me much about the band. So I am going to do some detective work on the web. As they were around in the WWW era I’m sure I will stumble upon some worthy details. The first hit for me is the website Pop Thing where there is a short interview with César Prieto, who runs Discos de Paseo, the label who released Nobel’s debut album. This article dates from 2005. There César mentions that Nobel was a band that was based in the Basque country, in Bilbao specifically. Is it the first Bilbao band to be featured on the blog? Perhaps. What I do know is that I would really love to visit this city in the near future!

Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the province of Biscay and in the Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the tenth largest city in Spain, with a population of 345,141 as of 2015. The Bilbao metropolitan area has roughly 1 million inhabitants, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in northern Spain. After its foundation in the early 14th century by Diego López V de Haro, head of the powerful Haro family, Bilbao was a commercial hub of the Basque Country that enjoyed significant importance in Green Spain. This was due to its port activity based on the export of iron extracted from the Biscayan quarries. Throughout the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, Bilbao experienced heavy industrialisation, making it the centre of the second-most industrialised region of Spain, behind Barcelona.[10][11] At the same time an extraordinary population explosion prompted the annexation of several adjacent municipalities. Nowadays, Bilbao is a vigorous service city that is experiencing an ongoing social, economic, and aesthetic revitalisation process, started by the iconic Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, and continued by infrastructure investments, such as the airport terminal, the rapid transit system, the tram line, the Alhóndiga, and the currently under development Abandoibarra and Zorrozaurre renewal projects. Bilbao is also home to football club Athletic Club de Bilbao, a significant symbol for Basque nationalism due to its promotion of Basque players and one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football history.

From this small article we also get to know that César used to do the Le Touriste fanzine, the same that had put out that compilation called “Le Touriste Rebusca en el Desván de la Nueva Ola” where Nobel also appeared. Was it the first time the band and César got in touch? Was it the seed for their working relationship? But most importantly I find out the names of the band members: Eriet, Iratxe, Noemi and Begoña.

Then I stumble upon an old Myspace. The band had a bunch of songs one could stream in the past, “Qué Tonta Soy!”, “En el Corazón”, “Contenta”, “Pequeña”, and “Comunicando”. Seeing some songs not on the album awakes my memory of some demo CDRs the band had released previously and that I use to listen a lot on MP3. I wonder why I didn’t try to get their CDRs or get in touch with the band. I used to do that quite a bit on Myspace back in the day, trying to get copies of these rare DIY CDRs.

Having said that, and because they are not listed on Discogs, I went to look for info about them. There is a blog called “Solo Maquetas” that has information about two of their demos, “Disciplina Inglesa” from 2001 and “Esos Que Se Van” from 2003. This blog though, says that the band weren’t exactly from Bilbao proper, but from a town that is part of the metropolitan area. A town called Portugalete. A town that celebrates the San Roque festivals. Well, I should like that, right? Also this town has the Vizcaya Bridge, a transporter bridge that was declared a World Heritage Site in 2006.

The first demo had five songs: “Menú Para Dos”, “Una Noche en Marrakech”, “Condena a Plazos”, “Acento Oriental” and “Carolina”.  “Carolina” being a cover version of Formula V. The second one just three songs, “Esos Que Se Van”, “Pensamientos de un Viaje” and “Dónde Estará”. The first demo has no information on the whereabouts it was recorded, but the second one was recorded by Alfredo Ledesma and Gorka Esczuriana at the Katxy Producciones studio in Logroño in June 2003.

The blog also offers a bunch of interesting bits and bobs about Nobel. The band formed in the year 2000 as a five-piece formed by Bego on vocals and guitars, Eriet on bass, Iratxe on vocals and guitar, Jose on drums and Noemi on vocals, handclaps and violin. They were part of the 24th anniversary party of the radio show Flor de Pasión, playing live at the Siroco venue in Madrid on March 24th, 2003. Their 2nd demo, “Esos Que Se Van”, would be voted 4th best demo on the Toxicosmos radio programme and 5th on the Disco Grande show in 2003. That same year they would play many festivals like NovaPop or Parrilla Rock and all around Spain. They are said to have recorded a cover version of Los Nikis. Which one was it?

After the release of the album “En el Corazón” the band lineup changed. Iratxe and Noemi continue in the band but Itsaxo joins to play bass and Larry on drums. With this lineup the band plays more concerts and festivals like the Easy Pop Weekend, PlastidePop, HegoPop, Anciles Directo and many Flor de Pasión parties and Contempopránea gigs. And here is the big piece of information that caught me by surprise. The band released a 2nd album in 2007! I had no clue about it. I guess it didn’t get much promotion or something? I don’t know. I never heard about it.

Their second album was called “Cada Momento es el Mejor” and was released in 2007 by Gasoil Records. I am going to have to find out more about it.

