I want to float upon my memories...

 Aussie bullion from 2004.  

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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The Lost Tropics - s/t (1983)

It's been another week where I simply didn't get o much of anything in terms of this site, one that feels like it's very slowly going to pot due to my neglect.  Am definitely going to make more of an effort to get in the swing of things by spring.  In the meantime, I present to you The Lost Tropics, major label casualties from the mid-80s, who were ostensibly responsible for a one-and-done album, pictured to your right. New wavish for certain, but thankfully nothing gaudy or egregiously over-produced which was the norm for their era.  Coed vocals as well, splitting the difference just about evenly, with the "he" quotient vaguely recalling Ric Ocasek - convenient as some of the Lost Tropics skews in a Candy-O-esque vicinity (sorta).  Competent and even enjoyable, albeit nothing particularly innovative. Nonetheless you can count me as a fan.

01. Zoo Story

02. Feels Like Love

03. Girls

04. Too Much to Handle

05. I Think of You

06. Rumble

07. Any Other Day

08. Keep on Sleeping

09. A Different World

10. Tonite is Booked

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Hard times right now might be bliss deferred...

From 1995.  Was saddened to learn of the recent loss of this power pop maven.  He may not have vaulted to the highest tier of my favorites, but still leaves behind a choice legacy.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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V/A - Succulents - The Letter "S" folder mix.

The idea was to get to all 26 letters in the alphabet, when I initiated the "letter" series compilations way back in 2011.  By 2016 I had only managed to cover nine rather random installments in a series that was supposed to have been completed looong before that year.  And wouldn't you know I decided to take a ten-year long breather (of sorts), but since I didn't have much slated for this week I opted to arouse the dusty letter archives out of their decade-long slumber. You see, on my overloaded hard drive, for almost every complete album I have by an artist, I store just as many random one-off songs by artists I don't have a dedicated folder to.  These random one-offs have been corralled into "letter folders" A through Z. I often forget these particular folders exist, that is unless I feel the urge to hear a specific track. Given the disparate genres that run into each under this alphabetic scheme, each folder unto itself reveals some intriguing bedfellows. Being that "S" is the most used letter in the English vernacular, I decided to go really big with this one, offering no less than forty artists, about half of which I've never given coverage to on Wilfully Obscure heretofore.  

Since I'm not going to be revealing a full tracklist, I can at the very least provide you with a few spoilers.  There's rarities from the likes of Slowdive, Schatzi, Swimming Pool Q's and Steve Malkmus & the Jicks, live action from the Scientists, and strangely enough field recordings of radio emissions from Saturn (yes, the planet).  And if you want covers, we've got you covered - literally with about ten remakes total, including Silverstein, Screamfeeder, Scared of Chaka, and Seafood all getting in on the action.  Naturally, I'm tossing in some huge under-the-radar personal favorites from Swollen Members, Sebadoh, The Secrets and Shrapnel among oodles of others.  And if you're curiosity is piqued, please visit similar setups for already attended-to letters "E" "D" "H" "O" "P" "B" "T"  "Z" and "G."

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...test your faith, you shimmer like a godsend

From 1993. Likely one of the fifty most listened-to albums in my collection, yet I've been hesitant to share it because I know a good chunk of you will frown on the genre.  I've presented them on a previous M/M, and as I may have mentioned in my leadup to that one, this band embodies the throes of a harsh, unforgiving winter like few others I've ever crossed paths with.  

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Bpeople - Petrified Conditions 1979-1981 (1986, Restless)

Though this isn't necessarily designed to be an introduction to Bpeople (ideally you might want to go with their two proper self-titled releases from 1981) the artful aesthetic they quietly championed is wholly evident on this collection of alternate takes and previously unreleased material. Though I haven't encountered any "no-wave" accusations leveled at these guys, Bpeople certainly weren't striving to land amongst the ubiquitous new romantic contingents hovering amidst their L.A. airspace. Instead, manicured dissonance was a more their bag, entailing flourishes of intermittent saxophone and choppy syncopation. Amidst these proclivities real songs frequently emerge from the avant detritus - "You at Eight," "In the Mind" and the chilling "The World's the Arrow," albeit falling well short of pop terrain.  Mouthpiece/guitar wrangler Alex Gibson bears parallels with that of the Wipers' Greg Sage, but that's likely more coincidence than adulation. To date, Bpeople's catalog hasn't been represented or preserved in the digital realm, at least not formally, but I guess that's what music blogs are for.  I should also mention that contemporary to some of these recordings, Gibson unleashed a solo ep, Passionel in '81.

