It'll Soon Be Over For Me

I've been making posters and flyers for Klubb K3 here in Malmö for a while, but the last club night is on Thursday next week. Bo, who runs it, has decided to give it up after three years - perhaps someone else at the university will pick up the torch? Who knows. This is the last flyer.

It seems I won't get much rest after the tour as there's this, and immediately on Tuesday when we get back Television Personalities are scheduled to play at Debaser. Wonder if they'll turn up? There are no advance tickets, so the venue is obviously not taking any chances!

When People Were Shorter and Lived Longer

So this is what all the secrecy's been about? These little blighters? Yes this is it. I did put a lot of work into doing them, and besides, they're gorgeous! What are they? 3" compilation cds of course, the luxury version of the Cloudberry thing. They're printed in two layers of bone-white watercolour paper and transparent tracing paper, stapled together and sealed with red strings of sewing thread. They hold eight fabulous POP songs, used completely without permission. You can see the tracklisting for yourself below, and as you can probably tell there's a new A Smile and a Ribbon song in there.

CLOUD 55 V/A - Unconscious Honeymoon

So what's the deal? They're not for sale, and I only made twenty copies anyway. But anyone who comes to see A Smile and a Ribbon play this week has the chance of getting one, as we're giving away at least one copy per show. Or you might also be a Virtual and/or Non-Virtual Friend, and been promised a copy already. See YOU soon, and the rest of you in a week.

I'm In Love With a Girl I'm Not Sure Exists

I recently ordered some records from Bart and his Library label and mailorder. Almost all the records listed are still available, and I was very pleased to finally acquire a copy of Pencil Tin's only album, released by Bus Stop in 1996. It's called A Gentle Hand to Guide You Along and followed the classic pop single that was "Poignant". This Australian band sounds a bit like The Cat's Miaow, as does all the bands Bart has been involved with, but it's less heavy on the reverb and more light on the touch. 12 songs are over and done with in just over twenty minutes, but you will already have pressed the repeat button so don't worry. Or perhaps you should. That's why Bart put around 40 tracks each on the Cat's Miaow compilations - a kind gesture that prevents you from just listening to same record over and over. Here, you'll be helpless! You'll probably play "Smile" here below about twenty times to start with. I had to listen to "Be With Me" about twenty times and I still wasn't sure it was not a cover. It sounds like it could have been one of the biggest hits of the 90s for another artist. Maybe it's just because I'd heard the Cat's Miaow version of it about forty times...

I also picked up the classy 10 Songs About Cars and Girls by Bart and Friends, which besides a great cover actually has TWELVE songs on it AND on the back of that a Cat's Miaow compilation called Live, Demos & Out-Takes with another 21 tracks! Another kind gesture. You may have noticed that a Bart & Friends song from this cd was in the sidebar a while ago.

Apart from Bart, Pencil Tin also had Bianca and Robert in its ranks. Robert is actually a proper Australian indiepop celebrity after doing time in both The Sugargliders and The Steinbecks. He's also recorded solo, like all real celebrities. As a final kind gesture Bart included Robert's full-length album with my order, as it 'sold about five copies when it came out' he said. It's very good actually, and now Bart has updated the Library site to say he'll include BOTH Robert Cooper and Pencil Tin for FREE with ALL orders above 40 Australian dollars! Now that's my kind of person.

CLOUD 54 Pencil Tin - Smile

Disco Deer

This is just wee update to alert you to a handful of things of note. First of all the reason there's been no club night this month and we have no more dates confirmed at the moment is that we're trying to find a new venue. In the meantime you can enjoy yourself with the monthly new mix on MySpace!

As you can see I've added a list of records from 2008 worth buying in the sidebar. This is so I won't have to post whenever there's a new essential record out (which is several times a week at the moment!) and I don't really have a lot else to say.

Also, Fire Escape Talking has posted both of the rare White Sisters singles. White Sisters was Borchardt's band prior to Honeybunch, and I think Ric and Paul where in on these as well.

There's good news from Marineville Records' Andy Parker. He's recently salvaged what remains of the label's back catalogue and will be selling decently priced new copies of the Anyways compilation amongst others. He mentioned he might create a new website, but he might also be selling here.

Summer Memories

Is what sparked Apple Orchard, if I've understood it correctly. Probably the only band ever to name themselves after a Bouquet song. They've never sounded very summery though, despite living in sunny California. And if so it's bound to be a summer shut in a small bedsit, which is where Ryan and Dale recorded their music. The lo-fi character has always shaped their sound.

