Not Unloved

Mother Knows Best

2012-02-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

Throwing Up wasn't the most promising name for a group but since they had a record on What's Your Rupture? I figured they might be worth a spin. 2 minutes and 12 seconds and two scorched ears later I was a convert. "Mother Knows Best" is an unholy explosion (I hesitate to say like...er...throwing up) of a song that could've been unbearable had it been bellowed gruffly by a bearded chap in his pants but isn't because it's sung in a perky playground style by a young lady with a pretty voice and dyed orange hair (<-- WARNING: Only click this link if you don't mind playful water spitting). This was posted on WYR?'s soundcloud page 4 months ago. Shame on me for not looking before now. They should play Glasgow with Divorce. That would be a riot!

Fluxing Up The Aesthetic! (CCA, Glasgow 03/03/2012)

2012-02-27T14:30:00.003-08:00

How great is that sleeve? It's not from a new Tenniscoats single but from the Mao Disney - Fluxing Up The Aesthetic compilation 12" on Creeping Bent/We Can Still Picnic. Excitingly, it marks the vinyl debut of Glasgow 2012's answer to Edinburgh 1981's The Delmontes, the very wonderful Aggi Doom. Had their contribution, "The Loving Kind", been released on 7" vinyl last year, it would most likely have been my favourite single of the year. As it is, it's just one great reason A) to buy the 12" and B) to be at the CCA this Saturday for the launch of Mao Disney where they're sure to play it. Full details for the launch (the top lineup also includes Davy Henderson's The Sexual Objects and the now with added heft Wake The President) can be found on the event's Facebook page.

(The other tracks from the record can heard on Creeping Bent's Soundcloud page.)

Another Sarah Records Story

2012-02-25T08:54:00.019-08:00

Did Not Chart recently wrote an excellent piece on his relationship with Sarah Records. It was an object lesson in blogging: it was personal, well thought-out and insightful. What follows is my version of the story mixed with a few pointed counter opinions on some of the bands who came in for criticism in his piece. Since I didn't read the music press (save for sneaking a peak at the Singles of the Week in the NME and Melody Maker in WH Smith each week), wasn't immersed in the fanzine culture of the time and, for most of the time, didn't know anyone else into Sarah, it won't have the same cultural context but it will be my story.

I came to Sarah Records comparatively late. Their catalogue was already more than 50 releases deep when Blueboy's fragile "Clearer" became my first purchase on the label. My personal folklore would have it that I rescued it rather than bought it as it came from the Rock department of Glasgow's dingy 23rd Precinct where I suspect it had been, by a fair distance, the softest record in their racks. I don't recall what attracted me to it but I can guess that it was the sleeve and the (wrong) assumption that the group was named after Orange Juice's incredible song. When I got home and put the stylus down on my dad's Pye Black Box - I didn't own a record player at the time - I immediately fell in love with its sparse, gentle but not folky sound. It was unlike anything I'd bought before. At that stage I was still flipping over the up-tempo jangling of The Trashcan Sinatras and The Wedding Present and R.E.M.'s enjoyably inscrutable first few records. At that time, as money was tight (some of the aforementioned R.E.M. lps were paid for using record tokens obtained through a Robinsons juice promotion) I would keep a note of the records I loved most that John Peel played on his radio show with a view to buying them when I finally had some spare money. Sometimes, though by no means always, I also noted the label and I started noticing the name Sarah Records' name cropping up semi-regularly. I went back to 23rd Precinct a while later to see if they had any more Sarah records. They did. They had Brighter's "Half Hearted" but not being financially reckless it was few weeks before I actually stumped up the pennies for it. I loved it, too. It sounded extra-jangly on the Pye Black Box on which I would purposefully turn the bass knob down as far as it would go whilst doing the opposite to the treble knob.

In retrospect, I was possibly a bit dim. It didn't occur to me to go back and attempt to hoover up Sarah's earlier releases when they may still have been relatively cheap. This was partly because around the same time I'd bought Pavement's "Demolition Plot J-7" from Missing Records and had my head turned by American college rock and partly because buying records wasn't about accumulation, it was about brilliance. I only wanted to own amazing music. I remember being utterly bemused that friends would buy an lp because they liked just one song on it. That just didn't seem worthwhile to me. No, I only wanted incredible records, singles preferably. With their emphasis on the 7" single, I was ripe for Sarah. It didn't occur to me, either, that anyone would or could afford to buy everything on a given label. I really don't remember people doing that. Mind you, I only really knew 2 people who bought records in any great numbers and neither particularly liked Sarah.

In the run up to my 21st birthday I must've been wittering on about Sarah Records incessantly so my sister ordered me a bunch of back catalogue releases. Nearly 20 years on it's still one of the best birthday presents I have ever received. When I heard The Field Mice's "Missing The Moon" it seemed like the most incredible piece of music I'd ever heard. It still sounds that way:

That bit at 5min 36secs where the new guitar comes in and the pace quickens never fails to set my pulse racing. I'll still take "Missing The Moon" over all the Factory Records releases that no doubt inspired it.

By the time I was becoming devoted to Sarah Records Did Not Chart was moving on, discovering the myriad treats to be found in the output of The Bus Stop Label, Slumberland Records and Summershine Records. I had no room or money for them at that time, though. That came later. Listening back to the mid-period Sarah records, they stack up very well against the incredible early, more widely regarded releases (The Sea Urchins, 14 Iced Bears, The Orchids, The Springfields etc.). Over the years I've read lots of carping about Brighter, The Sweetest Ache and especially Secret Shine. I can only say that I loved all three. I never saw The Sweetest Ache as anaemic Field Mice imitators. Their "Heaven-Scented World" remains one of my favourite songs ever and one of the few b-sides I've come close to wearing out. The way the jumbled, disorientating intro gives way to the softest, prettiest male voice you ever heard still makes my heart soar. When it plays I can almost reconnect with the unsure, intimidated-by-life youngster I once was.

As for the oft-maligned Secret Shine, songs like "Loveblind", "Temporal" (from their debut album "Untouched") and "Liquid Indigo" still sound like vital, thrilling slices of pop whenever they grace my turntable. I say turntable but in reality I bought a lot of Sarah's records on cd-single. They always did them incredibly well. The two which I loved most were Northern Picture Library's "Paris/Last September's Farewell Kiss e.p." and Blueboy's "Johnny Rave". "Paris" was and is a potent - there's nothing remotely twee about those surging guitars - and profoundly moving song that ranks amongst Bob Wratten's finest and, in my opinion, features Annemari Davies's most heartbreaking vocal. Its opening few lines are still remarkably affecting:

What you want is a girlfriend
That's what I don't want to be
I've never really enjoyed it
Never been much good at it

When Sarah Records announced it was shutting up shop I was genuinely sad. Sure they hadn't changed the world, hadn't stormed the charts or made Bob Wratten a millionaire but they had been a huge part of my life. At the time I didn't feel that it had run its course. Did I like Shelley's "Reproduction Is Pollution" ? You bet I did. I always thought that the beat poetry of The Blue Aeroplanes was its direct antecedent and I dug that. The final single, Blueboy's "Dirty Mags", was brilliant - like a better version of the Britpop that had been ubiquitous at the time. I found it infinitely more enjoyable than Suede and Oasis and their ilk. That it was urgent and not nearly as breakable as their early records didn't matter a jot. I had just graduated from University and had precisely no money but I still made the trip to Bristol on August Bank Holiday Monday 1995 for a day for destroying things on board The Thekla. I'd never done anything remotely impulsive like that before. Being skint, I couldn't afford a hotel so from when the bands finished until the time of the first bus to London I walked the streets of Bristol, snatching a few minutes of sleep here and there whenever I happened upon a bench. I wasn't the only one. At various points in the night I'd spy a floppy fringe and a cherry red cherries t-shirt and we'd exchange a bashful, knowing glance (but no words). Sadly, I remember so little of the evening itself even though I reviewed it for a fanzine. If I can find the zine and it's not too embarrassing, I'll post what I wrote here as much to remind myself of what went on. Ironically, it's the moment of bliss I spent in the sunshine, after showering and eating in the YMCA, listening to Secret Shine run through Take That covers during their soundcheck as a balloon race soared slowly overhead that is the strongest musical memory I have of that day.

Looking back on it, one of the things that set Sarah apart was that it produced some great ephemera: all those wonderfully funny/furious typewritten newsletters and inserts, the 5" flexis, the absurdly yellow Le Jardin de Heavenly carrier bag with the bright red butterfly on it (which inexplicably used to wind up the Rock chaps at Uni) and, of course, the board game Saropoly. Then there were the letters from co-owner of Sarah Matt Haynes. I didn't get all that many of them but the ones I did receive were fabulous. There was one particularly hilarious one - I hope I still have it somewhere - which he wrote on the back of a glossy photo that he'd been sent by a light-entertainment hopeful who had hoped to get a slot on a Sarah Records bill. The chap claimed to be a "Singer and Entertainer" which, in typically skewed fashion, prompted Matt to wonder if that meant his singing wasn't entertaining. When I briefly flirted with releasing records, Wurlitzer Jukebox and Sarah were my primary influences.

In the final analysis, I'm glad I discovered Sarah when I did and I'm glad I stuck with them to the end. As a sensitive, easily-intimidated late teenager the fact there was something as intelligent, non-aggressive and committed to beauty as Sarah Records to cling onto was very welcome. One Bob Wratten-penned lyric in particular summed-up how I felt about life and it was a genuine comfort that someone felt similarly:

If the sun going down can make me cry why should I

why should I

why should I not like the way I am?

Huge thanks to Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes for their vision, hard work and impeccable taste. I just hope that the film and book that are currently in production are of a sufficiently high standard to do their contribution to culture justice for it's a story that deserves to be told well.

Flutter By Butterfly

2012-02-25T05:14:00.000-08:00

Giddy, uplifting and saucer-eyed with wonder, Flowchart's "Flutter By Butterfly" (Wurlitzer Jukebox) always felt like a kindergarten version of The Orb's genius "Little Fluffy Clouds". Over the course of two decades of music listening I can count on one hand the number of good records I've heard which feature children's voices. The Zombies' "Hung Up On A Dream" is, perhaps, the most obvious one and I've always had a soft spot for Nico's "Le Petit Chevalier" but, really, there aren't many. How "Flutter By Butterfly" manages to fall just the right side of sickly sweet is a mystery but it does. In recent times Girl Unit's alien anthem "Wut" pulled off a similar trick with its tampered vocals almost ludicrously stirring synths. It, too, was great.

Sterling Morrison, Corner 10th and First 1966

2012-02-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

Not only does Roy Montgomery's piece (I always feel a bit uncomfortable, pretentious even, using that word but in this case it feels appropriate) have a tremendous title, it is also has a unique, claustrophobic feel. There was a time in the 90s when it seemed like his stunning "Temple IV" (Kranky) album and the first Flying Saucer Attack lp were all I wanted to hear. Then, somehow, I almost completely forgot about him. Thankfully, one of my seemingly endless trawls through sales lists reminded me of his existence. I bought his split 7" with Loren Mazzacane Connors - "Sterling Morrison, Corner 10th and First 1966" is Montgomery's contribution - partly because it's brilliant and partly, if I'm being honest, to assuage my guilt at forgetting him.

The Pheromoans (Nice'n'Sleazy, 18/02/2012)

2012-02-19T13:18:00.005-08:00

Being a member of The Pheromoans is not without its hazards. Last night at Nice'n'Sleazy at least a couple of the six were shaking off the effects of their frenetic playing after each song - Repetitive Strain Injury is a real risk if you're a Pheromoan! Their set in support of Tyvek at The Captain's Rest was one of the live highlights of 2011 for me so they had a lot to live up to this time. Despite not now having the element of surprise, they didn't come close to disappointing. Their at times rickety, at times rollicking D.I.Y. pop may takes its cues fairly directly from the dishevelled pop poetry of The Fall and the flaky paint artiness of The Nightingales but you have to admire them for determinedly taking the more awkward road. I don't remember them having violin or keyboard last year - I'm certainly not renowned for being the most observant! - but their sound really benefited from them. I wish I could remember just a few of the cool snatches of lyrics that flew by. Maybe I'll take a notebook next time. According to RjW, their self-deprecating lead singer, in Leeds on Friday night they sold precisely no records. I can only assume that that was because all the astute kids in the audience had already devoured them. I bought two 7"s and an lp and can't wait to get familiar with them which is the least I can do after The Pheromoans braved musculoskeletal disorders to produce them.

Neo(n) Boys

2012-02-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

When I read last year that Grass Widow's "Milo Minute" 7" had a Neo Boys track on the flip, I cockily assumed that somebody had mis-typed Neon Boys. I now know it was no such thing, Neo Boys being a brilliant early-80s group from Portland, Oregon whose "Under Control" graced a very early Sub Pop cassette. (Isn't it great when a tiresome know-it-all gets gunked?) I wish I'd heard their music when Lung Leg were still plying their sparky, post-Raincoats brand of D.I.Y. punk and TDK D90s were still king. Just think of the tape segués I could've made! Naughtily, I opted for a cheap-ish grey area issue of their "Never Comes Down" single rather than one of the pricier Trap Records originals to be found on discogs. It is of course, wondrous.

Were someone to ask the question, I'd have to do some serious mulling-over to decide whether I liked Neo Boys or Neon Boys more. After all, the two Neon Boys tracks on Richard Hell's "Spurts" cd always sound like world beaters.

The Neon Boys - That's All I know (Right Now) from John Barry Bornstein on Vimeo.

Indie Label

2012-02-11T04:59:00.000-08:00

Popkiss! was fun last night. I wore a new shirt for the occasion and to prove just what a stereotype I am, the style was 'Indie'. Oh dear. Here's what I played. As ever, a strong representation from the mighty Slumberland .

Girls At Our Best Getting Nowhere Fast

Jo Stance Hey Girl (this was played by mistake. I actually intended to play a song with one more 'Hey' in the title!)

Los Bonsais Ultramrinos

The Delmontes Don't Cry Your Tears

The Concretes You Can't Hurry Love

Sea Lions A Cloud

Comet Gain You Can't Hide Your Love Forever

Bleached Searching Through The Past

Blondie Slow Motion

Kids On A Crime Spree Trumpets of Death

The Pastels Holy Moly

Mahogany Neo-plastic Boogie Woogie

Golden Wishful Thinking

Cudgels Joybang!

Obedient Wives Club This Is It

Big Troubles She Smiles For Pictures*

The Boo Radleys Does This Hurt?

Eux Autres My Love Will Not Bring You Down

Tracey Rogers Baby

Tracey Rogers' tough Mod stormer "Baby" sounded amazing. It appears on Bob Stanley's brilliant compilation of 60s UK beat girls which also includes a cracking Diano Dors track. Worth hearing, too, is The Sorrows' moody take on it.

* - Credit to Angela Popkiss for suggesting playing Big Troubles' song after the Obedient Wives Club song. I hadn't spotted the similarities.

Glasgow Popkiss!

2012-02-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

This Friday (10th February) I'll be foolin' around behind the (virtual) decks at Popkiss at Heavenly on Hope Street. Also guesting is the wonderfully named Biddles. Big thanks to Angela Popkiss for giving me the chance to share the tunes that cause the swoons. If I can find my copy, this Jarvis Cocker penned, Wiggs &Stanley produced bri-nylon dancepop classic will almost certainly get an airing:

Candy Jo Tyler "Mr. Tambourine Man"

2012-02-05T14:18:00.000-08:00

caUSE co-MOTION! made some of the best rattly pop of recent years. They also re-introduced the world to Candy Jo Tyler's extra-perky take on "Mr. Tambourine Man" via their essential podcast for Slumberland Records. It took a while, but I finally found a great condition copy*. I can only agree with everything Arno from the group said at the time:

A way upbeat version of "The Tambourine Man." Handclaps, xylophone, stops and starts, along with Candy’s low-range singing. It’s the most unexpected take on this song I’ve heard, and pretty great.

