I reviewed a sampler for Kelman's forthcoming album back in April, and while it was a positive review, I have to admit to being not all that enthused when the album itself dropped through the letterbox. I see Kelman as the sort of band you either listen to in the early hours of the morning when drunk, or in the dead of winter. They've got that kind of feel to them. It's summer (allegedly) and I've been mostly listening to upbeat indiepop, so it took a bit of effort to turn my attentions to I Felt My Sad Heart Soar. Was it worthwhile? Read on!

Album opener, Untethered, sets the tone with gentle orchestration and Wayne Gooderham's silky, intimate delivery. I don't know if ol' Wayne has a lot of trouble with the ladies, but he certainly knows how to write a lovelorn, heartbroken lyric or two.

Second track, Is This How It Ends?, was previously released as a single and it's not hard to see why. Atmospheric is very much the word to describe this one. I moaned in my review of the album sampler that Commercial Road, the third song here, outstayed its welcome a bit and I have to stand by that. Maybe it just sounds spare in contrast to the lush instrumentation of previous song, but it's enjoyable enough.

The album continues on a similar tone for the next four songs - mellow, with hints of early Arab Strap and The Velvet Underground here and there. It's good, soothing even, but by the end I was starting to crave a change of pace.

The penultimate song, NYE, runs to eight-and-a-half minutes, so it probably wouldn't be unreasonable to consider it some kind of centrepiece. I'm of the opinion that a song has to be pretty special to justify going past three minutes, but I'm glad to say that NYE rattles past and delivers that change of pace I was hankering for with interest. The band throw the kitchen sink at this one, and it works.

The final song, You're Still Everything To Me, runs to a more sensible two and a half minutes and is a pleasant comedown from what has just preceded it, more in keeping with the rest of the songs than the bombast of NYE.

Does I Felt My Sad Heart Soar hang together as an album? Undoubtedly, yes. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but fans of the likes of Tindersticks, VU or Arab Strap won't be disappointed.

The album is set to be released on September 15th on the band's own Liner Records label and they will play a live set at Rough Trade East in London on the evening of the launch.

In conjunction with Shifty Disco, the band have made album track Shut A Final Door available as a free download.

[Myspace link]

The new The Industrial Strength EP from Phil Wilson sees the ex June Brides front man covering songs from industrial and electronic noise bands using just his acoustic instruments and beats from his sequencer.

With the exception of Kraftwerk's Neon Lights the other tracks are new to me so how near to the original they are is unknown but if the ukulele driven Neon Lights is anything to go by it may be close. It's hard to get 1960's children's themes out of your head whilst listening but Wilson does a pretty fine job especially as the track is one of my all time favourites by the German electronic wizards.

The cover of Throbbing Gristle's United is okay but doesn't get me excited generating a shrug of the shoulders. However the cover of the Faust track It's a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl has the opposite effect and if the sequenced beats are anything to go by then this must have been a Krautrock classic. It leaves me scribbling the track's title down so I can seek out the original version!

The final track is a cover of What Happens... Happens originally by S/T. At least I have heard of the other bands and a quick google informs me that they are still going strong. Again it's a pretty good track you can get hold of and imagine how the original may have sounded. Like the previous track the programmed beats give it an edge and again it makes me curious to how the original may sound.

The bands covered were important to Wilson when he first started making music many moons ago and these interpretations make interesting listening. One to seek out if you like to throw caution to the wind.

The single is out now on a 2 x 7" vinyl set from Slumberland and is available in digital formats from e-music and i-tunes.

[My Space link]

The International Jetsetters played a Lostmusic show back in November 2007. They were very good - but it was a weird night and the crowd were being pulled to the back of the venue to watch some dull England football game. England must have lost as they failed to qualify for Euro 2008. Those that stayed and watched The International Jetsetters were the winners. They played a set of sterling indie fuzz pop. For those that don't know the bands members are made up by a couple of current Jesus and Mary Chain men. Those being Mark Crozer and Loz Colbert (once of Ride). Since that gig at The Windmill in 2007 the band have changed a little - vocals are now handled by Fi McFall as well as founding member Mark Crozer.