But now, when I put on their first longplayer Half-Steps Toward Bright Skies (that should have come out over a year ago if you ask me) it's hardly the same band, or rather it is a band for the first time. Apple Orchard have never been brilliant musicians or recording artists, but it was the little peculiarities that made me love them. There's nothing askew about this album though, and don't get me wrong, this is of course a good thing. And the fact that when Ryan starts singing on opening track "Unfazed" I thought it sounded exactly like Trembling Blue Stars will probably make them proud. Apple Orchard aren't trying to be original, of course they want to sound like their favourite bands - we all do - but this is about Ryan's songs - and not everyone writes them quite like he does.

They've really developed the soundscapes. Just waiting around, trying to get the album released, probably left them plenty of time to work on the finish, the mixing and the mastering. It definitely sounds like a record that's been fussed over at least. Some of these songs have appeared elsewhere before, in other guises. I gave up trying to track down all the songs that have, because of the wealth of Apple Orchard material, but at least I think I've heard "Unfazed", "I Can't Feel Sorry" and "The Saddest, Perfect Ending" before. And of course "Midnight Stars and Kisses" is a re-recording of the b-side from their first single - the brilliant (and still available) "A Hiding Smile".

The new sound is also an effect of more prominent keyboards on most songs, which give the whole record a languid, warm feel not dissimilar to that on California Snow Story's record from last year. And the odd guitar jangle here and there is always appreciated, especially now that you can actually hear that Ryan owns a Rickenbacker! These new horizons of course leave me wanting to hear more of those old songs in high fidelity... But the fact that the album is made up mostly of new songs is a sign of integrity more than anything. Apple Orchard had some great upbeat tunes, like my old favourites "Don't Pretend" and "Bed & Breakfast"! Here, mid-tempo is the most we're treated to and my favourite on the record is "Dreaming (As the Summer Fades)". You'll find that below.

And naturally I should say that you can buy the album from Haymarket Recordings, their new self-run label and the reason for the record's long delay. Now maybe that compilation they had planned is up next?

CLOUD 53 Apple Orchard - Dreaming (As the Summer Fades)

Building Castles In the Shifting Sands

The new album from the Leaves is simply unbelievable! And it continues the tradition of interesting artwork with a brilliant art noveau sleeve. In fact, it's as good as their first album which is already a classic in my book. Treats and Treasures had some real stand-outs in "When I Close My Eyes", "The Summer's Gone" etc, and although nothing on Long Lost Friend reaches quite the same heights, the lows are nonexistent. On the whole, the music is a notch softer and leans more towards the jangle end of the folk rock spectrum, where the debut had a bit more of a garage punch and some psychedelic flourishes. I'm not kidding when I say this is the best janglepop since East Village and has as justified a claim to the Best Album of the Year So Far title as The Airfields' cd. There's more Rickenbacker and acoustic 12-string in these 36 minutes than what is officially healthy!

The record leads off with "Lighthouse" (that you can hear on MySpace) - an instant classic and one of David Beckey's finest compositions. Guitarist Jon Hunt (almost John Hunt's namesake!) has contributed the next one called "Summer Sunshine Girl" which made for a perfect soundtrack to a cuppa coffee in a sun-drenched backyard earlier today. Reading the songwriting credits is actually rather interesting as they're just vague enough. E.g. the backwards five-second intro "Emo Texan" is credited to Yekceb (read it backwards!). If you didn't know already, you'll learn that "In the Morning" is a Bee Gees cover. Given a beautiful treatment here with harmonies and banjo-style Rickenbacker picking. And I tracked down "You Can't Be Serious" as a 1966 b-side by British pop-sike group The Mirage. That's the one song that sticks out in the set, because of its raucous vocal - I'm guessing it's Keith Patterson singing... just because he plays such a mean-looking Burns Bison bass! "Wintertyme Joy" is the only psychedelic song this time around and can also be found on MySpace, along with the laidback title-track. "Make My Move" doesn't exactly suffer from having almost the same melody as "The Rollercoaster Ride" by Belle & Sebastian, and "Back to Me" has a very Felty guitar line (including a solo that even Lawrence ought to dig). The closing track "Bonfire In the Sand" connects with the heathen theme of the artwork, thanks to some freaky vocals and chuckling goblins.

That's almost all the tracks and they all deserve to be mentioned, honestly, because even the ones I left out are brilliant. More brilliant American pop is on If Things Were Perfect, in the shape of a rare Honeybunch flexi track.