What sets it apart from a lot of the female voiced pop of the mid-60s is Candy's unique, slightly rough, Country-tinged voice. It's a whole lot less cute than, say, Marie Applebee's or Diane Renay's but it really works against the sugary backdrop of the music. Unfortunately, my copy arrived without the lovely generic Laurie Records sleeve. That was rectified, however, by a quick visit to 45-sleeves.com and a few dollars to a seller in the US. Happy days! Wouldn't it be nice to have another lovely SLR podcast to enjoy?

Hear it in all its glee club glory HERE (it's the first song)

* Unfortunately, it wasn't included on Ace Records' brilliant Laurie girl groups cd. If it had been I would've settled for having it on that.

New (to me) vintage D.I.Y. #1 : Happy Refugees

2012-02-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Refugees I can safely say would've have bypassed me totally were it not for the good work of Acute Records and boomkat saying the following in their review of the "Return To Last Chance Saloon" compilation:

"Happy Refugees are noted favourites of US revivalists Crystal Stilts and Girls Names"

I've not fully digested the record but initial impressions are good. "Hamburger Boy" rattles along with primitive beats, heads down but quiet guitars and fab, non-aggressively ranted lyrics.

"Garish colours hit me from the billboard
Feeding my greed. It's a setup!

Just one spin and you too will be lip-curling and sneering, "Please don't die on the sidewalk, it's so embarrassing!". "Last Chance Saloon" is astonishing, Its guitars all super-trebly and rusty Brillo pad abrasive. A less gothic take on The Birthday Party maybe? Having said 'less gothic', there are a fair few references to death throughout the lyrics. On the much sparser "Bury Me", however, there are a couple of lines of innocent yearning worthy of Dan Treacy at his "Someone To Share My Life With" best:

"I just need some who can make me smile
I just need someone who can make me cry"

"Screaming and Shouting", with its warmth and bar room piano, brings to mind Vic Godard and his Subway Sect. There are many touches which elevate Happy Refugees above a lot of their 80s peers. They must've sounded glorious on John Peel! Definitely one for the Swell Maps fans.

Sabrina Werl "Raindrops"

2012-02-04T07:10:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to The Old Hairdressers to see new film Death of the Mod Dream. It was an odd, unsettling, micro-budget, D.I.Y. affair which felt a bit like watching a VHS compliation of public access TV (anyone remember Laurie Pike's Channel 4 show Manhattan Cable and its cast of slightly worrying oddballs?) on fast forward. Afterwards, as I walked home eating chips from Dinos, this song from it looped in my head:

Sabrina's vocal is wonderful, its childlike blankness and the gauziness of the recording lending it an air of considerable sadness. The way she sings 'open road' in her beautiful Scottish accent is knee-bucklingly pretty. Musically, it's remarkably effective, too. Each glockenspiel tinkle is like a tiny crystal ball being shattered on a marble floor and the hazy, soft-psych guitars are just right. That it had me desperate to hear again the stunning Christine Wanless version of "In The Afternoon" by The Revolving Paint Dream - one of the high-points of Creation Records' output, for me - is one of the biggest compliments I can pay "Raindrops". It was worth enduring an hour and a half of bewilderment to hear such a lovely song.

Update: According to Billy Samson, director of the film, Sabrina is actually German. If that's the case, she's a German who does a Scottish accent extremely well!

Update 2: It transpires that Werl lived in Glasgow for a decade. That explains the Scottish touches to her accent. Phew, glad that's sorted!

He ain't The Boss of me

2012-02-04T04:12:00.000-08:00

For a while when I was at primary school, if you were made to look like a chump (it happened a lot to me) it was called being 'gunked' e.g. folks would derisively sneer, "Ha!...you're gunked!". For years I've told anyone who's asked that I don't understand the appeal of Bruce Springsteen's music. That I just don't enjoy all the straining, the bulging neck veins, the internal organ rupturing drums and the chunky muscularity of his ubiquitous 80s hits. When The Observer gave away a book of his lyrics it kicked around for a while unopened before being tossed in the recycling. Then, a couple of years back, I giddily played Chromatics' "I'm On Fire" down the phone to J thinking it was a spooky/creepy Chromatics original only to be put straight with a chuckle. Gunked! On a recent trip to London I picked up a copy of Eux Autres' "Broken Bows" (Where It's At Is Where You Are/Bon Mots) cd. From the first spin the track which made me sit up and really take notice was this*:

And, wouldn't you know it, it's another Springsteen cover. Gunked again! It's nice to have my opinions challenged but my antipathy for Springsteen's music has been so long-lasting that I didn't expect it to ever be called into question. This morning Janice Forsyth (whose show is shamefully facing the axe this summer) on Radio Scotland played Bruce's new single. I listened with keen ears, eager to hear what I've been missing all these years. And...nothing, No gunk this time. Sure, there were some pretty melodies in the mix, some nice guitar parts, some pretty glockenspiel etc. but as a whole it was stodgy and a bit sickly. Bruce's voice is a little more weather worn than I've heard it which takes the edge of his shoutiness but I still can't love it which is a shame as I'm sure he has interesting things to say. Maybe in a few years when I've forgotten all about it some Swedish girl group will tackle it for a b-side and I'll turn cartwheels for it and be gunked all over again.

* - The rest of the cd is smashing and the Springsteen cover is by no means the only reason to enjoy it.

PS This Springsteen song does have its Merritts.

Fanzines / This Scarlet Train

2012-01-29T17:07:00.000-08:00

What were you doing the night Princess Diana died? Me, I was on a transatlantic phonecall to Andrew Prinz of the ridiculously good Michigan group Mahogany. We were supposed to be doing a little interview for the Glasgow-based cut'n'paste fanzine Boa but ended up talking for hours about the breaking news. Those were the days before 24 hour terrestrial TV news in the UK so I was following it on Teletext. Andrew, of course, could follow proceedings on CNN. I hadn't thought about that night for years until an excerpt from the (giddy, breathless) interview showed up on a Japanese blog of all places. If I remember correctly, we didn't get the interview done so I had to phone back the next night which contributed to the single biggest quarterly phone-bill my folks had ever seen. Ouch!

Wind on 15 years and there's a far less giddy and breathless (guess I just got old!) Not Unloved piece in the 2nd issue of Great Shakes! zine. Great Shakes! is the handiwork of Calvin Halliday, drummer from Water Wolves, Glasgow's brilliant response to the whole Captured Tracks/Hozac axis of garage jangle.

Not Unloved's contribution is a paragraph or two on Falkirk, Scotland's almost entirely overlooked/forgotten This Scarlet Train:

The easiest way to get a copy is probably to email Calvin. I've yet to see inside a copy but the cover looks smashing. Big thanks to Calvin for giving me the opportunity to give some belated recognition to a group who made one great record a quarter of a century ago and then disappeared.

Feel Right "North West"

2012-01-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

Certain records need to be heard at the right volume to really shine. For instance, Feel Right's "North West" (Icecapades) probably has to be heard at skull/resistance crushing volume to fully reveal its brilliance. Luckily, that was the volume at which I first heard it (thanks G!) so I fell for its charms immediately. There's something glorious about hearing a couple of kids throwing themselves headlong into their songs. Hanging around is for losers! Feel Right is one of the few British* groups I've come across who can hold their own with the Hozac/In The Red groups in terms of prime clatter and you can hear in their approach to recording an affection for the Guided By Voices/early Sebadoh school of lo-fi melodic pop meets metal bin lid battery. According to the hand-numbering on my lp only 100 copies of the vinyl have been pressed so if your ears need a rub down with this particular scouring pad, best not dilly dally. As the group says on 'Show Him', TURN IT UP!

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://iiicecapades.bandcamp.com/track/growing-up"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Growing Up by FEEL RIGHT&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

(At the time of writing Soft Power Vinyl still has some copies )

* - They're from Manchester and consist of a member of the equally marvellous Former Bullies and the new to Not Unloved Waiters.

Birdie at Union Chapel, Islington (London) on 21/01/2012

2012-01-25T15:22:00.000-08:00

Islington's Union Chapel proved to be the perfect venue for Birdie's return to performing live with a swish new sound system and a sensitive soundman teaming up to produce a fittingly gentle, detailed sound that, thankfully, didn't rattle around in the old church. Playing as a 3 piece - Debsey on bass and vocals, Paul on guitar (including some devastatingly pretty 12-string) and Jon on drums - they worked their way from 'Port Sunlight' , the b-side to their classic first single, to the tear duct teasing 'Sidewalk' in around 20 or so minutes. Was it worth the 4 and a half hour train ride? You bet it was! Without doubt Debsey's voice is one of the most beautiful and affecting I've had the pleasure to hear. At one point it cracked just a little which prompted her, mid-song, to say, "Sorry for my voice". Now, if ever a singer did not need to apologise for their voice it's Debsey! A combination of the lunchtime daylight streaming through the stained glass windows and being sat in the second row of pews afforded me the chance to catch all the little looks and smiles shared between the group. The look on Debsey's face when she realised that she'd said a naughty word beginning with F in the House of The Lord was priceless. Afterwards J said that some of what they had played reminded her a little of Luna. It was an astute observation as without the keyboards and trumpets of the records it shared the hushed, simple elegance of that group's 'Bewitched' set. Big thanks to the team behind The Hangover Lounge for making such a special thing happen.

Here's some footage shot by my friend @stringbeanjen who was sat immediately to my right. We were pretty close to the PA so there's a little woolliness to the guitar but it captures more than a little of the loveliness of Debsey's vocals:

(...if life doesn't intervene to prevent it, I'll post some thoughts on the rest of the Lost Weekend in due course)

Los Bonsais "Ultramarinos"

2012-01-16T13:34:00.000-08:00

Musical diversity be damned! The third in Not Unloved's triptych of recently released fuzz-muddied guitar pop tunes comes courtesy of Elefant Records' Los Bonsais. If their single "Ultramarinos" is any guide, these Spaniards are a little less giddy and maybe add a little less sugar to their cooking than The Garlands and Obedient Wives Club. There's a pleasing base hum to "Ultramarinos" and it earns considerable plus points for repeating the least pretentious, least ostentatious guitar solo imaginable. Again, it may not be novel but it'll slake my thirst for fuzz for a wee while at least. I don't think I've enjoyed a record of Spanish origin this much since Aias's lp for Captured Tracks.

42/80 (Obedient Wives Club)

2012-01-15T13:04:00.000-08:00

It's easy to be critical. It's easy to bandy about words like 'derivative' or 'formulaic' and dismissively list all the groups who got there first when writing about new records by new groups. It's just as easy and much more fun, however, to relax and just let the music be thrilling and pretty. Singapore's Obedient Wives Club may be the latest in a long line of kids with Spector's Back To Mono box and a Shop Assistants by way of Black Tambourine fixation but their 4 track cd-r on Happy Teardrop is so dosed-up with fuzz, reverb and YinQi Lee's gorgeous vocals that it scarcely matters that they aren't in the business of innovation at this point in their development. "This Is It" is the track which caught my ear first and which I've played the most but, really, I've enjoyed all 4 tracks. The 3.5" cd-r + download is available from Soft Power Vinyl and the songs can be downloaded from the group's bandcamp page. Best be quick if you want the cd-r, though, as there are only 80 copies!

Obedient Wives Club - This Is It by happyteardropmusic

Birdie live in London!

2012-01-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

Not Unloved is up to high doh with the news that Debsey Wykes and Paul Kelly's soft as snow group Birdie is playing live for only the second time in a decade and at London's pretty Union Chapel, too. The time couldn't be more right for Birdie to return to the stage what with Paul's documentaries on Debsey's group Dolly Mixture and Lawrence Hayward from Felt finally hitting the big screens to richly deserved acclaim. We have the smart kids behind The Hangover Lounge to thank for making this happen. If you remember, a gorgeous Birdie song graced their second e.p. released last Record Store Day. Anyone in the same hemisphere is urged to be there. It's free, for goodness sake!

(I once bought a 15 7" bundle on ebay just to get "Spiral Staircase". It didn't even have the sleeve!)

Birdie take to the stage at 12:50 on Saturday, 21st January but before that Matinee's lovely Would-be-goods will be bringing their literate, pin-striped rebel songs to the Union Chapel. Best get there early, then!

(They may even play this if this video from a couple of years ago is any guide!)

The Garlands "You Never Notice Me" b/w "Continue"

2012-01-08T16:09:00.000-08:00

Today definitely had a pink tinge to it. First, the sky painted itself a breathtaking shade of pinkish purple then a record on Big Pink Cake Records won itself a sizeable place in my heart. Given a love of fuzzed-up girl-pop, The Garlands' "You Never Notice Me" was always going to find a happy home in my record box. "Continue" on the flip, however, makes it even more lovable. It goes on the sweetest rampage, all frenetic playing and snappy melody but with the most cooing backing vocals. Those backing vocals are so gentle; worthy of Laura Watling, even, It's the kind of song you want to play real loud so that it wraps itself around you as you spin in your living room. It's bigger sounding than you might expect, too. A wee bit of ambition and a little self-confidence is a good thing. Brilliant single!

The Sea-ders

2011-12-30T05:59:00.000-08:00

Prior to yesterday, the only thing which connected the words 'Lebanon' and 'music' for me was this single by The Human League. That was before Russell in Monorail played me the first 4 songs from a little cd anthology of 60s Lebanese group The Sea-ders because they "sound like The Kinks with traditional instruments". Now, a description like that was always gonna prick up my ears! I really liked the first 3 songs (out of 8) just fine but a minute into "I Don't Know Why" I knew that Russell had successfully teased open my wallet yet again:

I can imagine arch pop classicists like Ric Menck and Paul Chastain or The Sneetches being sent spinning by "I Don't Know Why". After stunning reissues by Sandhy and Mandhy and Index, it would appear that the folks behind Lion Productions have impeccable taste and an enviable knowledge of global pop's back pages. I'll be keeping an ear on what they're up to in 2012, for sure!

Update!
Not Unloved will always be a sucker for naive, romantic lyrics especially when they're paired with a simple, instantly memorable melody. Check out these delightful lyrics from the 100% huggable "I Like The Way" (it's not on YouTube...boo!):

I like the way you call my name
It sounds so nice, I could never explain
I like the way you hold my hand
It lets me know that you understand

I like the way you wanna kiss me
And I like the way you always miss me
I like the way (I like the way)

I like the way you come around
And cheer me up whenever I'm down
l like the way you make feel
The love we have is so very real

I like the way you wanna kiss me
And I like the way you always miss me
I like the way (oooooh)

I like the way you kiss goodnight
It feels so good when you're holding me tight
I like the way you hold my hand
It lets me know that you understand

I like the way you wanna kiss me
And I like the way you always miss me
I like the way you wanna kiss me
And I like the way you always miss me...ba ba ba...

The 'cheer me up whenever I'm down' line is particularly great. Almost worthy of The Softies!

The Hobbes Fanclub at Glasgow Popfest 2011

2011-12-29T06:46:00.000-08:00

For better or worse, it was the need to evangelise about The Hobbes Fanclub which persuaded me back into jotting down thoughts on music. I'd all but given up on it as posting blogs on myspace was proving too slow and untidy and time always seemed to be short. "Outside Myself", however, changed that. It always sounded like a song that could be chill-inducing to hear live and so it proved when they played it at the recent Glasgow Popfest. Thankfully, the wonderfully named Rafa Skam was on hand to film it. Of course a YouTube clip can't convey the true extent of the brilliance of the performance but I'm still glad someone was savvy enough to record it for posterity.