The bands debut EP 'Heart Is Black' is about to be released on Planting Seeds Records. The band even have a little micro site dedicated to the release - that can be found here. The song 'Inside Out' is from the EP and is available for streaming on the bands My Space. It's a nice upbeat fuzz pop song - which nods at the likes of The Mary Chain and Ride (unsurprisingly, really). The band have a couple of dates lined up:

8th Sept - The Victoria, Swindon
22nd Nov - Zodiac Carling Academy, Oxford

We'll have to see whether they fancy another trip to London in the near future. It would be great to see the new line up in action.

The Jesus and Mary Chain Covers Project was an idea that was started on the fan site - Some Candy Talking - where fans want to record versions of Mary Chain songs. The idea took hold and before a month had past there were 5 or 6 songs recorded. It was at this point I decided to start a blog to collate the songs and gather more cover versions. All songs are currently available for free download. The idea is to collect as many cover versions as possible and then maybe cherry pick the best ones for a limited CDr release. So if you are a fan of The Jesus and Mary Chain in a band or otherwise - feel free to drop me an email at this address jamc@lostmusic.co.uk expressing interest in doing a cover of a Mary Chain song - I'll get back to you with the details. This is very much a DIY project and I am not after really polished covers (but if you can record that way - that's not a problem either!).

I don't care whether we have 20 versions of one song or not - so there is no need to choose a song that hasn't been covered yet - this is all about fans doing songs they want to do. So far we have 10 recordings in, most from fans, a couple from bands (who are fans). Here are a few to download.

Penny Broadhurst - Cut Dead
Dim The Droog - Down On Me
The Welfare State - My Little Underground

I've also set up a My Space page to stream a selection of the songs and gather up interest in the project.

The Jesus and Mary Chain covers project was an idea that was started on the fan site - Some Candy Talking - where fans want to record versions of Mary Chain songs. The idea took hold and before a month had past there were 5 or 6 songs recorded. This is when this blog was born. A place to collect all the songs.

Read More

At last nights Lost Music show (which saw us co hosting a night with the Danish music inspired Pastry Club) one of our two choices we put were the East London based Havana Guns - our other choice were headliners Stars of Aviation.

I was impressed with the band's (who I believe are a mixture of French and UK nationals but I may be wrong) pop music which reminded me of Mono Taxi crossed with the Manhattan Love Suicides. You can also hear The Velvet Underground and the Jesus and Mary Chain in there too.

The band have released two singles. Sadly 2005's She Always Goes Down is now unavailable but last years N.Y.C.S is and I have ordered it today. You can do the same via their label Cigarette Records.

Here are some pictures from last nights show. More can be found here.





Havana Guns - She Always Goes Down

[My Space link]

Japan Air have just released a 3" CD single through Cloudberry Records. The band who feature Viktor, once of Dorotea, sound not to dissimilar to the likes of The Field Mice and other Sarah bands. It really is a great EP.

If you act quickly enough you will be able to buy one of the limited edition 3" singles now. However if you miss it you can actually download the entire EP from the bands My Space page. The tracks are Claire, Stars and September.

Japan Air - Stars

[My Space link]

Ex June Brides front man Phil Wilson, the apparent "golden god of twee!, has a new EP out on Slumberland Records. It's a double 7" set called Industrial Strength and features cover versions of songs originally by Faust, Throbbing Gristle, S/T and Kraftwerk. The video below is his cover of Kraftwerk's Neon Lights.



You can buy the EP direct from the label or via Phil's My Space page.

[My Space link]

Here is the video, parts of which were shot at indie tracks, for The Just Joans now sold out Hey Boy, You're oh so Sensitive. See if you can spot the indie mp3 contributor - clue it's not me. Answers on an erm, postcard.



The Just Joans - Hey Boy, You're oh so Sensitive

Read Colin's (it's not him either) review of the single here.

[My Space link]

With Dirty Rotten Soul Nat Johnson releases her first solo recordings since Monkey Swallows The Universe, the band she fronted, announced an indefinite hiatus towards the end of last year.

Johnson's pleasing fragile vocals were always the highlight of MSTU for me. However where as MSTU went for the folkier end of the indie pop spectrum Dirty Rotten Soul is a rockier country affair that needs to be washed down with a whiskey or two such is the western style feel that it brings to mind. Yee hah!

With her cover of Cake's Mexico on the flip she returns to the folkish sound she is better known for and her vocals are as beautiful and delicate as ever. Lovely!

Dirty Rotten Soul is out on Thee SPC on September 29th on Limited Edition CD and download formats.

