Midnight Mines have long been one of the most compelling groups in the UK underground and "Tiger Bites", the new tape from Mines member, Private Sorrow, is a thing of atmospheric wonder. There's not a weak track among the 9 instrumental pieces presented but the perky, laced with melancholy, "Friends" is the track which has carried off Not Unloved's garlands. It's a sublime 2 and a half minutes of playful drum machine and soulful guitar that practically begs to be looped for hours:
A fair few folks are, rightly, watching on in admiration at what is going on in the Swedish underground right now (Forlag For Fri Musik, Discreet Music, Happiest Placeetc. etc.). I reckon those very folks will find lots to love on "Tiger Bites". It was released in an edition of only 26 so don't shilly-shally!
Woah, woah New-hoo Boy! Years before Not Unloved went a bundle on Real Numbers, a shadowy duo from (cough!) Hull named Lures wrote and recorded the brilliant "New Boy", a version of which subsequently appeared onReal Numbers' ace Slumberland lp. The Lures version rattles like the fittings on a corporation bus trying to beat the red lights on the Kings Road circa 1978. It's utterly glorious from start to end. Luckily for the latecomers, it's still available from the Three Dimensional Records bandcamp page. No Messtheticist's 45 box should be without a copy or two!
Not Unloved took a shine to Swedish label Happiest Place when it releasedJJ Ulius's stellar debut 7" in 2018. When this was followed in February by the intriguingly unreachable Amateur Hour lp, sneaky affection blossomed into love. It's no surprise, therefore, that their latest 45 is another smash. "Annie Hall" by Les Milous successfully combines elements of Eddie Cochran, The Cannanes, Young Marble Giants and even 70s glam pop into a cohesive whole that rattles along thrillingly for a couple of minutes before checking out with a definite full stop. Adorable!
There are only 250 copies so get bandcamping before it's too late!
UK folks can secure their very own copy from the continually searching folks at Low Company.
For the last few weeks I've searched once a day on Norman Records, Rough Trade, juno.co.uk etc. for the new UV-TV/Shark Toys split 7" on Flagstaff, Arizona's Emotional Response(yeah, the label who released my favourite 7" of 2015). Unfortunately, it hasn't appeared on any of the UK sites so I've had to break my flimsy 'Don't make the US postal system rich' rule and order it direct from the label. It's a shame that none of the UK sites have seen fit to stock it (yet?) as it deserves to be heard and to be available in however small a way over here. UV-TV deliver the freshest, zestiest take on the glorious Shop Assistants sound for many a year. Both songs make me beam. On the flip, Shark Toys spit out 2 songs of breathless, rattling DIY pop that will set the hearts of Swell Maps/Messthetics lovers to 220 bpm. A thrilling coupling!
As 2015 melted away, Emotional Response was on a scorching streak, their UV-TV/Shark Toys release following hot on the heels of a couple of blazing split 7"s by Enemy Anemone/Cougar Vox and Linton and Stewart/The Aisler's Set. Enemy Anemone are a heavenly bunch of Girls At Our Best scholars (featuring label boss Jen Turrell) hopped-up on the various flavours of UK DIY circa 1981 whileCougar Voxplay gloriously scrappy rrriot pop that makes you nostalgic for the days when Skinned Teen and Comet Gain first hit vinyl. Another absolute winner!
Slumberland/Suicide Squeeze alumni The Aislers Setneed no introduction. "Big Ocean" (which dates from 2008) finds the group in reflective, acoustic mode. It features a banjo which laps at your eardrums like those little shoreline waves do so tenderly for roughly 3 days in the Scottish summer. For their part, (Amy) Linton and Stewart (Anderson, the label's other boss) toss out effortless-sounding, revved-up scooter POP! nuggets. The duo's second hookup is another treat.
While I'm getting all evangelical about the recent Emotional Response output, it should be mentioned that Boyracer's "Pete Shelley e.p." from summer 2015 is the best thing they've produced in quite a while. "The Kind of Man You Really Are" administers a stern rebuke to a dud father who doesn't respect his daughter. It feels like a from-the-gut response to a real event witnessed with horror. It's yet another belter from a label on fine, fine form. Let's hope that in 2016 it enjoys significantly better distribution in the UK and beyond and that record buyers don't take it for granted...
Important Note: If you can't find Emotional Response vinyl in your local record shop, Jen and Stew would rather you bought them from jenandstew.com rather than the Emotional Response bandcamp page.
Scant minutes into the first show by the Good Press Gallery house band, Vital Idles, on Sunday, 24th May 2015 at Glasgow's The Old Hairdressers, I knew they would be a group I would clutch to my heart. Informed by the sounds of the early 80s DIY revolutions in both the UK and New Zealand, they zipped through a succession of ever more adorable songs. 'The Garden' was a high-point. Sensibly, someone saw fit to film it:
Jessica, the singer, is a terrific performer prone to bouts of vigorous dancing and insouciant mic use. Sure, not all the notes she hits are the expected ones, but this ain't opera and sometimes a bit of wrongness makes things right. Each of the elements of their sound is as it should be: rhythms are thumped out unfussily on a minimal drum setup, the bass is tight and propulsive and the guitars have the immediacy of Buzzcocks or Crystal Stilts. Manchester-based label Comfortable On A Tightrope has just released a tape of Vital Idles demos. Get it on bandcamp or from the label. Oh,and if you've ever wondered how the children of Messthetics might tackle The Smiths, then wonder no more:
Their inauguration into playing live was such a blast that I can't wait to see Vital Idles again. Somebody make it happen, please!
