missive 121 - part 3
13-05-2007
Singled Out
Missive 121 - Part 3

For Kelly and Mark - missing you always.

Put the needle on the record.

It is with deepest sadness that we open this particular missive with news of reports as to the death of Jon Chandler - singer and guitarist with the Brighton band Mojo Fins (whose debut release 'pinata face' we recently admitted to being bewitched by). Jon (23) tragically died along with four friends in last weeks horrific M25 accident. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends and the band. Those wishing to are invited to leave a message of condolence on the bands site at www.myspace.com/themojofins

Okay the third and final part of our trio of hits that make up this latest extended Singled Out - and do you know we haven’t even tipped the surface of the singles currently languishing in the CD mountain

Contact details somewhere at the foot of this thesis like ramble - we do love vinyl and albums - the latter of which we have been neglecting and though we have promised on numerous occasions will be setting aside time this week to catch up on (honest) - special attention will be made for a few corkers from Spain’s Bang records, a handful from His Latest Flame, loads from Team Clearmont and several from Fat Cat - much apologies to you all - if I could magically write up reviews via some form of telekinesis believe you me I would.

But then it has been a really strange day today, the miserable weather, the rain the general dank dullness of it all has had us in deep thought things like why do we persist in entering songs for the Eurovision Song Contest knowing full well Europe hates us - is it some kind of self perpetuating gratitude that as a nation we seem to unite in being a wally. Stuff like why do I walk around all day with not so much a dead cat on my head for a ’haircut’ (obviously we are using the word ‘hair’ and ’cut’ at its loosest possible meaning) but a decomposing one with a bad case of alopecia - of course the alopecia bit is an exaggeration - more like the mange. Now I’m probably going to upset a few people here but hey I guess that after something like 140 singled out missives there’s a sense of a bond forming here - you know - where we can share troubles, concerns and generally shoot the sh*t - so moving on another matter causing us much pondering today is why does my wee wee smell of pop corn and look like irn brew - now obviously this raises several additional and dare we say understandable issues - first in case you thought it - no - I do not have a bizarre fetish for smelling wee and secondly certainly not is it some manifestation of the clap (see the next concern below for proof) that one slightly dim witted individual passed up as a possible cause - that is not unless there’s been some sort of new found strain of STD’s that can merely be gotten by sitting in the garden - alone I hasten to add (yes I know what as coming next) with a set of headphones on just listening to records all day. Which neatly led us to pondering the fact as to why our love life was in abeyance at present, aside the fact that most of the fairer sex don’t really consider a night out in a sweaty dive watching melodically mutilating Japanese hardcore thrash as quite the romantic setting that finishing school had coached them to expect - or could it be that romance never knocks on our door because quite frankly we haven’t told her where we live. Alternatively it could be because we being of a certain time of life where the leaves are not so much browning and dropping off but rather more are suffering from an advanced case of Dutch Elm disease. Or could it simply be because we wouldn’t or couldn’t see or read the signs if romance pulled up at our door in a chauffeur driven limousine with a 6 foot tall easy to follow map and proceeded to clout us silly around the head with it. Ho hum - discuss. Of course we could be joking or are we - either way we have just managed to up the word count by several hundred units - damn are we bored - and spiteful with it.

Whatever happened to Bang Bang Machine - I only ask because we were trawling through the very hit ‘n’ miss wonder that is YouTube and tripped over the ‘Spangle Mix’ of their generally accepted as ‘awesome’ debut ‘Geek Love’ - which as you all know swept aside all in that years Festive 50 on the late Mr Peel’s evening time wing-ding - answers please to the usual address. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwFevSYP5K8


My space stuff (part 1)

http://www.myspace.com/chatnoirband - sharpest dudes on the block - well certainly from what we’ve heard this week they are (of course with the exception of guile and muleskinner jones), stumbled across these dudes by sheer accident - Devon via LA based duo Teddy and Eileen - potently raw scuzzy wreckin crew boogie - rip the garage stoner ‘is ignorance a sin’ (early Mono Men meets the Mummies) and ’wedding dress’ (like having your cherished pebbles collection dragged backwards through a fuzz pedal mincer).

http://www.myspace.com/theleisuresociety - another ensemble which tripped over while musing about in the my space cosmos - featuring an ex member of the Telescopes - the leisure society craft ambling genteel folk that’s wonderfully wispy and lovingly lilting - rip ‘the darkest place I’ a lazy eyed warmth filled nugget packed to the brim with the kind of carefree exquisiteness so deftly attached to the Summer Hymns debut full length all those years back.

http://www.myspace.com/randomshift - trippy down tempo funk - three tracks up online at present and all three worth a peak especially the hypnotherapic ‘trust me’ which once after its satisfied your under the influence takes you on a chilled dub-tastic voyage to the far reaches of your minds eye.

http://www.myspace.com/lardponyband - in fact ashamed as we are to admit it - we actually received this lots second full length ‘the greatest invention ever made’ a few weeks ago - as per usual it got lost amid the CD mountain - but was re-united with our hi-fi and auditory senses only last week - a review will be forthcoming (honest) in a day or two - for now sample the effervescent delights of tangy sun-shiney power driven beat pop by ripping the unfeasibly cute ’teenwolf’

http://www.myspace.com/santiagolozano - Rome based musician (I think I’ve got that right) Santiago Lozano has over the years been responsible for casting touchingly graceful scores for numerous films- shyly glacial ambient treats that shimmer and arc with a lilting introspective nature endowing on all a bleakly beautiful glow - rip the finitely delicate snow tipped ‘dall altra parte’.