2 from Down Under

2011-12-27T09:38:00.000-08:00

Lately, Not Unloved has been obsessing over a couple of 20 year old tracks from the southern hemisphere that have very little in common sonically. "Into Your Arms" by Australia's Love Positions (from "Billiepeebup" on Damien Hirst's favourite label Half A Cow) is the beguiling, if brief, original of a song made famous by The Lemonheads in the early 90s. I always liked their version, always admired its simplicity and the unembarrassed sentimentality of its lyrics but Love Positions' version is so much sparser and so much prettier. Mind you, former The Hummingbirds bassist Robyn St. Clare's voice possesses a rare sweetness that Evan Dando was never gonna quite match. Just how my ears have managed to dodge such a gorgeous voice in two decades of pop digging is a source of consternation round these parts. Time to start excavating The Hummingbirds' back catalogue, I reckon. Hopefully, Robyn handled lots of the vocal duties...

Much messier but equally beautiful in its own careering way is The Garbage and The Flowers' "Catnip". These New Zealanders made one of my favourite lps of 2011 (it was, in fact, a reissue of a cassette sold at gigs) which was subtle and intimate. It in no way prepared me for the driving, squealing, extended grind of their 1992 single "Catnip". The idea of a riot grrrl (Helen Johnstone - I don't know if she aligned herself with the Riot Grrrls but she sure screamed like yr Huggy Bear and Bikini Kill used to) fronting an out of control The Stooges isn't something I would've dreamed up but this single makes the case for it being a good one. Luckily, there was a fairly cheap unplayed copy of the 7" (on Twisted Village of Cambridge, Massachussets, U.S.A.) on discogs which I bought so I can now blast it on repeat to the detriment of my hearing but to the benefit of my heart.

Not Unloved's favourite things of 2011

2011-12-18T16:24:00.000-08:00

Albums of 2011

Amor de Dias "Street of the Love of Days" (Porcini Music)
Crystal Stilts "In Love With Oblivion" (Fortuna Pop/Slumberland)
Veronica Falls "s/t" (Bella Union/Slumberland)
Sea Lions "Everything You Wanted To Know About Sea Lions But Were Afraid To Ask" (Slumberland)
The New Lines "All That We See and Seem" (Great Pop Supplement)
Motion Sickness of Time Travel "Luminaries and Synastry" (Type)
The Bats "Free All The Monsters" (Flying Nun)
Girls Names "Dead To Me" (Tough Love)
Sea Pinks "Dead Seas" (C/F) / Former Bullies "Golden Chains" (C/F)
Sweet Bulbs "s/t" (Blackburn)
Dum Dum Girls "Only In Dreams" (Sub Pop)
Comet Gain "The Howl of the Lonely Crowd" (Fortuna Pop)
Real Estate "Days" (Domino)
Still Corners "Creatures of an Hour" (Sub Pop)
Big Troubles "Romantic Comedy" (Slumberland)
The Garbage and The Flowers "Stoned Rehearsal" (Quemada)
PJ Harvey "Let England Shake" (Island)
Hong Kong in the 60s "My Fantoms" (Proper Songs)
The Babies "s/t" (Shrimper)
Chain and The Gang "Music's Not For Everyone" (K)

(There are a few lps on my Christmas list that I'm sure would've made the 20 but since I haven't heard them yet,they're not included!)

Singles of 2011

Veronica Falls "Bad Feeling" (Bella Union/Slumberland)
Golden Grrrls "New Pop" (Night School)
Terry Malts "Something About You" (Slumberland)
Real Estate "Green Aisles" (Domino)
On Fell "Untitled" (the first one!) (Moteer)
The Motifs / The Zebras "split" (Knock Yr Socks Off)
The New Lines "Please Fall In Love" (self-released)
Snails "She'd Like An Hour" (Great Pop Supplement)
Bleached "Carter" (Art Fag)
Wax Idols "All Too Human" (HoZac)

(e.p.s/12"s of the year may follow soon!)

Reissue of 2011

Penny and The Quarters "You and Me" (7", Numero)

Gigs of 2011

The Pastels at The Platform (Eastern Promise 2011)
Hollie Cook at Glasgow Afro Caribbean Centre
Korallreven at Nice'n'Sleazy
The Hobbes Fanclub at Heavenly (Glasgow Popfest 2011)
Tyvek/The Pheromoans at The Captain's Rest
Ducktails/Big Troubles/Julian Lynch at The Captain's Rest

The Pastels' performance at The Platform really was something incredibly special. I tried to write a review of it for Not Unloved at the time but somehow the right words didn't come in the right order and I couldn't do it justice. But then, how do you express in words that feeling in your heart when Stephen Pastel nonchalantly swigged his beer then used his bottle as a slide before casually turning his amp to blissful on "Baby Honey"? The whole group was together and you could see from their smiles and the looks they exchanged afterwards that they, too, knew they'd been part of something memorable and way beyond the ordinary.

The Paragons "Abba"

2011-12-13T12:30:00.000-08:00

In the autumn Monorail Music announced via Twitter (@Monorail_Music) that they'd added a bunch of garage cds to their second hand racks. On went my coat and I was there within 25 minutes. (I'm convinced the staff were working me by remote control!) I dithered and hummed and hawed about which ones to buy so (recklessly! profligately!) bought all the ones I didn't already have; 13 discs in total. It's taken a while to fully digest such a bounteous haul but with uncommon certainty I can now say that this song from "Teenage Shutdown: Nobody To Love" was the best of the lot:

With a killer intro and a joyful, almost gospel refrain of "I saw Abba late last night!" it's catchy to the point of madness. There's some wise advice amongst its lyrics, too:

She said git your hair cut boy

Come on and get it outta your eyes

Stop your drinking and smoking boys

And tellin' all of them lies

The little Bobby Gillespie fade in the singer's voice on 'eyes' is a magical detail. Even the squarest of the squares must've punched the air with delight when they heard "Abba" at the college dance! It sounded great across the PA in Heavenly* the other night but would've totally killed at 15 times the volume.

Read more about The Paragons on Beyond The Beat Generation.

As expected, original 45s are stupidly rare and hence command quite a price.

* - Apologies to anyone unfortunate enough to hear me wailing it and, er, to anyone who witnessed my air punching. Like I said, even the squarest of the squares....

Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy!

2011-12-12T15:01:00.000-08:00

Glasgow Popfest 2011 at Heavenly was a total treat from start to finish. So many of the bands sizzled. Hopefully a good night's sleep will have me awake enough (3 late nights in a row...jings!) to jot down a few words on the subject but in the meantime, here's what made it from my Jumpdrive and into Virtual DJ through the magic of drag and drop:

Group: Baffin Island

The Go-betweens - Lee Remick
The Airfields - Nowhere Left To Go
Strawberry Fair - Why Won't He Answer

Group: Lenzie Moss

The Chills - Pink Frost
The Bobcats - Can’t See For Looking
#poundsign# - Michigan
Cudgels - Joybang!
The Dentists - I Had An Excellent Dream

Group: The Electric Pop Group

The Sea Urchins - Summershine
Dino, Desi and Billy - The Rebel Kind
The Gifted Children - Favourite Things
The Pussycats - I Want Your Love
The Sequins - He’s A Flirt
The Aislers Set - Mission Bells
Candie Payne - One More Chance

Group: Maple Leaves

Lisa Mychols - Listen To The Bells Ring
The Revolving Paint Dream - Flowers In The Sky
Pop Art Toasters - What Am I Gonna Do?
The Bootiques - Did You Get Your Fun?
The Pooh Sticks - I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well
The Osaka Ramones (aka Shonen Knife) - The KKK Took My Baby Away
The Flatmates - Happy All The Time
Talulah Gosh - Beatnik Boy
The Adorables - Ooh, Boy
April March - Mon Ange Guardien

Group: BMX Bandits

The Gentle Touch - Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy
The Third Wave - Got To Get You Into My Life
The Wake - Crush The Flowers
Saint Etienne feat. Tim Burgess - I Was Born On Christmas Day
McCarthy - Keep An Open Mind Or Else
Reading Rainbow - Can’t Stand It <-- I'm pretty sure this is the best The Velvet Underground cover I've heard!
The Paragons - Abba
The Parallelograms - Papageno
Candy and The Kisses - Are You Trying To Get Rid Of Me Baby?
Crystal Stilts - Through The Floor
Fabienne Delsol - Le Roi des Foumis
Felt - September Lady
Heavenly - Our Love Is Heavenly
Primal Scream - All Fall Down
The Hobbes Fanclub - Outside Myself
Bubblegum Lemonade - White Noise Christmas
The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa - What’s
The Charlottes - Are You Happy Now?
Veronica Falls - Misery
The Clean - Tally Ho!
My Bloody Valentine - Strawberry Wine
Jesse Garon and The Desperadoes - Splashing Along
Allo Darlin’ - The Polariod Song
The Innocence - Do You Believe In Magic?
The Chiffons - Stop, Look And Listen
Pulp - Babies

Thanks to Gary Bubblegum / Heavenly for being kind enough to let me be part of such a smashing event! This cheery little number seemed the best way to follow a particularly sweet and charming BMX Bandits set:

Lisa Mychols "Listen To The Bells Ring"

2011-12-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

Another majestic Christmas tune by another Lisa M, this time Mychols. I was lucky enough to win her "Lost Winter's Dream" cd nearly a decade ago in a competition on the Rev-ola website. It's not a perfect album but there are a clutch of dazzling, soul lifting productions that share a sound and approach similar to a lot of the fantastic "Grace Of My Heart" soundtrack. Time to do some digging into Lisa's other records I reckon!

Playlist from the CCA (4/12/2011)

2011-12-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

Thoughts on "Lawrence of Belgravia" and "Take Three Girls" will follow once I've had a nice long sleep. In the meantime, here's what I fairly ineptly played at the CCA after the films and James Kirk had spun some gems:

Memphis "You Supply The Roses" (Swamplands) <-- I asked James Kirk if he was ok with me playing it and like a gent he said 'yes' :)
Lisa Miller "The Loneliest Christmas Tree" (Canterbury) <--- see below!
The Sneetches "She Does Everything For Me" (Bus Stop)
The Hollies "Bus Stop" (Parlophone)
Fargo "Sunny Day Blue" (Capitol)
Lali Puna "Remember" (Morr Music)
Cosmetics "Black Leather Gloves" (Captured Tracks)
The Flamin' Groovies "Shake Some Action" (Sire) <--- because it got a mention in the Dolly Mixture film!
The Velvet Underground "Foggy Notion" (Sundazed reissue) <--- because Lou Reed is Lawrence's idol
Epitome of Sound "You Don't Love Me" (Go Ahead reissue)
Jay and The Techniques "Apple, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" (Smash)
Comet Gain "An Arcade From The Warm Rain That Falls" (Fortuna Pop)
Bush Tetras "You Can't Be Funky" (ROIR reissue)
Chain and The Gang "Detroit Music" (K)
Veronica Falls "Bad Feeling " (Bella Union)
Barbara Mercer "Hey" (Golden World)
Dot Allison "Mo' Pop" (Heavenly)
Real Estate "Green Aisles" (Domino)
The Dentists "Strawberries Are Growing In My Garden And It's Winter Time" (Spruck)
Sea Lions "Let's Groove" (Yay! Label)
The Research "I Think She's The One I Love" (This Is Fake DIY)
The Checkerboard Squares "Double Cookin'" (Villa facsimile issue - bootleg?)
Crystal Stilts "Shake The Shackles" (Slumberland)
The Tyde "Strangers Again" (The Track & Field Organisation)
The Zeros "Main Street Brat" (Last Laugh reissue)
Home Blitz "Perpetual Night" (Almost Ready)
The Modern Lovers "Roadrunner" (Beserkely)
Ninian Hawick "Scottish Rite Temple Stomp" (Grimsey)
La Sera "Never Come Around" (Hardly Art)
The New Lines "Off Axis" (Great Pop Supplement)
Crocodiles "Sleep Forever" (Fat Possum)
Sterling Roswell "Kicks" (ROSCO)
The Mantles "Raspberry Thighs" (SDZ)
Janie Grant "And That Reminds Me Of You" (Parkway - probably a 70s bootleg)
Bubblegum Lemonade "Caroline's Radio" (Matinee)
Edwyn Collins "Losing Sleep" (Heavenly)
Scars "Horrorshow" (Fast Product)
Dum Dum Girls "Jail La La" (Sub Pop)
Golden Grrrls "New Pop" (Night School)
Helen Love "Joey Ramoney" (Damaged Goods)
The Magnetic Fields "100,000 Fireflies" (Harriet)
Gary and The Hornets "Baby, It's You" (Smash)
Pale Saints "Kinky Love" (4AD)

It was a real thrill to hear my new favourite Christmas song at giddy-making volume:

Lawrence of Belgravia @ Glasgow Film Theatre

2011-11-28T13:40:00.000-08:00

Monorail Film Club has certainly cooked up a very special treat for Sunday, 4th December! They're presenting Paul Kelly's documentaries Lawrence of Belgravia and Take Three Girls: The Dolly Mixture Story about former Felt (and Denim and current Go Kart Mozart) visionary Lawrence Hayward and adorable early-80s pop group Dolly Mixture respectively. As if that weren't treats enough, after the screenings, long time Felt fan Stuart Murdoch will host a Q&A with Kelly and Hayward. I've been keen to see both films for ages so since word got out about this event a couple of months back I've been counting down the days. Yet another reason for Glaswegians to give thanks for Monorail Music!

My favourite Felt song (always make me a bit teary for some reason):

My favourite Dolly Mixture song:

After the main event in the GFT, the fun continues with a We Can Still Picnic and Monorail Music organised event in the CCA's Saramago Cafe/Bar where former Orange Juice guitarist James Kirk and...er...Not Unloved will be spinning some sweet records. It's a total honour to be asked to be part of such an ace evening and to mark the occasion I've bought the cutest, loveliest Christmas record to play. If you're there and you hear it, I hope you like it!

A post-Orange Juice James Kirk gem:

Facebook event for the films

Facebook event for the DJ night

Tower of Song

2011-11-15T15:13:00.000-08:00

Last weekend's Blackpool Tower Soul Weekender was an unalloyed joy. Of course the music was immense and invigorating and moving, that was to be expected, but the unseasonably wonderful weather and the sheer beauty of the spectacle of hundreds of people bobbing in unison in a grand old ballroom came as pleasant surprises. There were some seriously brilliant dancers. Dancers whose feet seemed to move as fast as hummingbirds' wings. I could've watched Sam Evans - a former World Northern Soul Dancing champion - dancing for hours. She put on quite a masterclass early on Sunday afternoon when a lot of folks were still out enjoying the tail end of the sunshine and would've given the much younger Steven Cootes (of Edinburgh...yessss!) who a little controversially took this year's crown, a right run for his money. Never having been to a weekender before, I got a bit of a jolt when, just flipping through a box of records, I put my hand on an original Revilot issue of Rose Batiste's masterpiece "Hit and Run" with the £250.00 price tag written casually in marker pen on its greying card protector. Part of me wanted to recklessly throw down a bunch of tenners then and there but sense and the fact that I own a perfectly good copy of the '90s Goldmine reissue prevailed. The most expensive record I saw? That was Don Varner's rolllicking "Tear Stained Face" which was priced at £800.00. I stopped looking after that. I'm well aware that rare Northern Soul records can fetch quite a sum on ebay or John Manship but to see such madly expensive 7"s just sitting in a box on a bar table and not behind toughened safety glass was wild. Billy Butler's "The Right Track" became the anthem of the weekend with J and I stomping the deserted streets of Blackpool chanting its emphatic string part over and over after hearing it on Sunday afternoon in the main ballroom. When played at ballroom wrecking volume it became a Delete button for all the other melodies onto which I'd been vainly clinging in the hope of identifying some day. Why it wasn't on either volume of Kent's "Okeh: A Northern Soul Obsession" I'll never know*. So, a brilliant experience and one that I'd love to repeat next year.

