Rock Pop 23

https://fortherabbits.net/2020/10/09/five-things-we-liked-this-week-09-10-20/

Five Things We Liked This Week - 09/10/20

Mixahulababy 650

WithGuitarsOctober  2020 SoundCloud playlist

New & hot: Alternative Rock

Subscribe here: http://www.slumberlandrecords.com/slr30singles

Founded in the Washington, DC area in 1989, Slumberland Records began as a 7” label and was always inspired by the ephemeral and often electric pleasures to be had from the perfect single. Over the last 29 years Slumberland has released 126 7”s, and even though downloads, streaming and playlists have stolen some of the “you heard it here first” thunder from the vinyl single, there’s still something pretty magical about the not-so-humble 7”.

To help start the celebration of their 30th birthday and help people reconnect with their favorite vinyl format, Slumberland are launching their SLR30 Singles Subscription Series. Featuring 12 singles to be released over the next eighteen months, the series is slated to conclude with a final entry right around Slumberland’s birthday in December 2019. The plan is to release a pair of singles every three months by bands and artists not generally associated with Slumberland; all of the singles will be produced in one pressing only, in quantities that might be best described as “very limited.” While the singles will also be available in all fine record shops, subscribers will get exclusive color vinyl pressings, fun goodies throughout the series, and finally a bonus single at the conclusion of the subscription that won’t be distributed to the shops.
While the final list of bands is still being completed, the first two singles are in production and slated to ship in late July. Featured in this first pair are Australian pop geniuses Rat Columns and Sheffield’s 90s indie legends The Suncharms. Rat Columns feature members of Total Control and Lace Wings in their ranks, and the three songs on their SLR single are pop gems very much in the lineage of Australian pop from The Go-Betweens to more recently Terry and Dick Diver. The Suncharms single is an especially appropriate entry in the series, as the band was slated to release a single on Slumberland back in the mid 90s only to be derailed by the untimely demise of the group. Now they are back, and the two psychedelic, shoegazey tunes on this 7” are a welcome return for the band.

Future entries will include records from Dolly Dream (featuring Meg Remy from U.S. Girls and members of other crucial Toronto bands), Baltimore’s Wildhoney (their first new music in over two years), Pale Lights and Lake Ruth from NYC, Failed Flowers (featuring pals Anna Burch and Fred Thomas), David Callahan (from SLR fave bands The Wolfhounds and Moonshake) and SF’s brilliant Odd Hope. Expect more surprises, loads of classic tunes and some very happy music fans.

And definitely stay tuned for more 30th birthday news coming soon!

SLR30 Single Series

Patti Smith - Dancing Barefoot (Marvin & Guy Friendly Edit)

Kelley Stoltz and Mikey Young join forces in this homage to Public Broadcasting.  Vinyl comes with hand made numbered sleeve ( by Kelley Stoltz ) and was pressed by hand in an edition of 50.

Skybox - Public TV

Ork Records: New York, New York

Can't Seem to Make You Mine

Little Johnny Jewel

I think I spent more than half of last year telling anyone who would listen about 1800, so it's an honour and a thrill to announce the rest-of-the-World pressing of Big Supermarket's debut LP, previously released in mid 2018 in Australia-only via the Hobbies Galore label. Limited to 300 copies on green vinyl, pre-order here - http://smarturl.it/BigSupermarket

Little information about Big Supermarket exists online - no 'official' band photos, no accurate information re personnel, no social media profile - so much of what is known about the band must be earned in the old fashioned way: from listening to the music itself. That alone has been difficult enough, given that until now the record had no distribution outside of Australia and was only available by Bandcamp. In an era of information overload and endless image cultivation, it's refreshing to uncover a band - yes, a band, not producer or 'solo bedroom auteur' - who favour the shadows, who prefer to leave some things unsaid.