http://www.myspace.com/karlingabbeygate - absolutely gorgeous - it’s so refreshing to hear something so out of step with the accepted current fashion / fad set but karling abbey gate is doing just that - taking her Brenda Lee meets Patsy Cline vocal for an authentic sounding trip to nostalgia - ville via the Louisiana Hayride for a spot of diamond cut 50’s ranch ball country pop - rip the heartbreaking ‘put yourself in my place’

http://www.myspace.com/settingsun - setting sun are a new york based duo comprising of gary levitt and erica quitzow who can be found absconding occasionally doing extra curricula work for their other musical love Quitzo (see below somewhere). A more darker affair this time around, laced within a brooding noire like setting ’no devil me no more’ with its edgily tense cortege of suspense straining strings could easily pass for june panic doing his own interpretation of Nirvana’s ’in utero’ while the more punchy new wave coded ’the only one’ sounds like chris brockaw fused with a more gritty version of the late 70’s era Cars - which I’m sure you’ll agree sounds like the bollocks.

http://www.myspace.com/meexhibition - more stuff we accidentally tripped upon - barnet based quartet who pack strutting riffs and punk attitude by the guitar case load we suggest you rip the despondent fuck you ‘oh no oh yeah’ which frankly had me fondly recalling chron gen

http://www.myspace.com/lustrealitypodcast - download / subscribe to lust reality productions spanking monthly pod cast for the sharpest sounds on the block and er….comedy.

The records…

Adventure Club ‘the Train’ (Re-Action). Embarrassed to admit that Adventure Club are another band who so far have successfully managed to snuck below our normally well tuned radar. A Birmingham based duo whose accompanying press release sights various sound-a-like references such as Pulp, Suede and Roxy Music which to be fair we ere at a loss to see, hear or indeed find. That said ‘the train’ is a contagious cherry topped slice of affectionate buzz pop and serves as a rather fine taster for the duo’s debut full length ‘Wilderness Music’ which should see the light of day later in the year. Falling exactly 29 seconds short of your classically delivered sub three minute pop model ’the train’ is a jauntily simmering slab of prime time radio rollicking breezily invigorating crunching power pop that fizzes effervescently and takes you by the scruff of the neck onto a sinew straining rollercoaster ride thats riddled with sirens, driving plinky plonky keys and the kind of cut to the quick anguished tension that sizzles, smarts and stings in equal measures. Of course you need it, you want it and should have it if that is you want your record collection resembling the coolest thing in the neighbourhood. www.re-action.uk.com

And from the Adventure Club to the All New Adventures of Us….seamless I tell……..

The All New Adventures of Us ’St Crispin’s got our backs’ (the mannequin republic). We feel apologies are much deserved on this occasion given that we not only managed to mislay one copy of this rather splendid debut release but er managed to do the once thought improbable and impossible feat of losing its replacement and all. Such incompetence we feel should be admired and not frowned upon. The All New Adventures of Us are a Northampton based six piece who it seems have a penchant for crafting out tingling love charms of sweetly soured
shy eyed pop brimming with drama and heart heavy resonance that dips between Ian Broudie and the Lotus Eaters. The lead out cut ’St. Crispin’s got our backs’ with its delicate dusting of chiming riffs and driving dynamics makes for a radiant spectacle of effervescent teasing twinkle pop that recalls the Wedding Present in sunnier moods smooching with the Milltown Brothers. The near perfect ’Art of the High Five’ over on the flip is where the ensemble excel in terms of texture, moods and crushing grandeur. This honey literally cuts you wide open, braided with a heart heavy cortege of sweeping tearful trained strings and heaven sent harmonies that majestically ache and caress their way below your defences, this pocket emotion picking heap of hurt is bathed in hazy swirls of longing wide eyed hope laden sugar rushes of romance. Frankly not a dry eye in the house by its close. Essential type thing - more please. www.myspace.com/tanaoumusic

The Maccabees ‘Precious Time’ (Polydor). With a debut full length hovering on the horizon entitled ‘Colour it in’ (due in a week or so), ‘Precious Time‘ is the third quick fire release from the Brighton based darlings of the press following acclaimed showings with ‘First Love’ and ’About your Dress’ and blimey it has to be said it rips about at some fair old pace. Not lost upon us the irony of having a record that so pleads the merits of ‘making time for us’ and then precedes to bolt out the traps without so much as a pause for breath as though being forced to complete a 100 yard dash upon a bed of red hot coals. ’Precious Time’ is your prime cut smorgasbord of chiming riffs, zig zagging angular pop volleys, running on the spot chugging guitars and in your face exuberance that collectively bottled up and arranged neatly over a 3.42 duration frankly equals a cool as f*ck potent portion of catchily crunching uber pop. www.themaccabees.co.uk

Actress Hands ‘Come the Summer Days’ (Life is Easy). With a debut full length ‘Show Madelaine’ dusted down and in the can ready for feverish record rack action shortly, ’Come the Summer Days’ sees the Brighton based quartet stepping out for a third time and into the bargain considerably upping the ante on their previous brace of releases. ‘Come the Summer Days’ is a pristinely perfect pulse racing heart fluttering soundtrack for those with their eye on a certain somebody and lost in the wiles of love, harnessing a sugar coated power pop throb and radiating shimmering warmth filled rays imported from the finest sources to be found along the west coast, this serenading summer sheen like love note sumptuously draws upon in equal measures the classic blueprint laid down by the dB’s and threads through it an arresting array of honey crusted harmonies trademarked by mid 70’s Beach Boys and latterly licensed by the Thrills. Flip over for the equally stunningly effervescent ’Everybody’s in love’ - a delicious lemon popsicle slice of Raspberries meets Velvet Crush classicism braided by fanfares of breezy brass arrangements and holding close to its side the kind of hook happy tug to make any would be listener swoon in delight - scratch a little deeper and one or two of you may well reminisce fondly that near perfect 7” from Newcastle’s Jumbo (’HON Honey’ / ‘Brighten Up’) from a few years back - whatever happened to them we ask. All said and done quite essential ear gear if you ask me. www.lifeiseasyecords.com

