These Go to 11: interviewing Pale Spectres

More interviews! After closing April with The Treasures of Mexico, today we have the pleasure to fuel the section with more pluperfect janglepop, thanks to Thomas Guilcher from Pale Spectres (among other projects) answering our questionnaire. Enlightening pop from the 'City of Light'. Lots of familiar names on his answers. These Go to 11!

Pale Spectres, delicatessen at pop's supermarket

Thomas Guilcher, Pale Spectres
Hailing from Paris, they are Jean-François, Rafael, Stéphane and Thomas. and we met them in 2012, thanks to the song 'Better than Love', included on a compilation record from Cloudberry Records. One year later, they released debut EP 'Helen of Troy', four slices of hipnotic janglepop, via our beloved label Little Treasure Records. Now, after three years of waiting, during which Thomas got involved in several projects, like his one-man-band Tomiji, or collaborating with Blog dear friends Jeremy 'The Very Most' Jensen and Adriano 'Postal Blue' Ribeiro (wishing Les Coquelicots keep writing music together), our favourite ghosts are back with their "magic touch" intact, judging from the double A side amazing single 'Your Boyfriend's Girlfriend / Time to move on', out just now. Unmissable. Here we go! 

1.First record that you bought (be honest)
The very first record I bought might be 'Missing' by Everything But The Girl. I was probably 10 and it was a CD single. I remember cutting the cardboad cover to turn it into a sleeve for a jewel case. That was stupid, wasn't it ?

Brother in Law: La Famiglia shoegaze 

2. First and last concert you have attended (be honest too!)
The first concert I attended was actually a big festival nearby my parents' called Les Terres Neuvas. It doesn't exist anymore. I mostly remember seeing a French rap band called Saian Supa Crew. The last one was Brothers In Law a few days ago in Paris. It really was a great show. They're from Italy and their music could be described as 'shoegazy pop'.

3. Guilty pleasure (song/band you shouldn’t like but you do, yes, it’s the embarrassing question)

My latest guilty pleasure was probably Lana Del Rey. I even created my own best of compilation of her songs to listen to in the metro on my way to and back from work. I just love her music and I can't really explain why.

Gainsbourg meets Verlaine: a poets affaire

4. Most precious music item you own (collector mode on)

It probably is my Sarah Records vinyl collection. I own around 50 releases of the label and they're all very precious to me.

5. Favorite lyrics (not yours)

To be honest, I don't pay that much -or enough- attention to lyrics. I'm more sensitive to people's vocals and the way they use them. It's music after all. However, Serge Gainsbourg's lyrics for 'Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je M'En Vais', for example, are excellent. They're a fantastic tribute to one of Paul Verlaine's most famous poems.

Adriano Ribeiro: glorious indiepop goes transnational

6. Musician/s you would like to meet (should be alive, for obvious reasons, but you can choose a dead one too)
I would certainly love to meet Adriano from Postal Blue; not only because he's a wonderful musician but also because he's become a great friend. As he lives in Brasilia and me in Paris, we both know it would be complicated but you never know...

7. Favorite artwork album (not yours)
It may sound obvious but I'd say it's hard to top artworks such as Andy Warhol's banana for The Velvet Underground & Nico's self titled album or Peter Saville's waves for Joy Division's 'Unknown Pleasures'... They're both so beautiful and iconic.

A Belgian film! Recommendation taken

8. Books or movies? Depending on your answer recommend us one (trick: you can choose both) 
One of my many problems is I don't read enough. I would therefore have to say movies. If I had to recommend you one, I'd choose 'C'est Arrivé Près de Chez Vous'. The film is a Belgian masterpiece of extremely dark humor.

9. Release (of yours) you are most proud of
This is a trick question and proud is a big word. As far as I'm concerned, I noticed that the latest things you've created tend to be the ones you usually like the most. At the moment, my answer would then be a brand new song called 'The End' that we composed altogether from total scratch during a band practice. I really like collaborative compositions and I hope there will be more of them in Pale Spectres' future.

