More goodies from Indonesia! Pt.2

So, just so everyone knows, group jumping photos=awesome! And the Ballads of The Cliché are pretty awesome. They're from Jakarta, Indonesia (which, from the looks of it, has one heck of a scene) and play some pretty dang good pop music. Think Belle and Sebastian if Stuart Murdoch was in a good mood and feeling cute. Then again, sometimes you could just think Belle and Sebastian. And don't forget to throw in some folk or 70's pop. Ballads of The Cliché have a perfect mix of acoustic pop, jangly guitar and twee (not to mention a medley of other influences). And is that some doo-woop they're dropping on me?! Dang! They're good! If it were June and I was driving down to the ice cream shoppe to meet up with a pretty young thing and then when I got there saw her sharing a milkshake with the ice cream boy and then drove off to go get a cupcake instead, Ballads of The Cliché would have the soundtrack for the entire day covered. They have a bunch of music streaming (is it downloadable? I still can't figure it out!) over at their myspace. From there you can also watch a bunch of music videos and order some CDs and email them and do a bunch of other things.

Anyways, because it's a good song (and video) and I can't post an .mp3, and I like the concept, I present to you the video for "Jennifer Love Hewitt."

More goodies from Indonesia! Pt.1

Shoegaze is a wonderful friend late at night (or early in the morning). I'd been meaning to post about Hazel for a while now, but between computer crashes and other fun things I never got the chance. They're a five piece from Indonesia, and have that dreamy shoegazey sound dialed. It's fantastic; it just comes swelling over you, and in the dark at 2:00 AM it's a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, they only have one song on their myspace (which used to be downloadable, but since myspace changed their player format I can't find out how to get it...yes, I know "it's right there!" but, alas, I am not versed in the world of myspace), and may not even be together anymore. Their myspace is still active, which is a good sign, but there hasn't been any updates in over a year, which is a pity...
Anyways, go give them a listen, and maybe if you send them a nice message they'll send you some music!

Hazel's myspace.

Woo!

The past couple days have been very kind to my mailbox. First I got my Series Two Records compilation set of volumes 10-14, and then today I got my copy of the new Pains of Being Pure at Heart single "Everything With You." All of it is just sooo goood.

The Series Two compilation consists of 390 minutes of music from all over the world. There's only 100 hand numbered copies of the special 5 disc set, so get to Series Two as quick as you can! I was number 33, so there's probably only a couple left by now! It's kind of hard to review that much all at once, so I'll just leave it at this is a really nice world sampler of mostly pop-ish music and a good way to hear lots of bands you've never heard of.

As for the Pains single, I've talked about it's awesomeness already, so all I have to say now about it is how pretty it is. Two superb track on gorgeous blue vinyl. And the cover art is also on the middle part of the physical 7"! This thing's the cat's best sunday clothes.

(and yes, that terrible picture is everything on my floor)

The Bare Threads!

So, I was away for a couple days and came back to some wonderful news from Japan's Quince records. The news itself is neither here nor there in regards to this, but what is here is what came of the little game of top friend jumping I played after checking out Quince's myspace: the lovely Bare Threads. If I were to have a soiree where everyone hade to drink whiskey and wear fancy clothes and dance and the only light came from oil lamps, I think this might be what it would sound like. Or at least be on the soundtrack. "Paint A Smile" is definitely doing it for me right now, but the freshly posted "Tell You Tales" isn't too shabby either. You should go check out their myspace to stream a couple tracks. Sadly, none of them are downloadable, hence the lack of mpfrees in this post.

The Besties!

Have their new album "Home Free" coming out November 11th, and I'm excited. They're definitely one of my favourite bands out there. For those of you unacquainted and uninitiated, they sound like "60's girl groups dry humping 90's pop punk" or kind of like the Go-Gos. Those are other people's opinions. I think they sound like the perfect soundtrack for a summer road trip to the beach. A.k.a awesome-ly indiepop! You can check out "What Would Tim Armstrong Do?"(from the new album) and some other tracks (from older releases) over at their myspace. If you like it, you can get their 7"s and eventually Home Free from Hugpatch Records, or their debut album "Singer" from Skipping Stones Records. If you live in New York, you should go see them sometime. They play a lot. In fact, they're playing at Glasslands on October 30th.

Here's a track I like a lot:
Rod N' Reel .mp3

Everything With You!

Hot dang! I've been waiting for this one for ages! Luckily, I know some people who are fantastic people, so I say pish-posh to October 14th! But that's when Slumberland Records puts this fantastical single out into the world. With Everything With You taking care of the a-side and The Pains of Being Pure At Heart covering the b-side, this is definitely one of the best 7"s released all year. With all that fuzzy-pop making its way to your brain, if hearing this doesn't make something bubble up inside you and turn into cupcakes covered with glittery frosting, you should go get yourself checked out. So, to hold you over until the 14th you can give it a listen right here.