What is present is a collection of fourteen songs recorded over a three year period in Kensington, Victoria, that trace a wobbly line through the backstreets of jangle-pop, new wave, and post-punk in a way that sees them oscilate between the melodic and the obtuse. In that sense, there's an obvious affinity with much of the early Flying Nun output, where an appreciation of the classicism of pop songwriting rubbed shoulders with a fierce DIY spirit charged on the more outre possibilities of punk autodidactism. Australia is making a habit of producing compelling, singular new guitar-led bands. In their shunning of the traditional cycles of publicity and promotion, Big Supermarket have counter-intuitvely emerged as a leading light. A secret to be passed around that doubtless wont remain a secret for much longer.

Big Supermarket - Personal Pronouns

For more info about the SLR30 Singles Series:
https://slumberlandrecords.com/slr30singles

Formed by friends in 2014 during a summer spent obsessing about the Sarah Records catalog, Michigan band Failed Flowers quickly developed into a shadowy, high speed pop vehicle. Drawing at first from the wistful sighs of Sarah, the group grew more of an edge as they progressed, evoking elements of C86 granularity and shoegaze blur. The original lineup of bassist Erin Davis, drummer Miles Haney, and dual guitarist/singers Fred Thomas and Autumn Wetli played around the midwest for about a year, releasing an eight song demo before Wetli left the band. Close friend and collaborator Anna Burch stepped in during the spring of 2015, amplifying both the harmonies and the disquiet. This new lineup recorded a nine-song mini album of sharper material that saw release on the 25 Diamonds label before Thomas left Michigan for Montreal and Burch began a solo career with her own pristine indiepop tunes. The band remained sporadically active, playing the occasional gig, doing a short run of shows with Protomartyr in 2017 and getting together to write and record in the increasingly rare moments when all parties were available. The two songs on this 7" are the fruits of Failed Flowers' most recent sessions and represent some of their most evolved work.

"Faces" is the first song Anna brought to the band, a wash of guitars and vocal harmonies that are somehow both quick and ambling. More melodic than most of the band's recorded output, it walks in the same remarkably catchy territory as Anna's always glowing solo work, though swimming through more waves of distortion.

"Broken Screen" was described as "The Strokes in a bar fight" seconds after the lead vocals were put to tape, and the song zips along nervously with just that energy. One half jumpy, self-conscious punk and one half Flying Nun grey skies pop.

Faces

Failed Flowers - Faces

From the "Swim" two-song single release on Hauskat Records.
filmschoolmusic.bandcamp.com/

Written and Produced by Film School
Co-produced and Mixed by Dan Long
Mastered at Howie Weinberg Mastering by Howie Weinberg and Will Borza
Additional vocals on “Don’t You Ever” by Noël Brydebell courtesy of Wild Signals

Cover Photo by Steve Simko IG @simkophoto
Photo Model - Kristina Kupka IG @doublek23

Don't You Ever

Pale Lights formed 2011, in Brooklyn. They are Phil Sutton, Lisa Goldstein, Maria Pace, Andy Adler, and Suzanne Nienaber. Lead singer and songwriter Sutton was a founding member of Comet Gain, and has played with a number of groups over the years, mostly drumming for the likes of Velocette, The Soft City, The Projects, Kicker, and Cinema Red and Blue. Adler played bass for Crystal Stilts, and Cinema Red and Blue, Nienaber has been a member of Great Lakes, and Goldstein drummed for Kevin Alvir's Knight School. Across two albums and a clutch of in-demand singles the band has established themselves as exemplary exponents of a classic style of pop that aligns with them groups like Felt, The Go-Betweens, Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, and just about all of the best bands from the Flying Nun and Creation catalogs.

In other words, just the sort of band that we love here at Slumberland. "You And I" is Pale Lights' contribution to our SLR30 Singles Series and it's a lovely way to spend three minutes and twelve seconds. Sporting an indelible melody and some very fine guitar strum 'n' jangle, it is the sort of tune that 7" singles were invented. By the time Gary Olson's trumpet comes in at the mid-way point you know that you're in the presence of greatness. On the flip "Say You'll Be The One" is a winner as well, slowing things down for a stately bit of late-night rumination. One of the finest indiepop singles of recent memory and a very worthy addition to the SLR catalog.

