If you have never heard of the "Seattle Freeze," that's the old axiom, put as kindly as I can, that it's difficult to make friends around here. Well, we are experiencing a more literal freeze these days. Falling temperatures and a rare blizzard has all but closed the Pacific Northwest the past few days. I didn't step foot in a record store in January. Is it any wonder the month sucked? Before the snow fell, I defeated the winter doldrums with a trip to Jigsaw Records in Seattle, and the photo above was the prompt to leave the warmth of home. That's two big boxes of used singles (mostly from the golden age of indie pop!) acquired by Chris and posted on the shop's Facebook page. I was the third customer to browse the bounty, and I came away with 11 records. Quality. The bounce is back in my step. Don't worry, Seattle indie-pop fans. I left plenty of good stuff. Word on the street is there will be a big box of LPs purchased from the same fella coming into Jigsaw any day now. Suddenly, February rules.
I picked up a couple of other records of the 12" variety too. See if you can spot any old favorites from my spree in the photo below. Here are a couple of hints. There are three Sarah singles in there, and at least two bands made my list of best new releases in 2018.
Yep, there are a couple from the Chesterf!elds in there. I already had the Cherry Red compilation and the "Completely & Utterly" and "Ask Johnny Dee" singles, but I can never pass up anything with the Subway logo on it.
Hi, all. Been a while, eh? Long enough that a few of you even inquired about my whereabouts. I appreciate the check-ins, actually. That's what friends do. All is well, really, but I have been so busy that when the house settles down for the night I haven't had the gumption to pull out a record, rip it and then write about it, you know? Simple as that. Oh, and I shredded my wrist playing tennis and have been seeing a hand therapist quite a bit with hopes of avoiding surgery. Man, I'm getting old. Speaking of old, I'm going to make you feel a little long in the tooth as well. Ready?
General Public's '...All the Rage' was released 35 years ago this week. Sorry about that. I remember picking it up so vividly that it feels like it was just the other day. Scary. Here's the followup to the hit "Tenderness." The song didn't do nearly as well, peaking at No. 105 here in America, but I do love it so. A perfect piece of pop. You may say it doesn't hold a candle to anything the Beat ever did, and I won't argue. Thing is, the Beat were just a hair before my time, and I never got to experience running into the shop on new-release day to pick up, say, 'I Just Can't Stop It' or 'Special Best Service.' After discovering the Beat, I had that moment in 1984 with '...All the Rage,' and sometimes that makes all of the difference. The following is the album version and not the remix I posted about a year ago.
Do you ever find a record and ask yourself, how in the world did this get here? Shockingly, I found both of these EPs in two different shops right here in Seattle last year. I like to think I know a bit about Scottish bands, especially of a certain era, but I somehow missed Jesse Garon & the Desperadoes until they appeared on Cherry Red's excellent 2013 box set 'Scared to Get Happy.' Since then, I think indie-pop fans all over the globe have become familiar with the Edinburgh band because they have continued to have a good run with the label, appearing on the 'C86' and 'C87' box sets in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Well, I have fallen hard for them. How can you not love a band that names themselves after Elvis' still-born twin? Brilliant.
Both of the above EPs are from their later years. In fact, along with sole album 'Nixon' via Edinburgh's Avalanche Records, the 1990 six-track 12" of "Hold Me Now"/"Grand Hotel" would turn out to be the band's final release. The four-track 12" "You'll Never Be That Young Again" preceded it by two years. The sound of Jesse Garon & The Desperadoes is a bit hard to pin down. The early years are a nice bit of jangle and right in my wheelhouse. By the late '80s, I hear some 10,000 Maniacs in there, and maybe just a little of my pals the Popguns too. Then they turn it way up on "Grand Hotel," a moving song about the '84 IRA Brighton bombing, and I'm back to square one when trying to describe them. All I know for sure is I dig 'em at any speed and volume. Hope you enjoy them too.