[My Space link]

The latest two releases on Matinee Recordings are two EP's from Scotland's Bubblegum Lemonade and Danish band Northern Portrait.

The former release the Susan's In The Sky EP whilst the latter release the Napoleon Sweetheart EP. Both are released on 2nd September 2008 but you can order them now via the Matinee shop.

Luckily for you Matinee are nice people so here are mp3's from both releases they have made available:

Bubblegum Lemonade - Susan's In The Sky
Northern Portrait - I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me

[My Space link]

Kissing Kalina are a duo consisting of Danny Sanchez and Lily Valentine. Danny started the band as one man project back in 2007. Over the course of the next year Danny was joined by various friends as he sought to flesh out his sound and at one of these gigs in early 2008 - Lily Valentine became a permanent member of the band. 'Here She Comes' is their début single. It's not that far removed from what The Manhattan Love Suicides have been striving to create - pop music that owes a lot to a furious blast of guitar noise. Whereas the MLS throw their songs together with an ear on c86 -Kissing Kalina has it's ear on 60s garage bands. Kissing Kalina is the sound of The Cramps and The Fuzztones making out in 2008, whilst playing their Pebbles compilation LPs.

The band have a launch party for the single at The Buffalo Bar (London) on September 10th. I'll be there to see whether they can match the promise on this début single.

The Postcards have been around for a while - although their existence has been punctuated by long bouts of silence or perceived inactivity - although what bands do during the down time is probably the key to making good music!

We had them play a Lostmusic show back in March of this year and that was the last with the original line-up. The band have since recruited a new guitarist and they've finally recorded their début e.p. ' the hours up to midnight', It is due to be released in September on their fledgling label - Valiant Records.

The Postcards sound draws heavily on classic indiepop - with a strong nod to the label from which the band take their name (Orange Juice and Aztec Camera are obvious reference points). It's jangle pop done with a sepia feel. The Postcards have taken their live promise and delivered an e.p. of finely crafted and crisp guitar pop. The songs on offer showcase a band with an ear for a catchy song. 'Golden Boy' is a lovely piece of pop music. The best song of a strong bunch is saved for last - 'John Peel was a friend of mine' sounds like a melding of original 60s jangle guitars and 80s indiepop sounds. It's a cracking song and places the band near the top of bands making this kind of sound in the UK.

Bis were a bit like Marmite. You either loved or hated them. Sometimes they produced works of art or produced tunes that sounded like fingernails being scraped down a blackboard.

Either way it was still a sad day when they eventually called it quits so it's good to see the ex Bis front woman, Manda Rin, back making music. And she is back in style with a catchy début single with a chorus which is every as bit infectious as a flu epidemic!

DNA is an unabashed piece of disco influenced pop music. It's electro pop not far removed from some commercial chart music but at the same time manages to maintain credibility due to the fact Rin does everything from writing the songs and playing all the instruments rather than being manufactured pish via reality tv shows. It's a feel good track which, once heard, will have you humming it all day long!

DNA is released on This Is Fake DIY Records on the 25th August 2008. The début album My DNA is out next month with an album launch at London's Fly on September 8th 2008.

[My Space link]

Celestial have announced details of their new album which should be out in a month or so. The LP will called 'Crystal Heights' and will be released by Music Is My Girlfriend and Lavender. The full track listing is as follows:

preston park
warm against the cold
forever whispers secrets to me
love always comes to those who waits
crystal heights (available for streaming on the bands My Space)
how does it feel?
lonely boulevard
try to understand
hope, you know

If the preview track is anything to go by - this is going to be a cracking little record.

I don't know that much about The Melting Ice Caps because there is next to no information about them on their My Space page. I do know however that they released a free double a sided download single back in May and that's it quite good too.

The band's music is a curious blend of electro pop and melodramatic indie pop. The vocals here are strong, emotive and sometimes dramatic whilst the electro pop beats fits them like a glove. Check out the songs for streaming as well. Songs like I Wanted to Be Your Boyfriend ooze quality and if Dave Gedge produced synth based pop it may well have sounded like this.

Add this band to the likes of The Social Services for producing original and imaginative pop music.

