starrynight

I never liked Hospice so I'm not sure I'll like this new one by them. The song that was posted sounds very well performed as usual by them, but still a bit dull to me.

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Music history is littered with bands that have only one album to their name. But what about bands that only released one single? Scottish indie-pop band The Clouds are an example of such a band. The Clouds (not to be confused with a few other artists with the same name) only have 7 minutes and 53 seconds of music to their name, but this record is a short and sweet offering of gloriously shambolic post-C86 jangle-pop that still sounds brilliant today and hasn't aged a bit.

The title track grabs you instantly with it's bright, chiming guitars and memorable vocal hooks and sounds like the perfect soundtrack for indie romance. Things get up-tempo with the gloriously infectious 'Get Out Of My Dream', which features some brilliant vocal hooks and great guitar backing to create a near-perfect indie-pop tune. This is definitely the highlight of the record for me. Rounding things off is the similar-paced 'Village Green' with it's almost punk-sounding 3-chord riffs combined with some nice jangly guitars and some great vocals hooks thrown in for good measure. After hearing this you really wish for more but unfortunately that is it.

COOL FACT: Teenage Fanclub frontman Norman Blake was a member and played all the guitars on this record.


Unfortunately I couldn't find a video for the final track 'Village Green'.

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Discovery, Discovery...

I always love stumbling upon bands new and old, just like the rest of us here. Sometimes I discover new music by checking out recommendations here and I aways like to give something back in return. So here is a selection of bands that I have discovered over the past few months that I really enjoy and hopefully some people here will too.


The Radio Dept. formed in Sweden in 1995. It wasn't until 2000 that they released their debut EP Against The Tide and 2003 when they released their debut full-length album Lesser Matters. The band have gone on to release two more studio albums to date, Pet Grief (2006) and Clinging To a Scheme (2010) as well as three more EPs and a scattering of singles. Their sound consists of a warm, melodic, fuzzy shoegaze and dream-pop influenced indie sound and invokes a warm, bittersweet, almost late summer evening feeling. It makes you feel very melancholic and nostalgic at times. I can't wait to hear more from these guys in the future.


An American band originally formed in 1993 and shortly afterwards they landed themselves a deal with the then prominent indie-pop label Sarah records (which included bands such as The Orchids, The Field Mice and Another Sunny Day in its roster). Aberdeen released three singles for the label: Byron, Snapdragon and Fireworks, before the label folded in 1995 which also resulted in the band calling it a day. Six years later in 2001 the band decided to give it another shot and recorded their only full-length album to date, Homesick and Happy To Be Here in 2002. The band split again in 2005 only to reform yet again last year and are currently playing shows. Their sound, although hardly innovative, is remarkably well-done indie-pop featuring unforgettable vocals hooks and jangly, chiming guitars. This band is a real forgotten gem.

Red House Painters formed in San Francisco in 1989 and soon became associated with a strain of alternative rock known as 'slowcore' along with bands such as Low and Codeine. Their frontman Mark Kozelek often writes lyrics from a very personal and emotional viewpoint which gives their songs a very downbeat and introspective feel, often descending into downright depressing. Despite the depressing nature of some of their songs their music can be very comforting to listen to and their albums, often sprawling epics, are the type of albums you can immerse yourself in and find some sort of comfort in the music. The band released six albums during their career before splitting in 2003 - Down Colorful Hill (1992), Red House Painters (a.k.a. Rollercoaster) (1993), Red House Painters (a.k.a. Bridge) (1993), Ocean Beach (1995), Songs For a Blue Guitar (1996) and Old Ramon (2001).

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Silversun Pickups - Carnavas (2006)

Wednesday the 22nd of August 2007, looking at my ticket stub thrown in a small box along with other stubs, I went to see Foo Fighters play an outdoor with my then girlfriend and a few of my friends. Also on the bill were Nine Inch Nails and a little known support band called Silversun Pickups. Although I had seen their name mentioned in music magazines before I had never heard any of their music so I didn't really know what to expect from them. Usually support bands like that generate little interest from the crowd who are waiting impatiently for their favourite artist, especially when you are opening for bands like Nine Inch Nails and Foo Fighters, but Silversun Pickups took it in their stride and by the end of their set had people chanting their name! By far the best live set I've seen from a support act. The following week I purchased this album from my local music store and I was amazed by it, it reminded me instantly of bands like the Smashing Pumpkins and the Pixies yet sounded so fresh and modern. I had been looking for a newer band like this for a while and I had finally found a band worthy.