The Gasoil website has the CD still for sale at a very good price, 2.31 euros. I will order a copy of course! I wonder how these songs sound like, if similar to the first album or not. It is a much longer album it seems. At least there were more songs. 14 in total. The were: “Comunicando”, “Cada Momento es el Mejor”, “Pequeña”, “Siempre te Quise”, “Loca, Loca!”, “No Se”, “Tus Fantasías”, “Imaginación”, “Sábado”, “Así se Recompone”, “Si Tú Te Vas”, “Un Mundo Perfecto”, “Estoy Mejor Sin Ti” and an untitled hidden track. They had some release parties at the FNAC of Bilbao and Donosti.

I found an article about this last album on a blog called La Suerte del Perdedor. Here they review the record and compares the band to classic Spanish outfits like Los Fresones Rebeldes or the Undershakers. But they mention a promotional CD called “Vuelve” which I have no clue about.

I find some information about it on the website of El Planeta Amarillo, our friend Rafa Skam’s paper and online fanzine. Herehe mentions that this “Vuelve” CD single was released in 2007. It was self-released and was a preview of the album they were working on, “Cada Momento es el Mejor”. The CD included 4 songs, sadly Rafa doesn’t specify which songs, but he does say that one of them is a cover version of Vainica Doble’s “Habaneras del Primer Amor”.

El Planeta Amarillo also has a concert listed for Nobel, supporting Vacaciones and Naif at the Siroco venue in Madrid sometime in 2005. Then the same website has an interview with the band. Maybe I’ll learn more about them by reading it! Let’s see!

• The name has nothing to do with the Nobel prize. It is actually an acronym of the names of the band members, NOemi, BEgoña…
• When they played live they used to do, aside from the Boo Radleys and the Electroduendes ones, covers of “Canto en Inglés” by Los Nikis and “Si Tú Te Vas” by Los Flechazos
• There were no like-minded bands in Portugalete 🙁

This is not the only interview I was going to find. Another website, called La Furgoneta Azul, interviews them as well. What other details can we get from this one?

• They had played the NovaPop festival in Ceuta
• They had also played an acoustic set at the Jungla Sonora of Radio Euskadi

Lastly another blog called Euskal Musika has a 2013 interview, possibly the newest I’ve found on the web. Must be the last piece of news about Nobel on the web. This interview clears up a few doubts I had, and adds quite a lot of interesting information:

• The band has had a few drummers, Jose, Lander, Igor and Larry
• Nobel started writing songs in 1999 but the band properly started in 2001
• Itxaso has been involved in the folk band Eztauz, Larry has played drums in Playskull and is part of the percussion group Tarumba

As I said that was the last piece of news I could find about Nobel. I suppose the band is no more. Whatever happened to them? It feels they try to succeed for many years, in a small way of course. But for a reason or another their name sadly didn’t become a household name as other similar bands in Spain. Did the band members continue making music up to this day? Had they been in other bands? Are there are any other recordings? It would definitely be interesting to find out more. I loved their music back in the day and playing these songs again after so many years has been a lovely walk down memory lane. They were great!

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Listen
Nobel – Menú Para Dos

This past weekend another edition of Indietracks was celebrated in Ripley, Derbyshire. I didn’t attend. I think I’ve missed the last 3 or 4 years. I’m waiting for a lineup I would totally love to spend the amount of money to get me over to England. But it is true that this year lineup was much better than last years. So I wonder, those who went, how was it? What was your favourite gig? Was there any surprises? Any anecdotes? Would love to know your thoughts!

Let’s start the week with a few new finds.

Tape Waves: there’s a new lovely video of the band playing the song “Shimmer” at Ogimachi Park in Japan. I believe it comes from their Japan tour this year. The band has been released in that country by the label 2670 Records and I am guessing they organized this tour. I was lucky to see them once at NYC Popfest many years ago and meeting them briefly. So great that the Charleston, South Carolina, duo formed by Jarod and Kim are becoming “big in Japan”.

Blanco: speaking of Japan, one of the great bands that are part of the Tokyo scene is Blanco. They just shared with me their two latest songs which are available on CD through their Bandcamp. They are “Isolated City” and “Paradise”. My favourite of the two is “Paradise” which is a weird, hard do grasp and classify, jangly upbeat track.

Gold Muse: just found these two songs by this Boston band that says is formed by members of Swirlies, Soccer Mom and Elephants. I get a lot of ads of Soccer Mom on my Facebook and that has made me doubtful, if I want to listen or not. But listening to these two songs have made me curious. Both “Flower” and “Sterling” are two lovely dreamy pop songs, but if I had to choose one, I’d go with “Sterling”, with its fragility and classy instrumentation.

L I P S: not that excited to write a band’s name with spaces. Feels odd to me. I’m old school perhaps. In the end it just ends up being an anecdote. Watching the video for the Falmouth, UK, latest song called “Apartment”. The chiming guitars, and the terrific female vocals make me want to listen to more of their songs. Well, you can on their Bandcamp. I found a much more shoegazer song called “Walls” and”Never Makes Sense”. All from 2018. How come they don’t play Indietracks? A question with no answer.