The Melting Ice Caps - Hard To Get
The Melting Ice Caps - Don't Say A Word

[My Space link]

Arndales are a new band with a fine pedigree - having members that have variously served times in bands such as Montana Pete, Collapsed Lung, The Knockouts, Thrilled Skinny, Gag and Country Teasers. I got their début LP 'Dog Hobbies' a few weeks ago and it's one of the straight-up and honest records - harking back to simpler times. This is what indiepop sounded like in the past before Über-twee took hold over a lot of things indiepop. Loud guitars - some awkward rhythms and mostly some in your face songs are the way that Arndales play it.

There are comparisons to be had. The band share similar influences to fellow indiepop outsiders Sarandon. But Arndales have a more conventional twist on that much maligned noisepop sound. And it isn't noise for noises sake either. The band drill out some very catchy guitar songs over the course of the 12 songs on offer. 'Regional Treasure' hammers the point home with it's chorus of 'And I Hate Noise' nagging away at your brain after just a few listens. But like Sarandon, the band do like to pack their punches in short bursts and not one of the songs on 'Dog Hobbies' gets close to 3 minutes in length. In many ways the band are natural successors to the likes of The Nightingales, Dog Faced Hermans and Gallon Drunk.

'Dog Hobbies' is out now on Ice Man Records and is available via the bands My Space.

Air Formation have announced details of a new single and after last weeks great Lostmusic gig (also featuring Secret Shine, Model Morning and Autocolt) it's great to hear the new songs from Air Formation. The single is due for release in September - it's a two track single with - 'Things That Don't Exist / Fires' and it will be released by Distant Noise Records. Both songs are available via My Space for streaming with 'Things That Don't Exist' on Air Formations' page and 'Fires' on Distant Noises' page. They're both cracking songs and continue to build and bolster the impressive Air Formation catalogue. If you like layered guitars with a touch of shoegaze thrown in - you will invariably love the sound that Air Formation make. With nods to bands like Ride, Flying Saucer Attack and Slowdive - this is the sort of sound that I can really immerse myself in. Lovely stuff. I can't wait to get my hands on the 7" single (it is available for pre-order now!).

After a good nights sleep recovering from the previous night's jollities, a nice hot shower,a hearty slap up breakfast courtesy of a supermarket chain and a walk through the Derbyshire countryside we make our way back to the site for the first official day of Indietracks 08. The sun is out (as is the sun lotion) and it's absolutely scorching. We are parched as we head to the main stage area for the days first summer ales and also to catch up with people who are joining us for the weekend.

Festival openers were Silence At Sea whose whimsical folk inspired indie pop was pleasant enough and they were worthy of the opening slot. However the heat inside the engine shed which hosted the main stage was intense and the member of Silence At Sea who was dressed in a heavy cat costume must have been regretting his decision. I am sure he shrank to a kitten by the end!

To get some air we head to the outdoor stage where, apart from a packed out tea tent, there was no respite from the sun's rays apart from the steps at the side of the stage which was crammed full of photographers. Town Bike were on and their Ramones style punky pop was refreshing to say the least. They were nicely kitted out in pink and black bowling gear too. They go down a storm and are as good live as they are on record. Go and see this band now.

It's back inside to See The Kick Inside a band who we have raved about on indie mp3 since coming across their retro pop music that takes in a range of influences which then re-emerge in a pretty effective manner. Frontman Sean oozes confidence and the rest of the band feed off him as they deliver the goods. indie mp3 even get a mention off them! Keep your eyes on this lot they are going to develop into something special.

When they finish we wander around. First to the tea tent (with soya milk - bonus!), another indie mp3 meet up where we meet Russell for the first time and then outside by the train tracks where we witness a mini tornado taking apart the solitary stall sellers merchandise. Not sure if heavy metal designs were a good idea for an indie pop festival but watching them fly in the air was entertaining as was watching the gothic stallholder chasing her wears. What a cruel lot us indie pop fans are eh? At this point Trev looks like Braveheart with the sun cream smeared across his face as we make our way back to the outside stage for Slow Down Tallahassee.

Not sure we should be swearing in front of these kids declares SDT's Claire as there are various children running about. They have a few teething troubles but put in a pretty good performance with Candy standing out. They then try and finish with a swear free version of Beautiful Light which cocks up nicely - not once but twice which raises a few laughs in the sunshine.

We head back into the main stage and see the first stand out set of the weekend by Shrag who were phenomenal especially the drummer who pounds away in the almost unbearable heat and passes out as she leaves the stage. We salute you Leigh Ann. The bands music is a mix of lo fi and screechy post punk which fits in nicely as one of their songs is called Mark E Smith! The set was so absorbing I completely forgot to take any photos....

