More than Standard Fare?

Regrettably, it's taken me until now to pay attention to Sheffield's Standard Fare, a trio playing the type of crashing, simple pop with sassy girl vocals I've been known to love more than a little bit. Rough Trade said: "If you love Kenickie, The Long Blondes, The Siddeleys or Girls At Our Best you will fall instantly in love with Standard Fare." Given my love of all these bands, I think it's time to take heed of such a glowing endorsement.

What's sealed my interest has been the release of their new single "Fifteen" via Thee SPC - it's three minutes of tales of young love and all the mistakes that youth brings, set to classic jangle that English bands produce so well. I know I'll be listening to all those "ba-ba-bahs" in my head all night long, drowning out the traffic sounds and rain, and I think I'm ready to elevate them more than a little higher in my listening ranks.

I'll be going back and listening to more Standard Fare - I know last year's "Dancing" was well regarded by quite a few people, and I'm willing to indulge in some belated festive cheer with their Christmas song, "Tinsel Politics". It doesn't really matter what time of the year it is - I love a festive song regardless of the season.

Best of all, if you're lucky enough to be in America, they'll be playing SXSW! Super envy!

Buy "Fifteen" here!

Merry Christmas and all that!

Given by updates this year have been infrequent and poor at best, I felt it best to close out the year with a thank you to those who continue to read my blog whenever I update it. 2009 has been a ridiculously crazy year - two trips to New York, a move to Melbourne, lots of shows + work + travel - and I expect 2010 will be much the same. However, I'm hoping next year I can post more frequently and catch up with all the music I've missed out on over the past 12 months.

I could post a list of my favourite records of the year, but I need only to direct you over here for a summary of everything I've loved this year. Well, that, and the latest El Perro Del Mar record, Love Is Not Pop, which is so exquisite, elegant and full of perfectly subtle instrumentation that it made me feel coarse listening to anything lo-fi and noisy afterwards.

To everyone who has emailed me with music suggestions - thanks for your emails, and I'm sorry I've not responded. I've only just got my emails down from 250+ unread to less than 30, so I'm sorry I've not given your music a chance. Again, here's hoping that will change in the new year.

If you want some suitable summer (or winter) holiday listening, I suggest you make your way over to Fortuna Pop! and download the latest Allo, Darlin' single, The Polaroid Song - it's super pret

ty, and will surely melt all the snow around you if you're in the midst of subzero temperatures. The b-side, "Will You Please Spend New Years With Me?" resonates so well - I love the lyric, "It's embarrassing to think that at 25 I'm not doing something more wild with my life". Never has this felt so true!

Anyway, Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2010! See you in the New Year!

xo Alex

tonight in melbourne!

So if you happen to be hanging around Melbourne and you're contemplating just what you're intending to do on this spooky Friday the 13th, contemplate no more! As tempting as it may be to stay in and watch A Night At The Museum, you should come along to the best indie pop show this side of the Slumberland 20th anniversary shows.

Yup, Melbourne's finest, Summer Cats, finally launch their album Songs For Tuesdays locally! In for the party are The Zebras, The Motifs and, with much anticipation, Bart from The Cat's Miaow will be playing solo! Wahoo! Stick around and dance the night away to the best pop jukebox in town, courtesy of the Long Division DJ team (being yours truly and the super-talented Catherine Insch). 

Sure, we'd all love to be at the Black Cat in DC to dance the night away with Pants Yell!, Brown Recluse, The Ropers and more, but the Slumberland celebrations will more than be kicking on in the antipodes!

pants yell! - received pronunciation

I've recently arrived back in Australia, and have been confronted by searing 35 degree days and beautiful warming sunshine upon my return. In some ways I miss the chill of the air and the changing leaves that autumn (or fall) brought in the United States, but I'm able to capture the mood with the fifth (and final) album by Boston's Pants Yell!, Received Pronunciation.