Dream Suicides: from Riverside, California, a song that sounds very lo-fi but with a charm that brings to mind the tapes from the late 80s. This one-man band formed by Daniel has a bunch of songs on their Bandcamp and this is the first time I’m listening to them. The first one, the heavily Field Mice influenced song “Slowly Dying in Love With You”, caught my attention instantly.

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There Goes Algy! is a band that is as obscure as it gets. The band is not listed on Discogs. How much information will I be able to find? Let’s see!

I knew about their existence from some Japanese blog. The blog didn’t have any worthy information about them, other than the band had released a song called “Miracle”. It did sound to me as a pre-1986 guitar pop song. But is my hunch right?

Not at all. According to Rateyourmusic, which does list the band and its one and only 7″, the song was released as an A side in 1988. As far as I know it was the only record released by the band, and it had another song on the B side, “Great Life”. Was it a self-release? It may have been. It does have a catalog number, CIRTGA001.

“Miracle” is available on Youtube. That’s how I managed to listen to it. The interesting bit happens in the comment section. The son/daughter of one of the members gets in touch with the uploader and mentions that his dad wrote, sang and played guitar on the song. There are even details of what sort of guitar was played, a 1967 Rickenbacker 450-12 string. This person, under the name Tallulah BB, gives some details about the band. That they formed in the mid 1980s and that they played for around 10 years with various different lineups. 3 years ago, so, 2015 or so, the band reformed. Wow.

After that exchange of messages, the drummer of the band also gets in touch. He is called Kevin Higerty and he gives details about the recording of the single. It was recorded in an 8 track studio in Merton, near London. He also mentions that the band played extensively around South London in 1987 and that there are live recordings of the band.

I’ve been to London many times, but never to Merton, so went to learn a bit about this place:
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in south-west London, England. The main commercial centres in Merton are Mitcham, Morden and Wimbledon, of which Wimbledon is the largest. Other smaller centres include Raynes Park, Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon, Wimbledon Park and Pollards Hill. The borough is the host of the Wimbledon tournament, one of tennis’s Grand Slam competitions. The borough derives its name from the historic parish of Merton which was centred on the area now known as South Wimbledon. Merton was chosen as an acceptable compromise, following a dispute between Wimbledon and Mitcham over the new borough’s name. The local authority is Merton London Borough Council.

Okay, I’ve passed by Wimbledon on the car when we went to Rochester I think. Never walked the streets of Merton, but I’ve seen it, kind of. I really need to go back to the UK. I miss it! It’s been years!

I start to wonder about the band’s name. It turns out Algy is actually a given name. Never heard it before. It also seems to be the nickname for those called Algernon?

I found a blog where Kevin Higerty (drums) seems to have made a comment, assuming it is the same Kevin. He talks about the ULU (University of London Union) gig were Flux played on November 11th, 1986. I believe he was playing drums that night for the band. There were 3 drummers playing, he played the tom toms standing up.

I can’t find the names of the other band members. I can’t find anything else about them. The web is silent about this band. I have no clue how many copies of the record were made. Where exactly in London where they based. How many where they? Why the name? Were they involved in any other bands? Anyone remembers them?

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Listen
There Goes Algy! – Miracle

Ending this week with the good news that the Okama Flannel Boy 7″s have arrived home. It will be released on August 10th and as you know you can already pre-order copies. I’m just waiting for the inserts to arrive and as soon as they do I will start shipping to everyone that has placed an order.

Speaking of Okama Flannel Boy I should tell you that I got the chance to see them live in Mexico City at the “Cloudberry Night” that happened just about a week ago. It was really great. I was amazed by how good they were. They played a short set, with three original songs and three covers. Then they played once again “Carolina St.” as an encore. It was their 3rd gig and they were in top form. I really wish everyone can catch them live because they are superb!

That was my indiepop highlight in the trip. But it wasn’t all. The party had a great selection of music played by DJ Salvapop, who brought his records and made us enjoy songs by bands like The Desert Wolves, Bob and more. Classic c86! And meeting so many great people was also fantastic, making new friends, and even getting a CD by an obscure Mexican early 2000s band called Los Padrinos that sounded really good. Oh! Also got the new Auuuu! fanzine. So yeah, quite good for indiepop, it wasn’t just touristy stuff this time.

And here of course are my new discoveries:

Jetstream Pony: what a lovely video for the terrific song “Self-Destruct reality” that is included in the 12″ released (and now sold out I think) by Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten. I can’t wait to get my copy on the mail!

Gingerlys: one of the best indiepop bands in New York is releasing a split tape with Nausea from Indonesia. One of the songs that will be included in this tape released by Shiny Happy Records will be “Corduroy Star” which you can listen and fall for it as I just did!

Nausea: and here is a song by the other band on this split tape. Nausea doesn’t have the best of names I must say but their song “Sun For You” is tops. It is a terrific jangly track with female vocals. Don’t know much about the band, but they hail from Indonesia, just like their label Shiny Happy Records.