It's back to the shade of the tea tent for another nice cuppa and the best carrot cake I have ever tasted with brief looks towards The Zebras and The Kabeedies who are on the outdoor stage. The latter are particularly energetic as they blaze through a range of noisy but sweet tunes whilst the former hark back to Flying Nun Records, Go Betweens and The Chills.

Roadside Poppies put a capital S in shambling with the only performance I caught on the church stage on Saturday. The band, whose members are split between Cambridge and Copenhagen, had major problems with the backing tracks loaded onto their i-pod which meant they played songs with the wrong drum beats! The band's sound is split depending on whether Matloob (jangling indie pop) or Martin (a more mature guitar based sound) are on vocals. However when they do it they do it good and their set was so enjoyable I forgot about catching Pocketbooks on the main stage and that's a compliment in itself!

Due to the heat Matloob's forehead resembled Niagara Falls at one point. "I'm not sweating out of shame" he quipped as more technological problems struck. He certainly had a great time playing his Mandolin behind his head in a Hendrix style. I like the diy ethos of the band and lets hope they ditch the mp3 player for a new drummer soon!

It was back to the main stage to catch the last two songs by Pocketbooks who judging by comments on the Anorak forum were the band of the weekend for many. I was amazed by the numbers in the crowd who were singing along and it was really good to see a band who I have followed from scratch being so well received. When are Elefant or Matinee going to come a calling?

It was still scorching as we headed back to the outdoor stage and for San Diego based Red Pony Clock whose Latin fused indie pop was fun fun fun. I thought their sound sounded like The Smithereens if they had some Latin rhythm but I am not sure if listening to these guys at home would have the same effect though. However for a brief while on a very hot and sunny Saturday afternoon they certainly hit the mark.

We stayed outdoors for a few cans with The Roadside Poppies and watch The Lodger. They get some in the crowd dancing with their recent brilliant single Good Old Days. However they do themselves no favours to those who say they are carbon copies of Orange Juice when they cover I Can't Help Myself in an almost identikit fashion.

We stay outside for the surprise hit of the weekend for me Punk TV who hail from Russia. The bands music mixes baggy, trance, shoegaze and indie dance. As the sun went down to the bands more trancier songs we could have been on Ibiza and the nearby Johnsons Buffet cafe transforms into an indie Cafe Del Mar. I am not sure if I would ever buy their records but Punk TV, like Red Pony Clock before them, were in the right place at the right time. Happy Daze indeed!

Because of the unexpected success of Punk TV I miss the first 20 minutes of The Wedding Present but soon make my way to the front where I last approx 1 and half songs in the mosh pit but at least I bopped about to You Should Keep In Touch With Your Friends. They do a stonking cover of Cinerama's Wow and Gedge is on top form. "What do you think of Ripley" he asks of the nearby genteel town? "You wouldn't walk alone" shouts out some wag in response as the band crash into Brassneck. The over zealous sound man who has obviously never seen a mosh pit decides to become a bouncer and heads in and he soon has been moshed out again. You would have thought he learnt his lesson but no he tries again with the same result. Doh! However the Weddoes and Gedge in particular demonstrate they are still one of the best live acts around.

The evening finishes with a few more beers whilst listening to the mix of punk and indie being played by The Bubblegum Killers dj's who are the DJ branch of the band Helen Love. Tiredness soon kicks in once more and I head off back to the camp site and the land of nod. Phew - what a day!

Additional Photos by Bob Stuart at Underexposed.

Released on Ruffa Lane Records on September 29, 2008

Labels: Grantura, In Dreams and Other Stories

Daniel Land & The Modern Painters are adept at endlessly pestering me with bulletins on Myspace. Well, I guess it finally paid off, and they're now giving away their first EP here. This link will be valid for 7 days (since yesterday) or 100 downloads. All they ask in return is that you share the music if you happen to like it.

I, for one, do like it so here it is.