I found this 7" curiosity about six weeks ago, and I'm really digging it. Velocity Girl grabbed the spotlight on these pages in 2015 when I was counting down my favorite songs from the 1990s. For those who want to know a little bit more about the band, I'll direct you to that countdown. In 1995, during their peak years at Sub Pop, Velocity Girl did a one-off 7" for Heaven Records out of Nottingham. If you don't know Heaven, it was founded in 1989 by a couple of fellas from Fat Tulips so they could release the single "Where's Clare Grogan Now?" The label managed to stick around until 1996. I thought it was cool that Heaven's singles often came with a fanzine and other surprises. Given that this single was released nearly a quarter century ago, I consider myself lucky to have found a pristine eight-page fanzine on Velocity Girl, as well as a label catalog and postcard, inside the sleeve. I enjoy relics like that.
Both sides of the single are covers. It takes guts to take on 'Ocean Rain'-era Echo & the Bunnymen. Velocity Girl strips away the lush orchestration, but otherwise stays fairly faithful to the original. Not at all bad. The real winner here, though, is the B-side. I keep going back to "Breaking Lines" again and again, and it has taken me back to the original too. "Truck Train Tractor" just might be my favorite song from the Pastels, and after revisiting both sides of my 12" from 1986, I do think this is the best all-around single Stephen & Co. ever recorded (so far). Velocity Girl did themselves proud with this B-side of a B-side. This lot clearly had taste tackling this one.
Postscript: I like the C86 connection too. "Breaking Lines" by the Pastels appeared on the legendary NME cassette, and Velocity Girl was named after the Primal Scream song that opened the tape. Cool.
I'm embarrassed to admit until recently the only song you would have found on my shelf by the Apartments was "The Shyest Time." Robert Forster's references to the band and frontman Peter Milton Walsh in his book 'Grant & I' were what lit the fire and got me seeking the album 'The Evening Visits... And Stays For Years,' first released in 1985 by Rough Trade and lovingly reissued by Captured Tracks in 2015.
I use "lovingly" because the 26 pages of liner notes penned by Forster, Steven Schayer of the Chills and Walsh himself, along with photos, reviews and other gems would make this a must-have on its own. Throw in the demos Rough Trade heard before signing them, as well as the three-track EP "The Return of the Hypnotist" from 1979 and the "All You Wanted" single from 1984 and now you've got a must-have reissue even for those who already own the original.
Walsh assembled quite a band and recruited friends like Clare Kenny, Ben Watt and Graham Lee of the Triffids as well. This crew was described by the NME in '85 as "melancholy and lamenting, bitter, exhilarating and extremely witty" and 'The Evening Visits...' as "a pure heart-wrencher" that "should only be listened to after dark." What's in that Brisbane water? This album was arguably my favorite discovery last year.
An amazing thing happened across the pond in the summer of 2012. Oh, yes, there was that Olympics thing being held in London, but I meant the June Brides reformed and released their first new music since the "This Town E.P" in 1986. This wasn't just Phil Wilson using his old band name either. Jon Hunter, Frank Sweeney and Simon Beesley were there too. The "Moon/Cloud" 7" initially came bundled with 'Between The Moon And The Clouds,' a 10-song CD full of interesting nuggets, including acoustic versions of classics by the June Brides performed by Wilson. Since then, the Brides have released "She Seems Quite Free," a three-song 7" in the fall of 2014, and Wilson has continued to appear as part of the Granite Shore. This fan has high hopes for more from Mr. Wilson and the June Brides.
Off topic, but I have a dream of someday hosting a three-day indie-pop festival here in Seattle. In the dream, Friday night would close with the Popguns. Saturday would wind down with Close Lobsters. The festival would conclude on Sunday with the June Brides. You would show up for that, right?
"A January Moon" is dedicated to blogging friends the Robster and Alyson. The Robster may be retiring (you will be missed!), but he had a tradition of kicking off a month with a song bearing its name. Alyson has penned some wonderful pieces on the myriad of full moons and the names given to them by the Native Americans who kept track of the months by the lunar calendar. You should stop by their places.
