I Was Falling, You Were Calling...

I was listening to this track on my way into work this morning and started wondering why I haven’t thrown it up on the site yet. First heard on the Flying Nun compilation, Pink Flying Saucers Over The Southern Alps; a compilation that, along with other FN comps, In Love With These Times as well as Getting Older, struck the dawning realization on me that there was more to the label than just say, The Chills.

Having already solidified his reputation as one of New Zealand’s most admired songwriters while fronting The Clean in the 80s, David Kilgour started off the 90s by releasing his first solo record, Here Come The Cars; a record that was critically lauded and from which "Uplift" first appeared on. A great song that seems to pay tribute to the stylings of Lou Reed or the Zombies, "Uplift" lazily strums along, all the while threatening to boil over, which it does on several occasions in quick bouts of feedback. Its one of those few songs that I can listen to over and over as it almost seems to hint at something more comforting out there, somewhere…

David Kilgour – “Uplift” (mp3)

(from the Flying Nun CD, Pink Flying Saucers Over The Southern Alps, 1991)

You Never Were A Contender...

The past several weeks have seen indie kids going completely gaga* over the new Animal Collective album with, somewhat, good reason as is it, from what I’ve heard, the band’s most accessible album from start to finish. However, thoughts amid the Ditching Boy trellises are that we’re more gaga over the impending debut album from C-86 reverists, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. Let me count the ways:

1. They mine a personal favorite scene that still manages to produce some of the more delightful pop music ever since its inception some 25 years ago with, arguably, the release of the Smiths’ “Hand In Glove” single.
2. They haven’t written a bad song yet which, out of four singles, an EP and one upcoming full length, is kinda saying something.
3. They’re totally cute which, in this day and age when each member of every “it” band looks like they haven’t bathed, much less shaved, in years, probably wipes them off of the cool radar immediately.
4. They display nifty boy-girl harmonies that, amid the noisy distortion of early Jesus & Mary Chain/Ride meets the jangle pop of the Pastels/Wedding Present, sounds pretty great and is a formula always bound to make me swoon.
5. They use keyboards which, in this case, only adds to the atmospherics and provide ample reason to sway, if not dance, in conjunction with some of the more insanely catchy guitar riffs they have going for themselves.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – “Everything With You” (mp3)

(from the Slumberland Records CD, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, 2009)

*to foolishly dote, often times without any rational reason.

And now...

...on to something completely different. Full sentences, policies I agree with (to an extent) and absolutely awful music should Ashford & Simpson's remake of their '84 hit, "Solid (As A Rock)" now titled "Solid (As Barack)" be an indication of. I kid you not. Go get it on iTunes and God bless America...

Mona Lisa Overdrive

A conversation with Curt over at Power Pop Overdose regarding the joys of Iowa City’s, the Dangtrippers, reminded me of the positive virtues of guitarist Doug Roberson’s follow-up group, Head Candy, whom he formed with the Hollowmen’s Mike Sangster. Unfortunate names aside, Head Candy had just one sole effort, Starcaster, released shortly after the ‘trippers’ demise in the early ‘90s. Starting where the Dangtrippers left off, the group showcased a nice blend of R.E.M./dB’s inspired jangle pop but the material perhaps hints more at the neo-psychedelia of Television as well as the Soft Boys.

Head Candy – “In The Night Kitchen” (mp3)

(from the Hollywood Records CD, Starcaster, 1991)

He Was Not A Number...

In lieu of raising our glasses in means of a toast, here's the Times' silly ode to one Patrick McGoohan. May he rest in peace...

The Times "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape" (mp3)

(from the Whaam! LP, Pop Goes Art!, 1982)

Sometimes I Get The Feeling That This Really Never Was My Home

I cautiously jumped on the Parts & Labor bandwagon in late 2007 after hearing the mind-splittingly glorious "Fractured Skies" from the band’s 2007 album, Mapmaker. And when I say cautiously, I mean as something to perhaps keep a trained-ear on as I wasn’t completely sold on the band’s chaotic, psychedelic-inspired rock. That being said, bits and pieces of Mapmaker eventually did manage to worm their way into my subconscious, unrelentingly so, and anticipation was slowly built for the band’s third full-length, Receivers, which dropped this past October.

Gone is the boxed-in desperation found on Parts & Labor's earlier efforts and in its place one finds a newfound sense of openness and space in both the compositions and the atmosphere they manage to create. Where the band perhaps seemed to favor the frantic, post-punk sound of Wire’s Pink Flag on their earlier albums, they’ve now gone a step further by taking the polished, restrained sound of 154 era-Wire and adding dashes of early Pink Floyd with touches of Brian Eno, giving Receivers a more overall cohesive sound. It’s a record made by a band beginning to realize the full-range of possibilities available to them. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Parts & Labor – “Nowhere Nigh” (mp3)

(from the Jagjaguwar CD, Receivers, 2008)

Long May You Strut...All The Way To Cleveland...

Female (and more than likely some male; DeRo's included) hearts a'flutter and break all across Wrigleyville at the thought of no longer seeing one of the Cubs most popular players of 2008 strut his way around the bases of the friendly confines.