...and crack you up

Tonight I've decided to blur the lines between traditional Chanukah uploads and Mystery Monday.  Yes, I'm keeping this one (relatively) secret, but unlike my usual ritual of removing the link in seven days I'm going to keep this one active until the powers that be tell me otherwise. Ironically, it consists of completely unreleased versions, but given the higher profile of the artist (whom now routinely headline sold-out arenas) I feel the need to go... clandestine. But I shall reveal a few clues as follows.

• 2006
• Cincinnati by way of Brooklyn
• Fourth album prototypes w/ sum unreleased
• A dozen and a quarter selections
• regninreb. renssed.

Curious?  Download away. 

Hear 

Perfect Strangers - Protected in America (1986, N-Beat)

Mostly a coincidence, this one ties in with another Chanukah entry I gifted you this week, and even a second one (tangentially anyway).  As for the record at hand, there have probably been no less than three dozen bands who've christened themselves as Perfect Strangers over the millennia, with a good chunk of them having had their legacies cataloged on Discogs. 

This set of Strangers congregated in Jackson, MS, and constituted something of a precursor supergroup for yours truly. Granted, it's unlikely you'd be familiar with any of the members or the other acts they were associated with. Not long after this record was issued  bassist Fritz Martin and percussion basher Chris Hall would compose two thirds of Square Root of Now, while guitarist, backing vocalist Scott Coopwood would eventually make another band we've covered before, Yazoo Beach his claim to fame, relatively speaking. The arguable fulcrum of the band, mouthpiece Kris Wilkinson has few outside affiliations, but does a bang-up job on this short but sweet ten-song platter.  Her cool vocal hues on Protected in America's commencing salvo, "Small Towns" sit atop Coopwood's icy, ringing arpeggios a la Martha and the Muffins timeless "Echo Beach," emanating a flawless and inviting pairing.  A similar sonic template courses through bittersweet post-punk traipses like "The Storm," the title cut, and the keyboard-inflected "2 Steps Back," the latter of these approximating a more benign variation on what Siouxsie and the Banshees were attempting just a few years prior.  Ultimately, P/S's modus operandi sat a few rungs shy of conventional new wave, but wielded a textured, noir edge that would've likely dissuaded mainstream FM playlists. Side A is near-perfect and a sheer delight on repeat listens.  

 A little further in "I Live For You" finagles with a poppier underbelly, the subdued, ballad-esque "Treasure is Kept" falters slightly, but Perfect Strangers regain their footing with a vengeance on the melancholic finale, "Shelter."  Not to belabor the point, the Strangers mesh of chiming guitars and vaguely downcast vocals make for a compelling and alluring combination just about anywhere the needle lands on Protected... As for the tie-ins I mentioned, I just featured a Square Root of Now single last night, and I'd be remiss if I failed to point out that Tim Lee of the Windbreakers sings and plays on "Treasure is Kept." Perhaps not a carpet-to-carpet masterpiece, Protected in America is still more than ovation worthy, and might be the most enticing LP I've unleashed in '23...so enjoy. 

01. Small Towns

02. The Storm

03. Protected in America

04. Another Faith

05. 2 Steps Back

06. Majority Rules

07. I Live For You

08. The Treasure is Kept

09. Halloween

10. Shelter

MP3  or  FLAC

Six superlative singles!

I wasn't planning on doing another volley of singles until next year, but I've been sitting on a lot of interesting titles, plus let's face it, life is kinda short. This assortment is a pretty good cross section of what I try to feed you these days, but I like to think they're a cut above what I might post on say, a random Wednesday in May. Download links in MP3 or lossless FLAC are available at the end of the post. With that in mind let's proceed. 

Waxing Poetics - Hermitage/Return 7" (1984, Celery)

Perhaps the pinnacle of all the singles I've shared in the last 365 days.  I haven't featured anything by Waxing Poetics since '08. This dandy 45 exudes more than a wink and a nod to vintage R.E.M., with "Hermitage" appealing to the same pleasure centers that made everyone's first spin of "Radio Free Europe" such a revelation. As it would happen, two year later Peter Buck would co-produce this Norfolk, VA quartet's debut album, also titled Hermitage.

