In 1980, Caroline Crawley and Jemaur Tayle met in Bournemouth, England, where they discovered a mutual appreciation of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.[1] Two years later, after taking the name Shelleyan Orphan from the Shelley poem "Spirit Of Solitude", the pair moved to London to seek out orchestral elements to add to their voices.[1]

In June 1984, the band got their first break and landed a session with David Jensen for BBC Radio 1. The band signed with Rough Trade Records in 1986 and released the singles, "Cavalry of Cloud" and "Anatomy of Love".[1]

In 1987, the band released their first of three albums: Helleborine.[1] Named after the Helleborine orchid said to have the power to cure madness, the album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios with producer Haydn Bendall. Helleborine included an assortment of guest musicians including Stuart Elliott (the drummer for Kate Bush), and Kate's brother Paddy Bush.

In 1989, they released Century Flower.[1] So called after a flower that blooms only once in its lifetime, this album was intended to mark "an event which affects enormous change, maybe once in a century: on a world scale, the atomic bomb: on a personal level, the death of someone close to you".[citation needed] Produced by David M. Allen, the band's sound caught the ear of The Cure's Robert Smith, who invited the band to accompany them on their Disintegration Tour. While on the Disintegration tour, Caroline Crawley began a relationship with Cure drummer Boris Williams.



shelleyan orphan - Muddied-Up

Bella-Esque

http://shelflife.com/catalogue/LIFE136.html

It's been nearly two years since Shelflife has had the pleasure of putting out new music from the eternal Close Lobsters, and we're proud to say that this will be changing shortly. On June 2, we are extremely excited to be releasing the Scottish band's new EP featuring "Under London Skies" b/w "Wander Epic Part II" on limited gold 7" vinyl with download and digital formats. 

These self-proclaimed "Post-Neo-Anti-Close Lobsters" are back in a big way, and with these two tracks you'll be quickly convinced of that. The A-side, "Under London Skies," serves as both a lament and ode for London- the radical London of The Clash, the Rock London of The Only Ones and Flesh for Lulu, and the Libertarian London of The Mob and the June Brides. There's a lot of history (both musical and otherwise) tied closely with London, and if any band is gonna do justice to that fact it's undoubtedly our trusted Close Lobsters. If that sounds like a big subject to tackle, the single's B-side "Wander Epic Part II" will make you think again. Calling the song an epic is no exaggeration; the band has described it as a yearning for the vast and endless sea. The song is both a wanderlust and a pilgrimage, designed to take the listener on a journey as huge as the subject matter they're tackling. 

The release will be available on 70 gram limited edition 7" vinyl with download coupon that includes bonus tracks "Wander Epic Parts I & II" and "Wander Epic Part III". Early presale copies will be available on gold colored vinyl. There will also be a digital-only version that includes an exclusive bonus mix of "Under London Skies."

Close Lobsters - Under London Skies

Demos (2016)

The Ambler Riot

http://www.shelflife.com/catalogue/LIFE151.html

Shelflife presents the new single "Laura Palmer" from The Luxembourg Signal available June 23rd on limited edition 7" vinyl and digital formats. 

With the release of their first single and debut album on Shelflife in 2014, The Luxembourg Signal quickly found a loyal following among fans of dream pop/indie pop music, and received enthusiastic reviews for their pop sensibilities, angelic vocals and lush soundscapes. Since the debut release, the band's lineup of Beth Arzy & Betsy Moyer (vocals), Johnny Joyner (guitars), Brian Espinosa (drums) and Ginny Pitchford (keyboards) has been expanded with the addition of Kelly Davis (guitars) and Daniel Kumiega (bass). 

The seven-piece played a handful of shows in the UK and Europe in the summer of 2015 to promote their debut album, including a Sunday evening performance at Indietracks that many cited as one of the highlights of the weekend. 2015 also saw the release of a split 7" single with Soft Science (Test Pattern Records), which featured a remix of Dying Star by Robert Hampson (Loop/Main). 

The band returned to the studio in 2016 to complete their second full length Blue Field coming out this fall on Shelflife and Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten. "Laura Palmer" is the first single from the album and one of our favorite tracks of the year. The b-side is a special cover version of "Let's Make Some Plans" by the Close Lobsters. 

The Luxembourg Signal will be playing various dates in Germany (TBA) in September 2017 as well as The Paris Pop Fest on Friday September 22, 2017.

shelleyan orphan - Muddied-Up

the 80's fan!