The band will be supporting Neil Halstead, formerly of Slowdive, in September. And what do you get when you listen to their songs? Well, it's pretty close to Slowdive allright. They could use some good pics of the band though. Here are the first two songs of the EP:

Daniel Land & The Modern Painters - Within the Boundaries
Daniel Land & The Modern Painters - In My Head

[Myspace link]

Rúnk was a short-lived Icelandic band who released their only album in 2002, entitled Ghengi Dahls. The band's name could be translated as The Jerk-offs, and the album went largely unnoticed by the general public. However, by those who actually did notice it, it is considered one of the finest pieces of indiepop released in Iceland.

Rúnk's members have since continued to create music in abundance, most notably guitarist Benedikt Hermann Hermannsson who now fronts the band Benni Hemm Hemm. He first made a name for himself as guitarist for an even less known band, Mósaík, which I wrote about here. Björn Kristjánsson currently writes music as Borko and released an album earlier this year. He and Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson also went on to form Skakkamanage.

Hildur Guðnadóttir performs as Lost in Hildurness and released the album Mount A in 2006. Last time I checked she also played with Múm. Drummer Óli Björn Ólafsson later joined bands such as Unun, Kanada, Múm, Slowblow and Stórsveit Nix Noltes (Nix Nolte's Bigband), as well as performing with Emiliana Torrini. His first notable appearance was however in 1993 when he, at the tender age of 14 , won the annual music competition known as Músíktilraunir with the band Yukatan (which I wrote about here).

So, despite being literally lost and forgotten, the Jerk-offs included cannons in todays Icelandic indie scene. At the moment I cannot see how the album could be acquired, but I got a few MP3s.

Rúnk - Friends Forever
Rúnk - Klapparstígur

[Rúnk on Myspace]
[Skakkamanage]
[Borko]
[Lost in Hildurness]
[Benni Hemm Hemm]
[Stórsveit Nix Noltes]
[Múm]
[Yukatan]

After a longer than planned journey which saw motorway delays and us going round in circles when trying to find the camp site we arrived at Golden Valley early on Friday evening. We had been looking forward to this years indietracks for some time now, drunk on the memories of last years festival with the excitement and expectations of what we hoped was to come.

Pitching my quick pitch tent was pretty easy (but getting it down a few days later was another matter) and we quickly caught sight of indie pop friends old and new before heading down to The Midlands Railway Centre for the special Friday night show.

The Friday night was originally for the first 100 ticket holders but was soon open to all as many more had made the journey down. As we arrived Penny Broadhurst was playing but we didn't give her a second glance as we needed to quench our thirst on the railway carriage bar after that long journey.

On the platform by the bar we met more friends and sorted our selves out with the first barrel of real ale encountered (Cleopatra from the Dervinton Brewery CAMRA fans!) which was simply sublime on a warm summers evening. It went down even better as we met indie contributors Colin and Dunc for the first time.

Back to the tent and MJ Hibbert was previewing a condensed version of his Edinburgh Festival show My Life In Rock which is all about his adventures during his musical career. We sat down to listen to these tales ranging from love stories involving IT Helpdesk staff (It Only Works Because You Are Here ), low spec computers (Hey Hey 16k), The Smiths (The Lesson Of The Smiths) and of course cult dancing in Paris with Do The Indie Kid. Hibbert is a funny bloke and tells (sings?) his tales with glee. Tonight he is backed by The Validators and we lap it up. It's humourous and addictive stuff but after sitting on the grass for 40 minutes I get a dead leg and need to hobble away (via the bar) to get use of it back!

It's back on to the platform with many more beers to drink, people to meet, stories to swap and songs to dance to whilst Ian Watson of How Does It Feel To Be Loved span the National Pop League's Top 75 on the trains indie pop disco.

It'd over by midnight and we head back to the camp and use of the campsites disco (erm a jukebox!) but I soon make my excuses and leave so I could hit the sack and wait to see what the rest of the weekend brought. I wouldn't be disappointed and we would all be doing the indie kid before the weekend was over. And that's nothing to do with the beer!

Hibbert's new single It Only Works Because You Are Here is out now complete with bonus tracks which formed the basis of his show. Buy it here.

Rough Trade East has been running a series of free in store gigs to celebrate it's first birthday trading in the heart of London's "Bangla Town".

Tonight it's the turn of Leeds fuzz merchants Manhattan Love Suicides to blow out some of the candles on the Rough Trade birthday cake. They are stripped back to a four piece tonight as Rob is missing but they still manage to pack a punch.