New Year's Eve means one thing for me... watching my all-time favorite concert. After a decade of turning the calendar year on these pages, you must know by now it's Big Country at Barrowland, Dec. 31. 1983. This year, I have even less going on than usual, so I should have time to make it a double feature. I have already pulled out the massive 'Big Country at the BBC' box set off the shelf. Disc four is a DVD that includes the last night of a four-day stint at the Edinburgh Playhouse, circa Dec. 31, 1984.
It's hard to believe only one year has passed since the Barrowland show. The band feels much more sophisticated. Nicer haircuts, clothes (no flannel!) and a fancier venue all play a part, but the songs sound more polished too. UK No. 1 album 'Steeltown' had been out since October, but the well-known songs of 'The Crossing' still dominate the short set.
The Barrowland show means much more to me. It was aired on MTV over here at the height of my fandom, and I remember the 35-year-old event like it was yesterday. The Edinburgh Playhouse show has its place, however, and I can't wait to usher in 1985 tonight. Happy New Year to you all. Stay alive!
It happens at the end of every year. We painstakingly assemble our lists of favorite albums only to discover a day, week or month later an album that should have been there. For me, this year, it's 'Oh Boy' from Massage. The Swede told me about this one back in July, and I took to it then but abruptly forgot about it. I was reminded of it again when he had it on his list of best albums about a week ago. A day later I saw Massage on Howard's singles rundown at IndiePopSavedMyLife. To rub it in even more, the day after that I heard the band on two different podcasts featuring the year's best. Thanks for the nudge, everybody. I'm now obsessed with 'Oh Boy.'
Massage is based in Los Angeles, and they remind me a bit of another band from there I also just missed on my albums countdown in 2013. Dream Boys are three Americans and one Scotsman that met in La-La-Land for one glorious self-titled long player I bought in late December that year just as I was assembling my year-end lists. I knew immediately this was the best album I had heard in 2013. Alas, it was too late. If I were to do a best of the decade, and as we approach 2019 I envision this being on the horizon, I imagine the album would be in my top 10. They have been described as filtering the spirit of Postcard Records through the haze of the Paisley Underground. Five years on, I can't believe this album hasn't caught the attention of more listeners that worship at the altar of 'C86.' Maybe it's the name. Dream Boys sounds like a Broadway musical, doesn't it?
To the best of my knowledge, Dream Boys have never had another album. Maybe they're finished. If so, they are one of the best flickers of brilliance I have on the shelf.
Naughty? Nice? No judgments here. For what it's worth, you've all made my list. Thanks to all who stopped by the blog in 2018. Almost all of my holiday albums are what could best be described as classics. Spector, the Beach Boys and '60s R&B and soul get most of the turntable time in December, but a couple of contemporary albums have become regular listens this decade.
I have highlighted 'Tinsel and Lights' from Tracey Thorn ad nauseam, but I don't think I have given enough love to these two from Nick Lowe. 'Quality Street,' released in 2013, is a mix of originals and covers and a real charmer. It's understated warmth makes it perfect for sipping hot chocolate in front of the tree long after the kids have hit the sack. I hear "Christmas at the Airport" on satellite radio and in the shops, and it's well on its way to being a holiday mainstay. This year, I have taken to Lowe's inspired take on "Silent Night." Horns, organ and an upbeat rhythm really wake up this tired carol.
By the time 'The Quality Holiday Revue Live' was released in 2015, Yep Roc labelmates Los Straitjackets had become Lowe's regular backing band, and he's still playing with them to this day. Their song "Tokyo Bay" made my list of favorite songs for 2018, and we have been promised a long player in 2019. The album is divided between songs from 'Quality Street' and classics from the Lowe canon. Don't pass up on seeing these guys. Dick Dale would be proud of this rendition...