10. What does it mean indie for you? (yes, the “serious question”)
I feel like indie has just become a random word for a broad kind of pop or even music. I would sadly tend to think it no longer has anything to do with independance. It now relies more on a type of aesthetics.

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 
I have absolutely no idea... I certainly have dreams but I'm mostly focusing on enjoying life day by day. To be honest, as I'm an optimistic person, I don't really care or think about that.    

 Zillion thanks Thomas!

Best Songs of the Year 2013: 75-51

Chapter II of our favourite 100 tunes released this 2013. 25 more songs, now comprised between positions 75 to 51. Again, you have the complete (20 tunes) playlist at our newly created Soundcloud page, and if the song isn't available there, you'll have an alternative direct link. As we explained on the previous list, only three songs per band, so we've been able to include more groups (bands "affected" by this limitation are The National, Savages and Go Violets). Third part of the list coming very soon, so stay tuned. Hope you enjoy!

75. Math and Physics Club- Long Drag
74. Lose The Reason- The Primitives
73. The Most Beautiful Boy- The Choo Choo Trains
72. Winter Coat- Coach Station Reunion

71. Mean Streets- Tennis
70. Fool of a Kind- Marine Life
69. Lose Control- Brothers in Law
68. Temporary Touch- Selebrities
67. We Don't Have Any Cuts to Waste- The Very Most
66. Daedalus- San Fermin
65. Marshal Dear- Savages (link to video)
64. Show Me the Wonder- Manic Street Preachers (link to video)
63. Let Them All In- I Am Kloot
62. Gun- Chvrches

61. I Don’t Know What to Do With My Hands- Minor Alps
60. Ha Ha Ha- The Julie Ruin
59. Floating- Mequetrefe
58. Dead in Your Head- Bleached
57. Evil/Shy- The Mini Skips
56. Generación Perdida- Las Ruinas
55. Girls Like Us- Pins
54. Through the Deep, Dark Wood- The Veils
53. El Mundo Se Va a Acabar- Pauline en la Playa
52. Can You Keep A Secret- The Birthday Kiss
51. Wanted- Go Violets

Click here to check the SoundCloud playlist!

Discoverer 59: new indie findings

Another round of our Sunday's proposals. Big music crushes for your listening pleasure!

Brothers In Law. So happy to go back to Italy and the We Were Never Being Boring collective (when is Be Forest coming back?) now with the discovery of this band from Pesaro, active since 2011. Formed initially as a duo, they released a s/t EP, then became a trio, put out a single and prepared their debut first album in late summer, coming out early this year. "Hard Times For Dreamers" is a hidden gem. Post-punk hints, dream-pop open chords, a youthful,  jangly spirit, mundane and recognisable lyrics, and the feeling the right influences have been astonishingly absorbed and channeled into something completely of their own. Knock-out mini-album. Band to keep close.

The Adelines. We move north to Swansea, Wales, to meet a quartet formed in 2011 (borrowing the band's name from their neighbour's cat). Two singles, "Little Games" and forthcoming "Alleyways", out in May 6th on Kissability Records, are their only releases to date, but what a couple of spectacular tunes. Defined by the label as "sepia summertime indie pop perfect for an indie shuffle", this is instant, classic indiepop drowned in the best of the 90s, propelled by Jennie Morris sweet vocals and guitars soaking with reverb. Comparisons with a poppier version of the Throwing Muses are still excessive, but the potential and promise is there.

The Birthday Kiss. And out third proposal hails from London/Leeds. Formed in 2012 by Ben Siddall (former member of the great The Lodger) and Sarah Williams (ex-The Research), the group has been creating a handful of songs (don't miss the chance of hearing "Choking"), and now they release, on Death Party Records, their official debut, a double A side 7" single, "Can You Keep A Secret?/ Worth It", while announcing they are currently working on their first album. Charming indiepop with a beat and soulful vibe, that quoting the always wise Skatterbrain's blog definition sounds like "some kind of perfect Saint Etienne cum Language of Flowers territory". Mostly irresistible.