As one of my favourite bands of recent years, it's an absolute delight to listen to a new record by this trio, whose storytelling lyrics (courtesy of Andrew Churchman), coupled with clean, simple melodies, are at the pinnacle of modern pop. While the album might lack the soaring majesty that strings added to their last record, Alison Statton, there's a certain maturity and all round elegance that embraces this record. I love the simple drumbeat that kicks the record off, on "Frank and Sandy", which to me sounds like it's about parents, rather than hangovers. And it's this crypticism that lives in Andrew's lyrics that makes the band much more endearing - isn't it a much richer experience to listen to the lyrics when they have something to say and comprehend?

Elsewhere, there's scratchy guitars and stop-start rhythms on "Got to Stop", which combines angsty lyrics with some damn fine jangle, and a brilliant shimmer of cymbals across "Someone Loves You". Overall, though, Received Pronunciation might not capture your consciousness from the first listen, but rest assured, like with most good things in the world, time and patience will reward you with more riches than you could imagine. Best of all, buy this record and score yourself the coolest obi strip! 

Buy yourself a copy of Received Pronunciation from our dear friends at Slumberland!

In Brooklyn

Well, it's been quite a while since I last managed to compose a post, but as I sit here in my hotel room in Brooklyn, I felt it due time for some form of catch-up. I've been in New York for almost two weeks and it's been a whirlwind of crazy fun shows, amazing shopping and the best Halloween party ever. I'm unable to upload photos at the moment, but here's a rundown of highlights thus far:

* The Smith Westerns - four guys in their late teens/early 20s from Chicago - blew me away with their ramshackle noisy pop and declaration that: "all these songs are about love". Even with broken strings and blinding fringes, these guys pulled together one of the most fun sets I've seen in a while.

* At the same show, Still Flyin' brought the hammjamms once again, complete with one Marky Lucksmith on bass. It was interesting to see them outside Australia, but thankfully everyone got dancing as they once again brought the parties. I don't know how people can't have fun at their shows!!

* The following night, My Teenage Stride reincarnated The Wedding Present with their live set at Delancey's - Jed's stage banter was obnoxiously hilarious, and the keyboard player's enthusiasm made me want to dance even more to join in the enjoyment. 

* For Halloween, I dressed as a French mime and danced the night away at Mondo's spooky pop dance party. Singing along to songs when you're supposed to be silent and miming threw a few people off, but I had a killer night on the dancefloor!

I've also been to Boston, Washington DC and Philadelphia, and even won myself $300 on the roulette table in Atlantic City. How's that for luck, eh?!

More to come upon my return to Melbourne, as well as some updates from the past few months. Let me just say, I think El Perro Del Mar has stolen my heart...

new beginnings

Here in Australia, it's the first day of spring, and today, moreso than ever, I really felt like it signalled new beginnings. I caught up on work I'd been procrastinating on, did some things I hadn't done in quite a while, and, on my way back from going for a run, rekindled my love of Love Is All. 

It's not like the love needed rekindling as such, but hearing 'Movie Romance', from last year's terrifically schizophrenic A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night, filled me with such hope for the season. But why? That rolling guitar line, Josephine's "HA!" at the start followed by the sassiest vocals this side of Kate Jackson, and the shoutiest, catchiest chorus Scandinavia could ever produce:

"I laugh in the face of a movie romance

Because against this, they don't stand a chance"

It's the perfect summation of how everyone's lives should be - fast, fun, to the point, and most of all, full of love that Hollywood could never reproduce. I'm gonna channel this and make my love for Love Is All love for all!

Here's an early version of 'Movie Romance' for you to download, off their Lost Thrills EP! 

live: the lucksmiths, brisbane, 23/08/09

And so it ends: a chapter of my life that began as a 17 year old living in a horrible outer suburb closes, eight years later, on a balmy Brisbane Sunday night, with The Lucksmiths playing their final show to a sold out northern audience. It was a mixed audience: ardent fans who have been at their shows for years stood alongside emerging faces, a new breed who surely wanted to see this band just once before they never could again. 