You And I

Pale Lights - You And I

Odd Hope is the home recording project of Tim Tinderholt. Literally holed-up in his Oakland garage with worn copies of 'Alien Lane's & 'Chairs Missing,' he kills time recording on the classic, archaic Bay Area-favorite recording device the Tascam 388. Tim has experimented with various jangle/punk bands for years and now with Odd Hope he's venturing from the garage to share his sharp DIY pop with the world. 

Following a well-received single and LP on the excellent Fruits & Flowers label, Odd Hope are now releasing this ace single as part of our Slumberland Records SLR30 Singles Series. "All Of The Things" evokes early Television Personalities punch, filtered through a Ray Davies-style croon and leavened with a distinct bit of Flying Nun flavor. It's perfect pop, accomplishing more in its brisk two minutes than a lot of songs can manage in twice the time. On the other side we find "What's Your Part Of It?" -- a jangly rocker with cutting melodies and a measured lyricism that further marks Odd Hope as a project to keep a close eye (and ears) on.

All The Things

Odd Hope - All The Things

Yesterday (With Him)

Stardust

Los Angeles' Smokescreens are a group of friends who bonded through a love for New Zealand's Flying Nun label, as well as shared inspirations such as The Velvet Underground, The Go-Betweens, The Television Personalities and of course indie pop of all flavors. Their self-titled debut was released to wide acclaim in 2017, and was quickly followed-up with the excellent "Used To Yesterday" in 2018.

Since then they've toured a bit, written a bunch and made some great friends along the way. One new friend and fan is David Kilgour from legendary New Zealand band The Clean, who came to LA to produce Smokescreens' new record "A Strange Dream." Recorded with trusted engineer Kyle Mullarky, this terrific album exhibits a band at the very height of their powers, combining their collective talents into a potent set of songs that's been superbly captured by the team of Kilgour and Mullarky.

From the jaunty pop of opener "Fork In The Road" to the rocking "Streets of Despair" and the dreamy "On and On" this is a record that clearly shows a band that knows it's way around a timeless guitar riff and aching pop melody. Gorgeous ballads like "Nighttime Skies" and "I Love Only You" add a new depth to Smokescreens' sound, and the cover of Scrotum Poles' DIY classic "Pick The Cats Eyes Out" is perfect, and perfectly fun. Add in an evocative cover painting from Mr. Kilgour and you have a record looks as good as it sounds, and will prove to be compulsive listening for any savvy pop fan.

A Strange Dream

Smokescreens - Working Title

New Single

Produced by Thomas Mitchener, Broadfield Studios, London
Mastered by John Davis, Metropolis Studios, London

Photography by Dominick Sheldon

Football

Lunchbox's Tim Brown and Donna McKean have been making records in their Oakland, California basement for two decades, inspired by 1960s/70s AM-radio pop and TV show theme music, punk, C86, and mod à la the Creation and the Jam. From the sonically-inventive indiepop of "The Magic of Sound" (1999) to the dub-influenced psychedelia of "Evolver" (2001) to the critically-acclaimed bubblegum of "Lunchbox Loves You" (2013), the couple have established a sound all their own.

Their new album for Slumberland, "After School Special," finds them at the height of their powers of songcraft and performance. Donna's bass playing stakes out stylistic territory somewhere between Carol Kaye and John Entwhistle while Tim's guitar is equal parts 12-string jangle and clipped Orange Juice-esque funk. Horns by Gary Olson (Ladybug Transistor) and longtime collaborator Jeremy Goody drive the record from beginning to end. Evelyn Davis' delay-drenched keyboards combine with whispers of analog tape feedback to give the record an otherworldly vibe in keeping with its lyrical themes.

There, favorite seasons (autumn) and animals (cats), appear alongside love and death, ghosts and reincarnation. From the shimmering opener "Dream Parade" to the horn-driven mod-pop of "Hide and Seek," the groovy sixties R&B vibe of "I Really Wanna Know" and the haunting male-female vocal stylings of the  album-closing title track, the textures shift while the unity of artistic vision remains. Catchy as hell and beautifully packaged, "After School Special" is Lunchbox at their very best.

