Hiding In the Leaves of the Cd Jacket Sleeve

Cursive, how's that for an indiepop reference? Today I've been listening mostly to Pavement and right now I'm playing the new Horowitz single that will soon be out on a Cloudberry single near you. "How to Look Imploring" b/w "The Drunks Are Writing Punk Songs" - which is more than an easy way to get on the Tullycraft blog, in fact it's the very song Ian played me in May this year. As they're quite old, I can't quite hear the influence of Wowee Zowee era Pavement and Village Green Preservation Society era Kinks (the latter of which Ian made sure me and Pete fell asleep to last night) that Ian promises will be the secret recipe for a new Horowitz album. Anyway, both songs are immediate, well-crafted pop songs.

I was at a wedding party in Nottingham last night, but not just any wedding because The Deirdres were playing and MJ Hibbett. Some cheesy covers had been requested but they were interspersed with snappy originals. Heart-warming, since The Deirdres are only doing a handful more gigs before they part ways. And the fact that I ended up choosing the song for the first dance was funny. Naturally, it was "La La La Lisa" by Math & Physics Club! The highlights, apart from this, was the cheese and crackers, Hibbett calling the groom Nottingham's finest plastic communist, meeting lots of expected and unexpected friends and dancing intermittently with about three people to these songs (I suspect Marianthi wants to know what they were...).

Cut the Cake
The Flatmates - Happy All the Time
Sandy Wynns - I'll Give That to You
Comet Gain - Stay With Me Til Morning
Angela & the Fans - I Know You
The Carrots - Mr. Postman
The School - Valentine
The Track - Cry to Me
Belle & Sebastian - Belle & Sebastian
Summer's Children - Too Young to Marry
Antoinette - Thank You For Loving Me
Cub - I'm Your Angel
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - A Teenager In Love
The Manhattan Love Suicides - Never Far From You
Jesse Garon & the Desperadoes - You'll Never Be That Young Again
The Motorcycle Boy - Under the Bridge
The Castaway Stones - Lost and Found
The Magic Whispers - How Do You Do It?
BMX Bandits - I Wanna Fall In Love
Susan Coleman - The Age of the Wolf
Lindy Lane - Low Grades and High Fever
The Smittens - Half My Heart Beats
The Pooh Sticks - 1-2-3 Red Light
The Wedding Present - Once More
The Young Tradition - California Morning
The Byrds - Wait and See
The Go-Betweens - People Say
Yvonne Daniels - I Don't Wanna Get Away From Your Love
Yellow Balloon - Baby Baby It's You
The Orchids - Love Hit Me

The Sunday roast at The Golden Fleece today was pretty ace as well. And Pete B's driving skills came in handy again, as we were chasing (and catching) the EMA Skylink! The rest of A Smile and a Ribbon couldn't come to Nottingham, but I'm sure they would've wanted to. As did Pocketbooks, who were unfortunately shut in a London studio for the weekend, to record their upcoming album. Emma and Dan's calendar made it clear how important this pop racket is for them. As important as Pocketbooks ought to be for everyone - I mean, isn't your calendar spilling over with 'listen to Pocketbooks' reminders?

I was in London the day before, needless to say, and half of the reason why that was so great is private and will not be disclosed here, but the other half was that I was playing records at How Does It Feel to Be Loved. And it was also the first time I've been to a HDIF, in Brixton or central London. The Canterbury Arms seems easy to find on Google Maps, but I walked straight past it. Eventually I came back round and went up closer for a more thorough inspection. And indeed there was a piece of paper taped on the inside on the window with 'The Canterbury Arms' written by hand and an Ian Watson sitting by a table on the other side of the door. He proudly showed me this little poster outside the entrance to the back room where the disco is. How could anyone possibly miss that?

He feared that it would be a quiet night, but it turned out the Victoria line was not closed and quite a few friends turned up in the end. Those who didn't - you know who you are! I would say my little set went down rather well, but perhaps I should've played one or two more songs people recognised. I also forgot to do the I'm-only-the-guest-dj routine when people came up to request things like Jens Lekman. The playlist should be on myspace soon. I had a great time dancing to Ian's selections afterwards, got interviewed by a BBC employee (for Pennyblack Music alas), and I even got payed - imagine that. The next morning Dan & Emma shuffled off to the studio and I had toast to ESG, went down to Primrose Hill and managed to squeeze in a walk all the way to King's Cross and lunch in one of the dogdy restaurant in the street outside before missing my train and sneaking onto the next one to Nottingham. I'd forgotten that King's Cross and St Pancras are not the same station, so I would've missed it even if we hadn't been pressed for time!

Thanks to everyone for a great weekend. And what better way to round it off than to come home to a parcel containing the new Liechtenstein single? Apathy has been commercially unavailable for a long time, but you can buy it now. And the unique canvas bags are also good for carrying sleeping bags. I don't know about you, but I'm wearing my Liechtenstein badge tomorrow!