Meat Lemonade

Friday was double fun as we had both The Orchids visiting Lund and Meat Whiplash's old Peel session on BBC6. Marc Riley's got a 'Peel By Request' feature on his Brain Surgery show, so I wrote in to request the 1985 session for which they recorded four tunes that never got released. The session was on the old Perfumed Garden blog, but the sound quality was very, very bad. So Riley played them all except for "Eat Me to the Core" (he didn't have enough time play all of them) and deserves a pat on the back for being perhaps the first Brit to pronounce my name correctly, and for doing some background research on the band. E.g. I didn't know they were supporting JAMC on their now legendary gig-turned-riot! You can listen to the show on the BBC iPlayer until next Friday. I recorded the songs from the stream, but if anyone managed to actually record it from radio please let me know.

The Orchids played to the, now usual, sparse crowd of drunk students at the Indigo student night in Lund. Two people in the crowd revealed completely new ways of listening to gentle Sarah pop! "So you wanted to dance, make a fool of yourself" indeed. The set was a bit more rocking than what I remember from seeing them before, or maybe it was just a bad influence from the people who thought they were watching Guns 'n' Roses! Still very touching though. But the encore felt slightly misplaced as the people cheering them back on had heard neither "Apologies" or "I've Got a Habit". Anyway, they did play both of them but the former didn't sound half as divine as at Indietracks and the latter was barely recogniseable.

Piano Overhead

You've almost forgotten about Keith Girdler, haven't you? At least I had. It's almost a year since his tragic passing now. Recently I heard an old song by his first band, Feverfew, and as it's the best one I've heard from them I thought I should share it with you. It's from an old compilation tape from 1990 called Mind the Gap. Because we all love Keith.

Because I need your love, even in the next world

CLOUD 52 Feverfew - Answered Prayer

Indelible Inedibles

Have you got it yet? Wake the President more than make up for the dodgy-looking covers of their first two singles with the new split-single! Well, it's really Aufgeladen und Bereit's sleeve design that does it. Backed with fellow Glaswegians The Kingfishers' take on Godard's "Make Me Sad", "You Can't Change That Boy" raises the bar for the band's studio accomplishments. Now produced by Paul Savage (The Delgados), they're closer to reaching their true potential than ever. They CAN sound even better though, so it'll be interesting to hear how the upcoming full-length turns out!

I'm Higher Than I'm Down

On a slightly more garage/northern soul news tangent, the second installment of I Smiled Yesterday is now up on Slumberland. Not one duff track and new heights are reached with Oscar & the Majestics' "Got to Have Your Lovin'".

The best folk-rock jangle in about forty years comes, as usual, out of Minneapolis, MN: "Lighthouse" by The Autumn Leaves promises heaven and earth about their new and third album Long Lost Friend. Hear it on MySpace, and check their photos for a cosy fifteen minutes of Rickenbacker-spotting. They're threatening to make the release party on Friday their concluding gig, so pitch in and buy copy of the album to convince them things are far from over! It's just back from the plant and is only available directly from the band so far.

I'd almost forgotten about The Draytones, last year's cracking ep Forever On, the frenzied tambourine of lead track "Keep On Loving Me" and the brilliant gig at King Tut's. It's all coming back now! Yes, that's them above and yes, they almost look to good to possess any talent whatsoever. But one spin of their first long player Up In My Head is enough to prove otherwise! It came out on Monday, preceded by the "Turn It Down" single last month. The single kicks the album off to a pounding mod/freakbeat start. "Summer's Arrived" with its languid organ and harmonies will likely get many plays as May turns into June. Uno, dos, tres, quatro counts "I Have to Go" in and a bass line that your feet will barely keep up with. My favourite is (quite predictably) the 12-string-laden "As High As I Can" that you can sample below, after which you can completely legally proceed to purchase the album from 1965 Records. If April continues like this you won't have a penny left for the rent when the landlord comes knocking! Well, Up In My Head might at least drown the knocking out.

CLOUD 51 The Draytones - As High As I Can

Rien pour les renards

Just returned from a brief sit-in at Jonathan's new pop night at Golden, which is called L'oiseau et le chien. They played some great stuff and I felt a bit bad to leave while Bad Dream Fancy Dress was sounding from the tiny speakers. A nice, unpretentious night, which is probably necessary when they have it every Wednesday. I also learned today that the cover of the Garlands ep was done by a friend of mine! It's out already, so if you haven't ordered your copy yet Cosy Den or Cloudberry will see to your needs promptly.