After School Special

Lunchbox - I Really Wanna Know

Clean Living EP

03 Great White Male

Formed in London in 2012, Flowers have released two albums and an increasingly assured string of singles on labels like Fortuna Pop, Kanine, Oddbox, Cloudberry and Where It's At Is Where You Are. Those associations might give you an idea of where they are coming from: beautiful, effecting pop with echoes of C86 indie, post-punk pop, shoegaze, 90s 4AD and even a dash of early Slumberland Records. Far more than just a sum of their influences, they've dazzled pop fans around the world with their distinctively spiky songs and Rachel Kennedy's thrilling, ethereal vocals.

"Erik" is their contribution to Slumberland's SLR30 Singles Series and their first single since 2017. Written about their wayward pet hamster, it's a lovely tune that wouldn't sound out of place on a Belly record, a prime piece of the grungy, fuzzy pop that Flowers are so expert at creating. On the flip, "Candour" is deeper and slower, recalling early SLR groups like Black Tambourine and Henry's Dress, a connection that makes their participation in our singles series all the more appropriate.

Erik

Flowers - Erik

Neutrals are a punk band from the San Francisco Bay Area, channeling a wide range of '70s and '80s punk, post-punk, and indie-pop influences. Their debut album "Kebab Disco" came out in 2019 on Emotional Response Records and garnered universal acclaim as "an excellent collection of terse melodies, unique storytelling, and scraping pop. (AllMusic)". The band followed-up with an excellent five song EP earlier this year on Domestic Departure.

"Personal Computing" b/w "In The Future" is their new single and has the distinction of being the final entry in our SLR30 Singles Series. Both sides were recorded just before the COVID-19 lockdown began and share a bittersweet nostalgia for an imagined rose-tinted future that never was. The mood of thwarted utopian dreams feels all too appropriate right now and the tense, angular songs on this single are an ideal soundtrack for this unsettled moment.

Personal Computing

Neutrals - Personal Computing

Nature Kids

Land Of Ooo - Sunshine

Postcard from Spain

Postcard from Spain (feat. Frances Quinlan)

Which Side Are You On?

Pre-Order the new album Californian Soil: https://LondonGrammar.lnk.to/CSPresd

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Californian Soil

buy/stream "Moments of Feeling": platoon.lnk.to/momentsoffeeling

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Home Ground

prod mix mast @93feetofsmoke
drums @youngburial

Lyrics:

Sellin'
And it’s flax or all fleece 
Rounded 
Paint the walls 
Pull the teeth 
Well oh well oh well
I’ve seen evil things 
I’ll never tell 

And they’re laughing
While they’re pointing at me 
Drowning
I know they don’t fuck with me 
Well oh well oh well
I hear pretty things 
I tell myself 

Big dog barkin' on the sidewalk
Gotta leaky nose from the pep talk
Open my head 
Grab a Can out
*Click clack clink*
Kick it down the asphalt 

I can read you like a book
Paint a new cover 
And the heart cooks brain 
But it do numbers 
Pray a bright star last
Past the thrown embers 
And the night chase day 
Like we burn rubber 

Sellin'
And it’s flax or all fleece 
Rounded 
Paint the walls 
Pull the teeth 
Well oh well oh well
I’ve seen evil things 
I’ll never tell 

And they’re laughing
While they’re pointing at me 
Drowning
I know they don’t fuck with me 
Well oh well oh well
I hear pretty things 
I tell myself 

Well oh well oh well
I hear pretty things 
I tell myself 

Well oh well oh well
I hear pretty things 
I tell myself

SOFUBI (DELUXE)