The album opens with 'Melatonin' with it's Pumpkins-esque guitar overdubs creating a dense yet melodic wall of sound. Frontman Brian Aubert's distinctively feminine vocals are backed very nicely by bassist Nikki Monninger's quiet, hushed voice. The song builds and builds in intensity towards the end with Brian's vocals changing from restrained to a passionate shout. This song is a brilliant opening statement. The heavier 'Well Thought Out Twinkles' is a showcase for Brian's low, fuzzy guitar sound and which alternates with dreamy-sounding verses, a quiet mid-section and some frantic guitar noise to round things off. This song is a good demonstration of the bands ability to combine effortless guitar melodies with a fuzzy wall of sound to great effect. 'Checkered Floor' is probably the dreamiest-sounding song on the album, with twinkling keyboards and a see-saw guitar melody complimenting frontman Brian Aubert's semi-conscious rambling. The hazy-sounding chorus lets the band's shoegaze inspirations shine through as does the layered guitar noise of the song's mid-section. Following this is 'Little Lover's So Polite' which is the poppiest and most upbeat-sounding song on the album. The warm fuzzy feel that this song invokes in you is inescapable, with Brian's fuzzed-out yet melodic guitar lines grabbing the listener's attention throughout the song and combining it with almost twee-like vocal melodies. 'Future Foe Scenarios' might make a great name for an evil breakfast cereal but this song changes the tone of the album to a more darker and uneasy feel. Overlapping guitars and keyboards are pinned down remarkably well by Christopher Guanlao's controlled yet frenetic drumming abilities. The song is based on a quiet-loud format which builds in tension before collapsing in on itself. Once again Brian's fuzzy guitar lines are out at the forefront of their sound.

Continuing this uneasy feeling is the spacey, bass-led 'Waste It On'. The song invokes a very twilight feel with it's very faint, spacey keyboards occupying any space left open, before the song builds and builds into a noisy guitar freakout. This is probably the weakest song on the album but it still manages to please. The magnificent 'Lazy Eye' is the highlight of the album for me. The opening lines "I've been waiting. I've been waiting for this moment all my life. But it's not quite right" sets the tone of disappointment and resignation straight away and sets the mood perfectly for the song. The quiet and melodic vocals of the verses eventually give way to Brian screaming his heart out over some frantic noisy guitar, perhaps letting out all his frustrations that have been building throughout the song. It's a spine-shivering moment. The best part of the song for me though is the mid-section, which was cut out of the promo edit of the song, where magnificent walls of guitar fill the listener's ears and take your breath away. A truly amazing song and one of my favourite songs of the 00's. The end of 'Lazy Eye' sets us up nicely for the next song 'Rusted Wheel'. This song appeared previously as the hidden track on their 2005 EP Pikul under the name 'Sci-Fi Lullaby', here it appears in rerecorded form. Here the twilight atmosphere returns Brian Aubert's lyrics paint all kinds of pictures in your mind such as stars and strange bugs flying through windows. The song all the time builds and builds and is underpinned masterfully by Nikki and Christopher's solid rhythm section, providing a solid foundation for Brian's lush washes of guitar and Joe Lester's twinkling and spacey keyboard lines.

'Dream At Tempo 119' puts the foot down and takes the listener back to fuzzed-out melodic indie rock. Brian once again pulls an amazing guitar line out of the bag for the chorus, perhaps trying to give Billy Corgan a run for his money. The song is broken up by some spazzed-out guitar noise and some dreamy wordless vocals by Nikki Monninger thrown in for good measure. The quiet, slow-burning, bass-led 'Three Seed' takes us towards the end of the album. Once again the rock-solid rhythm section provides a base for main-man Brian Aubert to layer gentle guitar lines and his hushed melodic vocals. This song takes a few listens to grow on you but when it does it sounds truly amazing. Christopher Guanlao's steady and pounding drums open the final track 'Common Reactor'. This song seems to tie-in with the opening track 'Melatonin' and gives the feeling of the album coming full circle. Brian Aubert's vocals give the listener the feeling of racing to the finishing line, with the end in sight and a great blaze of glory awaiting at the finish. This blaze of glory eventually come in the form of two minutes of speaker-destroying guitar noise and feedback at the end. It sounds like Brian dismantling his guitar and amp, a remarkable way to end this amazing album.

Although the album isn't as polished and as well-produced as it's 2009 follow-up Swoon, it's certainly less rough around the edges and better formed than it's 2005 predecessor Pikul EP. The production sounds nearly perfect really, it's not particularly well-produced but every instrument is allowed to shine through and be heard naturally. I discovered this band at a time when I was stuck in a bit of a rut musically, I was becoming fed-up of modern hard-rock and metal and looking for some good modern alternative rock and indie bands and these guys fitted the bill perfectly. The album also encouraged me to check out My Bloody Valentine and that led me to a whole new world of music which I could go on and on about. While the follow up album Swoon was great but just not as good, Carnavas was a remarkable album and is certainly one of the standout albums of the 00's for me.

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Paedantic Basterd

I wasn't that excited about Snowball. It was alright, but it didn't grasp me in any way. Which of the three is the best?

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Snowball is pretty damn good, especially the expanded version with the additional singles like 'Sensitive' and 'Emma's House'. For Keeps is great as well although I've only just started listening to it. Skywriting is probably the weakest of the three but has some great songs as well.