My Sad Captains ‘Bad Decisions’ (Fortuna Pop). More frightening loveliness from the ever dependable Fortuna Pop stable, between you and me I swear they are illegally breeding these bands. Of course it goes without saying that we knew before we even played it that we’d love it to bits such is FP’s impeccable track record at finitely sorting out the wheat from the chaff - that said we weren’t quite prepared for the sheer beauty that would tumble out once this twin set honey sparked into life. Admittedly one of those rare occasions were we where left literally dumbfounded with jaw agape. ’Bad decisions’ is the debut release from Camden based quintet My Sad Captains who feature somewhere about their ranks a moonlighting member of the very excellent Fanfarlo who regular note takers of these missives will no doubt be aware we rather have something of a soft spot for. Bright eyed and bushy tailed ‘Bad Decisions’ is a lushly laden gem of classically appreciated soft centred country pop currency, packed to the rafters with honey crusted tip toeing melodies abound that daintily flicker and flirt their way past your defences replete with a breathless push tug dynamic sublimely executed by the affectionate swoon of Lucas’ shimmying ‘ba ba ba’ harmonies themselves endowing the spectacle with a decidedly alluring 60’s free pop vibe that finds its roots within the exquisite harmony laden Free Design. All this pristinely off set by Wallis’ almost acute matter of fact vocal delivery - itself a hybrid borne of Lloyd Cole and Robert Lloyd and what you have is possibly the most near perfect sub three minute slice of cute pop you’ll probably hear all year. Flip over for the sweetly hurting and slight of hand disarming ’here and elsewhere’ - with it’s willowy softly stirring tonalities and delirious melodica montages this touching honey due nugget could easily be a shy shade loving half cousin of the Shortwave Set. All this and not a skinny jean libertine loving teen in sight - now doesn’t that make for a refreshing change? In a word - perfect. Joint single of the missive. www.fortunapop.com

Those requiring additional fixes (and I suspect you will) then hop over to their web page at
And download ’building blocks’ and the bewitching hand holding Lloyd Cole like amour pop that is ’hide and seek’.

Mr Derry ‘Goodnight’ (Worst Case Scenario). Been a fair old while since we had a chance to hang up the bunting in celebration of something new and tasty from the Worst Case Scenario stable, in fact last time out was that spanking split between the mysterious Mr Fogg and young whippersnappers Parka (whose new single featured in this missive somewhere - not sure what part - is still causing a riot in the record box). Release number 7 for the WCS imprint (blimey did we really miss the Follow / Mimas split - darn) comes in the shape of a spanking debut outing for Birmingham based five piece Mr Derry. ’Goodnight’ is a ferociously gritty garage glam snarler front loaded with a 10 tonne artillery unit made up of sassy as hell strutting riffs plundered and sourced from the finest elements of 60’s Pebbles descended beat boogie, uh ho backing harmonies and crunching underpins follow in quick pursuit behind the sexy as hell Suzi Q gone bad lead vocal from Joni which all culminate in a seismic seizure inducing shakedown. Flip the disc for ’Beasts and Pearls’ - seductively mooches with a simmering soul blues intro replete with reverb laden riffs that soon erupt and fester into a scalding skull slapping frenzy of bruising buzz sawing bravado. Buy on sight - more please and soon. www.wcsrecords.com

Pola ‘Perdu’ (Smallfish). The third and final (on this occasion anyway) promised release featured in these pages from those rather sharp and in the know of all things electronica Smallfish records. Those equally in tune of the genre may be all too aware that Mike Smallfish has been positively pinching and falling over himself having secured this particular release. For the rest of us - the un-initiated shall we say and yes that includes me - top of the list don’t you know - Pola is the electronic side project of Italian composer and one time member of Keen Toy Tazio Iacobacci who armed with his trusted laptop has crafted his own hermetically sealed brave new world across a suite consisting of four tracks (which sadly - despite several quiet words in the ear of our hi-fi - seems only to play 2 - well one and half if I’m honest - and then give up the ghost). Again as previously this cutie is pressed on 3 inches of CD and is strictly limited to just 100 copies which by all rights should be dwindling fast in number if not already sold out. Of the tracks we have managed to savour and salvage the spatially minimalist ’magie’ the opening cut here opts for a spot of deep transcendental after lights out cerebral vibing, subtle glitch clicks immersed in fluid textures ebb and flow to cast an alluring yet faintly drone like sparsely drawn dulcet funkiness blended with classically drilled house nuances that weave and glide deep into your minds eye as though on some kind of trip laden lunatic cycle. ‘clin’ is a more fruity affair, sassy free spirited intertwining binary chatter lightly swirls in the ether crafting out a mind melting floorshow of exotically picture-esque images portraying extra terrestrial beach bound salsa nights beneath burning moons all the time set upon a load bearing bed of floor throbbing underpins. Scrumptious. www.smallfish.co.uk

You can sample one of Tazio’s numerous projects by re-routing yourself to the following address at http://www.myspace.com/feldmannsound where you’ll find him part of a trio by the name of feldmann carving out beautifully idling slices of lazy eyed heart arresting beguiling folk of which the best of the available cuts on show is the noodle some cascading gaellic math folk Storm and Stress arranged Tunng meets Archer Prewitt gem ’Come Closer’.