Another stellar year for the long player has me trying to whittle down about 35 candidates into a tight top 20. Here are a few worth mentioning that will just miss the cut. Missing on a technicality, the Just Joans had a new album released in America in January, but most of you in the UK got your hands on it over there in December. With the Breeders and Gruff Rhys on the 2018 calendar, both of those seemed like a shoo-in, but I find myself a little underwhelmed. They will, however, find a spot on the best songs list. The same also goes for Anna Burch, Eleanor Friedberger, Tracey Thorn, Soft Science, Drinks, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, the Orielles and the Limiñanas. Good albums with some great songs, but as I assemble this list today, not quite top albums material. Can you imagine the disappointment they must be feeling right now? Some old fat guy from Seattle thinks we aren't quite up to snuff...
20. (tie) Sharesprings - Paraparlor More evidence the world is getting smaller. A quick but unforgettable 20 minutes of dreampop straight outta Indonesia.
20. (tie) The Treasures of Mexico - Everything Sparks Joy Mark Matthews and Bob Collins from the Dentists are still cutting their teeth on easily digestible pop. Sorry about that.
19. Blues Lawyer - Guess Work This Oakland band likes Flying Nun and isn't afraid to show it. Respect.
18. Juliana Hatfield - Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John Even though I saw Blake Babies many times, it might surprise you this was bought at least as much for the songs of Newton-John. If I wasn't such a wuss, I would place this one much higher.
17. Molly Burch - First Flower That voice you fell in love with last year is even better on this Austin-based singer-songwriter's follow up to her stunning debut. She has more on her mind than just romance too.
16. Various Artists - 3x4 Paisley Underground legends the Bangles, the Three O’Clock, the Dream Syndicate and Rain Parade cover each other's songs. The liner notes may be even better than the music!
15. Pete Astor - One for the Ghost If the man behind the Loft, Weather Prophets and Ellis Island Sound has an album out, chances are he will have a place on this countdown. My hero.
14. Watoo Watoo - Modern Express Word on the streets of Bordeaux is this will be the last album for Pascale and Michael. Fans of Stereolab-inspired music mourn.
13. The Monochrome Set - Maisieworld Amazing to consider 40 years into their career this decade might be their must fruitful. Can't wait to see them in 2019.
12. Math and Physics Club - Lived Here Before The death of lead guitarist James Werle makes this one difficult to listen to right now. With the passage of time, I suspect this one will be looked on as one of the band's best.
11. Various Artists - Four Band Comp New and previously unreleased tracks by Sarah stars Even as We Speak, Boyracer, Secret Shine and Action Painting!
10. Smokescreens - Used to Yesterday La-La-Land band is known for its love of Kiwi pop, but on this second album there are new influences added to the repertoire that make them an even nicer fit on the Slumberland roster.
9. Wallflower - Ever After Japanese jangle-pop vets return to give the sound of vintage Pains of Being Pure at Heart a run for its money.
8. The Beths - Future Me Hates Me The guitar-driven songs of this New Zealand outfit have more hooks than you'll find on a fisherman's floppy hat. There's still plenty of room on this bandwagon.
7. Tracyanne & Danny - Tracyanne & Danny With so much time, tragedy and sadness since Camera Obscura's 'Desire Lines,' it did feel like we might not hear from Tracyanne Campbell again. We all feel relief and root for her with new confidant Danny Coughlan.
6. The Goon Sax - We're Not Talking Riley Jones' increased contribution has much to do with the Brisbane trio avoiding the inevitable sophomore slump.
5. Alpaca Sports - From Paris With Love The songs of Swedes Andreas and Amanda seem light as air, but heartbreak, loneliness and desperation are not far away. In other words, perfect pop.
4. Various Artists - Daytrip Records Presents: This Is My Street Indie-pop favorites, including the School, the Catenary Wires, the Just Joans and Cosines, are recruited by a small Welsh label to cover songs by the Kinks. A dream come true!