Whilst we wait for the band the in store hi-fi plays the Mighty Lemon Drops 1986 "Happy Head" album in it's entirety which may have been intentional because that's part of the era the Manhattan's hark back to most. They saunter on stage clasping their cans of Stella and soon kick off in their own indomitable style. If you haven't seen them yet you get 20 minutes of pop noise comprising elements of The Mary Chain, Meat Whiplash, 1960's girl pop and My Bloody Valentine to name but a few. You also get no banter, no introductions and certainly no time wasting.

However I thought they were a bit subdued in parts tonight. This can be put down to the fact they were constrained by the sound limits meant they weren't at their noisiest which is all part of their charm. They also surprise us by breaking their set with a new, slow song which saw them putting all their Velvet Underground inspirations into one basket removing that frantic energy allowing them to catch their breaths. Caroline reads the lyrics of some paper because the song is so new. But that's the beauty of the MLS in that they take a chance and don't play safe. The best UK live act by far.

More photos here.

[My Space links]

Half My Heart Beats is a new indie pop club being set up in Glasgow.

They say We (Lynsey and Colin) are starting the club because we want somewhere to go to hear the music we love, and to share it with people who feel the same way. We will play current and classic indiepop, but you'll also hear '60s girl groups and anything else we think will get people up and dancing. The list of bands over on the left should give you an idea of the kind of thing we'll be playing.

The club is due take place on the second Saturday of every month with the first one hopefully planned for September. It takes place at The Flying Duck at 142 Renfield Street, Glasgow.

More on the ideas behind the club can be found on the Anorak Forum thread.

Colin is a contributor to indie mp3 and we wish him and Lynsey the best of luck with their new venture. It sounds ace!

[My Space link]

Caramel Distro is a new UK based distribution website for fanzines specialising in indie pop from all over the globe.

The fanzines it carries include A Fog of Ideas, Sapricot, Bottle Rocket, Yay!, Cloudberry, Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams, Thee Humbug and A Layer of Chips.

The people behind the distro (Marianthi and Ian from Spiral Scratch, Atomic Beat Records and Pocketbooks) also want to hear from other indie pop fanzines not currently covered. They will also be setting up a guide for creating your own fanzine.

To read why the distro was set up head here.

To visit the shop head this way.

This picture of Sweden's Juni Järvi instantly dragged me to his profile earlier today, an lo and behold, he writes some excellent melancholic popsongs in the vein of Jens Lekman and The Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs.

In 2006 he released his debut album, Wherever Thou Art, on a Swedish label, and October 2007 saw a US release of that same album. According to his website he is currently working on another album, as well as music for a motion picture called Pojktanten, about which I can't find anything useful though. It would seem though, that albeit a flurry of activity in 2006, he's been laying low for a while now.

In any case I've been hooked on his song, "If we just want to", all day long and not anywhere close to getting bored. I'm also told that the song "The Stars above Indian Lake" became a minor hit. I hope the new album will see light of day soon. Until then, check it out for yourselves:

Juni Järvi - If we just want to

And a few more songs:

Juni Järvi - The Stars above Indian Lake
Juni Järvi - Asleep

[Myspace link]
[Video for "The Stars above Indian Lake"]
[Even more songs at Hello Surprise]

La Famille Catastrophe is the side project of Simon who is also a member of indie mp3 faves Mutt Ramon.

The Voici... La Famille Catastrophe EPis the début single release and contains four songs. Whilst Mutt Ramon make what can be described as indie electro sound the music here is a simple lo-fi one backed by a drum machine and an electric bass as and when more oomph is required.

The EP opens with the Cafe Song which is as near to Mutt Ramon's sound as you will find here. It is harmonious thanks to the drumbeat and catchy thanks to the funny lyrics. Additionally Simon' s vocals which have never sounded stronger making it the EP's stand out track.

The remaining songs carry on in pretty much the same vein demonstrating that the DIY recording artist is alive and well and full of ideas. Sunny Days reminds me of a theme tune to a children's show whilst If You Called Me is a deliciously light ditty about love's call.

Is the EP essential? In the scheme of things probably not. However if you want an excellent example of home grown lo-fi pop music you won't find much better.

La Famille Catastrophe - Happenings

The Voici... La Famille Catastrophe EP is out now. Buy direct from the band's My Space page. They will play their début London show on September 26th at the Enterprise, Chalk Farm.