Devon Pennant ‘Reggae for it now’ (Demerare). According to the accompanying press release (which you’ll no doubt be both glad and utterly amazed on hearing we haven’t lost, mislaid or indeed made a rather nice paper boat out of) the Demerare imprint has in recent times been responsible for restoring the fortunes of both Pato Banton and those little rascals Musical Youth - well they were little rascals back in the days of their debut session for the late and much missed Mr Peel. Devon Pennant is the latest artist to get the Demerare seal of approval - ’Reggae for it now’ follows hot on the heels of his well received brace of releases from last year (Chillin’ and ’Lady of Magic’ both of which we are sad to say kind of skipped us by as they shimmied in to the sunset). Of course ‘reggae for it now’ is a cover version of the old Bill Lovelady nugget which if memory serves me right was something of a top 20 chart smash way back in the days before mobiles, computers, CD’s and video let alone DVD - the good old days when you could just get high by staring at the tangy multi coloured wallpaper hanging up in the parlour. Blimey we’ve lost the thread again - where was I - ah yes Devon Pennant ’reggae for it now’. Lightly dusted reggae pop the type of which resonates in the cool sun glazed breeze, perfect for those sultry summer nights holding hands with a loved one, chilled to just the right vibe and slinkily decorated with the subtle touch of exotic codas that usher in hazy experiences of dusky nights laid back watching the world drift lying on far flung uninhabited stretches of pristine golden sands - think latter career Aswad grooving with Sugar Minnott. Expect a whole albums worth soon entitled ’Free’ which rumour has it features a cover of Black Slate’s ’Amigo’. www.myspace.com/devonpennant

Star Chamber ‘Part One’ (self released). Not for the first time this particular missive (see Left with Pictures elsewhere here) another CD by a previously unknown to us ensemble that has literally shook the foundations of the losing today record shed. Alas the press release has gone AWOL which seems to me to be nor these days - how do I do it - we revel in our incompetence. Anyhow Star Chamber stump up a spanking three track diamond strangely entitled ’Part 1’ (which we assume will be followed at some point by ’part 2’, ’part 3’ and so on and so forth - we could be here forever and why not we ask. Star Chamber are a London based four piece of whom we suspect you might just be hearing a lot of in the near future if this little gem of a release is anything to judge by. ’Landmarks’ opens the set to the kind of exhilarating feel good vibe that makes you wonder why no one has sought to bottle up and sell over the counter. Blessed with a pristine radio friendly sensibility this beaming babe radiates both warmth and hope in abundance - kind of like Ronan Keating’s ’life is a rollercoaster’ redrafted by the World Party and set to an uplifting though tear choking lighter waving arena anthem replete with driving riffs and a chorus hook to floor at will. You might want to hide the kitchen cutlery (plates and all) for the ripping barnstormer ’Where’s my Joy’. A ferociously contagious boot tapping bout of bristling boogie drilled through with a frontline of crunching serrated riffs and some stunning panic stricken shards of seizure inducing intensity that had us taking time out for a spot of mental as hell frenetic cosack dancing. Best of the set though in our humble opinion is ’Relationship Wreck’ - blending honeycombed 50’s bubblegum / glam / west coast accents with your standard three chord rock ’n’ roll strutting throb a la the Ramones - this harmony laden candy coated power pop beauty seductively nibbles away at the Raspberries and the dB’s as though played out by ’East Side Story’ era Squeeze with TFC’s Norman Blake accompanying them as guest guitarist - literally just bleeds class. While your there hook up to their my space site and rip the bent out of shape and bruised down and dirty boogie-some ’Casual Acquaintances’. We await more of the same. www.myspace.com/starchamber

The R G Morrison ‘Learning about Loathing’ (Drift). Taken from one of the best albums of last year which we didn’t review (we are deeply ashamed to admit) - you know the sorry tale - received CD, played CD, loved CD, lost CD - to call us incompetent is to give hapless persons a bad name. The album in question was ‘Learning and Loathing’ a wonderfully crafted and dare we say out of step 8 track gem of pure unadulterated sweetly interloping beauty that sumptuously married trembling folk nuances with authentic soft blues pastiches to hitherto cultivate the same lost and lonely romance as was delicately and diligently carved by a certain Nick Drake nearly 4 decades earlier - in short - heartbreak done to perfection. ‘Learning about Loathing’ is now given a new lease of life and should, in the foreseeable future, see itself released as a single in its own right. A rare beast combining a beguiling song craft long since forgotten that’s beautifully braided by the delicate flurry of softly shimmering serenading acoustics that wrestle tenaciously with your emotional tolerances as though playing out their bitterly sweet hurting codas on your heart strings, all the time shyly hiding in the shadows the spectral accompaniment of cellos and violins seek to endow an eerie enchantment to the proceedings -think of a darkly romanticised and anaesthetised GSYBE siding up to the equally magical Oddfellows Casino. Heartache has never sounded so damn gorgeous. Go to www.myspace.com/thergmorrison and check out the ‘confederates’ styled accompanying video. Sheer class.