Everything With You .mp3
The Pains of being Pure at Heart .mp3

And because I can, and it's that good, here's the POBPAH's side of their split with the Parallelograms...
Kurt Cobain's Cardigan .mp3

So, now that your Monday musical listenings are pretty much taken care you should get up and go out, because it's a beautiful day. And take your ipod or whatever with you.

Erik Hallden

He reminds me a whole lot of Jens Lekman (being a huge fan of Jens' stuff I'd say that's a very good thing), and it's not just his being Swedish. Anyways, "If I Ever Get Married" is a really good song, and the music video is thoroughly entertaining (and thanks to the censors, you can watch it at work). Erik has those wonderful songwriting skills that make Jens so enjoyable, and the perfect voice to match. If it were summer right now, I'm sure this would be one of my jams. Since it's more like fall, I guess it'll have to be an autumn jam.


Here, download it!
If I Ever Get Married .mp3

And for the fun of it, here's some Jens
A Sweet Summer's Night on Hamer Hill .mp3
Wrap Your Arms Around Me .mp3

On an unrelated note...Chocolate Lucky Charms, not so good.

The 6ths

After a massive computer failure yesterday, I've been trying to recover a few songs that I don't have the album to. In that search I came across The 6ths, who are a side project of a Mr. Stephin Merritt. Yeah, I've never heard of him either...but, unlike Stephin's other side projects (The Gothic Arches and Future Bible Heroes), he does not touch a single instrument or sing a single word. That's right, Stephin might have written the words and music, but everything is performed entirely by other people. Where (I've read) the first 6ths album was more indie-pop, Hyacinths And Thistles heads more down the "chanson" path. Think Serge Gainsbourg with his Galoises and a Moog (or guitar, or something else) singing for you in some dusty café in late October. Anyways, it's a nice sound for fall. The 6ths on myspace.

Just take a listen to
Lindy-Lou .mp3

(and because I can, here's what I was looking for when I came across the 6ths)
If You Rescue Me (Chanson des Chats) .mp3

and the video because I like it. Gael Garcia in a kitten suit singing about kittens. Dang.

Oh! Minisnap!

I'm not sure how I forgot to post this, but Minisnap have their spiffy new album out on Magic Marker Records. With a title like "Bounce Around" you know it's going to be some good stuff. But oh my! Is it good stuff! If you're not hopping and bopping within the first couple seconds, you're dead inside. This is the sound of bliss. I'm actually suprised there's enough room in my head to have so man things stuck in it. Kaye's vocals are beautiful and she can write with the best of them. And then there's those guitars! Hot dang! Those guitars! And everything else! Go pick it up from Magic Marker right now! Why is New Zealand so awesome?

If there's even a trace of doubt about the awesomeness, listen to this!

Crooked Mile .mp3
Leave It To You .mp3

And check out Minisnap's Myspace for some more goodies.

The Haircuts!

Yeah, yeah, old news, right? Well, they're awesome, and I can write about whatever I want, and I've been listening to them for most of the morning, and they don't get nearly enough love. But if anyone is reading this that doesn't know The Haircuts, here's a quick overview. They were formed back in 2003 out of a love of indiepop. Through some cassettes and the wonders of the post office, Canada (Teresa) and the good ol' US (Ryan) got together to make some absolutely stellar boy/girl indiepop. It's lo-fi and pop, and will get stuck in your head for the rest of the week.

Summer .mp3
Life In A Minor Key .mp3

You can check out The Haircuts website or myspace for some more mpfrees. If you like it, you can order their cassette here. Their old label, Yellow Mica Recordings, seems to have gone under, but you might be able to pick up a copy of their album "Sorrow is the Way to Love" if you message The Haircuts directly.

The Haircuts myspace

Sweaters!

Straight out of Jakarta, Indonesia, Sweaters is a 4(?) piece that's absolutely nailing that Field Mice/Sarah Records sound. There's a sort of Sarah revival going on over there, so no real surprise. Heralded as the brightest hope of guitar-pop bands in Indonesia, you know they're good. They put out their most recent album, Written Like Postcards, this past January on Lovely Records in Indonesia.

Vapour Trail .mp3

You can check out Sweaters' myspace for some more Indo-pop goodness. When you're done there, head over to Lovely Records. They've got a couple more Sweaters tracks, and some other goodies.

The Social Services can be your friend

That's why they put out a stellar new single. Free for download! Sharing is caring, you know, and friends care. They want to get us excited for their new album, It's Nothing Personal, It's National Security, which comes out on Stereo Test Kit Records October 6th. I'm pretty amped on the single. The Baltic Sea is an ode to the wonders of Sweden and its inhabitant's shining demeanor. Anyways, if the whole album is as epic as the single, well, it'll be a really good album.

The Baltic Sea .mp3

And as an added bonus...

The Final Countdown .mp3

I'm awake. Asia's Half Dreaming.

I just found out about the Half Dreaming "Asian shoegaze compilation" that came out on Quince Records back in August. It has contributors from China, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. All the tracks are noise-a-licious, but I'd say my favourite is the track by Perfect Angel. I don't have any of the .mp3s yet, but I do have a tracklist (and the country where each band is from).