01. Special Kind of Fun

02. Can Can't

03. I Said Everybody

04. The World's the Arrow

05. Give Up

06. Perseuction, That's My Song

07. The Thing

08. I Said Everybody (Vers 2)

09. You at Eight

10. In the Mind

11. Weather to Worry

12. MPCD

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If this is your world take it with you.

From 2021. Nuevo post-punk steeped in a tastefully modest stride. 

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Hetch Hetchy - Swollen (1990, Texas Hotel)

Often seen as a musical footnote, Hetch Hetchy were seemingly revered more for their lineage than what they committed to tape.  Frontwoman Lynda L. Limner happened to be Michael Stipe's sister, though H/H were a sonic entity unto their own.  Though I've seen comparisons to Hugo Largo, this ethereal quartet seem to occupy a middle ground brandishing similar textures to Bob Mould's Workbook foray and the more curious reaches of the Cocteau Twins, with the vocals on Swollen often resembling the abstract/playful take on Gaelic that Elizabeth Fraiser & Co. made their calling card.  The effect is not particularly immediate, but even a cursory listen reveals there's something engaging at play - and without a doubt artful to the hilt. On the surface Swollen is equally committed to atmospheric heft as much as the songs themselves, but I'll let you draw your own conclusions as to which prevails in the end.  

01. Commonplace

02. Heavens

03. Satanette

04. Perfect Puzzle

05. Mango Wienie

06. Retsina

07. Bow Song

08. Erotic CPR

09. Mother's Drum

10. ...

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Looked inside to a world within, this time it's no easier than it's ever been...

From 2006.  I didn't intend to make this a twentieth anniversary post, but what do ya know?

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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The Icicle Works - The Palace, Hollywood, 1984

I'm tempted to say that I've neglected the Icicle Works this whole time, yet it's hardly deliberate.  Like hundreds of other mainstream-ish artists I enjoy Ian McNabb's back catalog (both solo and with I/W) is thoroughly represented online through official channels, be they streaming services or Bandcamp and the like. While I can't really encroach into any of his publicized studio endeavors there are always little Easter eggs, like this ostensibly abbreviated,  FM-broadcast performance from the band's commercial peak in the mid-80s.  I'm especially fond of the first two Icicle Works albums, and I ventured beyond "Birds Fly (A Whisper To A Scream)" eons ago.  

This undated set comes on the heels of their 1984 debut, and naturally features said hit, but also entails virtually every significant song from that near-flawless record (save perhaps for "In the Cauldron of Love").  Lumped in with the new romantic contingent the Works bore chilly post-punk affectations aplenty that unlike many of their major label cohorts weren't tampered with, not thoroughly anyway.  A little credibility went a long way in distinguishing them the strenuously coifed poseurs they found themselves among. It was unfortunate they couldn't stay in the good graces of the fans that readily flocked to "Birds Fly...," but no matter.  The proof was in the pudding and the Icicle Works absolutely sparkled in their brief moment in the limelight.  I'm making this available in FLAC as well as MP3.  

01 - As The Dragonfly Flies

02 - Chop The Tree

03 - Scarecrow

04 - Love Is A Wonderful Colour

05 - Out Of Season

06 - Lover's Day

07 - Factory In The Desert

08 - Birds Fly (A Whisper To A Scream)

MP3  or  FLAC

City Lights - Blackout ep (1980, City Lights)

Playing a stripe of power pop that seems almost quaint by today's standards, City Lights, the pride and joy of Kagel Canyon, CA, ostensibly flickered out not long after this ep.  Bit of a shame given the frenetic, sinewy stride of the kick-off "She Wants to Be Sure," that splits the difference between early Cheap Trick and the slightly tamer aplomb of contemporaries the Rubinoos.  This is quickly followed up by a faithful redux of the Zombies "Time of the Season," however I think Blackout's main draw is "My Love is Real" which brandishes a near-devastating chorus hook.  Am not thoroughly in the bag for the remainder of this ep, but it's a strikingly varied batch of tunes that don't stick around long enough to get mired in any samey malaise.