ShiSho / Hyperbubble ‘Split’ (Filthy Little Angels). Okay next missive out we will feature in all their glory the second season releases that make up Filthy Little Angels singles club all with the exception of (obviously this one) and the two already available splits which pair together Awful Sparks / Plastic Passion and the Spells / Rocket Uppercut which if like us you don’t already have or indeed haven’t heard - then we suggest and sharp detour to the FLA web site (address below) should suitably sort your whims and needs. Just to whet your appetite the remaining crop of releases feature in no particular order Captain Polaroid, the Vichy Government, the Art Goblins and the Fairies Band - and for the lucky two hundred of you who snaffle up these little gems each comes pressed on 7 inches of coloured vinyl. How can we resist I hear you cry. Not strictly out for another months (though we suggest pre-ordering to avoid disappointment) is a mighty split between ShiSho and Hyper bubble - which is pardon the vernacular the absolute dog’s bollocks. First there was the adorable Kitty, Daisy and Lewis with their 50’s Hawaiian bop, then the bunking off school ‘better than the White Stripes’ (blimey did we just say that- okay then maybe not quite but certainly piddling in the same vintage styled old school pond) Tiny Masters of the Today and now ShiSho. Kooky name kooky kids - ShiSho are a couple of Columbus based perky pre-teen punkster ladies (in fact their sisters Vivian [10] and lil’ sis Midge [7]) who along with the mysterious Professor PeuShu (honest I am not making this up) appear to be knocking the most in tuned and informed of the underground set sideways and bandy and who can blame them. As cute as buttons are these two tracks - deranged and fey admittedly but adorably infectious. ‘Courtney sat on a rock’ a tale of a school bullying minx by the name of Courtney (obviously)
is just dippy, in no - screwball, wonderfully naive in both sound and delivery, a bit like a warped on e numbers and additives Shaggs lost in some surreal kaleidoscopic kindergarten paper mache and fuzzy felt exercise featuring Sesame Street and Peanuts. Can’t for the life of me think why but I did find myself whistling Sebadoh’s ‘gimme indie rock’ afterwards though all said and done you need to hear this just for Midge’s wonkily out of tune vocal. ‘Rocks and Penalties’ ups the ante considerably, (parents you really must stop lacing their jellies and fairy cakes with mind bending substances) name checking wikipedia and (frequently) the Smiths while recanting a bizarre fuzzy edged tale of unicorns, rainbows and our hero of the hour Morrissey flanked by angels no less (again don’t ask) - all replete with your standard new waved riffs and pre school growls though if like me you’ll positively choke yourself laughing at the ‘kids do not try this at home’ introduction to the brief guitar solo mid way through. Go to their website for not only White Stripes (second mention - we are on a commission though not as big as the N*E) pastiche sleeves and portions of fizzy pop, jelly and general zany chit chat but also a chance to download a plethora of mp3’s including a cover of Sufjan Stevens ‘Get behind me Satan’, a live set culled from last years Gratis Fest along with a shed load of pod casts that frankly at times sound like they were wired up and put together in the daft as a brush mindset of the late Kenny Everett and features a listening party special playing the free to download ‘Down to Grease on holiday‘ compilation (a tribute to Grease as in Travolta and Newton John which originally saw the light of the day last year). Your new favourite band - don’t bet against it. Expect a whole album later in the year around thanks giving no doubt or maybe the summer holidays who knows. It’s therefore a tall order asking Hyperbubble to follow that, but follow that they do and with much guile and aplomb. Hyperbubble are Texan based duo Jeff and Jess who it seems have been whiling away the last few years crafting honey crusted slices of sumptuous synth pop across a plethora of releases all of which we’re embarrassed to say have somehow ducked, dived and to date managed to pass by our usually reliable radar defences undetected. Amorphous austere accented analogue pop that isn’t afraid to wear its Buggles badges on its sleeve, Hyperbubble are very much children of the first wave of electro pop reference markers such as New Musik, the Normal and Thomas Dolby are pretty much in evidence yet their almost twee like knack for calibrating melodically astute machine groove does hint at a Fosca fan in their midst. Three tracks feature on their side of the split opening with ‘Supermarket Casanova’. A tale of clandestine encounters in the shopping trolley aisles, filleted throughout with sparsely treated synth wiring this crookedly affectionate slice of noire-ish futuro pop sophistication mooches about distractively equipped with ice cold fragmented shards of dislocated funky robo - vibes all the time braided with a boy / girl vocal interplay that soon blossom fulsomely into a flirtingly teasing uber pop array of svelte cool as you like sugar laced swoon apparel. To describe ‘She’s so technical’ (incidentally the best thing here) is to try imaging early career Dolby locked in the same room with ‘Rock it’ era Herbie Hancock and Yello concocting aloof club floor enigmas by way of remote controlled diode drooling droids for a suitably chilled and demurring Animotion to delicately dust and deliver in their own imitable fashion - need we say more. ‘Pop Star’ rounds up the set - kind of Kelly Marie (yep - indeed - she of ‘Feels like I’m in Love’) gone bad grinding hard to a post Vince Clark Depeche Mode montage which strangely enough if you retune your mouse to the duo’s my space site at www.myspace.com/hyperbubble then you’ll be able to sample the delights of the impossibly infectious buzz core Client meets Vince Clark era Depeche Mode ‘Nervous System’ - neat or what. While you’re there also hook up to their blogged Textronix mix tape featuring 60 minutes of space age loveliness including exclusive remixes by the duo for Metrosexuals, Cherry 2000, Bulimiatron and Rotten Piece - best of the bunch though is the ‘Love in the Space Age’ remix of their ‘Psychic Connection’ cut. Joint Single of the Missive I think we can safely say. www.filthylittleangels.com

NB:- ‘Down to Grease on Holiday’ can be downloaded gratis via http://filthylittleangels.blogspot.com/ as well as exclusive mix tapes concocted and curated by the likes of Aria C Jalili, the Leatherettes (whose split album with Dirtblonde has been teasing our hi-fi something wicked), (ahem) Dirt blonde (their ears must have been burning) and a little something from Filthy Little Angels sister label Leaving Home. Also check out the demos and exclusive downloads by the Vichy Government (we recommend if you only rip one - then rip ‘luke haines is dead’) - elsewhere there are a few neat as f*ck mp3’s from the leatherettes (yep - them again) - a handful of cuts that never made the cut for their ‘Johnny Thunders’ EP (which disagreeably we appear to have missed) - that said check out the raw and rough as a bear’s arse demo version ‘Mickey and Minnie’.