* - Actually, that's not strictly true. I'm sure that the reason why it wasn't included is because the smart folks at Kent would like you to buy their Billy Butler cd, too!

Viv Albertine / Aggi Doom etc. @ Mono

2011-11-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

Mono has been the venue for some of the most unique, memorable and soul stirring shows I've been lucky enough to witness in 21 years of gig going. When it's heaving and Glasgow is up for it, you wouldn't want to be anywhere else on earth. When, for whatever reasons, Glasgow doesn't show up and the lights cruelly illuminate what seems like acres of wooden floor it can be a sobering place. Unfortunately, for former Slits guitarist Viv Albertine's show last there last night, the latter was the case. For the first 2 acts, Tragic O'Hara and Lach, there was nobody on the floor in front of the stage. It must have been demoralising for both promoters and performers. To their credit, though, both met the situation with undimmed vigour. New Yorker Lach was particularly funny, going on a hilarious rant against Tom Petty and the charmed life documented in his biography. He also played his song about Kiss twice. Helpfully providing audio footnotes for those of us too dumb to know who Paul Stanley was on the second run-through.

Local cave-dwellers Aggi Doom were brilliant and for their brief set there were 6 feet on the floor in front of the stage, 2 of them mine. If my eyes can be trusted, they count former Divorce guitarist Hilary Van Scoy and former The Royal We violinist Joan Sweeney (now on bass) among their number (4). Primal beats, a reigned-in but (ton)sure-footed cover of The Monks and a witchy lead singer called Claudia Nova (great Bond girl name!) who shares a Dum Dum Girl's love of black eyeliner and hosiery adds up to a fine 15 minutes in my book.

Viv blew into Mono like a sparkly, bossy (her word) tornado. She arranged chairs in front of the stage and corralled the small crowd into something approaching a critical mass. One thing you learn about Viv Albertine pretty early on is that she doesn't believe in romantic love any more. You learn that and then you are reminded of it via songs like "Couples Are Creepy" (not 'cuddles' as an audience member in Edinburgh had thought the night before!) and her between song banter. She's direct, confessional, not shy of the saucy stuff (check the slogan on the t-shirt*, above), most probably a handful but also sparky, creative and rightfully proud of her legacy. The songs from last year's "Flesh" e.p. (Ecstatic Peace!) were rawer than on the cd - it was just Viv and her Telecaster, after all - but no less compelling. She seemed to be having a great time and I for one can say that I was, too. I just feel a bit guilty that I didn't do my bit to tell the world that she was playing. If there's a next time, I will.

(I would've embedded this video but embedding has been disabled.)

* - If you dig the image on the shirt, check out more of designer Daniel Novakovic's ace illustrations here

La Terrasse confirms that Viv's Dundee show was simlarly great!

I Still Big Red Heart Slumberland Records

2011-11-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

Shamefully, it's been a while since I wrote about one of Slumberland Records' releases. This should in no way be taken as a reflection of my thoughts on the quality of the records. On the contrary, Slumberland has had another fantastic year. I guess it's easy to take them for granted due to the sheer consistent high quality of their releases. I guess, too, that now that other better read (ok, read!) sites are interested in Slumberland's records it can feel like they have less need for also-reads like Not Unloved getting all giddy about them. But, so long as the records continue to be from the topmost drawer, Not Unloved will continue to get giddy about them!

The first Terry Malts 7" remains one of the most thrilling 7"s I've bought in 2011 (it's guaranteed a spot in my Top 10 of the year) so expectations were high for their second 45. "Something About You" injects a little more of The Ramones to the mix. It is, of course, bouncy, fizzy and, most importantly, singalongably fun - even I can manage the 'oooohs' at the end! It has a naughty word for added teen rebel appeal. Grand.

A few weeks back the cd of Weekend's "Red" e.p. took up residence in my work PC. Anything that makes the working day go by that little bit more bearably is always welcome but it took a lot of restraint not to belt out "Hazel" whilst waiting for another 'coffee from fresh ground beans' to come to fruition from the vending machine. Last year's "Sports" was a startlingly good debut l.p.; all dark and pop brutal. "Red" is a little brighter and it suits them well.

When Big Troubles (check out their chucklesomely bad website!) supported Ducktails at The Captain's Rest earlier this year it was their scrappier, noisier songs that got my heart beating the fastest so I was a little apprehensive when reports suggested that their 2nd l.p., "Romantic Comedy", was going to have a softer, more polished sound. I needn't have worried, though, for former R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter was behind the desk and he hasn't been in the habit of ruining bands and he didn't this time. "Romantic Comedy" is a fine record with melodies to spare. It stands up well to repeated plays, too.

If you add to all of this that Sea Lions' long awaited debut lp* is imminent, Veronica Falls just dropped an album of the year contender and that Devon Williams released what sounds from the samples (it's yet to make an appearance in my local pop emporium of choice so I haven't purchased it yet) to be a big, confident melodic pop record, you realise just how important it is to keep on top of Slumberland's releases.

* - Their "Let's Groove" remains the single most asked about record I've ever played out!

On Fell

2011-10-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hood occupy a special place in my affections. Throughout their existence they (have?) barely put a foot wrong despite the wide range of styles, fidelities and sounds to be heard across their myriad records. Their Yorkshire pals The Remote Viewer and The Famous Boyfriend were also responsible for some of the music I cherish most; always inventive, always fascinating. The Famous Boyfriend also played one of the oddest, funniest gigs I've ever witnessed when, with anoraks zipped all the way up and masks on, they 'played' (I'm pretty sure the bulk of it was on TDK D90!) in the basement of The 13th Note in the late '90s. Given all this, I'm a bit mystified as to how I managed to remain oblivious until very recently to the fact that members of these groups had formed a new one called On Fell. Sure, I got the Norman Records and boomkat mailouts which mentioned their 2 singles to date - the first in February, the second earlier this month - but somehow they didn't quite register with me with the result that the first single has long gone*. Luckily the second is still available and it's a swish slice of soft, processed pop. In fact, both sides get the Not Unloved thumbs up and whet the appetite for the third and final instalment of the 7" series. Let's hope there's an lp to follow!

Some classic Hood:

* I mailed their label Moteer on the off-chance but no joy.

The Someloves "Know You Now"

2011-10-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

Being the kind of dope who lives in fear of guitar solos, power pop can be tricky. There's always a bit of trepidation that the first 2 minutes of big, glorious pop is going to marred by excessive fretboard tickling when the solo kicks in. Thankfully, the solo on The Someloves' 1988 single "Know You Now" is brief and restrained so in no way undoes the great work done by the catchy lead guitar, dinky glockenspiels and Dom Mariani's sweet vocals. There's a fair chance that if I'd heard "Know You Now" 15 years ago it would've sounded too buffed-to-a-shine in comparison to the abraded sounding Hood and Flying Saucer Attack records that dominated my listening back then, but it's 2011 and a big, clean, confident sound doesn't raise the indie vs major hackles to the same extent that it used to. Plus, certain types of music just sound better minus the fuzz.

Paraffin Brain

2011-10-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

29 years old you say? Crazy. I've long admired the name The Nightingales but inexplicably hadn't taken the time to actively investigate any records by the band with the good sense to take it until yesterday when a 2nd hand copy of their Cherry Red anthology "Pissed and Potless" took up residency in my work CD-ROM drive and had me singing 'Paraffin brain at the mention of your name' over and over in a decidedly un-corporate, demented manner. "Paraffin Brain", with its super-crisp drums and springy vocal line, made the earliest impact on me. It tickles the same jittery neurons as The Yummy Fur and The Fire Engines or, more recently, Sarandon. I'm glad that the The Nightingales turned out to be good as I would have resented them all the more for being not just rubbish but for wasting a brilliant name. If Timeout is truthin', they're playing with Amelia Fletcher's Tender Trap next week at the 100 Club in London. Now that sounds like a fine night out!

Hollows "Hot Sand" / "Shapeshifter"

2011-10-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Surely, there can't have been many odder 7" sleeves this year than the one pictured above! It seems like an age since Not Unloved did much crazylegs dancing round the living room to Hollows' Trouble In Mind single so it's nice to hear that they're still in the business of making records. In "Hot Sand", those suave cats at Soft Power Records (the record releasing arm of cherished online popshop Soft Power Vinyl*) have got themselves another pop winner. If the original lineup of The Pipettes had dug tattoos and surfer dudes more than polka dots and boys in school unifrorm maybe they would've sounded a bit like Hollows. Check the handclaps on the frat-rockin' "Shapeshifter" if you're in need of convincin' . Coming so soon after their fine, fine single by The Tamborines, it would appear that Soft Power Records has hit a bit of a hot streak. Long may it continue!

Hot Sand by Hollows SOFT003 by Soft Power

* - Full marks to Soft Power Vinyl for having the smarts to stock some recent Shelflife Records 7" - it's about time those White Wishes and Soda Shop 45s were available in the U.K.!

Pinky Blue

2011-10-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a colourful couple of days round these parts. Yesterday, Pink Playground's Art Fag single* plopped through the letterbox (and had its fall broken by the old pillow I keep underneath for such occasions - we don't want any bashed corners round these parts!) then today I opened the door to my postie who was holding a parcel which turned out to be The Bats "Made Up In Blue" 12" (Flying Nun) I'd bought on ebay a couple of weeks back. Excitingly, both records are brilliant. Not that in either case that came as a surprise thanks to the cd-r of The Bats' "Daddy's Highway" + singles that Did Not Chart dubbed for me a bit back (when it was outta print - thanks again, DNC!) and to Pink Playground's bandcamp page. "Made Up In Blue" jangles dreamily and its melody just begs to be sung when your heart is full of love. Actually, scratch that, it fills your heart full of love. Pink Playground's"Sunny Skies" on the other hand wrong-foots by starting with a fairly functional drum machine that hints at mediocrity before bursting into the kind of dense, swirling/chugging pop noise that is anything but mediocre and which could only ever make your day happier. Sure they love My Bloody Valentine but that's a good thing, right?

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://pinkplayground.bandcamp.com/track/sunny-skies-2"&amp;gt;Sunny Skies by pink playground&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

* - It came out in February 2011 but for some reason its existence isn't even hinted at on the Art Fag site. Or at least I couldn't see mention of it when I was trying to buy it. It's not in the Shop or listed on the Past Releases/Out of Print page. Strange.

The Rumbles

2011-10-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

The Rumbles' "Fourteen Years" is yet another winner from that seemingly endless stream of moody 60s janglers that is almost perfect in every way. It's a beautifully sung tale of a young lad counting down the days to his release from prison for a crime he didn't commit; classic wronged outsider stuff. It's only 'almost perfect', however, because the last note sung (the 'cent' at the end of the final 'innocent') is actually a bit ridiculous and takes a little of the shine off the tune as a whole. Still, that didn't deter me from parting with a few quid for a Mercury Records promo of the 7" on which it was the b(a? - there's some confusion online as the sides aren't clearly marked on the record!)-side after hearing it on the "Tymes Gone By" lp where it was by some distance my favourite song in a strong selection.

Hollie Cook

2011-10-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

It was through a Tweet from Edwyn Collins's wonderfully waggish wife, Grace Maxwell (@gracemaxwell), that I first became aware of Hollie Cook's music*. (See, it's not all footballers flirting and movie title puns!) She posted a link to Hollie's bandcamp page and from the first listen I was smitten by the clarity and purity of her voice. It was, therefore, with a fair degree of excitement that I showed up at Glasgow's (new?) Afro Caribbean Centre last night for her show with Brighton's Prince Fatty. The show was everything I'd hoped for and more. Prince Fatty and co. stoked up a joyous house-party atmosphere with reggae-fied versions of Wu Tang Clan and Cypress Hill crowd-pleasers with the result that for much of the evening if you looked around you couldn't spot a single person who wasn't bobbing and grinning; ain't no parking on the dancefloor when Prince Fatty's on the mic! It was Hollie's voice, though, which stole the show. With an eruption of corkscrew curls, a sparkle in her eyes and her blouse tied up at the front, she looked for all the world like one of those sassy girls who always got the better of the teachers on Grange Hill in the early-80s. Her music, too, was informed by the past. I know next to nothing about reggae but I do know that Phyllis Dillon cut some of the best records I've ever heard and, from what I've read online, Hollie is a fan and it shows. Songs like "Shadow Kissing" and "Sugar Water (Look At My Face)" which sound sublime as streamed mp3s became all conquering when blasted through a mammoth sound system; serious bass pressure! Having only attended 2 reggae-type shows before (Rhythm & Sound feat. Tikiman at The Glass House and The Bug at The Art School), I don't have much to compare it with but I do know that last night was one of the enjoyable nights of the year and probably my life. Thanks for the tip Grace!

* - Hollie is the daughter of former Sex Pistol/frequent Edwyn Collins drummer, Paul Cook.

The Little Bits

2011-09-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

This is getting ridiculous. Next I'll be listening to Minipops! After being knocked out cold recently by Gary and The Hornets' ultra-sensitive (not "wet", J!) version of "Baby, It's You", another song by a troupe of teenage boys from the mid-60s has hit me right between the eyes. "Girl, Give Me Love" by The Little Bits is the exact polar opposite of Gary and co.'s lovelorn girl-pop. It's full of caveboy screams (check out the way the singer tries to be as gravelly as is humanly possible for a boy whose voice hasn't broken yet - brilliant!) and is about as rudimentary (those pounding, pounding drums!) and delinquent as pop music gets. You get the impression that The Little Bits would've made off with Gary and The Hornets' lunch money on a regular basis had they been at the same high school. Somehow, nearly four and a half decades after its release it manages to sound uncommonly feral. A peek at popsike reveals that an original would set me back a few hundred pounds so I can categorically say that I'll never own a copy and a peek at YouTube reveals that the somewhat dubiously named Les Sexareenos banged out a ferocious cover that is dizzyingly hyper and hence utterly thrilling. I suspect that their version won't make anywhere near as big a dent in my finances!

The Pastels @ Platform, Glasgow on October 1st

2011-09-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

Boss: I've got an opportunity. <boring business details> It'll mean working next weekend.
Not Unloved: Ah, I'd love to but I'm going to see the greatest group to walk the planet.
Boss (walking off): Ah, I won't ask.
Not Unloved (tailing off): It's The Pas....

Sigh. Still, that little exchange brought home that it's little over a week till I see the group which has affected my life most significantly once more and that thought cheered-up a fairly dismal week no end. This year's Eastern Promise - for people of my vintage, the mere mention of this phrase provokes the Pavlovian response of nipping out to a 24 hour shop to buy a Fry's Turkish Delight! - sure features some fine acts in addition to The Pastels. It'll be a real treat to see To Rococo Rot again after what seems like eons and the Conquering Animal Sound songs I heard on BBC Radio Scotland earlier this year sounded intriguing and promising. Next weekend can't come soon enough!

(this post was written while listening to "Boardwalkin'" - which sounds better than ever it did!)

Baby, It's You

2011-09-08T02:31:00.000-07:00

Bacharach and David's "Baby, It's You" is another of those songs like "I'll Keep It With Mine" and "She Does Everything For Me" which brings out the best in musicians and singers with the result that, to date, I've yet to hear even a semblance of a bad version. Both The Shirelles' and The Beatles' versions are as heartbreaking as you could ever wish for but it's Gary and The Hornets' tear-stained teenage boy version that takes the garlands*. From that first 'sha la la la', which takes softness to a whole new level, it's uncommonly affecting. Gary's vocal is stunning: pure, intuitive, nuanced (listen to the final 'suits ya!') and beautifully recorded. Sure, he sounds a lot like a woman but then so did the Chris Montez when he sang "The More I See You" and "Foolin' Around" and they've always been my favourite songs of his. There aren't all that many recordings on which I couldn't contemplate changing a single thing but this is emphatically one of them: the harpischords (?), the reverb, the backing vocals; all are perfect - strange to think that a group of soft boys made what in essence is now my favourite girl-group record..

