Discoverer 162: new indie findings

Keeping the recovered pace in our discoverer series, today we bring you a trio of indiepop wonders "found" in between the end of the 2017 and the beginning of 2018. Fear no more, the jangly guitars are back!

A Certain Smile. We begin in Portland, Oregon, to meet this quartet formed around 2015, the brainchild of Thomas Andrew, who has been and indiepop activist in Pacific Northwest USA (Toffee Club Sunday brunch, radio music host at Freeform Radio), and several music ensembles on his back. One of them, Port of Call, alongside his best friend Tom Fleischer, formed in 2002 (then in Philly), can be described as the seed of A Certain Smile, as some of the tunes of their debut album 'Fits & Starts', dates back from that college years era (there are some tunes available at their bandcamp from 2004 and 2014 under their current nickname). Technically out in summer of 2017, their self-released record is fuzzy pop blast, extremely catchy and contagious, yet with space to flirt with shoegazy atmospheres. Nine vitamin pills to recharge your indiepop batteries anytime you need...   

The BV's. Jump to the "old continent" with a transnational proposal, between Augsburg, Germany and Falmouth, Cornwall, UK, formed in 2016,when Fred Jehle met Josh Turner in the latest weeks of an university exchange in UK, beginning writing tunes at a very enthusiastic, DIY pace. That initial material became their debut album 'Speaking from a Distance', out past April via Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten. The positive reviews helped the duo gain momentum, expading the project to a full live band, which allowed them to tour with Blog favourites The Bats and The Luxembourg Signal. Direct result of that latter tour, now The BV's are back with 12” EP 'Interpunktion' out just now. Somewhere in between the most atmospheric side of jangle-pop and the most melodic face of shoegaze, like The Field Mice through a wall of sound and reverb, The BV's are a real treat to the ears, expansive and warm. Exciting band not to be missed.  

The Keep Left Signs. And we end in Sweden (not 100% sure, though, not much info out there) to enjoy this combo formed in the spring 2015 with members from the bands The Mare and The Electric Pop Group who, out of the blue, delivered their debut mini-album 'Tomorrow' in early December 2017. Co-released by our beloved friends at Shelflife alongside Spanish label Kocliko Records, this seven tunes are fine example of classic, timeless indiepop with a knack for melodies, melancholic vibes and that quintessential jangling guitars driving that we, "the usual suspects", need in regular doses to keep us going. A little gem to be rescued and treasured that we hope is just a first chapter of more to come...

Premiere: 'Love is Love' with Skittle Alley

Thanks to our dear friends Discos de Kirlian we have a most pleasant premiere for you today. The return of Skittle Alley! In a match made in heaven, the now full band leaded by French (based in Limoges) music activist Stéphane (more than a decade crafting pop gems on labels like Dufflecoat, Anorak, Jigsaw, etc), responsible of is teaming with the wonderful Catalonian label for the release of his latest mini LP, entitled 'Love Is an Action', out on January 26th. Eight wonderful tunes (sort of a concept record about love) honouring the best indiepop tradition, in the vein of myths like The Field Mice of Another Sunny Day, and beautifully arranged by producer Carlos René, who also contributes with a song.

Ready for a first taste of the album? Here's the magnificent opening track 'Love is Love', a burst of blissful jangle, with twinkling guitars and an eternal chorus. What an honour to premiere this gem! Don't miss it!

“My Secret World”, one hundred Sarah Records

My Secret World. The Story of Sarah Records
Beefeater In-Edit 2014, Chapter II

Our second choice at this year’s Beefeater In-Edit was a no-brainer, a must-watch. I mean, a movie about the story of Sarah Records? On the first row without a doubt.

Why? Because every truly single indie-pop heart needs to know about the Sarah Records story, the referential label based in Bristol with an adamantium spirit of independence founded by Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes. They created an immaculate, DIY label (oh my God, the story about the letters!), that overpassed it’s eight years of existence (1987-1995) to become a myth.

Director Lucy Dawkins chooses the most straightforward and didactic approach. She gathers with Clare and Matt and in a very logical order. The origins, the fanzines, the idiosyncrasy and attitude of the label... and every band that published with them in chronological order, covering the 100 7” limited releases Sarah put before going out with a bang. That choice proves to be a very coherent one, making “My Secret World” a very consistent documentary and a pleasant experience for fans, but also an excessively linear and, sorry to say, a bit boring film too, in particular for newcomers into the label’s world or for the ones that are not familiar with the bands.

What this rockumentary shows is that Sarah Records’ was a very small world. A relevant world full of indie-pop pleasures, but also shoegaze and punk flirts, twee music (funny how the interviewed bands refuse the adjective). A world with clear goals and a distinct way of understanding music. A world with a will to fight against the silly criticism (what a piece of shite were the music tabloids, I refuse to say magazines), sexism and misogyny, in my opinion the most interesting moment on the movie, would have loved that bit lasted much longer. But still a small world.