Tall Pony ‘I’m your boyfriend now’ (Cherryade). Lets just start by saying that this particular release is going to split opinion between howls of derision or delight depending on which side of the fence you happen to be decamped in. The debut single no less by Cheltenham duo Tony and Paul AKA Tall Pony and dare we say another celebrated corker of a release from those rather nice people at Cherryade records. Literally arrived this morning this did and frankly we’ve spent the day trying to wrestle it off the hi-fi. Odd, eerie, very un - PC (as in political correctness and not personal computer) and wildly tongue in cheek (we hope). This cut achieved a fair amount of apparent notoriety when it was picked up by Radio 1’s Huw Stephens late last year and therein became the most requested track on his show leading the duo to release it as a limited 3 track CD which sold out faster than most could say ‘shit my pants are on fire!!’ while wrapping up the year with a debut appearance / gig at BBC Maida Vale and the topping of the re-activated Festive 50 via Dandelion Radio. Not bad eh? Listening to these three cuts its quite obvious that Messrs Towey and Gage have a fair amount of unresolved issues that need exorcising - twisted tales of neighbourhoods from hell and domestic subservience paint a graphic spite ridden picture that quite frankly we haven’t heard the like of since those all important and crucial Foreheads in a Fishtank releases from the early 90’s. Sound wise ‘I’m your boyfriend now’ is a distant half cousin of Landscape’s ‘Norman Bates’ - a locked looping austere gem recanting a misogynist manual, edgy and icily monochrome this deceptively catchy numbing nugget is creepily braided with a sinister sounding monotone vocal that chills to come across like some wayward brain washing technique - the lyrics of a no nonsense bloke stance - new girlfriend dictating to her what she should and should not wear, say, do sound quaintly amusing though the male species among you may do well not to take this impishness at face value for fear of wearing a frying pan. Over on the flip ‘Big Guns’ awaits, gnarled, twisted not so much angular but rather more beaten out of shape - think of it as a thrift shop version of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Kashmir’ and we’ll say no more. Giving it the middle finger ‘I hate your family’ just oozes bile and hatred - a detached and scuffed up scuzzy vomit venting roll call that sounds like it was tuned up not so much with a fork but a chopstick (and even that was snapped in half), a wonderfully seedy pictorial image of dysfunctional family life and with that easily deserving of the deputy single of the missive. www.cherryademusic.co.uk

Milk Kan feat. Dolly Parton ‘Here ya come again and again’ (Self Released). To be honest I never thought I’d witness the day when I’d mention in these pages let alone feature a record with the accepted Queen of Country Dolly Parton singing on it. But here it. Having picked ourselves of the floor jaws included we can indeed confirm a record not only featuring the petite Ms Parton but a cover of a track (‘Here you come again’) made famous by the singer / songwriter / actress that originally featured on her widely acclaimed crossover album from 1977 by the same name. Heaven knows how South London’s Milk Kan got in on the act but hats off to them because this given the right kind of exposure could see trio elevated into the nations affections. Packing more savvy than the Streets with whom they are frequently name checked aside, this cutely honed twin set comes pressed on an ultra limited white label 7” and follows their acclaimed debut ‘Bling Bling Baby’ from a year or so ago (see missive 96). Milk Kan with a cheeky chappy air spin a new found twist on ‘Here you come again’ blending the originals love hurts vibe with an affair of dependence between a junkie and his dealer while craftily paying nods along the way to Lou Reed’s ‘Waiting for the Man’ - irresistible, immediate and so damn itchily infectious that you’d swear they were mainlining the stuff direct to your nervous system intravenously. Flip side features ‘I want my MTV to want me’ - a ferociously frantic finger licking slice of rampant porch pogoing street wise barn stomping bluegrass boogie - kind of Violent Femmes meets Bogshed with big flippin cow bells on. Expect an album soon - and about time to.
Essential like. www.milkkan.com

Fireworks Night ‘When we fell through the Ice’ (Kartel). Culled from their imminent (and much loved here) second full length ‘As fools we are’, ‘When we fell through the ice’ arrives packaged across two seven singles and an CD format the latter of which features the singles video. One of the highlights of the aforementioned full length, the spectral ‘When we fell through the ice’ is a beguilingly dustily swept death shanty of sorts that sits amid the strangely noir and magically undisturbed undergrowth that separates Hefner and early career Black Heart Procession. Gently caressed by the light tip toe of a drunken banjo and the feint tread of flamenco flurries while longingly being serenaded by a sweeping chorus of seductively laced strings, this homely honey nods ever so subtly in the direction of the late Vivian Stanshall as though being arranged and shed of his wandering eccentricities by an impeccably perfect Neil Hannon. Included here is a superb remix of the title track by PSAPP who manage to persuade and take the original by the hand from its twilight hidey hole comfort zone into the daylight to give it a flexible loose limbed texture to shimmer with a duskily enticing shape shifting zeal that sounds as though its sneaked a quick vacation via the banks of the Nile while everyone’s backs were turned. Live favourite ‘Echo’s Swing’ also features, a gracefully fragile thing of measured beauty that sumptuously courts a gloriously ghostly fairground carousel effect and whose exquisite sense of tearful grandeur is something matched only by the likes of Shady Bard and I like Trains. The delicately acoustic ‘A picture worth framing’ wraps up the set, culled from their debut full length ‘It’s a wide, wide sea’ this shyly romantic ode sweetly nods with a countrified Southern breeze lightness towards Neil Young and Buffalo Springfield, quite enchanting if you ask me. www.kartel.mu