 01. She Wants to be Sure

02. Time of the Season

03. My Love is Real

04. Scared (of Being in Love)

05. Don't Tell Her

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So we lifted up our eyes, and the light of the sun was the light of our love...

From 1989. One that sank almost immediately when released, but ultimately became a minor cult-classic in subsequent decades. I tacked on one utterly crucial bonus track.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Best of the blog mix 2025

Continuing my annual tradition of recapping a year's worth of choice blog posts into one handy compendium, here's the condensed version of Wilfully Obscure, circa 2025.  Discounting "Mystery Monday" entries I don't think I gave you much more than 60-70 digitizations, a far cry from just ten years ago when I easily flung twice that amount of music at you. The reasons for this are numerous, and I'd be lying if I said last year wasn't thoroughly challenging. The nutshell premise as always is if you feel the need to catch up you might as well begin (but hopefully not end) here.  As was the case with previous yearly roundups, I've inserted a few random morsels exclusive to this playlist (denoted with an *)

What can I say?  I brought the jangle in a stupendous way with the likes of Yazoo Beach, Suns of the Silence, A Few, and The Loch Ness Mouse, all worth their ever lovin' weight in sweet harmonies and clangy chords.  If you're hankering for a bit more roughage in your ear canal, insurgent, power-chord vendors Dirty Looks, Yo, and Roy G Biv should suffice.  No shortage of post-punk/adjacent goodies are present, along with heaps of left-of-the-dial magic. Tirez Tirez, and a once lost, synth-pop nugget courtesy of Who's Who fill the anomaly quotient splendidly, and I even cap off the whole affair with a 'Mats cover, random as it may seem. Have a blast.

01. Maxxturs - It's Just Like You

02. Victorian Parents - Uncommunique

03. The Neats - Cariboo

04. The Passions - Into Night

05. Faith Global - Love Seems Lost

06. The Charlottes - Liar

07. That Hope - Jeff Matt Joey

08. The Montanas - Chains

09. Dirty Looks - Let Go

10. Prime Movers - Change For The Better*

11. Bob Beland - Stealin' Cars

12. Yo - Pot O' Gold

13. Roy G Biv - Off My Path

14. Shrubs - Never Go Back

15. The Fad - Run on Back to You*

16. Principles of Literary Criticism - She Gets

17. Sleep of Reason -That's a Nice Thought

18. A Few - Best Around

19. Yazoo Beach - By the Hand

20. Lovers and Other Monsters - Breathing Walls, Breaking Glass

21. Suns of the Silence - So You Thought That You Could Fly

22. The Loch Ness Mouse - Vespa 50

23. Chris Bailey - Easier Done Than Said (Do It!)

24. Tirez Tirez - Under the Door

25. Standing Waves - Vertigo

26. Who's Who & Christopher Saint - Ulterior Motives*

27. Silver Receiver - Can't Hardly Wait*

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I don't wanna be with you, but I don't want to be alone too.

From 2019.  Imagine if Best Coast awoke with a mild, dream-pop hangover and developed a taste for Psychocandy.  

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Jellyfishbabies - s/t (1986, Plot)

I'll be posting a "best of the blog" mix for '25 before you know it.  In the meantime, here's an outfit I haven't paid any attention to, Nova Scotia's Jellyfishbabies, since I shared their sophomore LP, The Unkind Truth About Rome, several ages ago.  In fact, I had been sitting on this precursor album for an inexcusable amount of time. The Unkind Truth... was varied in the most flattering sense possible, exuding equal parts depth and breadth that only could have been gestated by a band who had keenly developed their craft.  The debut pictured to your left does house some fantastic songs, namely the speedy, aggro-ridden "Messiah," "Blue Eyes," and "Certain Memories," all of which smack of SST-era Husker Du, Squirrel Bait and the Nils.  The songwriting however is regrettably far from 100%, and doesn't quite do justice to much else here. Despite its inconsistencies Jellyfishbabies is still plenty listenable and considering it's better songs border on the remarkable I almost feel guilty complaining.  Incidentally, there's a website for this crew, but when I attempt to visit it on any device either my antivirus is blocking it, or perhaps it's just defunct. Give it a shot.  

01. Messiah

02. Blue Eyes

03. Rainy Day

04. Diamond Joe

05. Can it Be

06. Certain Memories

07. Never Really Knew

08. Mile of Glass

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