Gentle Ivanhoe Death Skulls: there is more songs I haven’t heard on the Shiny Happy Records Soundcloud, so I thought it was a good idea to share them with you as maybe you also missed them? This one is called “Break the Spell, Easy as Hell”. It is a song that will be part of the album “Weightless Knight”. I wish there was a bit more of a description on the page, some details about the band perhaps?:

Alpaca Sports: here is another teaser by our Gothenburg friends. This one is called “Feel Like Going Home” and what can I tell you aside that it is lovely as always. The album “From Paris With Love” is going to be released on September 7th. But it feels so far away, especially as we see the artwork and the record itself in the teaser video. Why does Elefant do this? If it is ready, why not just let me get a copy?

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I am very excited about the German guitar pop compilation Firestation is preparing for next year. When they announced this news on Facebook many fans recommended some bands from the period that should be included like The Sheets, The Jesterbells and more. Familiar names to me. But there were a few that I have never heard before so I decided to do some investigation. The first one was The Hyde Parkas, which was recommended by Ronny from the superb Augsburg label Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten.

So I’m checking them out on Discogs. It seems they only released 1 record while they were around. A 7″ with two songs and a few compilation tracks. It is no surprise though that Ronny recommended them, they also hailed from Augsburg and are categorized as a 1960s/Mod revival band. They later became The Parish Garden.

Their 7″ with the songs “I Confess” on the A side and “Going to Sydney” on the B side was released on AuBuMu Records (L 1/85) in 1985. This was a label based in that same city and who were active in the 80s and who have released a few records in the last decade. The record was mixed by Achim Zscheillea nd produced by B.B. Stonestein. The songs are credited to Dieter Geier and Harald Sianos.

The band had appeared the previous year, 1984, on the compilation “2000 Töne” that was also released by AuBuMu (NR 3). That is the first recording we know of the band. The song they contributed was called “Anyway”. I must say I don’t know any of the other bands on the record.

In 1985 the band contributed a couple of songs to the compilation “Two By Art – Special Introductory Issue”. On this tape compilation compiled by Thomas Wieland the band had “Seventeen” and “My Baby is Like Dynamite”. Two years later, and on the same label, the band had two songs, “Sometimes” and “On the Merseyside”, on the tape called “Two By Art 2” which I have actually mentioned on the blog in the past when I wrote about the Austrian band Fallout.

So I count now 7 released tracks. Did they record anything else?

The Augsburg Wiki might help answer that. The first interesting detail it mentions is that the band was formed by Walter Sianos on vocals, Harald “Harry” Sianos on guitar, Dieter “The Beater” Geier on guitar, Martin Stefaniak on bass, Andreas “Fant” Kroul on drums and Oliver Wolf on keyboards. It also mentions Martin “Matti” Glass as an ex-drummer. All of these members but Andreas Kroul were in a band called Kiesgroup and the Coconut Sprinter before being in The Hyde Parkas. I believe that first band was actually based in another town, in Thierhaupten. What an interesting name too, right? Under that name they played between 1982 and 1983.

It says that in 1985 the band was voted as the most popular Augsburg band according to the Neue Szene magazine. They played about 35 gigs and even traveled to Austria and Wales. It seems there were a lot of disputes about the sound and direction of the band and in the end Dieter Geier was to leave the band to start the Beatless. The rest of the band members continued playing together but they were to change their name to The Parish Garden. With the Parish Garden the band was to release a mini-album and an album and also a self-titled tape according to Discogs. I heard some of the songs on Youtube for The Parish Garden and they are not as poppy as The Hyde Parkas, so you know which ones I like the best, the poppy ones of course.

Then I was to stumble upon a Facebook page for the band! They are still going! It seems they continue playing different venues in Augsburg like Soho Stage, Kantine or Ballon Fabrik. I found two videos of them performing at Kantine from May 8th 2016, for the songs “Anyway” and “My Dog“.

It is also obvious, even though I am only mentioning at this point, that they took their name after Hyde Park, in London. That is the largest of four Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance of Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Park past the main entrance to Buckingham Palace. The park is divided by the Serpentine and the Long Water. The park was established by Henry VIII in 1536 when he took the land from Westminster Abbey and used it as a hunting ground. It opened to the public in 1637 and quickly became popular, particularly for May Day parades. Major improvements occurred in the early 18th century under the direction of Queen Caroline. Several duels took place in Hyde Park during this time, often involving members of the nobility. The Great Exhibition of 1851 was held in the park, for which The Crystal Palace, designed by Joseph Paxton, was erected. And they changed of course Park for Parkas, a parka being a type of coat with a hood, often lined with fur or faux fur. The Caribou Inuit invented this kind of garment, originally made from caribou or seal skin, for hunting and kayaking in the frigid Arctic. Some Inuit anoraks require regular coating with fish oil to retain their water resistance. The words anorak and parka have been used interchangeably, but they are somewhat different garments. Strictly speaking, an anorak is a waterproof, hooded, pull-over jacket without a front opening, and sometimes drawstrings at the waist and cuffs, and a parka is a hip-length cold-weather coat, typically stuffed with down or very warm synthetic fiber, and with a fur-lined hood.