The band will be supporting the very wonderful Charlie Parr at the Spitz, London - 23/05/07


More my space stuff……

http://www.myspace.com/bugbeat - blimey took me fondly back to the nights spent huddled up to the radio listening to the much missed Mr Peel - luxuriously fattened up trippy grooves and hypnotic dub beats principally cued from the mighty Zion Train with the assistance of Dreadzone, Dub Syndicate and Death in Vegas - rip ’originate’ or better still the Mad Professor like ’bugbeat’ - stunning.
And so seemingly falling between the cracks of any recognised genre or bandwagon

http://www.myspace.com/axiotronic - the guise of a certain Mike Spinka - a Pennsylvanian based musician who delights in crafting robot reverie - check out the rather frisky sounding ‘current’ which for the best part sounds like an igloo incumbent ISAN

http://www.myspace.com/emeraldskyrock - killer hook laden strut pop from Cambridge based all girl trio Emerald Sky who to these ears sound not to unlike the awesome Sirens check out ’black jaguar’ or better still follow the link to their website and tune your lugs around ’misunderstood’

http://www.myspace.com/thebadkarmazzzz - chemically enhanced psyche pop - rip the cool as f*ck shade wearing west coast styled wig flipping ‘sleepy freeway’ or the ‘pictures of lily’ era Who inspired ‘breathe’

http://www.myspace.com/friendsofman - Sydney based 4-some who craft classically rooted guitar pop check out the Ric Ocasek / Cars do bubblegum ‘another song’ or ‘girl from Holland’ which for the best part we’d have swore had Bowie doing guest vocals with Split Enz

http://www.myspace.com/quitzow - crookedly tasty electro pop from New York - rip the slightly scatty, woozy, light headedly kooky and chirpy ’peanut’ or the equally tasty and audaciously infectious ’sponsor’ where Erica Quitzow purrs, coos and seduces breathlessly - a kind of playful cobra killer if you like

http://www.myspace.com/gwonderbelgium - ‘genius’ is so simple and breezily happy you could kiss it and even despite one of their tracks being called ‘2 weeks to live’ they still manage to make sadness sound so bloody uplifting - all said and done pick of the bunch is the tenderly introspective ‘falling down’ which with deft slight of hand will reach within and lay siege upon your heart

http://www.myspace.com/tearwave - tenderly crafted silken dream pop - rip the sensuously twinkling ‘nightingales’ culled from their latest full length for Projekt.

http://www.myspace.com/useukversion - Chicago based 7 piece who craft tingling softly spangled bubblegum pop think Cheap Tricks meets Raspberries via Teenage Fan club - rip the smouldering ‘time ticks by’

http://www.myspace.com/darkz711 - rip the damn fine shades wearing tripping Sabbath like blues ‘howlin wolf’

http://www.myspace.com/f451 - swear we’ve mentioned these lads in passing previously - ho hum - not to mind - hi voltage blistering punk’d up guitar groove from Chelmsford - rip ’we are youth’ from their current ’the battleground is everywhere’ set.

http://www.myspace.com/thesadepicurean - rip ‘soft collared neck’ so good it hurts.
http://www.myspace.com/uptheroyals - rip the unearthly ’jeka’
http://www.myspace.com/dergar - rip the elegiac ‘the past’
http://www.myspace.com/dlct - lulling star crossed ambient pop - rip ’Karola bloch’

http://www.myspace.com/stephenhthomas - summer breeze laid back and woozy soft psyche from Stateside - rip the Barrett-esque ‘blowing kisses at the moon’

http://www.myspace.com/elephantsky - hailing from London and South East elephant sky are a young trio who it seems have a penchant for early 70’s styled progressive hippy pop - rip ’live on woman’ a gnarled down and dirty boogie that transplants glam riffs swiped straight from Bolan and force feeds them through a blender made up of elements of Sabbath and Curved Air.

http://www.myspace.com/clubmatroyshka - cool club night extravaganzas - rip the absolutely divine rubicks cut ‘move away’ - why they aren’t bigger is one of life’s strange mysteries - related links include the cacti shed label at www.myspace.com/cactished where you can sample 2 cuts from the latest darlings of the indie press the playing fields and who are we to argue especially when we’ve heard and fallen hopelessly for ’hello new world’

http://www.myspace.com/stclive - check out the EMF styled ‘Pour some sugar on me’ - need we say more?

http://www.myspace.com/guerrillazoo - arts / music / drama installations that manifest into quarterly happenings in the Elephant and Castle

http://www.myspace.com/bigbadabangband - simply described as nu-jazz / dub from out of Copenhagen and beyond that the information is well sketchy - in fact to be a little more precise - non existent - that said the sounds are superb - chilled out tastiness for when the lights go out rip ‘bounty’ a noire-ish dub induced slice of down tempo décor that recalls depth charge on vacation to the Nile with a suitable blissed out penguin café orchestra.

http://www.myspace.com/mattsagemusic - we don’t mind admitting that we were more than a little disconcerted when the my space greeting on matt sage’s page simply stated ‘I’ve got jumping beans for bones babe’ - frankly we almost passed - that said treats are abound on the three previewed cuts best of which is in our humble opinion ‘king of everything’ - a delicate richly vivid rustic beauty with bespoken lilting melodies and a kind of breeze swept romance laden resonance that literally hazily swirls, bewitches and enchants.