1. The Majestic High See Her Fall (Korea)

2. burrrn Song Without Words (Japan)

3. Perfect Angel Cataclysmic (Indonesia)

4. Hideka Echoes (Japan)

5. Elemental Gaze Unperfect Sky (Indonesia)

6. Monocism Seisou (Japan)

7. Daixiaole Satellite Boy (China)

8. Oeil Strawberry Cream (Japan)

9. Witherspoon Tingles And Everything (Malaysia)

10. The Evening Primrose Stargazer (Hong Kong)

11. Caucus Sing (half dreaming version) (Japan)

12. Candyaudioline Felt So Fine (Philippines)

13. Sharesprings Fix Your Eyes On (Indonesia)

14. Nanocycle Great Little Ones (Japan)

15. Everybody Loves Irene Love Is So Strange (Indonesia)

16. cryv April And You, March And I (Japan)

You can go to the Quince Records Myspace and link off of that to hear all the different bands.

If you live in America, you can pick it up here, which I'd recommend.

I also have some more stuff from that side of the world that I'll be posting about soon.

Megamoog!

So I was just over at WeePOP!'s myspace checking up on things, and to my delight they had just posted a song from a brand new EP by Megamoog. I hadn't heard Megamoog before, but they're two girls from San Francisco who make some lovely pop using just an 80's casiotone, a drumkit, and some girl vocals. The lyrics are simple and heartfelt, without being overly sentimental. And they're sung in a such a nice, hushed voice. It's kind of like a twee Au Revior Simone.

EDIT: Megan from Megamoog was nice enough to send me the Icicle .mp3

You can also listen to some more Megamoog at their myspace.

Tada Tátà!

are from Umeå, Sweden, and have only two members: Tátà and her camera-shy friend. They play super catchy, super-minimal pop. I'm having trouble figuring out who they remind me of, but I assure you it's something wonderful. Something like The Winks, meets Uni and her Ukulele, meets Pipas. Maybe. But Swedish. Anyways, it's super pretty. I mean super pretty. I mean I've had the few songs on their myspace on repeat for a while now and don't plan on stopping. They have some things coming out sometime this fall, which I will surely be ordering.

Stick Dumb Gum mp3
Ebony mp3

NEW Times New Viking

Times New Viking have a new 5 track 7" coming out on Matador Records in October. You can pre-order it (with a poster if you'd like) directly from Matador for $3 (or $7). I heard them described somewhere as "shitgaze" a while ago. If you haven't heard them before, it's pretty apt. They're loud and kind of shoegaze-y, but not. They're shitgaze-y.

The also have a couple dates in New York before heading off to the UK. Check their myspace for dates and stuff.

Devo & Wine mp3

The Girl of 1000 Dreams

It's noisy, and loud, and NEW from the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. And it's got more reverb than...well, I can't even think of anything to compare it to. You can hear it on their myspace right now!

And in other wonderful POBPAH news, they're in Sweden right now, but are coming back to New York in early October with a slew of shows, before heading off to the UK. If you're in New York, mark your calendars!

Oct 9th Public Assembly w/ Zara, Soren Wall
Oct 19th Cake Shop w/ Women + more
Oct 22th Knitting Factory Tap Bar w/ Ringo Deathstar, A Sunny Day in Glasgow
Oct 24th Cake Shop NYNOISE showcase

In case you were sleeping

Burnt Out Landscapes by The Manhattan Love Suicides is out right now! 27 tracks of crashing, swirling, fuzzy, pop. Some of the songs are from earlier singles, some from their first LP, some are live recordings, and some are brand new! Wow. You can order it from Magic Marker, here, for a measly $10. UPDATE: Squirrel Records has sold out of their version of Burnt Out Landscapes.

Suzy Jones .mp3


And while I'm on the topic of fuzzy pop, how about some early 90's MTV? Slowdive folks...

On Tape

Is on vinyl! With The Smittens! You should get one! Gosh, I love Tullycraft. And The Smittens. They're the best thing to come out of Vermont since Chubby Hubby. You can get it from Tullycraft. Or the Happy Happy Birthday to Me singles club.




And while I'm talking about wonderful things. I thought I'd share my most favourite. The "Hey, Hey, Girl" single by Rocketship. I don't know how long I've spent looking for a physical copy, but it's been a very long time. If you don't know Rocketship, this might be the most important moment of your life. If you do, well, you should listen to them some more anyways.
Hey, Hey, Girl mp3
(Matt at Skatterbrain has both of the Rocketship singles, and a Softies cover of Hey, Hey, Girl for download if you look into his archives.)

Tullycraft Myspace
Smittens Myspace

Oh, hello!

And welcome! Here, you're going to find a some pop music that I think is pretty good, and since I think it's good, I think it should be shared. Some of the stuff will be old, and some will be so brand new it will still be wrapped in plastic. I hope you find something new and wonderful, or at least some added appreciation for indiepop, because that's why this little blog exists.