When the break-up was announced, I was adamant I was going to see them in Brisbane, and I'm glad I made the whirlwind flight back for that one final night at The Zoo, where I'd seen them play countless times before. Part homecoming, part nostalgia trip, but mostly closure, I felt memories flood back of seeing them as an 18 year old in that very room, wearing Belle & Sebastian t-shirts, tartan skirts and knee socks, dancing to a band who helped me discover what it meant to be a pop fan. Years might have passed, but that same joy and sense of discovery still prevailed, as lyrics to songs I've not listened to for years were automatically recalled. 

My tapping toes never missed a beat, despite shoes that kept slipping off my dancing feet - one final dance to "Untidy Towns", "Smokers In Love", "T-Shirt Weather", "Under The Rotunda", et al. and the smile couldn't be wiped from my face. Hearing "Frisbee" played live for the first and last time was such a highlight, as were the closing numbers - "The Year of Driving Languorously" for the main set, and "The Music From Next Door" on the encore.  They might not have played my favourite song, "The Golden Age of Aviation", but I didn't mind at all - after two hours of The Lucksmiths and every other golden melody they've crafted, and I felt well satisfied. Pop fans around the world will miss their charm, wit and personality, and I feel incredibly lucky to have seen them play so often over the last eight years.

I didn't take any photographs, unfortunately, because I was much too busy dancing and cherishing the moment. A picture can't recreate the feeling of listening to their songs and reflecting back on all those shows.

I have the opportunity attend one of their final shows in Melbourne this weekend, but I am entirely torn by this. On the one hand, I'd love to hear their songs emanating live one final time, but my memory of the Brisbane show is just so complete that I am satisfied if I don't get to see them again. I don't want to spoil those thoughts by attending a show with an unfamiliar crowd, without that warmth that came from seeing them with those I know. 

Goodbye Lucksmiths - you've shown me such a great time, and your memories and songs will continue to burn strong!

Slumberland love + Brown Recluse

There's not much point repeating at length what multiple others have already said so succinctly, but it's all true - as Slumberland continues to fire out incredible records at alarming regularity, it's difficult to comprehend how 2009 would have sounded without its seal of quality across the pop landscape. I'm entirely addicted - from the soaring modern tribute to my favourite girl bands on Liechtenstein's Survival Strategies In A Modern World, to the shimmering spunk of the Champagne Socialists 7", I could almost live without any other record label in the world right now. And don't even get me started on how much I love Cause Co-Motion - honestly, my love of this band's shambolic crashing punk deserves far, far more than a passing mention.

My next Slumberland order will load up my virtual trolley with the new Searching For The Now singles, loads of new Pains vinyl(including the 'Come Saturday' 7", featuring 'Side Ponytail' on the b-side - at last!), and a beautiful 12" from Philadelphia's Brown Recluse. Called The Soft Skin, the cover of this EP instantly conjures up comparisons to other records featuring captivating eye close ups - certainly The La's and The 6ths both instantly spring to mind.

Given the beauty apparent in both of those records, both on the cover and in the sounds, it's impossible to comprehend Brown Recluse sounding any different. Thankfully, I am not disappointed - it's all hazy melodies infused with horns, harmonies, and a deep love of the best of sixties music and beyond. It's like a perfect update to the sound heard around Arab Strap era Belle & Sebastian, with further influences like Os Mutantes and The Zombies ever present. It's so timeless, yet seemingly so relevant and fresh - perfect clarity of vision and sound in amongst a sea of bands producing lo-fi, crashing, noisy pop. Brown Recluse are the sound of a late summer's day, a bright autumn morning, a springtime Saturday at noon, or a late winter's night in a warm room. When a band can span seasons, you know they are worth treasuring, and I really do treasure having Brown Recluse's sounds in my life.

Listen more and buy yourself a copy here.

the pastels & tenniscoats

At last, I am back with a functioning computer and a night at home. Oh for small joys! And what better way to spend a chilly and wet Monday evening than listening to a cover of The Jesus and Mary Chain's 'About You', as covered by The Pastels and Tenniscoats! What a combination. You can take a listen for yourself right here.