If you are a fan, you’re going to love seeing Blueboy, The Wake, Another Sunny Day, The Orchids, The Field Mice, Heavenly (awww Amelia Fletcher, why not a documentary about her), or “special” fans like music journalist Everett True or Jacob from The Drums, evoking their Sarah Records related memories, or just praising the label’s evolution. Not everything is wines and roses, but Dawkins is not interested on digging deeper on some of the “issues”. Something you have to respect seeing the direction of the movie. But if you’re not a fan, or if you’re not a die-hard fan, “My Secret World” can be just tiring. Whatever the case, a film that needed to exist. Plus a great excuse to listen several unmissable bands. At the end, that’s what makes a label memorable.

SCORE: 6/10

These Go to 11: interviewing La Fonoteca

This week the guest answering our questionnaire is an hyper-active music promoter/defender with a magnificent poppie taste, kind of an ubiquitous spiritual leader of all things indie in Barcelona. We are referring to Miguel Atienza, also known as "La Fonoteca Barcelona man". These Go to 11!

Miguel Atienza, La Fonoteca Barcelona

Mr. Atienza, man in
music charge

La Fonoteca, born in 2008 as a website, is a platform with the main purpose of promoting and disseminating Spanish music inside & outside our borders. What began as a "Spanish Music-pedia" keep quickly evolved and expanded its activities, organizing concerts and releasing almost music (a set of ten vinyls to date) and an editorial reference. The aim is clear and true: spread the word on emerging bands and vindicate Spanish rich music legacy. Miguel leads the permanent headquarters of LaFonoteca Barcelona, created in 2011, establishing an exciting music dialogue between Madrid and Barcelona. He's the man behind several releases and many gigs in our city, with bands so indispensable as, to name a few, Doble Pletina, El Último Vecino, Las Ruinas, Linda Guilala, Gúdar, Grushenka, Les Sueques, Bananas, Alborotador Gomasio, Prisma en Llamas y Atomizador. Truly a man of music. Here we go!

1. First record that you bought (be honest)

I think it was The Who's 'Live at Leeds', or maybe one of Led Zeppelin. My early years as music buyer mixed 60's and 70's classics with Brit-pop records. I was a real fan of Oasis, for example.

Once, they ruled the world...
and it wasn't that bad

2. First and last concert you have attended (be honest too!)
The first concert I went, I mean paying myself, I believe it was one of Los Piratas. The last one has been Trapece, a group formed by members of the Moving Pictures, they merge pop, jazz, bossa... A really beautiful concert.

Making waves

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

Who hasn't sung out loud Rocío Jurado's 'Como una ola'?...

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

I'm going to say my copy of 'Snowball' from The Field Mice. It's one of my favourites and is quite hard to find, so I'm excited to have a copy.

5. Favorite lyrics (not yours)

As my English is pretty bad I have always paid more attention to the lyrics of Spanish bands. Some of my favourite composers are Manolo from Astrud, Carlos Berlanga, Fernando Alfaro, Joan Miquel Oliver, Lolo from Hazte Lapón or Carlos from Los Lagos de Hinault, among many others. The last great discovery has been Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. Their lyrics have captivated me.

Tim Gane, the genious
alchemist of sounds & ideas

6. Musician/s you would like to meet (should be alive, for obvious reasons, but you can choose a dead one too)
I would like to meet Dan Treacy, despite he seems to be pretty sick. I wouldn't mind to talk about politics with Tim Gane either.

7. Favorite artwork album (not yours)
I will say the first that has came to my mind. I have always been fascinated by Belle & Sebastian's Tigermilk cover, with that combination between of innocence and sinister.

8. Books or movies? Depending on your answer recommend us one (trick: you can choose both) 
Luckily, in real life I can choose both, but in an hypothetical desert island, where I imagine that there wouldn't be any electricity, I would bring 'A Confederacy of Dunces' by John Kennedy Toole with me.

'Puente Aéreo' of exciting music!

  

9. Release (of yours) you are most proud of
The collection 'Puente Aéreo' where a band from Madrid and another from Barcelona share a 7''. We have published 2 volumes (Hazte Lapón + Gúdar and Univers + Celica XX) and we are really eager to start working in the 3rd one.

10. What’s does it mean indie for you? (yes, the “serious question”)
'Indie' is independent. Do it yourself, don't depend on the others. And if you do it yourself, you don't have to give any explanation to third parties.   

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I would like to have my own little label and release few but very special in limited runs. I don't see myself organizing so many concerts as I do now, but you never know.

Zillion thanks Miguel!