I keep Googling, see if there are any other interesting bits about them. Sadly I can’t seem to find much about them, though it seems Hyde Park in Lithuanian is Hyde Parka. So I get a lot of results for Lithuanian travel sites for London.

At least we know they are still going, which means it should be easy for Firestation to get in touch and ask them to be part of their compilation, if they want. I would still love to find out more about the band, how were those gigs in Austria or Wales, if they had more recordings, and why the first drummer left, among other questions. Of course finding a copy of the 7″ would be brilliant too. So yes, my German friends, do you remember them?

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Listen
The Hyde Parkas – I Confess

Back from Mexico! But I have to say that I left this post ready before leaving on holidays. So, these are a bit of older finds, and I won’t tell you much about my trip this time around. Hopefully on the next post I will do!

Emma Russack & Lachlan Denton: I’m checking out the one song available to stream from their new album called “Keep on Trying”. It is called like the album. And I thought it is really nice. It reminded me a lot of Tracyanne & Danny who I saw just a few weeks ago here in New York. Maybe that’s the new way to make guitar pop. The new trend. I don’t mind if it is. I like it. This Melbourne duo’s album was released on CD on July 18th.

Perrogato: a lovely band from Chile and this is my first encounter with their brilliant music. It is a self-titled six-song EP that is just perfect indiepop in my book. That song “Ácido” should be hit anywhere and everywhere. I really don’t know much about them. I know they are formed by María José Calfín and Danko Diaz and they took their name from the animated series Catdog. The Ep was released digitally by Gemelo Parásito Records. I wish it was released in a physical format!

Felyno: guitar pop, very 80s, quite post-punk influenced, from a Peruvian band from the highest city in the world? It can’t be, you’d say. But it does seem like this band hails from the mining town of Cerro de Pasco, 4,380 m over the sea level. I discovered this band through the friends of Latin American Twee Facebook page, where they shared this video for the song “Lourdes”. They do remind me a bit of Motorama, right? Or am I totally out of it? I also believe they have filmed their video in their region, those mountains, that inhospitable landscape!

Beezewax: now a band from Oslo, Norway! Very international findings this week! This comes through the Sellout! Music label Bandcamp, who I suppose are promoting just the one song by this band. The song is called “Rainbows” and it is a rush of guitar pop which I enjoy thoroughly. I read on their Facebook page that they are an indie-rock band, so I’m not sure if I should go and listen to the rest of their songs! Maybe I’d be disappointed? I’m happy with this one!

All Ashore!: I so want this record! It is a split 7″ by All Ashore! and Thee Mightees. I will be honest, I haven’t heard The Mightees. But I love All Ashore!, and I love the song they contribute to the split 7″, “Perfect Popsong”. This record, released by Don’t Miss the Boat Records and Delicious Clam will be released on the 29th. I should place my order now! Definitely one of the bands you have to check out if you go to Indietracks!

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A couple of weeks ago I think, my friend Phil posted “The Golden Mermaid” video on Facebook. For the first time I was connecting the dots about this band. You see, a long time ago on an interview with Phil Suggars from The Candie Maids he mentioned them as a contemporary band to his. He had mentioned them and the 14 Iced Bears. I knew of the 14 Iced Bears of course, but the first band didn’t ring a bell. I knew the band called The Quentins, which I have featured on the blog. But not the Brighton band Ten Million Quentins. So it was the first time I was listening to their music, and also seeing them, how they looked like, and what was their style!

You can watch the video by clicking here. You’ll notice in the description that the song was actually a tribute to a long gone chip shop and cafe on Western Road in Hove. The band on the video featured Veronica Quentin, Bobby Quentin, Stephen Quentin, Janet Quentin, Rob Quentin and Mike Quentin. The video is the epitome of a C86 band for me. It looks so cool!

So after watching it again and again I thought it was necessary to go through the web, see what else there is, hopefully another song to listen?

Maybe not, but I did find a blog post by Mike, one of the members of the band. It seems he is now based in Prestwich, Manchester, left the south for the north. And back in December 2010 he posted about his old band on his blog “The Mithering Times“. From that post there are a bunch of important details:
– The band only lasted for around a year, between 1985 and 1986
– Mike was part of the people who booked bands at The Royal Escape Club on Brighton under the name The Big Twang
– He was friends with Dennis Wheatley who I have interviewed in the past about his band The Doris Day, a big favourite of mine!
– When there was a need to have a band supporting the many great bands they booked (eg. The Pastels, The Shop Assistants, The Wolfhounds), they had The Ten Million Quentins as the house band.

Then I figure out something else from my blog, from an interview with another Brighton band, Whirl: Rob Colley was in The Ten Million Quentins (named after Quentin “Norman” Cook. Aka Fat Boy Slim).

Great find! Especially knowing now where the band’s name come from. And that Rob had been in Whirl, and also in the 14 Iced Bears at some point according to Discogs. Other bands he had been in were Arthur, Fired Dept. and Zed J.