Tenniscoats have been to Australia on a couple of occasions, and I've unfortunately missed out on seeing them each time - on their last tour in February this year, I happened to organise a little club night for myself on the same night they played in town. Such poor timing! I hope the next time they play, they can bring along some fine Scots and play songs off their bound-to-be-fine collaboration record, Two Sunsets. You and I will be able to garner ourselves copies from Domino and Geographic from September 22.

Meanwhile, speaking of Stephen Pastel (surely still one of the dreamiest men in every pop girl's lust list), here's some words of wisdom taken from a Pitchfork interview*:

I like a lot of the music coming out of America recently, like Ducktails, Real Estate, and Crystal Stilts. I heard about Real Estate because we've got a record shop in Glasgow and one of the people who works there told us about them. They reminded me of Orange Juice and Pavement, but they really have their own identity, too.

I think there's a real coherent thread from Swell Maps and Television Personalities through to things like Blank Dogs, caUSE co-MOTION!, Vivian Girls, and the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Listening to new bands, I get a sense of déjà vu-- and not always in a good way. But if the Pastels were still trying to play the kind of music we played in 1985 or 1986, I would probably feel more territorial-- but then I'd only have myself to blame.

I found this quite an interesting comment, given I've had a few conversations recently about originality vs derivation in a lot of current bands. My take? I love the sound, so I don't mind if a band wants to blatantly rip off the past, but I can understand why certain bands are disliked for being a direct replica. But I tend to think I always prefer going back to the original bands to hear what it was like the first time around...

* Urgh, two Pitchfork links in a single entry? Sorry. Not intentional.

brief hiatus

I've had to take a bit of a break from updates - my laptop is currently sitting idle on my floor, with a screen that doesn't want to switch on, and I've just been through one of the busiest phases of my life (ten flights over the past month, anyone?). But, I've had some incredible experiences of late, and have listened to records that have taken my breath away. Once I get back online, I really hope to share these with you. Stay tuned...

Summer Cats - Songs For Tuesdays

Since moving to Melbourne, I've felt so fortunate at being able to see Summer Cats play quite regularly. But now, with the release of their debut album, Songs For Tuesdays, I feel even luckier, because I know how jealous the rest of the world will be after hearing these 13 brilliant pop songs! Released via Slumberland on July 14, Songs For Tuesdays looks set to dominate the speakers of summer dancefloors in the north, winter bedrooms in the south and best of 2009 lists worldwide. 

I'm so enamoured by every track on the album - from blistering opener "Let's Go", sharing stories about various places to visit around Melbourne and beyond, through to the boy-girl duet "In June", which reminds me so much of The Hummingbirds with its amazing jangling guitars. A slowed-down version of 'Wild Rice' appears (after first appearing on 2007's Scratching Post EP), as does last year's Cloudberry single, 'Lonely Planet'. Scott Stevens surely ranks as one of the best vocalists in indiepop at present, and with squalling guitars and motorik keys to boot, it all sums to a perfectly formed collection of some of the finest pop going round.

And lest I forget the artwork - the artwork! With all those flowers and birds and felt tip colours, I want it to be summer already. It's the perfect embodiment of that summer feeling that Summer Cats capture so well in their sound.  

Download 'Hey You' as a taste of the album - if it doesn't leave you wanting to hear more and more and more, then um, I don't know what to do. So good!

the cavalcade

I've spent the past couple of weeks being exceptionally busy (nothing new there) and showing the lovely Kris around Melbourne. It's been fun! We've been record shopping, seeing excellent bands (including The Motifs and a new Melbourne discovery, Pop Singles) and spinning the best songs anybody would ever want to hear. But now, as Kris flies back to Sweden, I have returned to Brisbane for a couple of weeks of work, but also some relaxation and use of fast internet once again. Oh for small joys!

As part of this fast internet utilisation, I'm going to listen to all manner of bands I've been meaning to listen to. Bands such as The Cavalcade, who hail from Preston, in northwestern England and sound like they've stepped straight off a Blueboy b-side. 