http://www.myspace.com/electrosex2006 - not that we are in anyway shallow or anything which of course we are not but the name alone ‘electro sex’ much appealed to us. So there we were all shaven, showered, sitting in our magic pants and full of the type of unbridled untapped expectancy of a prom might Queen (of course without the dress, tiara and teeth brace - there’s a time and place for that kind of thing - usually the last Friday of the month we find) and crackling into life through the hi-fi speakers ’SoniX’ - even the picture of Sonic the Hedgehog didn’t deter or dampen our ardour - now I’m the first one up for a spot of Fischer Price tomfoolery with added blatant deconstruction of New Order’s ’1963’ thrown in for good measure - but we do admit we felt a sense of the last kid picked from the class for a football team. That said we do heartily recommend you tune into the Buggles meets New Musik via Air sort ’Digital Love Re-Edit’ where mid 70’s pop sensibilities, sumptuous funk grooves purloined from the Average White Band and subtle west coast keys get decidedly hot and frisky (blimey and we didn’t even mention the choral multi tracked harmonies a la 10CC’s ’I’m not in Love’).

http://www.myspace.com/schmoofiness - damn do we like this - schmoof are electro duo Sarah and Lloyd who it seem can’t help being in the same room as a synthesiser without the overriding desire for banging out a ridiculously catchy pop motif or two - kind of ’Moon Safari’ era Air with an insatiable fascination for infectious feel good vibes that neatly bridges the feint divide between the near perfect Salon Boris and the equally pristine Rubicks - rip ’Northern Line’ and be driven delirious by the Dubstars ’Stars’ meets Human League’s ’Hysteria’ with Dollar at the control decks - yep Dollar - we sh*t you not while elsewhere the seedy but sexy ’Rock Wife’ strangely references the darker elements of Melys (whatever happened to them?) - we will of course be seeking out that rather essential recently released second full length ’the glamour’.

http://www.myspace.com/hitchcockmusic - another duo no less - Shakespeare country based Matt (vox, guitar) and Andy (programming, bass) are collectively known as Hitchcock who may have started their musical education at one point tuning into an older siblings record collection equipped with all manner of Blancmange, A Flock of Seagulls and early Depeche Mode releases but who have it seems have graduated to draw their influences hydra like to encompass all manner of richly textured classicism (check out the svelte heart panging club cultured the Beloved like ’Cillit Bang’ - yep the cleaner variety - we‘ve already been pulled o this) though for me personally nothing quite touches the frantic pulse racing ’running from the sane’ which manages to sublimely hook into a matrix DNA formed of the much missed Mansun, Ooberman and pre Tom Jones / Cold Feet early career Space.

At this juncture just a quick word about a rather snazzy free to download compilation by those rather kind folk of Silber records featuring tunes lovingly crafted to celebrate mother’s day - ranging from heavy metal, post rock, lulling acoustics and noise there’s sure to be something to annoy, amuse and amaze. Tracklisting as follows -
Wrong Brothers - (S)Mother
Remora - the very best mother in the world
Glissade - Burned in Blue
Blessed Child Opera - it looks like she is falling
Plumerai - dear mother
Moral Crayfish - Forsythia/Forcynthia
Lauri des Marais - for Pauline Oliveros
Century of Aeroplanes - Some familiar words
Electric Bird Noise - morning mother mourning dove
Miss Massive Snowflake - blidda bliddaba
Origami Galaktika - Transformation
Follow the links via the web address (in a second) or stump up five dollars via PayPal for your own spankingly smart hand crafted physical type copy - go to http://www.silbermedia.com/comps/mom

And while we are here a quick nod towards those sharp dudes over at garagepunk.com who it seems are hosting the last ever ‘the vagabond garage rocker’ pod cast which bugger us with a big stick had us a tad sad - this particular show features an hours worth stuffed full o’ gems from the Pentals, the Dynamites, the Autoramas, the Movements and a shed load of other cool groovers. While your there hook up to the latest Flying Saucer Rock ’n’ Roll jamboree - elsewhere the Woggles turn up on Backseat Beat while surely no decent I-pod should be without Lord Muck’s Nasty Grind transmission - read em and weep.

The final record -

What better way to round up the missive and send it up the wooden hills to Bedfordshire than with this teasing little gem….

Slow Dancing Society ‘the delicate sound of silence’ (Hidden Shoal). Okay we cheated slightly, this tasty slice of twinkling celestial ambience is culled and wraps up the free to download 10 track compilation entitled ‘the garden of forking paths’ from those nice people over at Hidden Shoal Recordings. Slow Dancing Society is the aural alter ego of a certain Washington based musician Drew Sullivan whose work you can find decorating the soundtrack to the Todd Kauffman film ’the key’. ’the delicate sound of silence’ provides for a deliciously numbing and enchanting experience, both spectral and glacial in texture this touching sound-scape seductively hovers and orbits within a hermetically sealed environ all at once radiating lovelorn siren like signatures across untold voids that translate into teasingly trippy and trance like states of chilled out bliss. For further reading and information and of course a chance to sample the delights of the 9 accompanying tracks go to www.music.hiddenshoal.com


All that leaves me to do and say is to thank all those who’ve made these nonsensical musings possible and thanks to you - yes you sitting in front of the PC monitor squinting and blinking - for taking the time, patience and effort to labour of this thesis styled word thing. Records, CD’s and practically anything playing a tune (though we draw the line at you parcelling up your dotty granddad and posting him through our letterbox even if he does have a special talent with a penny whistle and a fork and spoon) gratefully received - you can get us via email: mark@losingtoday.com or via our super duper all singing, all dancing, Technicolor web page at www.myspace.com/thesundayexperience where you can find regular updates (if 1. Your unlucky and 2. I can be arsed), alternatively there’s always snail mail which is at 105 Shaldon Drive, Morden, Surrey, SM4 4BQ - till whenever (more than likely next week), take care of yourselves (especially the person who doesn’t know I exist) and ta-ra

Mark
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