The fact that I've heard of Gary and The Hornets at all is thanks to Teenage Fanclub and their memorable cover with Alex Chilton of the group's "Patti Girl" which came out in the mid-90s on one side of a mailorder-only 7" released by the NME. Apparently, they'd heard it first on a Calvin Johnson mixtape. Copies of Smash Records' DJ promo of "Baby, It's You" crop up fairly frequently on ebay at around the 10-15 GBP mark for a clean copy (mine was at the lower end) but, really, just about any price would be worth paying to get your hands on such a gorgeous record. There is a 100% chance that I will play "Baby, It's You" when I clumsily spin some tunes at the Glasgow Popfest in December (more on that nearer the time!).

Update: I can't believe I forgot that Dolly Mixture also did a wonderful version. It's not quite as moving as Gary and The Hornets' but it's certainly as cute! Thanks A for the reminder.

Wax Idols "All Too Human"

2011-09-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

Wax Idols' debut single has been kicking around for a wee while now but just landed chez Not Unloved. I should have picked it up sooner but when I needed to hear its no-nonsense beat and shimmering guitars before now it was easy enough just to head to Soundcloud and stream it there. Thinking back, there haven't been many more exhilarating singles this summer than "All Too Human". It stares you right in the eyes before deciding it doesn't need you and swaggering off without you a little over 3 minutes later. Hozac unearths a lot of groups but its their female-voiced groups like Wax Idols and The Shrapnelles that I find the most interesting. I guess some of their male groups are just a little too greasy and boorish for my tastes.

Wax Idols 'All Too Human' by HOZAC RECORDS

(get it from SoftPowerVinyl)

Sandhy & Mandhy

2011-09-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

Oops, I broke my promise to myself repeatedly this weekend. Still, promising yourself that you won't spend too much money on music when there's stuff as good as Sandhy & Mandhy's "Para Castukis" reissue (Lion Productions) was a pretty wrong-headed thing to do. It was yet another tip from the reliably astute Monorail crew (cheers Russell!) and marks Not Unloved's first foray into the world of Argentinian psych. By and large it's a soft-ish affair with acoustic guitars and lots of pretty organ lines which at times almost venture into perky Perez 'Prez' Prado territory, especially on "La Chica Sola y Triste". Of course, this being from the late 60s, a few tracks get mussed-up by prominent fuzz guitar. "Lluvia" has a particularly scrambled guitar break that would probably have been unbearable had it been recorded half a decade later but isn't thanks to it sounding small enough to fit inside a matchbox. In places "Para Castukis" is as unthreateningly barking as John Ylvisaker's religious-psych masterwork/oddity "Cool Livin'", a record with which it shares the odd keyboard sound. The original 13 track album is augmented by a few covers the most charming of which is a slightly awkward take on "As Tears Go By" that starts off as unbombastic and moving as 3rd album The Velvet Underground or The Modern Lovers of "Hospital". Also included are both sides of a single made under the name La Maquina de Musica. All in all, a totally fascinating release which feels like it'll stand up well to repeated plays. It's worth taking a few minutes to read what the label says about it here.

Read full review of Para Castukis - Sandhy & Mandhy on Boomkat.com ©

Hey, Mr Postman

2011-08-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

Last night Davy Henderson and his The Sexual Objects (enhanced by Gareth Sager) backed The Postman (a.k.a. Vic Godard) at The Old Hairdressers in Glasgow. It wasn't perfect - no stage, Fisher Price P.A. which at times rendered the singers barely audible - but was, nonetheless, hugely enjoyable. Liberated by not having to strap on a guitar, Vic was free to be more animated than I've ever seen him. At times his back was arched way back like a cobra waiting to strike as he wailed into the mic which he cupped in his hands for maximum amplification. "Chain Smoking" was blistering as was "Nobody's Scared". "Parallel Lines" was tinkered with somewhat which robbed it slightly of its punch but, still, I'd rather be listening to it in any form (well, maybe not happy hardcore or cod reggae versions!) than just about anything else. After C's comment at Edinburgh's The Citrus Club in March, I've taken to singing 'school children' instead of 'stool pigeon' and so it was last night. Vic's between song asides (including a ringing endorsement of, er, BetFred!) were funny. As S pointed out, as good as the show was, it should have been better promoted and at a venue where more people could see the action. Maybe gigs should operate a school photo policy of tall ones to the back. Thinking back, I'm pretty sure my ample frame and large head prevented a good few folks from seeing Vic and co.. If so, sorry!

The Sexual Objects' set was enjoyably chaotic and centre-pieced by a rambling instrumental that swiped a riff from Captain Beefheart and twisted it into various shapes. Russell Burn's drumming was noticeably brilliant throughout. Before them, a woolly hatted Jock Scot tipsily performed his poetry, hilariously baited the Glasgow audience and delivered an assortment of waggish asides until he was unceremoniously shoulder-charged from the 'stage' by former British Sea Power manager Rob Wilkinson who was hellbent on reading more of his new book. Talk about an ill-judged interruption; a total buzzkill that lost him much of the good will earned earlier by the mildly amusing stories of his 87 year old, Butthole Surfers obsessed dad.

Residents from Edinburgh are advised that Vic, The Sexual Objects etc. appear tonight at Unbound at the Edinburgh Book Festival. Step to it!

Return to Wimp Scuzz: Try-Angle "Writing on the Wall"

2011-08-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

A recent dip into the second hand cd racks of Monorail yielded a copy of "Gravel Vol. 2" (Kumquat May Recording Inc.).. It's one of the strongest collections of garage mayhem/loser fuzz/downer jangle I've come across with Try-Angle's aching "Writing on the Wall" being the most instantly lovable of its 30 tracks. This is largely due to the singer's fabulous, almost 1980s indiepop voice and its lilting jangle but it is also because it has thee most quintessential wimp scuzz chorus I've encountered yet:

"You don't love me no more
(no, no, no, no)
And I can tell for sure
(can tell for sure)
You're gonna cause more misery" .

One boy's teenage letdown never sounded so good!

Update! : The prodigiously talented and ultra-suave Paul Messis recently blogged about "Writing on the Wall", too. The Transparent Radiation looks like a great blog with writing on The Springfields (Sarah Records), Sonic Boom's Spectrum, Sun Ra etc..

Correction: The Caretaker

2011-08-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

In my previous posting I somewhat rashly claimed:

"I haven't been so excited by a record that could be considered ambient since I first heard Grouper's "Way Their Crept""

In retrospect, this isn't strictly true. The last ambient record that got me all steamed-up was actually The Caretaker's "Persistent Repetition of Phrases" (History Always Favours The Winners) which I plundered for cheaps from the boomkat.com winter sale earlier this year. It's a wonderfully evocative, spooky record which takes Sabres of Paradise's "Haunted Dancehall" and transports it from the West Indies to Manchester, in the process converting it into more of a haunted tea-dance hall where damp, discarded dancecards litter the floor and the rain pours in through holes in the roof. Each of the 9 tracks is liberally dusted with reverb, static and antique surface noise which lends them a lonely air which is deeply moving. Any one of them would be suitable for the soundtrack of a psychological horror.

The Caretaker'

M.S.o.T.T.

2011-08-22T02:09:00.000-07:00

Motion Sickness of Time Travel's "Luminaries and Synastry" (Digitalis) just wasn't the right record. I had been looking for something relaxing to listen to in the bath, something that wouldn't get me all over-excited or in full-on evangelising mode and although "Luminaries..." is soothing, it's such an exceptionally pretty record that as it unfolded I got ever more wild-eyed and excited and all chances of zoning out for half an hour among the bubbles were gone. At times, probably due to Rachel Evans' in-the-next-postcode vocals that only just carry on the breeze, it has the distant glide of the most abstract passages of Northern Picture Library's wonderful and misunderstood "Alaska" album. In that respect it also recalls Slowdive's dazzling "Pygmalion"; another record which was largely ignored and unjustly derided on release. I haven't been so excited by a record that could be considered ambient since I first heard Grouper's "Way Their Crept" and the fact that afterwards I was mad keen on lining up and listening to everything I own by Wolfgang Voigt's seminal Gas project is something to thank M.S.o.T.T. for. "Luminaries and Synastry" also sports the best album sleeve I've seen so far in 2011 (just look at it...it's so romantic!) so it's a winner all round.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://motionsicknessoftimetravel.bandcamp.com/track/eight-nineteen"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Eight Nineteen by Motion Sickness of Time Travel&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

19th August, 2011: The Wildhouse

2011-08-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

The Wildhouse play on Friday, 19th at Dexter's in Dundee. If you're anywhere within striking distance, you should make a point of being there as you'll be rewarded with top quality noise (<-- the emphasis being on this word) pop. According to their Facebook page, The Wildhouse are on first so best wolf down your dinner and get there early. In fact, take extra sandwiches to work so that you don't even have to go home for tea!

* - chances are that they won't be playing 'Palatine'...the plums!

The Maxines

2011-08-13T03:13:00.000-07:00

A recent peek inside the Anorak Forum sparked a trip to myspace to sample The Maxines and, wouldn't ya know it, they're another of those ace rusty guitar/shouty voice combos that K Records has a knack of finding and nurturing. You can trust Calvin Johnson when it comes to this type of music; it's in his DNA. "Hang Around" has the dismissive sneer of The Runaways while "White Out!" marries a few gloriously dumb words to a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion guitar line and if "Drugstore" doesn't have you sprinting for yr Huggy Bear and Slampt records then you'd better check your pulse. It's only right and proper that The Maxines are on K.

Not that Caravelles!

2011-08-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

Even by 60s garage standards the intro to The Caravelles' "Lovin' Just My Style" delivers quite a wallop to the ears. It must've driven the teens of Phoenix, Arizona out of their minds whenever it came on the radio and it's just as well the group built some breathers into it or they would've expired after its 3 minutes and 17 seconds! With lines like "Give me your mitts girl and we'll go tripping together" you know The Caravelles were not the kind of boys to take back home to yr folks (unlike their namesakes!). An impression that is only enhanced by the, ahem, off-colour subject matter of the b-side! "Lovin'..." featured on Pebbles, Volume 8 and was reissued on 7" about a decade ago by Dionysus. I just snagged a copy of the reissue so the residents of Glasgow might want to take a trip doon the watter or at the very least wear industrial strength ear-defenders for the next few days...

Sunny Day Blue

2011-08-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

"Your love illuminates my world with sunlight"

Getting to sleep is going to be tricky tonight thanks to the bout of giddiness brought on by securing a mint copy of this little ray of sunshine pop. I became more than a little obsessed with 'Sunny Day Blue' a few weeks back after hearing the above clip, my interest in Fargo having been piqued by the coincidence of seeing a picture of their lp in two musically astute friends' online photo albums on the same day. To these ears it's as good as anything committed to vinyl by Curt Boettcher or any of his contemporaries*. I adore its little diamante guitars and its air of complete wholesomeness. I'm willing to lay serious money on the fact that just listening to it is making me healthier not only mentally but physically; like it's helping me produce some much needed vitamin D. Big thanks are due to T and K for unwittingly pointing me in Fargo's direction!

* That I've heard, that is.

Bob and Gene had very nice labels!

2011-08-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

Had I been scouring the 7" bins at record stores in the US when Bob and Gene's Mo Do Records 45s were originally released I would surely have snapped them up on the basis of the graphic design of their labels alone. I don't own any of the singles but the Bob and Gene cd on Daptone wisely employed the same exquisite label design:

The music itself is pretty nifty, too. 'Sailboat', in particular, is a pleasing small scale shuffler that's not unlike a slightly muffled, less parpy take on Archie Bell and The Drells' 'Tighten Up':

I could look (and have looked!) at record labels for hours on end. Northern Soul scene stalwart Chalky has a nice gallery with over a thousand scans of labels from his collection including this Bob and Gene original. Next time the rain's battering down outside (like...ooh...tonight!) I recommend pouring yourself a cuppa and spending a wee while picking your own favourite label.

The Orchids "The Way That You Move"

2011-08-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

Any fool knows that The Orchids were one of the very best groups to grace Sarah Records' majestic discography. What this fool didn't know until a few minutes ago was that their new single on Pebble Records is a sombre disco gem! I've long believed that The Orchids were one of the few guitar pop groups to truly successfully incorporate dance elements into their sound. 'The Way That You Move' may turn out to be their best stab at it yet - just listen to that Northern Soul inspired bassline on the intro and that resplendent little disco guitar motif that pops up about two and a half minutes in and again at 3:51! Fans of Club 8 and ridiculously brilliant fellow Swedes Korallreven* will be sent spinning like a mirrorball by this single. Various Orchids had the good sense to be present at the recent Indietracks warm-up at The Captain's Rest. If I'd known their new single was this good I would've hugged each one of them in turn.

* - any excuse to link to 'The Truest Faith' has to be grabbed!

My Fantoms

2011-08-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

Looking at the obscenely tall stack of records and cds I've bought over the last wee while, it would appear that I've forgotten that we're still in the grip of a serious economic downturn and that energy prices are rising faster than the perfect soufflé. Oops! One of the cds that's been popped from the stack (warning: that was a computer 'joke'!) most frequently has been 'My Fantoms', the debut album by Hong Kong In The 60s. Right now 'Sofly Sung' is my favourite from it. Mei Yau Kan's sighing vocal is both intimate and a little blank but blank in the best conceivable way, the way that moves you. The drum machine plays out its vaguely bossa nova rhythm with the sound of little beads clacking together and the guitar line encourages you to sway like you've just come out of the sea but can still feel its motion. Just lovely. 'All At Sea' is equally brilliant, its every element classy, seductively subdued and designed to win the heart through sheer prettiness. As S in Monorail (time to update that front page, kids!) pointed out when I bought it, there's a mid to late period Sarah Records feel to some of 'My Fantoms' (I'd say especially in some of the bass guitar and in the spaciousness, think Brighter or The Field Mice/Trembling Blue Stars) while at others it sounds like they've been stretched out on a beach towel next to The High Lllamas listening to the Beach Boys on a portable record player. I'd like to cut out and keep so many of the little keyboard lines in an audio scrapbook and I suspect that a bunch of them could earn the group jobs with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop were it ever to reopen. Fans of Still Corners, Broadcast and the aforementioned groups are urged to sample then buy the album!

The Higher State / Paul Messis

2011-08-01T03:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend had long been reserved in Not Unloved's calendar for The Big Stramash so it was a real disappointment when it was postponed, no doubt due to a waterlogged pitch (this being Scotland after all!). The Wee Stramash that took its place on Friday night, however, still featured at least one band worth zipping along the M8 for: The Higher State. Any group featuring former members of The Embrooks and The Mystreated had to be worth a peek and so it proved. With the young Ray Davies on bass (or was it Richard or Thomas Frost?) and a Carnaby St. croupier on drums (former Embrook, Mole) they chimed and jangled their way through a dozen or so 60s rooted pop winners that got the winklepickers tapping and cheered the soul. Their friend and label-mate Paul Messis stood to their left manning the merchandising boutique, swaying and looking for all the world like a young Chris Montez at his most dapper. I left with 3 of his singles as well as The Higher State's most recent cd. It's particularly pleasing to finally have this perky slice of period perfect jangle on 7" vinyl after having enjoyed the YouTube clip for so long:

Inexplicably, the two local groups who supported, Uncle Dad and the even worse named Dick Dangerous and The Love Bastards, seemed to find more favour with the local audience. Both were less easy on the eye than The Higher State - a bearded saxophonist in black three quarter length cargo pants is never acceptable - and considerably rawer. Still, the singer from Dick D did sport eyebrows like little orbit quiffs and Uncle Dad did serviceable rawhide renditions of songs by The Cramps and The Honeycombs and it's always a treat to see people actually dancing while groups are playing. The only real down-side of the evening was spotting on a discarded setlist that The Higher State had been planning to end on Southwest F.O.B.'s timeless "The Smell of Incense" but couldn't due to the organisers calling time. I'm sure that would've been quite something.