Bruce recommended these guys to me a few weeks ago, and I'm glad I've followed up, because I could listen to these beautiful pop songs all evening long. Craig Phillips's vocals come from the school of singing that Swedish indiepop bands have mastered so well - earnest harmonies that reinforce the heartfelt emotions from the soaring, clear guitar lines. If any one of the tracks playing on their myspace page were to be included on a mixtape, I'd instantly have assumed it was a lost eighties indie band. Their love of classic indiepop is evident - the guitars unmistakably pay tribute to Maurice Deebank, and the melodies come courtesy of an education rich in The Sea Urchins and The Field Mice. What is not to love?

Best of all, you can secure yourself some fine recordings from The Cavalcade courtesy of both Cloudberry Records (a split 3" with Boa Constrictor, featuring the lovely 'Meet You In The Rain'), as well as directly from the band! Their debut EP can be ordered via Paypal - just drop them a message via myspace, and full listening contentment awaits. 

moped girls

Blimey, I feel like I have been in hiding for months - I bury my head in work for a few weeks and all of a sudden there's a million bands I need to listen to, and new releases from bands I adore that I didn't even realise were out!

Take the Vivian Girls, for example - I hardly even realised they had released a new 7" recently! 'Moped Girls' continues with the same casually noisy insouciance that has come to define these three Brooklyn girls. Reggie the cat is a pretty cool addition to the film clip, too.

Released on For Us, you can buy yourself a copy of 'Moped Girls' here.

two killer shows...

There are two amazing shows coming up in the next week*, half a world away from each other, which you should be attending if you are even remotely nearby either of these two cities!

If you are located near the Whitest Suburb in Melbourne, like me, head to the Old Bar on Johnston Street for a ridiculously good night of pop. Mid-State Orange! Last Summer Cats show before they embark on USA domination! First Motifs show since they conquered Europe! I'm prepping my dancing shoes already.

Of course, if you want to make me cry, you will be attending this:

Clearly, any show containing three of my favourite bands from the past 12 months or so has to be incredible, but this is seriously beyond belief. Far out, I could see just ONE of those bands, I'd be delirious, but with that line up AND with Twee as Fuck AND Kevin from WYR? spinning discs, I couldn't think of anything better right now, especially when all I seem do these days is listen to Cause Co-Motion on repeat.

I think this is what you call mega New York jealousy (and mega, mega heartbreak).

* I'm sure there's definitely more than two amazing shows coming up in the next week, but these are clearly the only two I really, really care about. If you know of others that will make me exceedingly jealous, please feel free to tell me about them and I will no doubt take a photo of myself weeping with extreme jealousy.

tuesday night catch up #3: thieves like us

OK, last one for the night. When I was about 18 or so, Shelflife Records was one of my favourite record labels, releasing records by the likes of the Acid House Kings, The Shermans and the Free Loan Investments that swept my late teenage heart away in a shimmering sea of pop music. Those fine folk behind Shelflife have made a killer resurgence recently, and one of their latest, from Thieves Like Us, shows what Midas touch this label has. 

Shy, crushworthy lyrics combined with synths straight out of early 80s northern England deliver 'Really Like To See You Again' straight into your consciousness, Express Post style. It's the perfect 11pm track, when you've just eyed up the cute boy or girl over the other side of the dancefloor, but you don't want to sidle up too soon. You know you'll head over when they start playing The Smiths or Pet Shop Boys at 2am. You know what I mean. 

The four tracks on this 12" EP will all make you want to shimmer rather than shake on the dancefloor, and, with a mere 500 copies pressed, you'd be hard pressed to find a more glamorous release for your next discotheque. 

Buy 'Really Like To See You Again' from Shelflife here.

tuesday night catch up #2: pocketbooks

If you can't already tell, I have once again been super busy and am becoming more and more infrequent at this blogging business. It's awful, especially when there is so much to listen to and I'm stuck doing work (and watching Master Chef, uh oh) all the time. Gah! Hence, I am spending my Tuesday night catching up on everything great of late.

Anyway, some of my favourite blogs have already written about this, and I'm going to do the same - London's Pocketbooks will be releasing their new single, "Footsteps", via iTunes on June 15. It's a super little love song that will get your shoes shuffling straight away. Then, in July, the brilliant How Does It Feel To Be Loved? label will be releasing their debut record, Flight Paths, which I highly recommend for you to purchase, because it will add some extra sunshine to your summer or brighten those misty winter mornings, if you'll be spending your July hibernating indoors from the cold like me.