Today I also got Arthur and Martha's debut single in the mail. It's called "Autovia" and this 45 is out on their own label Happy Robots since a couple of weeks. Arthur is actually Adam from Saloon, and Martha is Alice from The Duloks and The Seven Inches; sometimes things can be a bit misleading. Good thing then, that the two sides are straight-ahead synthpop that won't have you bury your head in your hands in existential angst! "Autovia" is an instant hit, with it's persistent Kraftwerkian beat. The most impressive feature is Alice's voice though, which is suitably suave and classy. Support their humble cause here.

The debut album from Sweden's Action Biker is also out, as of today I think. It's called Hesperian Puisto and naturally it's released by Friendly Noise. I haven't got that yet but judging from her set at Rip It Up last year (the first we got to hear of her new material) it's going to be brilliant.

Another item you need to pick up as soon as possible is the split-7" with Wake the President and The Kingfishers, on German label Aufgeladen und Bereit. I just ordered it from Norman! WTP's contribution is called "You Can't Change That Boy" and I think I've increased its play-count on MySpace by at least fifteen (deliberately, that is).

You Took My Daydream Away

Need I say more? Probably that Brittle Stars' only album has finally been reissued! If you read my old blog you should be familiar with one of my favourite bands, who are re-uniting for a gig at Pop Mayhem! in Gainesville, FL in May. It's their 10th anniversary, so reason enough for Estelle to get a plane from Isreal. The reissue is on Ruined Potential and is available on three different-colour 10"s, with different sleeves as well. I got the one called 'Gregory go boom' in clear marbled vinyl! And I got a free split-7" as an extra treat, featuring Ola Porida and XOXO, Panda in a similarly exclusive package (maybe inspired by that Section 25 lp on Factory?). The 7" is probably more along the lines of the label's usual output, as they've also put out American Analog Set and Songs of Green Pheasant.

The bonus 7" was very warmly welcomed in fact, as the postage was ridiculous! It arrived super-fast though so maybe it was some sort of special delivery. You might be able to get the 10" from Tonevendor too, if they get more copies in. But they're only selling the blue version!. Or, in case you're not a vinyl fetischist, just hold on for the complete retrospective (i.e. also including the Garage Sale EP) on Clairecords, which is run by former BS members. Estelle now plays in a duo called Elephant Parade, and prior to joining BS she was in Crush 22 together with drummer Joshua. Their song "Wrap Around" is in the sidebar.

In other Clairecords news, the Tears Run Rings debut album Always, Sometimes, Seldom, Never is just out and it's truly brilliant. It's one of the best shoegaze records I've heard. The band includes members of Evening Lights and The Autocollants and first appeared on the scene last year with an ep on Swedish Lavender Recordings (split with Disaster Club Records in the US, to be exact).

EDIT: I just found Crush 22's Myspace page, from where you can download four of their demos!

How to Be Small

After Slumberland posted that fabulous unreleased Honeymoon Diary song on their blog, I have to let you hear their only released recording, as far as I know. It's called "Drive" and is from a compilation on Kittridge called Homemade Hits, Vol. 1 (the same comp that has the Honeybunch track I mention below). Honeymoon Diary was originally started by Jennifer and Leonard after Bella Vista split. The name is appropriate as they later got married! If "Baby" sounds like Bella Vista covering The Carousel while paying tribute to Black Tambourine, "Drive" has the more typical Bella Vista sound and is even clocks in at just over average Bella Vista song-length (about 60 seconds). I hope all this attention is enough encouragement to get some more songs out there!

CLOUD 50 Honeymoon Diary - Drive

Armstrong's Revenge

A Smile and a Ribbon have some new dates in the UK coming up! Might see you at one of these:

Wednesday May 7th

Sunny Inside presents

A SMILE AND A RIBBON + HOROWITZ + MJ HIBETT

The Bandstand, Stoke-On-Trent

Doors 8pm

Thursday May 8th

A Layer Of Chips presents

A SMILE AND A RIBBON + THE DEIRDRES + LARDPONY

Lee Rosy's Tea, Nottingham

Doors 8pm

£4 on the door

Friday May 9th

Twee As Fuck presents

A SMILE AND A RIBBON + THEORETICAL GIRL + IGUANA NIGHTS

The Buffalo Bar, London

Doors 9pm

Saturday May 10th

Popklubb presents

A SMILE AND A RIBBON

Retreat, Newcastle

Doors 8pm

Sunday May 11th

Music Is My Girlfriend presents

A SMILE AND A RIBBON + ALL MY FRIENDS

The Goat, Glasgow

Doors 8pm

Free entry

Drinking Soda To Make Music to Drink Soda to

The last thing we need right now probably is a song about autumn, but here is one anyway. Try to see it from the bright side, autumn couldn't be further away at this time of year! You might have heard "The Fall" already if you've been keeping up with Soda Fountain Rag's new tunes (as you should), that are continually uploaded to their profile on Norwegian radio's website. Even before they are released - such as this song and "Yesterday" that Skatterbrain wrote about a while ago. "Yesterday" is actually their best song so far, I think, and sounds closer to what seeing them live is like. You had an opportunity to see them in Copenhagen only yesterday (at the same venue were Amor de Dias debuted last month!), and they visited London for the first time recently too. That's farther than April Skies would have got them (the band Ragnhild and Anders were in before)!

The band's latest release is also their first proper cd longplayer: It's Rag Time on Irish label Yesboyicecream - the previous ones have all been cdrs. There are a few new songs on it which makes it worth buying, but as I said this song is not on it.

CLOUD 49 Soda Fountain Rag - The Fall

Honey For the Prince

- She's retarded, your majesty. Definitely what you'd call retarded.

Tell Me My World Is Pink, Not Blue

STOP! Don't read any further. Not until you've bought this beautiful artifact - the first ever single by The School. You can download "All I Wanna Do" from Elefant and both sides are playing on their MySpace.

This was meant to come out on Valentine's Day originally and that's why it's pink I guess (perhaps with "Valentine" on the a-side?). Hmm... didn't The Pipettes do a pink 7"? Who cares, it wasn't this good-looking and I'm even more obsessed with The School than I was with The Pipettes three years ago! You can't believe how satisfying it is to see All I Wanna Do printed below "A SIDE" on the label centered on this pink slab of vinyl. At least not until you've bought it.

After listening to the demo so many times over it's fantastic just to hear this new recording, done in London with Ian Catt behind the controls. Liz has been talking about how he claims to do "pop - not indie" and he's really given both songs a pure, timeless production that wouldn't be intimidated placed next to the Cookies 45s in your collection. And Liz's vocals are sweeter than ever. I only wish Let It Slip would be released tomorrow and not in another couple of months...

My Contribution to the Underhill Effect

I can't believe no one talks about Honeybunch anymore! Even their website is gone. And there are no pictures on the whole of the web, except from the blurred ones on Bus Stop's site. So I had to take one myself... and say something about them myself. Honeybunch was started by Jeffrey Borchardt (aka Underhill) before he became one third of The Velvet Crush - who never reached the same heights, I think. Claudia Gonson, later of The Magnetic Fields, played drums for them live.

Underhill's music seems to lack reference points completely, at least it must have done in 1989 when it was first released. Of course there are similarities to The Choo Choo Train (as the other two future members of Velvet Crush called themselves at the time), but the songs seem to tie into an even more timeless American tradition - going past Big Star to The Band even. And their unique sensibilities weren't matched again until groups like The Fairways (and later Pants Yell!) arrived. It would seem to me Brent Kenji owes a great deal to Honeybunch, both in his songwriting and his vocal style. Both bands have the same pristine sound and play with effortless skill, and they are both among my favourite groups ever.

However, where The Fairways have a much softer sound anchored in 60s jangle and soft rock, Honeybunch have a more garagey twang and a sort of wooden, less studio-clean sound (maybe a tinge of country rock there?). The songs are almost instantly recogniseable and very varied in pacing, structure and feel. The first time I heard "Always Someone Else's Shadow" I could swear I'd heard it somewhere else before!

But wait a minute, you say, hasn't that Summershine retrospective been sold out for years? Well, Spanish label Elefant issued it in Europe the following year (1997) and that's been in stock ever since. In fact, it can be had for a shocking 2€ from Elefant at the time of writing. Time Trials includes everything the band had released (on vinyl) at that point plus unreleased treasures (thus not the 2003 comeback ep on Bus Stop, which is again still available). The reason I write 'on vinyl' is because it sadly doesn't include the flexis "Crooked Mile" (one of their best recordings) and "Nothing But Trouble" (I haven't got that, so if someone does please share it), nor "Humble Dream" from the Heol cassette compilation. I think I do have the latter - the mp3 is labelled "You're Killing Me", but that title is not in their discography plus it sounds old and like it's been recorded from a cassette. Not in the Bus Stop discography either, are two newer songs "All That's Left of Me Is You" (a reworking of "Always Someone Else's Shadow" from the Homemade Hits, V.1 2004 comp) and "Everything to Everyone" (which I don't know where it comes from).

