Tuesday, April 26, 2016

ABCs of My Vinyl Collection (Letter B, Part 22)

Got a plethora of indie pop coming up the rest of the week. Let's begin with a band straight outta Deutschland but with a sound that seems to come from the UK in '86 and Sweden in '96. Brideshead has had two lives. There were a handful of brilliant singles and two albums on a trio of labels between 1995 and 2002... then an eight-year silence. Due to a similar aesthetic, that bleak period without Brideshead was tempered slightly for me by the emergence of Finnish band Cats on Fire, but Brideshead was welcomed back into the fold in 2010 on two of my favorite labels, Shelflife and Dufflecoat, where they have resided ever since. It's rare to return after such a long layoff and actually better earlier efforts, but Brideshead succeeded where so many others failed. Do yourself a favor and pick up their 2015 long player 'Never Grow Up.' It landed at No. 4 on my best of 2015, and I probably sold them short.

Today I have chosen two songs with contrasting tempos from 1998 debut album 'Some People Have All the Fun.' This is a tough one to find on vinyl. It was only available in that format on Japanese label Quince Records, but it's still a fairly easy get on CD via German label Marsh-Marigold. I think you'll hear many bands you know in these songs, such as June Brides and Brilliant Corners, and Martin Nelte's vocals have always reminded me of David Schelzel from the Ocean Blue, especially on the slower numbers.

Off topic a bit, but putting this one together made me think of it. What has happened to Cats on Fire?

"Life Without a Thrill"
"Descartes"

5 comments:

The Swede said...

'Life Without a Thrill' is so infectious that it should come with a government health warning. Terrific stuff.

Charity Chic said...

A new name to me Brian - some exploring to do

Brian said...

CC, Jump in anywhere you want. I recommend it all.

Swede, As usual, picked it for the trumpet. Glad you liked it.

Brett Alan said...

Saw Brideshead as part of the bill headlined by the Darling Buds at NYCPopFest last year. Good show.

JC said...

Big favour to ask Brian.....this is all new to me but given the referenced you've made I would love to hear some of the Brideshead material. Any chance of sending me some links when you get a chance? Thanks mate.

Cats On Fire did play some gigs in Scandanavia in 2015 but nothing at this year. I can only hope they are recording new material. If Butcher Boy can come back this year after a five year gap, then so can our dear friends from Finland.