You can get your feet shuffling along already by downloading 'Footsteps' here!

tuesday night catch up #1: music that i like

Well, I guess you can gather what I like from reading my blog, but Music That I Like is the name of Everett True's excellent new blog, featuring many of his archived musings from Plan B as well as, hmm, a couple of new rants and raves. Mostly raves, though - who wants to write rants all the time? Not me.

In particular, you should read his interview with the beautiful, tragic Ronnie Spector. I wouldn't know what to say to her - I would just want her to sing.

hefner recollections

While I was out and about today, I found a copy of Hefner's excellent We Love The City on LP from Heartland Records. Upon arriving home, those opening lyrics to the title track brought back a flood of memories:

This is London, not Antarctica, so why don't the tubes run all night?

You are my girlfriend, not Molly Ringwald, so why won't you stay here tonight?

It's made me realise that Hefner are a band which I associate so many fond memories with. Of course, the aforemention

ed song's chorus of, We love the city, because it lets us down, rang particularly true for me back in Brisbane, even if the song was about how depressing London can be, but it's but one of many Hefner tracks which have struck me for many different reasons across many stages of my life. 

The Fidelity Wars

This was the first Hefner album I ever purchased, in 2000 from Red Eye Records in Sydney whilst on holiday down there. I was in year 11 at the time and became interested in the band after reading about them in Select. Upon hearing 'The Hymn For The Cigarettes' for the first time, I was even more hooked. Darren Hayman's terrific lyrics inspired the budding writer in me - all that angst mixed with sadness and

 rejection. At the time I had no hope of meeting anybody who I could sh

are this with, so it has been great to talk about Hefner with other fans at various points.

We Love The City

This was given to me by one of my favourite people in the w

orld, Lina, on my first trip to Sweden in 2003. I spied it in her CD collection, got super jealous, then became ecstatic when she so kindly gave it to me at the end of my visit. I remember listening to the title track for the first time when I did hit London, and never had it felt so right. Last year at my first How Does It Feel To Be Loved?, I was super excited to dance to 'The Day That Thatcher Dies' - such fun! 

Boxing Hefner

I only bought this recently, from an indiepop listee off ebay. To be honest, I haven't listened to it all that much, but I really wanted a copy so I could have 'Christian Girls' on CD. What a song! I only heard this for the first time last year (shameful!) when the lovely Andrew from Pants Yell! put it on a really excellent mix for me. Great song, and I am sure, a great collection of other tracks for me to soon fall in love with.

worst single cover ever?

Everything But The Girl - 'These Early Days' (Blanco Y Negro, 1988)

Bought today for about $2 from Dixons on Brunswick Street. The song isn't too bad, but cripes, what a photo! 

all my dreams have come true

Last night I received a text from my friend Andy, telling me about an Anna Karina retrospective at this year's Melbourne International Film Festival. That was enough to make me squeal with excitement, but upon further investigation at work this morning, it turns out Anna will be a SPECIAL GUEST at this year's event!! My heart beat 100 times faster upon this news - my favourite actress of all will be here, and I may have but an opportunity to see her in person! It's all my dreams come true - I adore her films and if I could be half as beautiful as her, I'd be more than happy. There's one scene in Vivre Sa Vie, where she measures her height from head to toe using handspans, and it's possibly one of my favourite moments in cinema ever. Just phenomenal. 

The retrospective will be brilliant - aside from screening Alphaville, the Godard film that intrigues me the most each time I watch it, the festival will also be screening Serge Gainsbourg's 1967 musical Anna, which I've never seen in full, just snippets of on Youtube. Also screening are two of her directorial efforts, which I'll be most intrigued to watch. As well as the Anna films, there's a documentary about Cindy Sherman, another about Joe Dallessandro, and one about Vogue and Anna Wintour! Is this not the perfect winter line-up of films? Cinematic heaven, that's for sure.