Liechtenstein "Meantime"

2011-07-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

Drill Building is a champion name for a record label isn't it? Liechtenstein's second cd-r for the label hit the streets on the 5th of March but (to the best of Not Unloved's knowledge, at least) it's taken until now for it to appear on a British mailorder list (good work Pebble Records!). The postman dropped mine onto the mat today and it's totally reaffirmed my love for the group. "Meantime" is music for cowboy automatons to bust their mechanical moves to. Somebody should buy Peter Crouch a ten gallon hat and a six pack of Stella, stick on "Meantime" and film the results!

Those unfamiliar with Liechtenstein's previous work are urged to direct their favourite browser to their Soundcloud page here.

The Price Is Right For "The Time Is Right For Love"

2011-07-05T04:26:00.000-07:00

An original copy of Bobby Reed's soul masterpiece "The Time Is Right For Love" (Bell Records) has been sitting on ebay at around the £300 mark for a while now. As Soul/Northern Soul prices go, £300 isn't silly money but it's certainly way outside my price range. I expected an original to be outta my price league but I didn't expect that the 2004 Expansion reissue would now be, too! Since hearing Gerry Love spinning it in Cafe Rio a couple of years ago, I must've bid on a dozen, probably more, copies and always been outbid. When a VG+ copy went for £52.00 (eek!) the other week I resigned myself to never owning it so scouted about once more for a compilation cd which included it. Unfortunately these proved elusive, too; Goldmine Soul Supply's "Modern Soul Volume 4" cd is out of print and at that time there weren't any second hand copies kicking about. Ditto the "Soul Spectrum II" (BBE) cd. When a Mint/unplayed copy of the 7" reissue popped up, I automatically added it to my watchlist, more to track the price than in the hope of actually buying it. Strangely, with only a couple of hours to go, nobody had bid on it so I speculatively ventured the starting price which was £6 more than the upper limit I'd previously agreed with myself. Surprisingly (what happened to the person who lost out on the 52.00 quid copy?), no further bids followed so the chase was over. Score! Does it matter that it's not an original? Not to me. What does matter, is that I can now luxuriate in its rich delights through my stereo instead of via my computer's inferior wee speakers. "The Time Is Right For Love" is not only a testament to Van McCoy's (it should've been on this!) considerable (co-)songwriting skills, but also Saint Etienne's ear for a classy sample.

The Tamborines "Indian Hill"

2011-07-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

Soft Power Records of Livingston, Scotland hits a home run with the snappy "Black and Blue" single by The Tamborines which features the properly pretty "Indian Hill" on the flip. On one of my infrequent visits to Rough Trade I was recommended and bought one of the group's previous singles and, y'know, it made all the right sounds and had learned all the right moves but somehow it didn't quite steal my heart. "Indian Hill", however, has. It double doses the prettiness with a tender, restrained vocal from Lulu Grave and the kind of one fingered piano line that Schroeder would've played to console Linus had he lost his blanket. Makes you want to do something romantic and just a little reckless like buying 10 copies, loading up a Dansette and pressing go when you should be heading to work. This summer, choose pretty!

To The Power of Two

2011-06-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

Two very different shows at two wildly differing volumes by two couldn't-be-more-different duos on successive Saturdays will live long in the memory. First, Tenniscoats played acoustically and unamplified under the watchful dragon heads at the Garnethill Multicultural Centre. It was naive, playful and - excuse the hippy word - pure.

(thanks to @geomck for the footage!)

Then, Chris and Cosey rolled up at The Tramway and delivered a set of hard electro that was dark and pounding (the track below doesn't truly reflect just how pounding) but totally compelling.

Chris & Cosey - Driving Blind, Glasgow 2011 by chris_carter

Tenniscoats, I had expected to enjoy but seeing Chris and Cosey was a punt which came up trumps. Which is just as well as I had been all set in fake Mod Lambretta shirt and cheap sky blue Harrington from Dee's of Trongate to get on the goodfoot at The Glasgow Mod Weekender. It would therefore have been a double downer had C & C been a letdown. It's interesting to look back on the emotions I felt after each show. Following Tenniscoats I felt a sort of love for the world, all positive and uncomplicated; their personalities and music had helped to consign the downsides and petty slights of the working week to history, at least for a while. After Chris and Cosey, however, I felt elated. Elated, but aware that the negatives had, this time, been pummeled into the past through sheer volume and intensity. I'm not the sort to live for the weekend but if I were, both shows would've proved worth the anticipation. I wonder what next Saturday will bring...

Club nights

2011-06-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

Reading the recent Quietus article about Divine has precipitated another small bout of historical jealousy. To be honest, I never really realised, despite living in the west of Scotland all my days, what an institution it was. I somehow never really twigged when it was on and, I guess, never felt part of it. Given my time again, I'd probably be a regular at the Vic Bar and would no doubt have discovered a load of the good stuff earlier but I wasn't and I didn't. That article got me wistfully pondering over which club nights meant the most to me and without doubt the first Friday Street in the fairly dingy pre-refurbishment basement of Blackfriars was the best club night I've ever attended. I went on my own in my new red and white gingham Ben Sherman button-down (buttoned right up, of course - didn't want to show too much Daz white flesh!), black Levi's and a single breasted grey sports jacket (4 buttons, 3 on each cuff). As I walked in a stranger said, "You look like a young Andrew Loog Oldham". I wasn't quite sure if that was meant as a compliment as I'd never really seen a picture of the chap. Still, I smiled back and got a Diet Coke and sat down at an unoccupied table. Early in the evening the music was just incredible. It was like the DJ had a Dansette stacked with the 50 best female-voiced Northern Soul records I'd ever heard. As the place filled up the dancefloor got ever busier. It was pretty exhilarating. Maybe a third of the way through the evening, a chap in a green bomber jacket approached me saying that he was from the Mad Monks Scooter Club and that if I was on my own I could join them. Of course, I was way too shy to and politely declined his kind offer. I guess the word 'Mad' in the name of his scooter club scared me more than a little. As the evening progressed, however, he came over and asked me once more to join them and I felt that it would be rude to turn him down again so I went over and sat with them. Everyone was so friendly and so passionate about scootering, Mods and Northern Soul. I got bombarded with questions as they sized me up:

Mad Monks: What's your favourite Kinks record?
Brogues: Er...I don't know. I don't own any.
Mad Monks: Do you like The Small Faces?
Brogues: Only the odd tune here and there and I kinda hate all that "Lazy Sunday Awftahnoon-ah" stuff.
Mad Monks: You must like The Who, then. What's your favourite Who album?
Brogues: Um...not sure...I don't think I've heard any.

By this time the guy who'd invited me to join them was a little nonplussed so asked why I was at Friday Street. When I told him that I'd wanted to hear Northern Soul and that I'd never been to soul/ Mod night before he and the rest of the Mad Monks took on the role of educators and I was deluged with advice on what records to buy and what nights/events to attend next. It transpired later that a bunch of them were into Sarah Records and The Field Mice, in particular. When he heard us talking about The Field Mice, one burly former steelworker even started quizzing me about "The Waaaaah cd". I certainly wasn't expecting that! They dug The Pastels and The Jesus and Mary Chain, too, so there was plenty common ground. As they and the rest of the clientele got tipsier, the dancing got wilder, the jokes got funnier and the night climaxed with old and young - Monks included - atop tables, arms aloft singing along to The Small Faces. It was completely glorious. I couldn't help comparing it to the unsatisfying indie nights that I'd recently attended at which nobody smiled at you never mind spoke to you. As the lights came up I was invited to scooter bashes and rideouts and get-togethers that I knew I was too bashful and, frankly, too square to ever attend but it was just nice to be asked. The Mad Monks' enthusiasm was genuinely moving and more than a little like that of evangelical missionaries seeking new converts. Over the years I've been to a fair few Friday Street evenings at its various city centre venues and have always had a champion time. I still feel like an outsider as I'm not the sort to join a club and adopt a way of life, but I never feel uncomfortable and, if I'm on my own, somebody always reaches out. From what I gather, by coincidence, the last Divine at the Vic Bar the other week also ended on The Small Faces. Part of me wishes I'd gone to that but a larger part of me is glad that I didn't as, well, it would've been akin to going to a football Cup final when your team gets there without having attended that 2nd round tie in Brechin on the dank second Saturday in January.

Here's the song I associate most with Friday Street having heard it there first. If it's played late enough in the evening, you can guarantee folks'll be frugging wildly whilst windmilling like Pete Townshend to it! It always comes back to The Who...

Sterling Roswell presents...

2011-06-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

Not Unloved is completely enamoured of Psychedelic SRB's recent "Kicks Interplanetary Spaceliner" 7" (self-released via Sterling Roswell International Recordings) on which former Spacemen 3 explorer Sterling Roswell sings in lovely hushed tones reminiscent of Bobby Gillespie. As expected, it's a spacey tune but it's not one which batters you over the head with its cosmic pretensions. It's not all about blasting off into space, either. There are no big musical explosions. Rather, as the title suggests, it's pretty, purposeful music for the light years spent travelling between planets at a future time when space travel has become as commonplace as taking the bus is now. There are so many things to love on this record especially the bits on which Roswell duets tenderly with Linnea Svensson and the guitars which unfold their neat melodies without fuss. If you're smart, you'll pop a proton pill and grab this single before it's gone!

Kicks Interplanetary Spaceliner ( Roswell ) by ROSCO - Sterling Roswell

"Hey!!" by Barbara Mercer

2011-06-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

It was pathetic, really. I'd lost out in yet another ebay auction (I make that 3 times this year) for a reissue of the modern soul record I want most so, like a spoilt kid hellbent on getting a new toy and who won't take no for an answer, I looked for something, anything else that would satisfy my need for a soul record right there and then and this is what I bought:

Just listen to that voice! Have you ever heard anything softer in your whole time on this earth? I'm not sure I have! Burg'n'Beans' production is classy and refined but has just the right amount of sway to banish the inertia from your feet. I'm pretty sure I'll be "walking round on a cloud" when the postman slides it through my letterbox later this week. As with The Petticoats 7" (see yesterday's post), it's the kind of record you want to put next to your bed so that it's the first thing you see when you prise open your leaden eyes of a morning; a reminder of the good stuff in this (golden) world.

The Petticoats "Normal"

2011-06-11T06:14:00.000-07:00

The sarcastic two fingers up to settling for a life of domesticity of The Petticoats' "Normal" was one of many highlights of Stewart and Jen from Boyracer's killer "Kitchen Sounds #1" podcast in July 2008. With it being from 1980, however, I figured that an original 7" would be tricky to track down so didn't try to and over time kinda forgot about it. Then, a few weeks ago whilst rummaging about on Group Tightener's site*, I spied that Fungi Girls had also included it on their rather fine mix. After a bit of internet diddling (it's a compulsion!) I'd turned up a relatively pricey N(ear)M(int) ebay copy and Stef Petticoat's discography page on which, crucially, the entry for "Normal" wasn't followed by the words 'no longer available'. One email, a week and some exemplary packaging (much appreciated, Stef!) later and I had a perfect copy spinning on my turntable. Hurrah! It's a real buzz to hear those clanking guitars and Stef's refusenik vocals turned way up loud and, since I don't currently have any more Petticoats records to play, I'll be spending the next wee while in the company of The Nixe, Kleenex and Lung Leg. Magic!

{get in touch with Stef here to bag yr very own copy to cherish!}

* - I was keen on getting their Twerps 7" but 18.50 USD for one 7" kinda prices me outta the game unless it's the best thing since "Baby Honey"...

Girls Names "Dead To Me"

2011-06-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

My chemistry teacher once told me that "Procrastination is the thief of time". 20 years on and it would appear that diddling on the internet has replaced procrastination as the thief of my time. That pesky internet has stolen so much time of late that a shameful number of records and cds have been suffocating in their shrinkwrap instead of breathing on my hi-fi. One such cd was Girls Names' debut. After their rollicking set at Commercial Alternative last year, I was hotly anticipating the release of "Dead To Me" (Slumberland Records / Tough Love) so it's a bit odd that it suffered such a fate. Anyway, it finally got a few spins last night while I was reading The Observer from 2 Sundays ago which I didn't read at the time because I was diddl...er...you get the picture. Girls Names' earlier eps and their ace split with Brilliant Colors suggested that a full length would sound like this and it's a relief that it actually does. Which is to say that I'm glad that, unlike some of their peers, they didn't feel the need to get too polished too soon. Most tracks sound like they were made by a gang of kids sent wild on hearing Crystal Stilts, Joy Division and the grumbling, rumbling music of the Estrus Records / Dick Dale axis of surf (as opposed to the harmony spangled surf of The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean). So, a record to nourish those with a love of the sparkier side of guitar pop. It's at its sparkiest on songs like "I Lose" (previously aired on the aforementioned Brilliant Colors split) on which the guitar rattles like the chrome fittings on an aged school bus battering along a pothole riddled road circa 1975. At last Friday's Ducktails show D suggested that it sounded as if I loved just about every record out at the moment. Of course that's not true. What is true is that recently there have been a number of records such as the aforementioned Crystal Stilts' latest, Amor de Dias's debut, the new Comet Gain record, etc. that haven't disappointed so I feel compelled to evangelise (ok, chunter on at length to anyone who'll listen!) about them.

Girls Names - "I Lose" by Tough Love

The Pastels on Domino Radio!

2011-06-08T12:59:00.001-07:00

The Pastels present "Thomson Colour" this Sunday (12th June) at 9:30am (British Summertime) for Domino Radio. Sounds like a lovely thing to wake up to on Sunday morning, doesn't it? Poor Andrew Marr'll be gutted that his viewing figures'll be taking a dive this week, though.

Update Monday 13/06: The show was, as expected, wonderful and is now archived here.

Return to Wimp Scuzz: "I Cried" by The Chains

2011-06-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

Tender vocals, an admirably non-macho willingness to admit to crying and a super-expressive guitar line make The Chains' "I Cried" a particularly touching example of 1960s wimp scuzz. Remarkably, it wasn't released at the time but, for those of us not fortunate enough to have been kicking around the high schools and dancehalls of McKeesport, PA in 1964, Get Hip Records pressed it up at some point (April 2011-ish?) on 7" vinyl. When The Man sees fit to pay me next, I'll buy me a copy, for sure!

Q: Are You Falling In Love?

2011-05-31T15:56:00.000-07:00

A: Yes.

For some reason I didn't really feel either of Gold-Bears' singles so I wasn't expecting a great deal from their debut lp but I gave it a whirl anyway since it was on Slumberland Records. It came as a sweet surprise, therefore, to discover much to admire on it, especially the title track, "Are You Falling In Love". The idea of overlaying a Belle and Sebastian-reverent tune complete with strings and sleigh bells with the sound of a swarm of bees disappearing up a vacuum cleaner turned out to be a fine one. Who would've guessed that? Elsewhere there are a bunch of guitar sounds to cherish (the start of "Tally" was surely pinched from The Field Mice's autumn store of intros!), some immaculately recorded tambourines (anyone who doesn't have a weakness for them, please see a doctor now!) and plenty of impassioned vocals. It all zips by at quite a pace but still finds the time and space for subtlety and detail. So far it's stood up well to repeated plays and I suspect that with the addition of some summer sun its appeal will only grow.

Handily, I've just noticed that you can embed boomkat's player on yr blog so, er, don't take my word for it! (Like you'd be so dumb, anyway!)