And then I keep searching on Google, but there is not much more. 3 pages of results for Ten Million Quentins. Can’t say if there were any recordings by the band. But would love very much to listen to more. Maybe there was a demo tape. In the meantime why not head to a mixcloud by Gordon Kaye where he celebrates The Sunshine Playroom, the weekly Wednesday club in Brighton that played some fantastic music. The Ten Million Quentins played at it a few times I believe! Does anyone else remember them?

EDIT: It seems that while I was away on holidays someone added their demo “Fat Funny And Seen it All” to Discogs. Thanks Uwe for pointing me out! It was released in 1986 and included four songs, “Stay As Sick As You Are”, “Other People’s Places”, “A Girl’s Name” and “He’s Not Smiling”.  Will I get a chance to listen to them one day? It seems at least one of their songs will be included in the forthcoming volume of the Sound of Leamington Spa series on Firestation.

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Listen
Ten Million Quentins – The Golden Mermaid

Last post for this week. And there won’t be any posts next week. Nor the following Monday. So probably until Wednesday May 25th there won’t be updates on the blog. I’m traveling to Mexico in a few hours. Happy holidays to me.

The Fizzybees: who are this sweet sounding band from Upstate New York? I have never heard them before! They have a new album on Bandcamp called “Hello World” and it sounds brilliant to my ears, honey to my ears. Maybe it is not an album, but a mini-album, all right. It only has 7 songs that in the end feel short, you are left hoping for more. The band is just a duo formed by Emily Bernier and Jeff Yaus and I hope this gets released properly somehow!

New Centre of the Universe, Vol. 3: Just found out about this compilation released by Geelong, Australia’s Anti Fade Records. It is now available to pre-order the vinyl LP version and a few of the songs on the record are streamable on Bandcamp. I’m recommending this record on the strength of the opening track, Parsnip’s “It Couldn’t Be True”. It is a terrific pop song.  The other two songs I’ve heard, Alien Nosejob’s “Maggie” and Traffik Island’s “Sky High” are not as good sadly. But there are 14 more songs that I haven’t heard that I hope are at the same level of Parnip’s song!

Blanco: I have recommended this Japanese band in the past because I’m a big fan of their music. I was able to get their latest CD EP a few months ago too, the one called “Wake With Moon Tide”. Well today I found out the band have released on Youtube a new song and a video. It is called “Paradise” and it should be their next single. I hope it is also released on CD!

Flower Box: now a band from Jacksonville, Florida. Six songs on their self-titled digital debut. Yes it is only digital so far, no records, but they do have t-shirts. The band is formed by Molli Shivers on vocals and guitar and Joseph Thigpen on drums. From the little blurb I learn that all of the songs were home recorded and everything was performed by the two members. Lovely sounding dreampop from down south. Let’s keep an eye on their next projects then.

Parque de Cometas: my last recommendation is a Mexican one. Of course, I’m going to Mexico. But sadly not to Tijuana the city this band hails from. There are two superb guitar pop songs on the band’s page, “Gente Violenta” and “Azoteas” which are also available on CD. This band is new to me so it is quite a surprise. They are formed by Andrés Corella on vocals and bass, Mitzi Licona on guitar and vocals, Rodolfo Hernandez on synths and Melissa Lunar on percussion and vocals.

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I’m focusing on obscure bands that have non-obscure names, right? If I just wrote about Hurt, today I will try to find out any details about the Swedish band Drug. These names wouldn’t cut it in thee times, would be impossible to google them! How have things changed!

I know very little about Drug though they did release two records on Ceilidh Productions in the 90s and appeared on a few compilations. I will try to get some of these records in the near future, so far I’ve only listened to their music on what’s available on the web. Just spent quite a lot of money in new records last week. Need to be careful with my economy!

The first song I heard by them is the jangly “Wintertime”. I thought it was brilliant. It turns out it was an A side for a 7″ that was released in 1991 by the legendary Swedish label Ceilidh Productions. This 7″ had the catalog number CEI 019 and was recorded at The Forest studio in Sturefors. Been to Sweden more than a few times, but don’t think I’ve been to Sturefors. Where is that? Sturefors is a locality situated in Linköping Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 2,229 inhabitants in 2010. Ok, close to Linköping. That is good to know.

The B side for the record was “Daybreak” which is also a very nice song, though a bit moodier I’d say. The art for the mysterious sleeve was created by Anders Nylander while the photography on the back cover was taken by Peter Menzel. No mention where they took that enigmatic photograph of the front cover. We do get some credits though and that is great, maybe I’ll be able to track down the members at some point. We know that the band was formed by Claes Westling on vocals, organ and guitar, Anders Nylander on bass and vocals and Jan Elton on drums and vocals. There was some additional guitar on “Wintertime” thanks to Bo Häggqvist. The first song is credited to Westling/Ejeman who I’m not sure who is Ejeman at this point, while the B side is only credited to Clas Westling. This first record was engineered by Lars Jonsson.