93FEETOFSMOKE.com

well oh well oh well

lyrics:

she makes the feeling of alone subside
im faulty product im not worth your time
the last goodbye always hits harder at night
so wont you stay
one more time

i just gotta let you know
im not here to take u home
woke up two calls on my phone
wish that they would leave me alone
but they never do
they never do that
i wish i
i could do that
i just cant let you go
hop out the sewer and take u home

she makes the feeling of alone subside
im faulty product im not worth your time
the last goodbye always hits harder at night
so wont you stay
one more time

pines break through the memories
late nights were her remedy
cold words thru her sharpened teeth
create deep wounds you imbed in me  
throwing heads in the wishing well
when shes this mad she could boil hell
i thought we would go together
but i guess i could go fuck myself
theres a time and a place
but she has no problem doing it here
he has his hands on top her waist
in the photos she cant share
and its truly a shame
i thought we could make it through the year at least
but this game you been playing is killing me
and im too low on energy

she makes the feeling of alone subside
im faulty product im not worth your time
the last goodbye always hits harder at night
so wont you stay
one more time

one time for old times ft eric godlow (eric godlow)

Automatic Writing Machine

The Wild Stares "Obsidian"

As Chuvas de Dezembro (Demo)

you fucking puny shit 
i share this vessel with you can you stop abusing it
and making others cry so you can laugh you lunatic 
does hurting others make you feel better than puny shit 
oh another lie
fucking scum and lame
i aint the puppet you can count on to manipulate 
i aint the flesh to sit and take shit every other day
ill fucking stab inside my skull to carve you out my brain
it fucking sucks were stuck together so ill give you love
now sit the fuck down and keep your whispers shut
cus i know you like the drama and the fucking blues 
and to project your your hate on everything surrounding you
are you deff and stupid can you hear me yelling words
ill repeat this garbage till your autopilot learns 
ill breathe and ground myself and watch you mute your fucking thirst 
play me one more time ill blow you out and leave the earth

tension

Can’t get out of this mess
Always stuck in my head 
Never leaving my room
Fuck the world fuck you too

Just seems like common sense 
In the world that we’re in
I’m never going to try
I’m staying NEET til I die

Always feeling so blue 
What am I supposed to do?
Life is too hard for me
I’m so goddamn lazy

Just seems to be correct 
Modern life is worthless 
Why would I ever try?
I’m staying NEET til I die

NEET ‘til I Die

Slumberland began operations in 1989 as a collective effort consisting of members of DC area bands Velocity Girl, Big Jesus Trash Can/Whorl, Black Tambourine and Powderburns. We were inspired by such musical happenings as C86, early Creation, Postcard, K, Bus Stop, lower East Side noise, and also the renegade art aesthetics & methods of people like Cage, Burroughs and Duchamp. The explosion of punk had left behind a thriving network of 'zines, labels and distributors and we felt that there was room for our noise-loving, pop-obsessed aesthetic. While there were loads of US indie labels releasing a steady stream of 7"s, there wasn't much pop going on. Notable exceptions included Bus Stop, K and Picture Book, and we hoped to join that group and help chisel out some space for melodies amongst the noise.

Early releases from Velocity Girl, Whorl and Black Tambourine struck a note, and we found like-minded popsters getting in touch from all over the world. As we expanded the label roster and our own horizons, the goal was always to share great songs and interesting sounds from a range of styles. Our first burst of activity through the 1990s and early 2000s brought seminal records by legendary bands like Stereolab, Rocketship, The Ropers, Lorelei, The Aislers Set, Hood and Boyracer.

By the mid 2000s we were seeing a resurgence of interest in guitar pop and the start of the ongoing vinyl revival: the perfect environment for Slumberland! We launched into our latest phase of activity with as string of classic releases from The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Crystal Stilts, Frankie Rose, Veronica Falls, Allo Darlin', Joanna Gruesome and so many more.

2025 is our thirty-sixth (!) year we are still at it, ploughing our own furrow and bringing you unique, genre-defining (and genre-defying!) releases from bands like The Laughing Chimes, Humdrum, The Cords, Autocamper, Jeanines, The Umbrellas, Neutrals, Artsick, Kids On A Crime Spree, Papercuts, Lightheaded, Tony Jay, Chime School, Lunchbox and many, many more. Indie fashions come and go but we're still thrilled by great songs and the new ways that pop can be rejuvenated to fit the times.