The Indie Anthology 39: essential songs

What can I say? This is simply one of THE SONGS, sooner or later it was going to be featured in the Anthology, and after hearing a nice live version on Saturday (at the strangest party/gig I ever been....) this was a very nice occasion... An indiepop myth, Sarah 12. One of the greatest pop songs ever written.

Song: Emma's House
Artist: The Field Mice
Year: 1988

13 seconds and you already know you are listening to a very special tune. 45 seconds, when the guitars burn, to be absolutely taken away. Hear it a zillion times, and still feel disarmed by the magic of the music and the mystery of lyrics. In my opinion writer Alistair Fitchett is not making Bobby Wratten sing just about a girl that moved away. On an unmatched combination of fragility and intensity, the song's house is not only a physical place, but life's account of missed chances. The lines "You have nothing to live up to / You have nothing to live down" are devastating. The Field Mice weren't mourning about an impossible love, but putting words & feelings to the instant when you admit your defeat. While the band does so, they are rippling along your spin. Now tell me pop can't take you places. Deep inside yourself.    

These Go to 11: interviewing Alpaca Sports

Next musician to respond our questionnaire is Andreas Jonsson, the young man behind Alpaca Sports. What can I say? He is an indiepop genius, has been proving his talents since 2012 with each new tune offered... and now he is ready to conquer the world. So, when I'm very very old I'll remember one day I interviewed this music legend to be... These Go to 11!

Andreas meets his band name

Andreas Jonsson, Alpaca Sports

Andreas started his pluperfect twee/indiepop project in early 2012, and with the help of Amanda Akerman and Carl Jirestedt, plus a bunch of rotating musicians, he has been offering us, relentlessly, pop gem after pop gem in gorgeous 7" format singles. "Just for Fun" and "I Was Running" came out via Dufflecoat Records/ Luxury Records that same year, while in 2013, on the same labels, arrived the irresistible "He Doesn't Even Like You" and "Telephone", the latest being a split single with another seminal Swedish band, Acid House Kings. More recently it was the turn of "As Long as I have You", out on Cloudberry Records, making forthcoming February 24th a highlighted date on any indiepop lover's agenda. That's the day when debut album "Sealed with a Kiss", again on Dufflecoat/Luxury comes out. Pop world beware, Alpaca Sports and their delicate, lush, catchy and memorable music is here to stay!

Music aside, one of most famous
Swedish exports

1. First record that you bought (be honest)

My first LP was a compilation with all the songs from the Pippi Longstocking-movie. First cd is embarrassing! Melodie MC – Northland Wonderland (here’s the big hit "Dum da Dum"). I’m pretty sure I still know the whole rap-part.

2. First and last concert you have attended (be honest too!)  

My first concert must have been when I went to see the Swedish band “Mora Träsk” as a kid. The last concert I attended ( not playing ourselves) was probably to see labelmates Katakomb play at Jazzhuset in December.

3. Guilty pleasure (song/band you shouldn’t like but you do, yes, it’s the embarrassing question)
This New Years Eve I ended up dancing like a maniac to “Lucky” by Britney Spears. I was in chock and screamed to my friend Sophie, “why do I like this song so much?!” I think she has it all on camera, so I’m in big trouble haha.

4. Most precious music item you own (collector mode on)
Must be my LPs and singles with The Hit Parade. My favorites are “More Pop Songs” and “With Love from The Hit Parade”. I also got the “Emma’s house” 7” by The Field Mice as a gift from Gary from Dufflecoat Records, that one is very precious to me.

Underrated indiepop 

5. Favorite lyrics (not yours)

The first one that came to my mind was “I want the one I can't have, and it's driving me mad, it's written all over my face” by The Smiths. Then I thought of  “the best looking boys are taken, the best looking girls are staying inside” from “Judy and the Dream of Horses” by Belle and Sebastian. But I don’t know if they’re my favorites.

6. Musician/s you would like to meet (should be alive, for obvious reasons, but you can choose a dead one too)
Even though it scares me a bit to meet musicians I admire, I think it could be fun to have a cup of tea with Julian Henry from The Hit Parade.

7. Favorite artwork album (not yours)
Orange Juice “You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever”. But oh, difficult question! I already regret my answer…

8. Books or movies? Depending on your answer recommend us one (trick: you can choose both)
Movies. I’m addicted to drama/romance and I just saw the Chinese movie “The Road Home”, which I can highly recommend. One of my favorite movies is Tornatore’s “Cinema Paradiso”.

9. Song (of yours) you are most proud of
“She’ll Come Back for Indian Summer”. I always love playing that one live.

10. What’s does it mean indie for you? (yes, the “serious question”)
Heart, soul and bap bap ba’s.

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I finally won the lottery and I’m now living on the French riviera. With a glass of wine in my hand I’m enjoying life in the sun with my wife and kids.