3. The Perfect English Weather - Don't You Wanna Feel the Rain? I have to hand it to the Pickles Clan. To have me anticipating releases by their personal side project with the same enthusiasm as a new Popguns album is no mean feat, and the themes of this album really hit home to this "maturing" music fan.
2. The Chills - Snow Bound After getting his feet wet again a few years ago with welcome comeback album 'Silver Bullets,' Martin Phillipps feels fully back this time. Best effort since 'Submarine Bells.'
1. Shannon Shaw - Shannon in Nashville She leaves the Clams at home for a solo venture with the help of Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and a band that backed Elvis, Roy and Dusty. The result is a little Lesley Gore and a lot Shangri-Las.
Well, I did it again. It was another year where I spent more resources on new reissues than new releases, although I did keep it closer than usual. What can I say? I'm an old guy holding on to the past with arthritic fingers. I have a feeling my favorite reissue of 2018 is one I don't even have yet. Fingers crossed 'The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society' box set will be under the tree on Christmas morning. As Casey Kasem used to say, now on with the countdown.
20. Various Artists - Record Store Day singles
Not for the brave of heart, but I shivered in the cold for the first time in years to pick up 7" reissues of Frank Wilson's "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)," Nico's "I'm Not Sayin'" and Chris Bell's "I Am the Cosmos." Not sure I would do it again, but I am happy to have them.
19. Stereolab - 'Switched On (Volumes 1-3)'
For die-hard fans, not much sizzle here, but I was one volume short. 'Switched On' (1992), 'Refried Ectoplasm' (1995) and 'Aluminum Tunes' (1998) are remastered and come in a clam-shell box. Also available on clear vinyl.
18. Bettye Lavette - 'The 1972 Muscle Shoals Sessions'
Bettye and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Enough said. How in the world did this one sit on the shelf for decades? Run Out Groove brings this to us on vinyl for the first time with two bonus tracks.
17. The County Fathers - 'Lightheaded'
Cloudberry Records has a stellar reputation for unearthing gems like these. You may know Mark Radcliffe as a BBC radio presenter, but he was once in an indie-pop band based in Manchester. This set includes the coveted three-track "Lightheaded" 12" that came out in 1988, plus a bunch of extras.
16. Various Artists - 'Basement Beehive: The Girl Group Underground'
I'm such a sucker for this sound. Don't expect the Shirelles. Believe me, Numero Group dug deep for these obscure gems. Skip the vinyl and double your pleasure with the 56-track double CD.
15. The Mayfields - 'Compact & Bijou'
They shared bills with the right bands (Pooh Sticks), recorded for the right labels (Ambition, Bus Stop) and showed up in the right fanzines (Sarah 4), but I never owned anything by the Mayfields until Firestation put this one together. Perfect late '80s indie pop.
14. David Bowie - 'Loving the Alien (1983-1988)'
I "showed off" my extensive '80s Bowie collection a couple of years ago. So, you may be wondering why I would shell out big bucks for this 11-disc set. Even with all of those singles, there was just too much here I didn't have, including a 2018 rethinking of 'Never Let Me Down,' live shows and a handful of other songs. Probably a needless extravagance, but it's so well put together I have no regrets.
13. Joe Strummer - '001'
On the day this one came out, my list of music wants was as long as my arm. This resulted in me going the cheap route for the basic double-disc edition. Some have argued this is for the uninitiated, and they may have a point, but I found there was quite a bit here I didn't have as my post-Clash collection of Strummer is a bit patchy.
12. Wire - 'Pink Flag', 'Chairs Missing', '154' Special Editions
The 80-page 7"-sized hardcover books contain the remastered original album and a disc or discs of singles, B-sides and demos. The texts, interviews and photos in the books make these just about the most beautiful artifacts in my music room.
11. Various Artists - 'C89'
Like the previous three editions presented by Cherry Red, I immediately bought this celebration of indie pop like it was a Pavlovian response. I do think the quality of the songs ticked down a bit (starting with 'C88,' actually), and it feels like a good place to stop... unless the label would like to go back to 'C81' and work from there. I would be up for that!