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I have a bit of a habit of downloading obscure and long forgotten indie-pop recordings from years ago and this one of my latest finds. The Bedflowers hailed from just outside Manchester and was mainly vocalist Janice White and guitarist Danny Moran, but they also had the help of various musicians on this recording. This 3-song cassette single was the bands only release and the 3 songs consist of some wonderful chiming, jangly guitars and most distinctively frontwoman Janice White's irresistibly sassy schoolgirl vocal melodies and penchant for sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek lyrics. They were also picked up by the late John Peel I believe. Rumour has it that they recorded a full-length album that was never released and apparently Oasis supported these guys when they had just started gigging, if a comment on Youtube is to be believed.

The guitar and drum interplay on the intro to the first song 'Madly In Love With 25 People' is impressive but it is Janice's melodic vocals in the first verse that really grabs your attention and doesn't let go. The song has some really great guitar work throughout and works really well with the vocals. Each song on the single is better than the last. 'You're Not Blonde and Stupid, But Nobody's Perfect' is just the right side of twee, Janice's vocals sounding really sweet and mellow over some really great-sounding jangly electric guitars and acoustic guitars. The highlight though is the final song 'I'm So Cool', which playfully makes fun of the Manchester music scene at the time and perhaps even poking fun at themselves. A brilliantly catchy and well done song.

I found some cool stuff lately, including this, off a very interesting blog called I was a Teenage Shoegazer. It mostly deals with late 80's/early-90's shoegaze but also posts plenty of indie music from around that period as well. Not updated that frequently but well worth checking out from time to time.

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A Tribute To The Humble Record Store

I decided to write this because sometimes I get a feeling of guilt and regret deep down inside myself. One of the magnificent things about the availability of high-speed internet in this day and age is the ability to download whatever album you want, when you want and not have to pay a penny for it (even though it’s illegal). While this is bloody brilliant as you can save money and get hard to find music without the effort of looking, what I tend to forget about though is that I am helping to kill off the wonderful but dying culture of the record store.

Only a month ago I was in a store in Dublin called Borderline Records, although I’ve only ever bought a few CDs in there over the years it’s just one of those places that you have to go into just for the vibe. There’s just something about the high ceiling, dusty wooden floor and shabby interior that just feels right. They have an impressive selection of vinyl and they also stock some rare bootleg CDs. Only two weeks ago I learned that it’s closing down due to a decline in sales over the years and this made me feel a very sad. The area of the city that it’s located in, Temple Bar, is a wonderful place to visit during the day (not at night though) and up to a few years ago there used to be a few well-established record stores dotted around the area that were well worth the visit, making it the place to go to look for music. Now at the moment I think there are only two, and when Borderline closes there will only be one small shop called Mojo’s. It saddens me that this culture is disappearing before our very eyes. There still is however the wonderful Tower Records on Wicklow Street (which was part of the original Tower Records chain) that I always look forward to visiting whenever I’m in Dublin, and if you’re ever visiting here be sure to pay a visit. I just love browsing through the oceans of CDs they have by any artist you can think of and not to mention the nice selection of new vinyl they have, I always end up buying something there. Even though it’s quite big it has the feel of a proper music store and the staff are way cooler than you, obviously. If this place ever closes down all hope will be lost.

The first time I was ever in a music store was sometime around the early 90’s, 92 or 93 I think, with my mum and it was there that I saw CDs for the first time and wondered what the hell they were, my parents only had cassettes and a small collection of vinyl. Although I was still too young to know who any of the artists were it did start a fascination with music stores and I started to pay more attention to music in general. That store located in my town has been open for well over twenty years now, although has changed premises a couple of times, and now remains as the only proper music outlet in my town. There were three at one stage about six years ago, which isn’t bad for a town of 25,000 people, and now it’s down to just this one. Although they have a pretty mainstream and mediocre selection and the shop has no real character I’m still dreading the day that it closes its doors and leaves my town with no real dedicated music outlet to kill half an hour in on a Saturday afternoon. There are a video shop and a game shop that stock a small selection of used CDs but it just wouldn’t be the same. I’m keeping in mind that you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

Really nothing beats browsing through CDs and vinyl in a proper record store and being able to physically hold the product, especially the satisfaction you get when you find that CD you were after or the surprise you get when you find a CD you wanted that you never thought you would find. Nothing beats the vibe and atmosphere of a record store, the music that you’d never heard before playing through the shop speakers and seeing complete strangers dressed way cooler than you are. There’s also that feeling you get when you see some cute girl you don’t know wearing a Sonic Youth t-shirt and you can’t help but feel that you want to go up and talk to her but of course you’re too shy and she’s probably got a boyfriend so you just keep your head down and continue browsing.

You don’t get any of this with file sharing sites or on amazon.com and play.com, but unfortunately it’s something I have to resort to when I can’t find what I want or just don’t have the time or money to travel to a city to trawl through record stores. There is also the comfort of just being able to download an album there and then and listen to it within half an hour that is so simple and so tempting and most of the time gets the better of me. At the end of the day though while free music feels great, so does visiting a fine establishment stocked with loads of CDs and records that you want browse though for half the day and unfortunately I can’t help feel that I’m contributing to this culture’s decline. It’s hard to imagine what the world will be like with no record stores.

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