That's enough of the details and time to prove my seemingly daring claims are justified. Listen to "Candy Breath" from their second single and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about!

The sparkle in your eyes
still takes me by surprise
If it's nothing as you insist

it's still more than you realise

CLOUD 48 Honeybunch - Candy Breath

Let's Dissolve

I should thank Brogues for finding a Juniper 7" in a record store this weekend and telling me to buy it, even though he later found out he didn't own it himself! Had I seen it I would have bought it anyway, just because it's on A Turntable Friend. I've been doing some research about the band in the Indiepop List archives and this is what I've found out so far. The band was started by a Jennifer Taylor in Washington DC in the mid-90s. They released three singles in 1996 and 1997, the other two on Fantastic and Orange Peel. The band plus Mike from The Ropers (Jennifer's boyfriend) undertook a tour across the continent, using only List contacts, with the intention of staying in LA permanently. Some of the members moved back soon though, and Jennifer, Mike and Doug formed Mondo Crescendo instead. Their music is reminiscent of The Aislers Set and The Ropers. They've also been compared to Poastal, but I haven't heard them myself. Both sides of the 7" are great, as is usually the case with ATF releases! Here's the b-side.

CLOUD 47 Juniper - Anna Thema

Green Things Have Entered My Skin, Gladys

Saturday was amazing, and having both Don't Die On My Doorstep and So Tough! So Cute! on the same day turned out to be more of a blessing than a curse. If you want to check what me and Brogues played, the playlist is now up on MySpace along with some photos from Metro. And six new hits on the player, of course!

I should also say that my flash mixtape is up and playing on Jessel's page, with the info on the songs in a blog post. My tape is called Get That Haircut Off Your Head! and will probably be playing for a couple of weeks. However, you'll need to check my post below for the tape cover, or if you want to hear the songs in the intended order.

Will be back soon with a date for our April night and our next guest dj! Don't forget to see Soda Fountain Rag if you're around Copenhagen this weekend.

He Didn't Even Have a Great Haircut

I've been listening more to The Brilliant Corners, after putting "Everything I Ever Wanted" on the tape below. You'd think there must be something peculiar about a pop band that take their name from a Thelonious Monk song (the name would have been more suitable for their later splinter group The Experimental Pop Band), and in fact 'peculiar' and 'awkward' are really the two words that best describe their music. They even turn up in the lyrics now and then. The lyrics, yes, they're probably the most interesting thing about the songs. Davey Woodward, though not exactly a poet as he says in the note above (from the Everything I Ever Wanted lp), was well on his way to becoming a notable lyricist already at that early stage. The music was initially heavily influenced by The Velvet Undergound (apart from their very first rockabilly-style singles), especially on Growing Up Absurd the song here is from. The following ep, The Fruit Machine, approached the trumpet-backed sound of The June Brides and is perhaps the best example of the bouncing, uptempo tunes that was their speciality. But "Mary", a slow and forlorn tale about sexual insecurity, is a big exception. A beatiful song about another awkward subject matter. The only time Woodward ever mentions love in an uncomplicated or poetic sense is in the very last lines of "Meet Me On Tuesdays" - otherwise a blistering potential floor-filler: "Meet me on Tuesday at eight o'clock, I'll be worried in case you don't turn up. And if I hesitate be kind, cause in the darkest night I know the sun shines."

CLOUD 46 The Brilliant Corners - Mary

How to Succeed... At Murder

- Now young lady, you're going to talk!

The Hairstyle That Looked Like a Hat

Every respectable catalogue numbering system needs to have something special at #45, especially record labels - Matinée are examplary here. So here's a mixtape I just made for Jessel Baltazar's series What's On YOUR Tape. He's been making mixes on his own for quite a while but only just started inviting friends to do tapes as well. Number 002, called Untitled Monday, is up and running here now, compiled by Ryan Marquez of Apple Orchard, Sodajerk, The Haircuts etc. It's great!

Mine's called Get That Haircut Off Your Head! and as I'm used to simply making mixes from mp3s on my computer these days, I decided to go back to my records and pick the ones I'm most proud of owning. The reason is also that Jessel asked me to take a photograph of all the records the songs are from, so I basically had to! For the nosy types, it would be interesting to double-check this with the list of my 60 favourite songs on my old blog, to find out how many of those I actually own... This compilation comes with a full rundown of all the songs and why I chose them, I'll let you know when that's up at Jessel's.