Zillion thanks Andreas!

The Indie Anthology 35: essential songs

And if  our latest Indie Anthology tune was a Spanish classic, what about a jangle masterpiece from the UK golden age? Let's vindicate The June Brides, who luckily are still offering us great songs (yes, I'm going to write about them in the very near future).

Song: Just the Same
Artist: The June Brides
Year: 1986

As I guess every Spaniard, I discovered The June Brides very late. You know. Fall in love with Belle and Sebastian (the other option might be falling for The Smiths). Dig into the sound, then you find Felt and The Field Mice. Then one realises jangle pop is "larger than life", and becomes obsessed. The haunt keeps going and pretty soon, a peculiar combo that mixes the trademark guitars of the genre with violas and trumpets, appears in front of your eyes (and ears). What a mind-blowing band. Here's pulse, the joyous pop beat, perfection arriving at the minute mark, subtle and crystalline, and the wonder flourishes with an infinite chorus, where the trumpet dialogues with vocals. Four minutes of pure joy.
.

Spanish Indie 15: suggesting the best national acts

Very happy to reintroduce this blog's section, several great Spanish bands discovered recently!

Coach Station Reunion. Here's the Barcelona based solo project of Xavi Rosés, leader of bands Fred i Son, The Epic Kind and Senderos. A "Covers Record" EP, with versions of BMX Bandits, The Field Mice and Prefab Sprout was his first digital release in 2011. Then came the 7” “Eli EP” on Discos de Kirlian in 2012, and his participation at the The Great Escape Festival. Finally, after digital single "In the Night" in April of 2013, we can enjoy his debut LP, "Lost Album" since past week. Warm, delicate, intimate. A genuinely disarming delight of softpop and jangle-pop tunes, packing rescued old gems with new wonders on a collection that makes Xavi Rosés a privileged disciple of his seminal pop masters. Extraordinary. 
Gente Joven. A bit of mystery and a lot to love in this personal project of Fernando de la Flor, hailing from León. Teaming up with Patricia Magadán and Pablo Álvarez, as a trio they have offered us a couple of tunes in June, two more in August and, at the end of September, again in Discos de Kirlian, their first record, "I, II, III y IV". Eight tunes gathering the first demos with four new ones, on a surprisingly mind-blowing collection of melodic dream-pop with whispered male-female vocals, slightly obscure, melancholic and moody. Precious songs.


Cristina Quesada. Last proposal comes from an ultra-young musician from the Canary Islands but based in Madrid that, starting at a very young age became a music-lover, as well as a precocious artist -music theory, violin, theater groups, a local tv program- until at 15 she discovered the ukulele. The 7" EP "Pineapple Princess", her only release to date, came out on Elefant Records this summer, leaving us wondering where is this haunting charm coming from. An impossibly sweet voice and her ukulele in six songs covering the Sherman Brothers, Billy Rose and Lee David, the essential indiepop band Family, or Paul Bevoir, Cristina Quesada's music is one to fall in love with and hope for more to come.

Discoverer 68: new indie findings

Back with another round of great new discoveries before hitting the road again, enjoy!

Radiation City. Despite their gig at Phono del Sol was disappointing (barely three songs due to technical issues) here's a band you shouldn't miss. Founded in Portland, Oregon, in 2009, initially as a duo, but quickly expanding themselves to a quintet, debuting in February 2011 with LP "The Hands That Take You", with US tours and EP "Cool Nightmare" following that same year. Finally, sophomore release "Animals in the Median", just out now, is here to confirm here's a unique group. Blending lush instrumentation with northern soul, subtle electronic layers and pop harmonies, Radiation City sound like no other, like Stereolab and Astrud Gilberto kidnapped by Brian Wilson. Very special.

Skittle Alley. Among the indiepop goldmine that is Dufflecoat Records today I want to highlight the music of musician Fanou, hailing from Limoges, France. This one man band debuted in 2004 with several releases in wonderful labels like Anorak, Jigsaw, Indonesian Hey Ho or the aforementioned Dufflecoat to date (can't recommend you enough to check them out now). His latest release, out just now, is a delicious EP entitled "The Memory of a Smile", a gentle, intimate affair in the vein of The Field Mice or Another Sunny Day. Little gem.
Franny & Zooey. With that name it was a matter of time they will get my attention. But there's much more than just an unmissable Salinger reference here. Close friends Juan Julio Peña and Victoria Linares hail from Dominican Republic and a year ago decided to form a band. With Brian Senior completing the trio they put out debut song “Remember (Being Fake)” past summer, and now they return with debut EP "Bananafish". A lot of twee and irresistibly catchy indiepop mixed with surf hints and a laid back vibe, there's a lot to love & expect next from this promising literate combo.