Jad Fair @ Stereo, Glasgow (31/05/2011)

2011-05-31T14:47:00.000-07:00

So, Jad Fair played and, as expected, it was a bit of a riot! With Jad's shows, there's always a story to tell afterwards and this time that story concerns his...er...bendy guitar (!). I'm pretty sure I've never witnessed a show where the guitarist physically bent the neck of his guitar in the pursuit of sound and sensation and I've certainly never seen a show which finished with the guitarist playing an instrument whose neck has become separated from its body before! Crazily, the neck bending antics yielded some great sounds. If someone had blindfolded me and told me that I was in fact listening to a live Jad Fair album that had been left next to a piping hot radiator all winter, I would've believed them. His set was studded with frequently aired gems from yesteryear like "Red Dress", "This Could Be The Night" "Roman Candles" and "Bashful Jad" but all were made lemon fresh by Jad's loopy-eyed energy and the odd lyrical tweak. His Jad-libs (sorry - couldn't resist that!) were a hoot e.g. "I may not a Beatle, but I have a Beatle's needs" and from the length of some of his mid-line pauses, he could, in a Crocodile Dundee style, say to Harold Pinter, "Ha ha ha, that's not a pause. THAT's a pause!". Gilles Rieder on drums was a rock, all maximum feel and, crucially, minimum chaos - a great complement to Jad. A true highlight was when the pair left the stage and Jad, breathing hard and sweating from his exertions, sang a cappella while Rieder drummed on the stage-front and then the floor. Tremendous!

Bashful Jad in Glasgow!

2011-05-28T04:28:00.000-07:00

Not long now till Jad Fair lands in Glasgow! I can't think of a better way to make the most of the spring bank holiday - Monday, 30th May - than nipping along to Stereo at ~7pm for some hot Jad action. Like a lot of the good stuff in my life, I have The Pastels to thank for bringing Jad to my attention via their two heart melting collaborations with him. I have so many great memories of Jad's previous Glasgow shows. For example, being at The Art School at silly o'clock in the morning watching a punk and a skinhead merrily (and I do mean 'merrily', they were having a fine old time!) kicking each other while Jad's group, Half Japanese, ground (musically, not in the Beyonce booty-shaking sense!) away on stage or seeing the cutest, most sweetly gormless baby popping up periodically at the window of Monorail when he played an in-store there. And the less said about the time I 'lost' my spectacles during the disco after his show with Teenage Fanclub aboard the Renfew Ferry, the better! If the optimistic, packet-of-Dolly Mixtures colours of Jad's most recent artworks (see the pic, above) are any guide, 2011 finds him on fine form. I do hope so. Roll on Monday!

Terry Malts "Distracted"

2011-05-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

It's just so impeccably clean! I've never seen a picture of Terry Malts but, from the sound of "Distracted" from the group's debut 7" on Slumberland, I imagine that they sport neat Sta-prest trousers, gingham button-down Ben Shermans and Y(ale) cardigans. "Distracted" isn't the A-side but it's the song I'm drawn to most. Not that lead track, "I'm Neurotic", isn't a top punk-pop blast - it is - but "Distracted" is just so catchy (and not just because of the sensible steal from The Go-betweens' "Lee Remick"!) and crisp that it's utterly irresistible. It may have been recorded cleanly - the vocals in particular - but it's by no means anodyne; the guitars, for example, churn and spin before spinning so fast that they tumble over giddy and laughing in the last 20 seconds. Slumberland has form when it comes to releasing bubblegum punk -see this smashing Parasites single - and I'm glad that they've embraced it once more. 2011 is the year of my power pop/punk epiphany after all.

Terry Malts - Distracted by Slumberland Records

Pick the Cat's Eyes up!

2011-05-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

If the truth be told, there was practically a 0% chance that I would've picked up on Cat's Eyes without the help of friends. All that puff in the Sunday supplements about gigs at the Vatican, a guy from The Horrors collaborating with an opera singer and an album released on a major label (spit - ha, just kidding!) would've ensured that. However, a word to the wise from a trusted friend is usually enough to make me put my prejudices to one side - at least for the duration of a YouTube clip or two - and so it was this time. Fortunately, the first clip I watched was this:

From the way it glides into view kinda like "Svefn-g-Englar" did so memorably all those years ago to Rachel Zeffira's soft as snow vocals, it's a subtle charmer that makes you feel the loss of Trish Keenan a little more keenly. By contrast, the next clip I watched was this little hurricane:

Faris Badwan's preposterous vocals really should have me running for the hills but, inexplicably, I dig 'em big time and Zeffira's contribution is, once again, wondrous. Just listen to the playful way she sings 'I'm gonna go where the sun don't shine' like an even girlier Judith Boyle...smashing! It's a wild ride of a tune that, unfortunately for the tardy ones who missed the "Broken Glass" double 7" in February, doesn't appear on the debut album. It would be great hear it blasted out just once at a record hop to see if it causes dancefloor dodgems like it would in a fair world!

From an initial spin of their full length, there's nothing quite as tumultuous as "Sunshine Girls" but that's okay, as there are plenty moments of genuine prettiness to be enjoyed. Sure, there is the odd jarring Badwan moment but they can't take the shine off what is, for me at least, an unexpected treat. Thanks for the tip S, it was a good one!

Kevin Shields' progeny

2011-05-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

Had I had the time when I bought it, I would've written some thoughts on (the appallingly named!) Ringo Deathstarr's "Colour Trip" cd (Club AC30). I would've mentioned that I saw them supporting Dean and Britta (February 2011 @ Stereo in Glasgow) when that duo were performing 'The Songs of Galaxie 500' and that J and I had quipped to each other that Ringo Deathstarr were obviously performing 'The Songs of My Bloody Valentine'. I would've mentioned, too, how I had had the same Showaddywaddy (<--- only click this link if you are emotionally robust and have another catchy song to hand with which to flush out yr ears afterwards!) suspicions that I had had on first hearing The Manhattan Love Suicides i.e. that they were a mere facsimile of something that in its day was truly new and creative and hence dangerous. I would've said, however, that, as with TMLS, I unequivocally enjoyed their music regardless of any doubts about about its borrowing from the past.

I mention all this now because I'm experiencing it yet again with No Joy's "Ghost Blonde" album (Mexican Summer). No Joy purloin from the same artists (fill in the blanks!) as Ringo Deathstarr so won't satisfy those searching for the merest glimmer of originality in their music but, as with RD, they do make a very pretty noise. A noise that when it hits high gear is more than a little exhilarating such as when the drummer bludgeons his kit to death about 1 minute and 26 seconds into "You Girls Smoke Cigarettes?" or during the rampaging first couple of minutes of "Hawaii". I suspect that the 21 year old me would have haughtily dismissed both groups (and probably their labels, too) but I'm not 21 years old any more and I don't really need each new record I buy to be the saviour of music. I guess, to some extent, that's due to my having a bit more disposable income and knowing that if I buy a stinker or even just a pleasantly average record, I won't have to sit and stare at it resentfully for ages before I can afford to buy another one. Mind you, in retrospect, I did buy the entire recorded output of Secret Shine, so even as a 21 year old I wasn't averse to a bit of MBV plundering! I guess what all this rambling is trying to say is that I like No Joy and Ringo Deathstarr while being fully cognisant of their historical debt*.

* - heh heh...just to illustrate that you can't trust anyone..I whipped the phrase 'historical debt' from this l.p.'s title

Glasgow Indietracks warm-up (July, 25th 2011)

2011-05-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

A welcome side-effect of the Indietracks organisers bringing groups to the UK who maybe couldn't afford to come otherwise, is that these groups tend to fit in additional shows around the country so, even if you don't pitch your tent somewhere near Butterly on the last weekend of July, you still get to see some exotic out-of-towners. For example, I'm pretty sure that it's thanks to Indietracks that Glasgow has witnessed revelatory performances from New York's Paisley patterned janglers The Specific Heats in recent years. This year's Glasgow Indietracks warm-up show is something of a Matinee Records spectacular with 3 of that label's finest set to grace The Captain's Rest's (barely elevated!) stage: Seattle's Math and Physics Club and local heroes The Hermit Crabs and Bubblegum Lemonade. As if that weren't treats enough, Chicago's heartfelt Camera Obscurists, Very Truly Yours, are also on the bill; talk about a stellar lineup! If Bubblegum Lemonade do make their live debut, it'll be first time I'll have seen one of Laz McLuskey's groups since, ooh, The Stepping Stones supported BMX Bandits in Kilmarnock something ridiculous like 16 or 17 years ago; and they said it wouldn't happen! If it turns out that Very Truly Yours' exquisite jangles and melancholy melodies are half as good live as they are on record, it'll be a night to cheer the soul. So, thanks must go to the Indietracks organising committee and, of course, to Half My Heart Beats for doing the legwork to make this unmissable show happen. It's great to have something to look forward to. Roll on July!

The utterly charming poster for the show was created by Andy Hart*. On my old blog I wrote glowingly about Andy's illustrations for the indiepop tribute to The Ramones and I'm similarly knocked-out by this piece. I strongly recommended getting to know his cast of cool kids and b-movie characters. What a talented fellow!

* - There's a dandy interview with Andy on the Eardrums site that features some more of his artwork. Smashing!

Amor de Dias "Dream (Dead Hands)"

2011-05-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

As of today the debut album from Amor de Dias is streaming on the Merge Records site. I tend not to listen to records ahead of their release date as it diminishes the thrill of walking home from the record shop wishing and hoping but I couldn't wait to hear "Street of the Love of Days" so an exception was made. So far I've made it to the seventh song and, well, haven't been able to move to the eighth yet. "Dream (Dead Hands)" is without doubt the prettiest 3 minutes and 47 seconds of new music I've heard since 2010 gave way to 2011. It's as intimate and as beautifully clear-voiced as Chuck and Mary Perrin at their "Violets of Dawn" best. It's as delicate and moving as Blueboy at their "If Wishes Were Horses"/"Unisex" best. I'm sure I've written of this phenomenon before (ain't nothing new under the sun, sonny!), but I know when I truly love a song because when it plays I can't really decipher the words, can't focus on them. My guess is that so much of my head is taken up trying to appreciate the sheer beauty of the music and the voices and the arrangement that higher brain functions like language just have to take a back seat for a while until it's all processed and understood and its place in the pantheon of my favourite music established. This inability to fully grasp the song, however, means I'm compelled to play it over and over again to the point where I get a bit over-emotional and all fizzing with the need to evangelise about it. It happened when I first heard The Field Mice, it happened when I first heard Alasdair from Amor de Dias's other group The Clientele and it's happening now with "Dream (Dead Hands)". Just the other day I was lamenting the fact that I hadn't heard too many genuinely brilliant albums so far this year. If the remaining 8 tracks are as majestic as the first 7, "Street of the Love of Days" will be one of the few. Excitingly, it's only 7 days - 17th May - until the vinyl and cd hit the record shops.

Share The Joy

2011-05-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

This blog isn't called Not Unloved for nothing. Recently I've read a bunch of lukewarm or even downright negative reviews of the latest Vivian Girls record, "Share The Joy" (Polyvinyl), so it seems only right that somebody shows them that they're not unloved. I bought it yesterday - not exactly quick off the mark, I know - and after a few plays I just don't understand the gripes. It's possible, maybe, that a little part of me is championing the underdog but, really, there's nothing on "Share The Joy" that sounds limp or under-cooked or uninspired. That's not to say that it's the greatest recorded work since wax cylinders but it's certainly not worthy of derision nor to be greeted with disappointment or a shrug of the shoulders and dismissed as just another Vivian Girls record. Sure, they've made 3 broadly similar albums in their short career to date, but each one has been different enough from its predecessor and moved their sound forward enough to be worthwhile and to not be considered a retread. It's to their credit that they've stuck to their core sound. I'd rather they did that than go all overblown and Smashing Pumpkins on us or take to producing chill-wavelets or whatever genre Altered Zones is soiling itself over these days. It feels like their main crime is to not be the new thing any more. I'll bet that if they had cheekily sneaked out "Dance (If You Wanna)" as the debut single by a fictitious group, a bunch of bloggers - Not Unloved included - would've written enthusiastically of its innocent peppiness. Mind you, when I heard lead single "I Heard You Say" I was taken by it immediately. Had its guitar solo graced a private-press wimp scuzz side from 1967, I suspect that folks would've talked glowingly of its primitive emotional pull. It's beautifully recorded, too; just the right fidelity. There have been some snide remarks about the playing on the record. For example, Pitchfork decried Cassie Ramone's soloing on "The Other Girls" as being 'flat and stiff as dry spaghetti' . Listening to it, however, I was struck by how unbearable it could have been had it been played by some pompous (probably male) goon with a whopping ego and a girning face intent on ramming more notes than necessary into every second. Give me Cassie Ramone's rudimentary soulfulness over that any day! Rather than addressing each of the negative comments I've read in turn, I'll just finish by saying that I'm relieved that I didn't let those comments deter me from buying "Share The Joy" as it has enough pop thrills and charm to earn it a place in my affections and a good few plays.

Shimmering Stars "East Van Girls"

2011-05-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

Shimmering Stars // East Van Girls by le-pere-de-colombe

Seems like Shimmering Stars' brilliant single (Almost Musique) sneaked out last year while my foolish ears were turned elsewhere. Lead track "East Van Girls" marries that winning early Vivian Girls-in-the-garage production style to a lovely tears-on-my-pillow, pre-beat boom melody. The result recalls a less Jesus and Mary Chain reverent version of fellow Everly Brothers admirers (Shimmering Stars tackle "Let It Be Me" on the flip of this e.p.), The Raveonettes. Generously, Almost Musique have shared all 4 tracks on the e.p. available via their Soundcloud page. Kudos to Pebble Records for having the smarts to snag a few copies for the UK.

Maxine Darren "Don't You Know"

2011-04-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

Tsk! Tsk! Look at the mess of this place... there are cd's strewn all over the place. Ah, the joys of making mix cd's (it's not all podcasts and Spotify playlists in 2011!) for chums. Of course, the real joy of compiling mixes is re-discovering all those semi-forgotten songs that made your heart stop when first you heard them. Today, Maxine Darren's "Don't You Know"* has happened to me all over again. I was totally charmed by it back in the late '90s when I was mad keen on accumulating all 10 volumes of Sequel's Here Come The Girls series. It still possesses one of the finest intro/outro guitar lines I've ever heard; as precise and pretty as a little cut glass ornament. Dig, too, those doo-wop style backing vocals and the key change that ratchets up the desperation to 11. The 16 year old Maxine's voice is just the cutest thing and practically made for delivering the melodramatic 'dying'/'crying' teen heartache lyrics. Maxine Darren was certainly one swinging little mademoiselle!

(* - it's currently available on this fine cd)

A missed opportunity

2011-04-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

One Sunday night a few years ago (September, 2007) I was listening to BBC6 Music and heard a Listener's Mix. It was really great but I knew I could do better so, in a spirit of cockiness and fired-up with righteous missionary zeal, I sparked up my PC and submitted one of my own. A few days later I got a nice email from one of the production staff saying that they loved my choices and would like to broadcast my mix. Of course, I was thrilled and fizzing with delight at the prospect of a trip to London to record my song introductions. Unfortunately, however, it didn't happen. During the process the original production company lost the rights to produce the shows. The new producers were still keen to air my mix but instead of recording the intros ahead of time, they wanted me to appear live on the show at the time of airing and have convivial chit-chat with the presenters (the Queens of Noize, if I remember right). Being a bashful sort that was never going to happen, so I thanked them for their interest but declined their offer. A few years on, it feels like a missed opportunity. I mean, how often do you get to hear your choice of tunes coming through the radio? The opportunity to drone on about the genius of The Pastels, Bettye Swann etc. at length would've been fun, too. Ah well, it wasn't to be. Below is the tracklisting I submitted. I still think it would've sounded just champion on the radio!

