Isobel Mckenna "Thinkers Rain Around The Town" (Vivarium Sounds)

There's no pattern to Not Unloved's work-from-home listening these days. It lurches from one extreme to another with vast differences in fidelity and volume. As with the Sorrow Family Band tape that caused heart flips last week, Isobel Mckenna's recent "BLUE KANUES" (Vivarium Sounds, download) has a lovely, warm, TDK D90 feel that locates it in a similar realm to, say, The Garbage and The Flowers' "Stoned Rehearsal". The lead track, below, has the delightful sleepy-eyed quality of, say, Mad Nanna trying to emulate the third Velvet Underground album.

 

If Not Unloved were keeping tally, "Thinkers Rain Around The Town" would be right up there with the best in our most-played songs in 2021 list. I have a hunch that if it had been released on tape or lathe cut by a shadowy group of New Zealanders rather than originating in Motherwell, Scotland (in the 90s, originally) it would be feted by those who used to scour Volcanic Tongue's or Low Company's much-missed weekly mailshots looking for keywords like Xpressway or Flying Nun. One to bear to in mind for the next bandcamp fee-waiver Friday (April, 2nd!) if ya dig tape hiss.