CLOUD 45 V/A - Get That Haircut Off Your Head!

EDIT:
My writings about the songs are now up here, along with a picture of all the records I used. You can also listen to the tape on Jessel's main profile page, but the song order is randomised there, so you won't hear the songs in the correct order.

A Sense of History

- Two Robin Hoods - that will hardly do!

Lips That Taste of Tears Are the Best For Kisses

The band Veronica Lake is not completely unrelated to The First Division, mentioned in the previous post, as one of Joe's other music-making partners sings on a few Veronica Lake songs. Her name is Pam Berry, and actually Chip Porter even played in her band Belmondo for a while. He also wrote the two songs that appeared on the K Records seven-inch.

The first Veronica Lake record was a single (not an ep!) on Bus Stop in 1992 called The Man Who Was Not With It EP. It was quite lo-fi and very sparse. Two more singles followed the next year, on spinART and Audrey's Diary. But apart from a bunch of tracks on compilations and split-singles that was it, sadly enough. My favourite is still "Threnody", the a-side of their last single, which ís a duet with Pam and has a lovely production. Working Holiday was an old singles club on American label Simple Machines. Twelve split-singles were released monthly in 1993 -the May instalment featuring Bratmobile (with a track later included on the album Pottymouth) and Veronica Lake's "Saints Above". It's a fantastic tune with a crazy warbling synthesizer and Pam Berry in the background. All the singles in the series was later compiled on a cd, called Working Holiday as well.

CLOUD 44 Veronica Lake - Saints Above

I Was Working With Decimals, You Were Conjugating

Playing The First Division on the radio, I realised I never wrote anything much about their ep when it came out in January. So to make amends, but also because I haven't seen anyone else mention it apart from their best friends, I'll take it upon myself to make you regret not having bought it before it sold out. I can't imagine those three songs being re-released anywhere else, like some Cloudberry stuff has been. There's still a chance to pick up Joe Brooker's Arc Lamps ep, at least!

As The First Division, he's joined by twee compatriot Tim Hopkins of Visitors fame. Comparing the ep with the Arc Lamps' release (which is difficult to avoid) these three songs are very much about London - an essay On the City if you will - whereas the songs on the other ep are more about countryside life and experiences. It's also the one that sounds more like The Pines (Joe + Pam Berry), or rather it's got the Mike Jones sound all over it. Much more acoustic, the jangly texture gets a welcome contrast from Tim's now quite coarse voice (he's not sixteen anymore, after all). It works very well together I think, so they both have every reason to be proud of the recordings. You can download "Downriver" from Cloudberry's site, but actually the other two songs are even better. Lyrically, this ep also has more to offer and both the title-track and the "Oil Fires" are brimful of poignant lines. As you can buy it anymore, here's one for the unlucky.

CLOUD 43 The First Division - Oil Fires

You Ain't Been Nowhere 'til You've Been In

This is the new flyer I made for Klubb K3 - the poster looks different but I won't bother you with it. Sitting on the ledge is Britain's very own Gillian Hills. Born in Cairo and most well-known as a yé-ýe singer. She first became famous after the hastily banned film Beat Girl and appeared in several others after that, perhaps most notably Antonioni's Blow Up. She recorded a heap of material in French and eventually became more popular across the English channel. None of it matched the unbelievable quality of her sole English single though: "Tomorow Is Another Day" with "Look At Them" on the b-side.

Yesterday I went to Lund to participate in the Tandem Pop radio show on student radio station Radio AF. I was one of the presenters 2004-2006, ie before I went to Glasgow. I don't intend to continue broadcasting cause I don't have the time but I've managed to recruite some friends to keep it going. Kalle is the only one who remains from my day and he was actually involved a long time before me - it's quite an old show really. I heard recently that Johan Angergård (Labrador Records, Club 8, The Legends etc.) was once involved too. Anyway, it was only me, Anna and Marcus last night. We managed quite well and it was good fun trying to remember how to work the mixers and stuff - resulting in a few technical errors, but I don't suppose anyone listened anyway. That's because of their new stupid broadcasting hours: 11-12 pm. To make it more bearable they've turned it into party and down a few pints every Thursday. Well, this is what I played:

The Voluntary Butler Scheme - If You Only Knew How Hard I Try
Pocketbooks - Love Is the Stick You Throw
Wake the President - You Can't Change That Boy
The First Division - On the City
The Rainyard - Beneath the Skin
Tricycle - 54321 Here I Come

I recently helped Katja Ekman out with a little something she was writing about 'tweepunk'. A sort of "then and now" article of which the first part is now published on Digfi. It's in Swedish so you might not be able to read it; some good band recommendations though. The second part is about contemporary bands and should be up soon. I was quite surprised actually, when she sent me some questions as I've always thought of her as part of the indiepop generation that just preceded mine and thus ought be an authority for me. I used to see her at Young Alive and In Love when I was in school and didn't dare speak to anyone!