The Pastels – Comin’ Through
Black Tambourine – Throw Aggi Over The Bridge
Angela and The Fans – I Know You
Oddfellows Casino – Ballad Of Oddfellow
Beach House – Tokyo Witch
Xavier Cugat – Perfidia
Club 8 – The Beauty Of The Way We’re Living
The Field Mice – If You Need Someone
Section 25 – Looking From A Hilltop
Mahogany – One Plus One Equals Three Or More
Flying Saucer Attack – Wish
Chuck and Mary Perrin – The Violets Of Dawn
The Eyes – When The Night Falls
Erase Errata – Another Genius Idea From Our Government
The Crabapples – London Belongs To Me, Pt 2.
Bubblegum Lemonade – The Tomorrow People
The Clientele – I Hope I Know You
Bettye Swann – (My Heart Is) Closed For The Season
Kenny Carter - Showdown

The Modern Lovers "96 Tears"

2011-04-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

"We must shift America from a needs- to a desires-culture. People must be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old have been entirely consumed. [...] Man's desires must overshadow his needs."

Paul Mazer* (Lehman Brothers, circa 1930s)

Unexpectedly, this quote popped into my head earlier when trying to decide if I should purchase the "96 Tears" (Vinyl Lovers) l.p. by The Modern Lovers at some point. I've seen it recently behind the counter in Monorail and been tempted to buy it a coupla times but each time the nagging doubt that I didn't really need to own live or early versions of much loved Modern Lovers songs prevented me from doing so. Then, earlier tonight, @notirakaplan mentioned it in a tweet and that sent me scurrying off to YouTube to find out once and for all. When I heard this version of "96 Tears" desire turned to need:

See, I do the opposite of what corporate America wants - I buy when I need not when I desire (or so I like to kid myself!). But, come on, even the count-in is lusty and emphatic and the whole affair is groovy beyond belief. I'll bet the young Jonathan Richman would cut some serious rug while performing it and I can totally imagine Ian Svevonius blasting it in his dressing room to achieve a higher state of groovyness prior to Chain and The Gang shows. Need!

* - I first encountered this quote in the wonderful Adam Curtis documentary The Century of the Self which is, unsurprisingly, on YouTube and well worth watching!

Probably the best record sleeve of 2011 thus far

2011-04-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

Afternoon Naps "Summer Gang"

The Big Stramash

2011-04-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Woah, this looks great!

It'll be fascinating to see how '60s Mod legends The Poets shape up in 2011 and I'm sure it'll be a total buzz to finally witness a live stampede by Lenny Helsing's The Wildebeests. How I've contrived not to see The Wildebeests before now is a mystery to me! I'm keen, too, to see The Higher State as singer Mole's former group The Embrooks are, to this day (along with The Dirtbombs, of course!), just about the best garage group I've seen in the flesh. One name that jumped out when I first saw the flier was Sally Skull. Can this possibly be the same group who released stuff on Slampt in the mid-90s? I hope so cos they were tops!. Very interesting. Tickets go on sale on May, 1st. Fab gear!

P.S. If anyone knows who sang the ace, bagpipe riddled "Highland Fling" (?) on the The Big Stramash's homepage, please leave a comment. Thanks!

Peach Kelli Pop "Do The Eggroll"

2011-04-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

Forget Botox and anti-wrinkle creams, if you wanna stay young just listen to this!

If they ditched the line about sniffin' glue this could be a massive hit on kids tv!

Update: 1 US dollar gets you this groovy lil tune that slipped out without me having a clue it even existed in September last year!

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://peachkellipop.bandcamp.com/album/self-titled"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Self Titled by peach kelli pop&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Agitated Romantic

2011-04-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

After an unexpected power pop/vintage punk epiphany earlier this year, I guess the time was right for me to encounter crack Australian power pop troupe The Scientists. The impetus to finally seek out some of their work came upon spying that Moon Duo's* Agitated Records was reissuing "Frantic Romanitc" for Record Store Day.

From the intro's first Link Wray indebted strum and the first chant of "It was romance!" I was smitten and that was before I'd fully digested the unexpectedly cute lyrics. Take, for example, the opening verse:

Met her at a dance; it was romance!

Took her by the hand; it was romance!

Gave her my drink; it was romance!

Told her I loved her; it was rooomance!

Remember, these are not Talulah Gosh lyrics! Only the most tediously macho oaf could hear them and not melt a little. Guitar solos are usually a sore point round these parts but not this time; it's bendy enough to be interesting but never so noodly that it's unlistenable. It didn't look like the 7" was flying off Monorail's shelves during Saturday's Record Store Day mania which is a shame but I, for one, couldn't countenance not buying it once I'd heard it. "Frantic Romantic" marked Agitated's second brilliant Record Store Day reissue following last year's release of this bratty, wild-eyed masterpiece by The Electric Eels:

Thanks Agitated!

* - Moon Duo already demonstrated their love of The Scientists by recording a tremendous (better than the original?) cover of the pained, brooding "Set It On Fire" for the flip of last year's "Catch As A Catch Can" 7" (also Agitated).

"Masia" b/w "Jose's Instrumental"

2011-04-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny how sometimes you search and search for something truly remarkable but can't seem to find it and then, with no fanfare and with very little effort on your part, you stumble on something that sets your heart racing? That happened a while back when I rescued (aren't I the heroic one?!) Savath Y Savalas's "Masia" 7"* from the juno.co.uk sale. At the time, the primary reasons for purchasing it were:

1) The price: 50p (if I remember, correctly)

2) The label art (see the slightly shoddy picture, above!)

3) The label: Stone's Throw

That is, I didn't buy it out of any drive to accumulate records by Savath Y Savalas. For a record so unassuming and which makes its point with the absolute minimum of fuss, it has come as a bit of a surprise just how often I've been drawn to it. "Masia" is one of those songs that, like the best of Lali Puna's work, never fails to bring some much needed calm, warmth and otherness to a day. On the flip, "Jose's Instrumental" is equally poised, uncluttered and dappled by the late evening sun. Unfortunately, for once, neither YouTube nor Soundcloud came up trumps but there are samples here for the curious.

* - Looks like it's still available from Stone's Throw as a freebie with any purchase of the "La Llama" cd or lp. Buy it and cherish it like a Polaroid snap from a happier time!

Hangover Lounge e.p. #2

2011-04-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

London's most considerate (to sore heads!) and considered (check their list of previous guest DJs and bands for proof!) weekly club, The Hangover Lounge, has prepared a Record Store Day exclusive e.p. for your delectation. By all accounts, many stops were pulled out to ensure that it was ready on time so it seems only right that those efforts should be rewarded with a purchase, so that is what I'll be doing this coming Saturday. Last year's e.p. - the club's first - contained some sublime sounds (including this wondrous cut from the prodigiously pretty Amor de Dias) that, in keeping with the musical policy of the club, didn't trouble any fragile, hung-over heads. #2 looks set to continue this tradition if this typically gorgeous track from Paul Kelly and Debsey Wykes's much missed Birdie is a truly representative sample:

Birdie - Message to the Sun by wiaiwya

Really, there are few more life enhancing sounds than Debsey Wykes ba-ba-ing are there? As if that weren't treats enough, it also includes Her Pop Highness Pam Berry coming on like a one woman Andrews Sisters on her first ever completely solo recording, "Wonder People (I Do Wonder)". Oh, and I think you'll chuckle when you see the artwork!

For more information on the e.p., pop those peepers here.

Love Letter to Japan

2011-04-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

A special album from Scotland for Japan will be released via bandcamp on April 11th (tomorrow!).

'Love Letter To Japan' has been specially compiled by Duglas T Stewart to raise funds for the Japanese relief effort and to send support to the people of Japan. The album will be exclusively available for one month only. The tracks come from a wide range of acclaimed Scottish musicians.

"Many of us Scottish musicians have received so much love and support over the years from friends and fans in Japan. Now we want to send some love and support back to the people of Japan" Duglas.

The album features exclusive, previously unreleased tracks from BAFTA and Golden Globe winning composer Craig Armstrong, Stevie Jackson of Belle & Sebastian, BMX Bandits, Bill Wells, The Pearlfishers, The Pastels, Snowgoose, Alasdair Roberts, Paul Quinn, The Starlets and Eugenius. The Eugenius track will be their first new recording to be released in 15 years. BMX Bandits tracks was recorded in Tokyo with Japanese group Tenniscoats. Momus currently lives in Japan and was there when the earthquake and tsunami hit the country.

All funds from the release go directly to The Japanese Relief Effort.

1. Snowgoose: Harmony Springs
2. The Pastels: Guest of Honour
3. Hidden Masters: Golden Hair
4. Stevie Jackson: Price of an Education
5. Paul Quinn: Away
6. BMX Bandits (with Yeongene & Tenniscoats): Standing Still
7. Eugenius: Friend or Foe
8. The Pearlfishers: Swan Dreams (live)
9. Bill Wells & Tape: Troublesome Malady
10. Ally Kerr: Could Have Been a Contender
11. Lenzie Moss: Where Eagles Dare
12. St. Deluxe: After the Fire
13. Jo Mango: The Moth and the Moon
14. Alasdair Roberts & Mairi Morrison: Bràdhagair an Taobh Siar
15. Randolph's Leap: Going Home
16. Craig Armstrong: Cherry Blossom
17. The Starlets (with The Andersens): To Make You Feel Brand New
18. Momus: I Can See Japan

Available from: http://lovelettertojapan.bandcamp.com/

For more info please email lovelyduglas@googlemail.com

Tell your friends!

She Does Everything For Me

2011-04-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

Certain songs, it seems, are so well written that nobody who tackles them records a bad version. One such song must be Rod Argent's magical "She Does Everything For Me". I first came to it in the early '90s via The Sneetches' fairly faithful but fabulous version which sparked a manic search for The Zombies' original which, it turned out, was even snappier and more psychedelic than The Sneetches' rendition. Wind-on some 20 years and I chanced upon what has become my favourite version*; this time by Australian Robbie Peters. It's a touch less psychedelic than The Zombies' but the playing is frenzied to the point of breathless and Peters' youthful voice and distinctive pronunciation of 'alright' give it real teen appeal. It's completely glorious and must've driven teenage girls loopy!

I couldn't find the Robbie Peters version online so here's the original:

* - Robbie's version is tucked away at track 8 of Big Beat's revelatory collection of Australian sounds, the "Hot Generation", which provides compelling evidence that Australia could compete with the U.S. when it came to producing thumping, melodic post-Yardbirds garage pop.

I wonder if The Zombies played it at Belle and Sebastian's Bowlie 2. I'll be very peeved if they did and I missed it because I was scoffing a pasty in the canteen area!

Update: A bit of clicking around reveals that We The People also did a dandy version which is closer in execution to The Sneetches':

Brave Irene

2011-04-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

It's a struggle to think of too many artists who've never released a bad record over the course of, say, a near 20 year 'career' in music. It's even more of a struggle to compile a list of people who've never made an average record over such a period. If I were to draft the latter list Rose Melberg's name would be on it and right up the top, too. Whether solo or with Tiger Trap, The Softies and Go Sailor (or Gaze, for that matter) her records have been uniformly cute, lovable and brilliant. It came as no surprise, therefore, to discover tonight that the debut e.p. from her new group, Brave Irene, was a breezy delight. After the gentle folk of her last solo album, Homemade Ship, it's a thrill to hear her pick up the pace once more with 8 zippy, organ-enhanced songs that could equal Go Sailor and Tiger Trap for succinct catchiness. So, a gold star and a sugar mouse each for Rose and her label Slumberland!

Brave Irene - No Fun by Slumberland Records

Pass the smelling salts, please! (Crystal Stilts)

2011-03-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

On Monday I wrote:

"I have every confidence that their new l.p. "In Love With Oblivion" will soundtrack the blossom and newness of spring 2011 for me."

That was before this burst into my life and confirmed it!

It's just as well I hadn't heard the record before Sunday's show as I would've almost certainly been knocked out cold by "Precarious Stair" and the strident, unrelenting "Invisible City" at the very least. I'm feelin' a little dazed by "In Love With Oblivion", if truth be told; it's that good. If I owned 11 cd players and had 11 copies of this cd I'd pickle my head by playing every track simultaneously over and over again in a nonsensical bid to assimilate its every nuance quicker. Sometimes recklessness and folly are the only responses to brilliance.

How Weekends Should be Pt.2 : Stilts and Stains

2011-03-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Monorail Film Club presentation of Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains provided a welcome reminder of the brilliance of Christine Lahti. She's by no means the focus of the film but her brief contributions as Aunt Linda, the bereaved mother and aunt of the members of girl-punk novices The Stains, are subtle and at one point, eye-moisteningly moving. She first sneaked into my affections through her role as River Phoenix's on-the-run mother in the wonderfully tender Running On Empty; a film which somehow manages to retain its emotional impact no matter how many times I watch it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains was hugely enjoyable and had me mulling over just how in the 30 years since its release, I'd managed not to hear peep about it till now despite it featuring Ray Winstone, a couple of Sex Pistols, a Clash member and the teenage Diane Lane and Laura Dern. It sure made me keen to dig out those ace old Bikini Kill and Bangs records!

The precise second the GFT's house-lights came up, it was time for a swift dash downhill to The Arches to catch as much of Golden Grrrls' (untidy!) set as possible before enjoying Crystal Stilts. Despite keyboard amp troubles and an extended capo-break ("Enjoy it - it only happens once!") Crystal Stilts were on terrific form. JB Townsend's teardrop-shaped guitar made even choppier, treblier incisions than ever before and Andy Adler's bass made explicit the instruction to dance, an instruction that, excitingly, was heeded by several young ladies in front of me. Don't you just love it when dancing breaks out at shows? If I had a ballroom I'd book 'em! I have every confidence that their new l.p. "In Love With Oblivion" will soundtrack the blossom and newness of spring 2011 for me.

How Weekends Should be Pt.1 : The Monochrome Set

2011-03-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

Had you been listening-in as I walked home on Saturday night you would've thought me very confused. One minute I was singing about being "a woman one more time", the next about "a very peculiar boy". It was one of those late-night ambles along the south bank of the Clyde where all the great songs you've heard earlier vie for lip time. Like some dream Jive Bunny mega-mix Subway Sect segued into Joan Jett and The Blackhearts and Jacques Dutronc into Bettye Swann. It's fair to say that Stephen Pastel killed it on the decks; one of those evenings when the records in the DJ's box were gloriously congruent with the needs of the people. Even the PA did its bit by being crisp and at just the right volume. The one song I wanted to sing to myself was this (I think!) Sister Sledge tune but I couldn't because, well, unlike most folks at Mono, I didn't know the words - something I'll rectify soon:

Excitingly, The Monochrome Set, Monochrome Set, Monochrome Set were every bit as suave as I had hoped. Guitarist Lester Square even arrived on stage with an extravagant pipe (not lit, of course, in this era of the smoking ban!) hanging below his waxed moustache. They had a nice balance of solemnity (black clad bassist, Andy Warren and Square) and smiles (singer Bid and drummer Jennifer Denitto) which mirrored the arty/playful duality of their music. Lester Square's guitar playing was something special, existing at the exact meeting point of The Shadows' twang-axis with The Velvet Underground's gallop-axis. I'm no aficionado (unlike, I'm guessing, Alex Kapranos who bashfully joined them during the encore) but I recognised a fair few singles as featured on "Volume, Contrast, Brilliance...(Sessions and Singles Vol. 1)" and, maybe predictably, "Jet Set Junta" was my highlight.

Somehow, a while has passed since I last saw Wake The President and in the meantime it would appear that they've acquired a Hardy Boy on bass. I've certainly seen them cheerier but seldom zestier. They rattled through a bunch of new songs that augured well for their next l.p. and "Miss Tierney" stilll sounded like a winner.

A fine evening!