10. Yung Wu - 'Shore Leave'
Like a long lost Feelies album but with percussionist Dave Weckerman taking the lead. Every member from the 'Good Earth' era had a hand in it. I completely missed this one when it was released in 1987. 'Shore Leave' was my most listened to reissue in 2018.
9. Various Artists - 'The Sound of Leamington Spa' 'Vol. 8' and 'Vol. 9'
Firestation's signature series appeared to have ended in 2013, but then label founder Uwe Weigmann dropped a bombshell on these very pages last year. I don't know how he finds these obscure indie-pop bands from yesteryear, but I'm sure glad he does.
8. Various Artists - Optic Sevens Series
Has anyone noticed the 7" subscription series seems to be making a comeback? (See Slumberland and WIAIWYA labels for a couple of other stellar examples.) Optic Nerve is in the midst of releasing 12 classic indie-pop singles in 12 months. So far I have had Apple Boutique's "Love Resistance," the Siddeleys' "What Went Wrong This Time?" and East Village's "Cubans in the Bluefields" in my mailbox. The presentation of these reproductions has been jaw dropping. They have come with posters, postcards, pins and all kinds of extras, and in this day of declining vinyl quality, I have been floored by the sound of these artifacts.
7. Bow Wow Wow - 'Your Box Set Pet (The Complete Recordings 1980–1984)'
If you already had all of these remixes in your vinyl collection, I tip my cap. This remastered three-disc set is beautifully put together in a clam-shell box with well-done liner notes.
5. Martin Newell - 'The Greatest Living Englishman'
I once wrote the name Newell should be included with the likes of English icons Hitchcock, Davies, McCartney and Partridge. Twenty-five years after its release, Captured Tracks celebrates this classic by restoring the original tracklist as envisioned by Newell and producer Andy Partridge, as well as including 10 pages of liner notes penned by the artist.
4. The Monochrome Set - 'Eligible Bachelors (Expanded Edition)'
Arguably the band's best album is blown up to three CDs and includes the 'Fin' live album and singles (not just from this time period), B-sides, rarities and BBC sessions from 1979-1981. If you don't have much from this band, start here.
3. The Wolfhounds - 'Hands in the Till: The Complete John Peel Sessions'
The name says it all. Three energy-packed sessions from the 'C86' vets recorded between March 1986 and January 1988 and put out by Slumberland.
2. Various Artists - Sarah Records Reissues
Even As We Speak - 'Feral Pop Frenzy',
Action Painting! - 'Trial Cuts (1989-1995)',
Boyracer - 'Fling Yr Bonnet Over The Windmill'
Back in the spring, Emotional Response Records mined the vaults of Sarah Records and released these albums (plus one more we will get to on the new releases list) as a bundle to fund a trip to Indietracks for Even As We Speak. You can purchase them all separately now, and I suggest you do. 'Fling Yr Bonnet Over The Windmill' is Boyracer's three singles on Sarah. 'Feral Pop Frenzy' is Even As We Speak's classic 1993 album in its entirety. 'Trial Cuts' is Action Painting's four singles (three for Sarah and one for Damaged Goods) plus unreleased material.
1. Candy Opera - '45 Revolutions Per Minute' and 'Rarities'
Apologies to Andy Pawlak, but I'm going to need a do over on that list of Firestation's best releases I put together last year. No. 1 with a bullet is '45 Revolutions Per Minute.' There's a little of Pawlak's sound in this Liverpool band, and you might hear early Aztec Camera and maybe some Prefab Sprout too. This Liverpool band is the very definition of shoulda been, and it warms the cockles that 30-plus years later these "lads" are receiving nothing but accolades from all who hear them.
All mp3s posted at LTL! are to highlight music you should buy... right now. Sure, give it a listen, but then run to your nearest indie record shop and pay up. Mp3s are linked for a limited time. Rants and raves to lineartrackinglives@gmail.com.