I'll be back soon with news about an A Smile and a Ribbon tour of the UK.

Dive For Your Memory

The Bridal Shop were excellent on Friday. Some pictures from the gig are here. Jimi and Gustaf from On Our Honeymoon were playing records before and after, which was fitting as Gustaf grew up in the same town as most of the members of Bridal Shop, although they now live in Stockholm. I'd been listening to The Go-Betweens quite a bit this week, so I was delighted to dance to "Love Goes On!" and "Right Here".

But the main subject of this post is to tell you about another record I got this week - the simply amazing ep from Swedish Strawberry Fair! It's Jenny Franzén's first proper release, five years on from her two cdrs Strawberry Fair and Empty Wallets and Greedy Companies. The sound has developed considerably since she first appeared and was involuntarily rounded up with other quite lo-fi groups to create the tweepop revival of 2003. She actually turned down an offer to play at the Mitt Nästa Liv festival, together with The Tidy Ups, Bearsuit, A Boy Named Thor, Javelins, Rocky Dennis (Jens Lekman), Dorotea etc.

New songs turned up on Myspace over a year ago - the title-track of the new ep as well as a cover of The Toys' "Attack!". Both showcased the influence of 60s pop and girlgroups, especially in her vocal style which is closer to The Shangri-Las than Heavenly. Last year she also appeared at the soon legendary Rip It Up festival backed by a band made up of the cream of Stockholm's pop scene. Now finally, "I Can't Do Anything" is released on cd together with three new songs, available from Johan Jacobsson's old label Alltid Hela Tiden (which means 'always all the time'). Every song, except for maybe "Kristoffer", is an instant hit combining lyrics that aim straight for the heart and vocals that could have made Phil Spector shed a tear with a clean and modern indiepop sound. Here's my favourite.

CLOUD 42 Strawberry Fair - Give Up

It Started With Squares

Tonight The Bridal Shop from Stockholm are playing at Blekingska Nationen in Lund, and everyone who has the possibility must go. As far as I know it's only their third gig or something! Still they've managed to visit London and release two amazing eps that are now both sold out. But don't worry, their first vinyl record will be out on Cloudberry in a matter of days - the "In Violation" 7". I wanted them to play at my club, and it was only a couple of months ago I found out it wasn't possible. But they're still playing in Lund, which isn't far away anyway - at least not geographically, mentally is a different matter.

Anyone who likes POP! (in the form of punk and northern soul that is) should check out the brand new I Smiled Yesterday podcast on Slumberland's site. I Smiled Yesterday is David and Andrew and they're keen on hearing your comments about their mix on Myspace. I've listened to it twice already and I can't wait for #2!

It would seem Foxyboy have finally got round to shipping out some more records (maybe Ara's moved back from Sweden?) - checking Poppolar's site there are lots of Foxyboy releases back in stock. Including The Foxgloves' Lives You Didn't Lead EP, which was impossible to find ANYWHERE when I was (desperately) searching for a copy! I just ordered the first (The Sounds of) Kaleidoscope ep and a Saturday People ep I didn't even know existed.

Another bunch of records turned up today. The one I was most eager to throw on the turntable was of course the new Atomic Beat 7": a split-single between The Pains of Being Pure At Heart and The Parallelograms - it doesn't get any cooler than that. The Pains just completed a tour of England and Iceland that I'm devastated I missed out on, and their side (called "Kurt Cobain's Cardigan") is surely the start of a very POBPAH year! Another classic pop song. I should probably feel more lucky about having caught The Parallograms live TWICE, but now it just seems like an integral part of my life. Where would have I been now, if I hadn't seen them? Probably in a sadder state anyhow. "1,2,3, Go!" and "Pop the Bubbles" are in fact the first two of their songs to see release and the wait has indeed been long! I've been pestering them about sending me demos since Indietracks... Apparently they've re-recorded things more than once, and "1,2,3, Go!" does sound a lot different than the demo I