[My Space link]

Back in January I stumbled upon Titus Andronicus and their second single 'Albert Camus'. I loved it. So when I got wind of an LP the band were releasing I had to get my hands on a copy. The vinyl is limited to just 500 copies. It's out now on Troubleman Unlimited.

The music is also available to download and on CD. The band state: "Titus Andronicus is a rock and roll band from Glen Rock. In the beginning, there were only three people in the band. At one point, there were eleven people in the band. Today, there are five people in the band."

"The Airing of Gievances" seems to compile a few early releases onto one convenient LP as well as a smattering of new songs. It starts slowly - 'Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ' - takes a while to get going but when it does. -it really is a thing of beauty. Punchy, anthemic and catchy are words that spring to mind when listening to the LP.

There are lo-fi noisepop rumblings, full on rock'n'roll assaults and some of the best songs I've heard in 2008. There are only a couple of bands that have got me this excited this year and those are The Pains of Being Pure At Heart and The Manhattan Love Suicides. Titus Andronicus sound like neither really - but they do possess the knack that both those aforementioned bands have for making ridiclously catchy pop music. The singer in the band has a voice that reminds me a little of early Bright Eyes. Don't let that put you off (as it might have put me off). I think it fits with the sound that the band make.

"There'll be no more cigarettes, no more having sex, no more drinking until you fall on the floor, no more indie rock, just a ticking clock. You have no time for that anymore. You better watch where you run your mouth, because you know what they'll say to you. They'll say, "your life is over. I insist you cease to exist. Die. Your life is over."

'Titus Andronicus' - the song is refreshing blast of pop music with it's nagging chorus chant of 'Your Life Is Over'. Its the catchiest song I have heard since falling in love with eponymous Pobpah song. Yes, it's that good. 'No Future Part One' is over 7 minutes long and not a second on the song is wasted - as a slow start takes hold and builds and builds before an epic guitar solo (yes guitar solo) kicks in and gives the song a new impetus. If that wasn't enough the next song on the LP is 'No Future Part Two: The Day After No Future' is even better - a rumbling and rolling rock'n'roll song. The LP ends with 'Albert Camus' that nods to Spacemen 3 and The Velvet Underground whilst remaining utterly Titus Andronicus.

All in all this is easily one of the best, if not, the best LP I have heard this year.

[My Space]

Blimey! Series Two Records seems to be as prolific as Cloudberry when it comes to the release schedule.

Yet more free mp3's have dropped through my e-mail letterbox which are taken from the album by Tafra, first name Niklas, who played bass on the Surburban Kids With Biblical Names #3 album. As you may expect there are some similarities with SKWBN. However I like the way when just as you are thinking it's a carbon copy the music sets off on a tangent influenced by world music and ethnic instruments. It's ace stuff and here are those mp3's:

Tafra - Why Do You Have To Be So Complicated Baby
Tafra - Oh, Daniel
Tafra - I Wrote A Song About A Guy

The album is called Why Even Bother and can be purchased from the label's My Space page.

[My Space link]

The Electric Pop Group have posted a brand new song which is taken from their forthcoming new album on their My Space page.

The song is called Not By Another and it's just what you would expect from the band being full of melodies, strong hints of shoegaze with harmonies to die for. Let's hope the rest of the album, which is due for release in the autumn, is a strong as this track.

[My Space link]

Series Two Records is a CDR label based in Columbus, Nebraska.

Series Two started officially on February 21, 2006 (although the idea for the label came in March of 2002 when Christopher received from his uncle CDs of Omaha bands Desaparecidos and The Faint).

Chris currently works with promoting bands through the Myspace page, through college radio in USA and Canada, through a variety of mp3 blogs/websites in USA, Canada, Europe, Latin America and through a variety of international radio stations across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Scandinavia.

Series Two Records works with releasing some of the best Swedish indie pop and shoegaze bands as well as music from USA, UK, Germany, China, Costa Rica, Australia, Norway, Japan and Russia.

Current releases include those from Spring Factory, Oh Custer!, The Pristines and many more. There are also the CDR compilations produced on a regular basis.

Here are a selection tracks taken from current and forthcoming releases.

Oh Custer! - States
Back In Judy's Shack - The Forest
Bakers At Dawn - Tomorrow
Lonely Boy - Between The Lines
Peace In Our Time - Desperate For Something To Say

For details the releases and how to buy them visit the Series Two Records My Space page.