It would take 5 years for the next proper release by the band. I’m not sure why it took so long. The album “The Quest of the Source of Sentimentality” was released in 1996 by Ceilidh Productions (CEI 038). It was released on CD and included 10 songs: “Unnerved”, “Tranquilizer”, “Sister”, “From March to May”, “The Birds”, “Shadow in My Heart”, “The Red Wind”, “Write Me a Sign”, “Bloodshed” and “Magic Rain”. Now the band had expanded and lost its first drummer. Claes Westling and Anders Nylander are still in the band but Lars Halvarsson is the new drummer. And they have added Per Ejeman as a guitarist. Okay, now I know who Ejeman, who co-wrote the beautiful “Wintertime” is.

For this record all of the songs were penned by Claes but “From March to May”, “Shadow in My Heart”, “The Red Wind” and “Magic Rain” were co-written with Anders. The artwork for the cover was a bit like the first record though not as enigmatic, now there is a farm photograph, in black and white. This cover is credited to Anders, Claes and M. Larsson. The photography on the booklet was taken by Anette Nantell. The album was recorded and mixed by Magnus Henriksson who had been involved in a band called Funny Gallery in the 90s too.

As I mentioned earlier, the band appeared on a few compilations. And here my whole idea of the band changes. So they weren’t just a 90s band. They had been going already in 1989. There are two compilation appearances dating from that year! Then, when did this band form?! On the compilation “Nordic Sounds Volume 2” that was released by Joker Records (JOKE 917) they had the song “Voice of the Blood” at the very end of this record. It is interesting, on this compilation I see The Wannadies, Happydeadmen and The Persuaders among others. The CD is promoted as having 18 Swedish underground hits. I found something anecdotic about this label. They were the first indie Swedish label to release a CD, and it was actually this one, this compilation. The label was based in Johanneshov and was active between 1984 and 1995.

That same year, on an LP compilation called “Bommen Bandstand Vol.1” that was released by Public Road Records (PR 388), the band contributed the song “Candle”. I notice here on the credits that perhaps during these first years of the band they had a different lineup. Claes and Anders are still, I suppose they were the core of the band, Jan was drumming, just like the first record, but Johan Linde played guitar and there were female vocals thanks to Pia Rahmberg.

Then in 1997 they appear on the compilation “Ceilidh 039 Singles & Vinyls” that was released by Ceilidh on CD. I believe I mentioned this compilation before on the blog when I wrote about Dream. Drug appears with their classic “Wintertime”. This was more of a celebration of previous releases of the label than bands promoting their music. So I wonder if the band was still going in 1997.

Discogs lists two more compilations, but I’m 100% sure they are wrong. They must be a different band with the same name, Drug.

The label Ceilidh has information about many Swedish bands from the period. I’ve consulted it in the past. So why not check out again. I think it is my best bet. There is not much information. No biography. Just the different lineups. We know them, but not the first one. The first lineup from 1989 has Claes, Anders, Jan and Tor Sigvardsson on keyboards.

I couldn’t find any other bands, on Discogs, that Anders might have been involved but I do find that Claes Westling had been in one called The Supreme Court that released a 7″ in 1985. The record is catalogued as a post-punk record. It is interesting that on this same record we see that Per Ejemann played guitar and vocals. And they both co-wrote the songs. So perhaps “Wintertime” was a song from this period?

But there is also another good website: Popfakta. In it I can find other bands the Drug members were involved with. For example I could find that Anders Nylander had been in a band called Baden Baden during the 80s and in Maydream in the late 90s.

Then possibly a very good piece of information. I stumble on Rateyourmusic with the place the band was from, Vadstena. Never heard about this place either. Vadstena (Swedish pronunciation: [²vasːˌteːna]) is a locality and the seat of Vadstena Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden, with 5,613 inhabitants in 2010.[1] From 1974 to 1979 Vadstena was administered as part of Motala Municipality. Despite its small population, Vadstena is, for historical reasons, still referred to as a city: though it received its city privileges in 1400), Statistics Sweden only counts as cities Swedish urban localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants. It is actually close to Linköping and Sturefors.

That’s quite some information I found. More than I thought I would. But still so many gaps that need to be filled. Hopefully my Swedish friends remember them!

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Listen
Drug – Wintertime

Enjoying the last few matches of the World Cup. It seems France will win it for the second time, right?

And then also preparing for my Mexico trip. I’ve got so many people asking for records and this is by far the time I will be bringing with me more records than ever than any of my previous trips! Exciting!

Pastel Dream: I love finding gorgeous indiepop, that’s why I keep doing this blog. So when I stumble upon a brilliant album like “Too Much Too Fast” by the Davis, California, band Pastel Dream, I know what I’m doing is the right thing. I believe the album is only available as a digital release so far. It is a shame. It deserves someone to release it properly. The band is formed by Caitlyn Whitfield, Carlos Pineda, Sara Forestieri, Branding Findling and Greta Soos. The album is a bit short, 9 songs, but I have no complains, it is, as I said earlier, gorgeous.

J. Verben: the latest from the Spanish label Fikasound is this compilation of songs by J. Verben called “Recopilación” which is available in limited quantities on CD. There are 20 songs of bedroom pop, of all sort of qualities. There are terrific songs like “Sorda” or “Solo te Acuerdas de Mí en Campaña”, and other ones that are not my cup of tea. Well, there are 20 songs, and there is something for everyone in here.

