Sarah 097 Straight From the States

Just back from a whirlwind trip to San Francisco. I had very limited time to hit the shops, but I did manage a few minutes at both Bay Area locations of Amoeba Records. Neither stop was a home run, but I'll tell you all about my treasures soon. As you can imagine, I'm way behind today, but I wanted to make a quick appearance and pass along a couple of riveting reads.

The build is over: Scott at Spools Paradise has just unveiled his personal No. 1 album, and it's a doozy. If you're a fan of Simple Minds, and I must assume you are, Post-Punk Monk is digging deep for a dissection of the band's albums. He's on 'Real To Real Cacophony' right now. So, you can catch up quite easily. Do stop by.

Ok, now that I have your attention, let's listen to a band straight outta Cali but via Bristol. Huh? Oh, and named after Scotland's third most populous city to boot. As young Palm Desert pals, John Girgus and Beth Arzy penned some beautiful twee tunes and sent it across the pond to Sarah Records. Even if Aberdeen's nationality was all wrong, their sound was perfect for a label brimming with so-called sad-sack bands. This is the second (and far superior) of the two singles they released for the UK indie label. This 7" and CD single would be one of the last recordings Sarah would ever release. As you can see from the following review, Aberdeen took the world by storm. Screw you, David Quantick. The original Sarah stuff is tough to find, but LTM Recordings reissued much of Aberdeen's output in 2006. Buy 'What Do I Wish For Now?' right now.

Fireworks
When It Doesn't Matter
Super Sunny Summer

I have been listening to quite a bit of Aberdeen lately because Arzy's latest band, the Luxembourg Signal, has put out one of my favorite albums of 2014. I know I have already pushed this one on you, but allow me to try one more time.