The Hannah Barberas: more UK bands that don’t get invited to Indietracks. Here is a fun DIY pop band formed by Damien, Lucy, Doug and Matthew that have put up on Bandcamp their first 3 songs. All home recorded. “Our Girl is Gone”, “Now (Is Here At Last)” and “Red Sleeping Beauty”. This last one a fair attempt to McCarthy’s classic.

The Love-Birds: some fine guitar pop from this San Francisco four piece on vinyl LP and CD. Their album “In the Lovers Corner” is still available, though the limited Grass Green vinyl edition is by now sold out. The 11 song album is not available to stream. Just two of their songs are on Bandcamp, “Hit My Head” and “Kiss and Tell”, but I must say they are pretty good ones. Check them out!

Papaya: I think my friend Jalito recommended me this band while I was in Madrid, but only know I’m checking out their album “Corazón Abierto” on Bandcamp. It was released earlier this year, in February, on Jabalina, but I didn’t notice it! I feel I’ve been out of touch when it comes to this label. I used to pay more attention as they do have a pretty good catalog. Anyhow, there are 12 songs here, and it also happens this is the second album by this band. Where is the first one? I need to listen to that too. I need to catch up!

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Some precious jangle from this awfully obscure band is on today’s menu. This is as unknown as it gets. Which is a shame because the one song we know from them is a brilliant.

“Take My Breath” is the name of the song. Hurt is the name of the band. With that name it becomes almost impossible to google them. To find any information about them will require luck and lots of digging. I’m sure if the band had formed during this decade they’d chosen a different name, one easier to find. But, they formed sometime in the mid late 80s.

I can do an approximate date because of the release of a split 7″ in 1987 on Waterfall Records (WFL 3). That’s where “Take My Breath” appears, where it was released. Waterfall Records is a label I’m not familiar with. I see they released a 7″ by a band called Colour Me Pop in 1984 and later a 12″ by a band called The Insane Picnic in 1986. None of them ring a bell to me.

The split 7″ was shared with a band that I should feature sometime, the Little Red Schoolhouse. They contributed the song “Aged Bee” and were on the B side. Or to be more precise on the LRS side. Hurt appears on the H side. That’s how the label put it. There are some credits which are my first breakthrough. David Flamson played acoustic guitar and vocals, Dave Snell played bass, Ken Snell played electric guitar and Trev played drums. Were Dave and Ken brothers?

According to the sleeve this 7″ was also available as a 12″ but I haven’t seen the 12″ version of the record. The sleeve also mentions Jump Away fanzine. Was it a co-release between the fanzine and the label? Or was it all the same people behind it? I can’t say for sure. There are no compilation appearances listed for the band on Discogs.

So I’m hitting a wall. There’s not much more on the web about them. Where were they from? Most probably from the UK, from England. But what else can we find about them?

I am going to be lucky. There is a Facebook page called Ashington bands, past and present. I’m going to find a mention of Hurt there. Ashington, that is where St. James Infirmary were from too? I featured them on the blog in the past and tried to interview one of the band members, but sadly never got his answers back. Maybe he would have talked about Hurt? Who knows.

The post says that the band hailed from Ashington and Newbiggin. Never heard about Newbiggin, where was it?

Newbiggin-by-the-Sea is a small town in Northumberland, England, lying on the North Sea coast. Once an important port for shipping grain and a coal mining town, it is still a small fishing port making use of traditional coble boats. It is widely although mistakenly noted that the town was originally called ‘South Wallerick’, and renamed Newbiggin after the Danish invasion. However the document on which this is based refers to ‘Sanctum Walericium’, or St. Waleric. This was the name of the church at Alnmouth, which was at one time called Newbiggin. There is no connection with Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. Newbiggin derives from OE nīwe (new) + ME bigging (building, house), and this may refer to an extension of the early settlement and parish of Woodhorn.

The photo I used for the post was taken from that Facebook page, so thanks to them for that! It says that it was taken at Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington, North London. I suppose they went south, to London, to play some gigs? Maybe not.

I say that because there is another post about the band members, but about their previous band which was called Tuesday. Tuesday was formed by Ken Snell on guitar, Dave Flamson on vocals and guitar and Ian Clavering on bass. It originally started as a two piece (Flamson and Clavering) in 1984. It mentions that Trevor Cole was the drummer. It must be the same Trev as the one credited on the split 7″. It also says that Trev used to be in a band called Boldon Colliery. It seems that the band moved to London. They had played extensively around the north east until 1986, but afterwards Snell and Clamson continued Tuesday in London. At some point they changed their name to Hurt and went back to a revolving door of drummers and played extensively across London, the south east and the south west until splitting in 1991.

And again I hit a wall. No more information about them. I need to get the split 7″, but that is just the one song. I would love to hear more by them. Does anyone remember them?

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Listen
Hurt – Take My Breath