The Deflowers - New Day Tonight/Ten Days (1992, Stand Like Cleopatra)

I don't think there's a note by the Deflowers that's passed my ears that I haven't taken an automatic liking to. These Seattle denizens bore a far greater resemblance to Buffalo Tom than Mudhoney, and were all the more stimulating as a result.  A thoroughly winsome mix of melody and sophisticated song-writing chops. Check out their even more cranking Shiny New Pony album and other assorted releases from the link above.

Square Root of Now - But She's a Nice Girl/Dream Belief (1984, DeWeese Music Prods.)

I've been besotted with the Square Root of Now's 1987 Bent Around Corners LP ever since I happened upon it sometime in the early 2000s. And why shouldn't I be obsessed with that album's often surreal but consistently sublime reinvention of new romantic synth-pop?  SRN were kind enough to bequeath us that one mesmerizing full length, but there was a single that preceded it, and here it is.  They hadn't quite fully grown into their sound at this point, so to speak, but this was a solid start, especially the jaunty A-side.

beatrice blinded - two days wide/disappear (1994, Mallbunny)

Evidently this one's so scant that even the mighty Dicogs isn't providing an entry for it. A co-ed quintet from the college town of  Ithaca, NY, Beatrice Blinded's take on dream pop was heavy-handed to a fault, and no doubt why they needed to employ multiple guitarists plus a pedal/effects-board the size of a small canoe. Think the first Lilys album and some of Velocity Girl's nascent shoegaze forays. A little formulaic by todays standards, but B/B were something of an anomaly in their day.  

Nu-Este - From This Side of the Window/If You Want (1982, Intense Intents)

This was another ace discovery this year. Nu-Este were from Philly, and by my estimation the gentlemen in this trio must be hovering around 60 y/o or thereabouts these days. All the accumulating years aside, this is really smart, edgy post-punk sporting an artful flair that thankfully doesn't do so at the expense of eschewing some poignant melody on the driving, mid-tempo "From This Side..."  Vaguely reminiscent of Mission of Burma and Middle Class, Nu-Este opted to volley their tunes at a somewhat milder pitch.  As coincidence would have it, our fellow blogsters at Systems of Romance did a piece on this single a couple of years ago, but the rip you're getting here is completely unique.   

Whooping Cranes - Hope/Stopped Breathing (1986, Zip)

I did an entry on the Whooping Cranes That's What I Need album one whole decade ago, so it's about time for a follow-up, eh?  The band's skittish aplomb and endearing quirkiness on both of these two verbose tracks should've slotted in like a glove on college radio.  The Cranes sounded like they were grazing on the same plateau as contemporaries Agitpop and Nixon's Head, if those names happen to ring a bell. Really nails the dual creative/charming bullseye, and I'm very much liable to revisit their aforementioned follow-up LP for dessert .

MP3  or  FLAC

Game Theory - live @ Fat Fonzies, Sacramento 10/5/84

It's not the first time I've hosted material by Game Theory and with any luck it won't be the last (but you never know). On this particular night in Sacto, CA we zoom in on Scott Miller, Gil Ray, et al ignite Fat Fonzies, a venue they were no strangers to. This performance was sandwiched between the band's Dead Center (1984) and Real Nighttime (1985) albums, with the setlist slightly favoring the latter. 

Arguably the band still hadn't quite peaked, but virtually everything in G/T's repertoire up until this point was golden, and they had accumulated a number of early classics under their belt, several included on the setlist - "Curse Of The Frontierland," "Nine Lives To Rigel Five" and "Penny, Things Won't."  "Friend of the Family" sounds particularly vicious and vibrant, as does a fast and frenetic execution of "Real Nighttime." A couple of covers make an appearance, both fun but a tad frivolous - a rendition of "Aliens in Our Midst" originally penned by Sacramento garage punks The Twinkeyz, and a done-to-death Fab Four tune to finish the crowd off.  This is a decent audience tape with the drums prominent in the mix, but not grating or overpowering.  Not their definitive concert, but there's plenty of spunk and magic to be had.  Per the liner notes of the original torrent seeder, it's regarded as the first live G/T tape in circulation. Enjoy!

01. Penny, Things Won't

02. Real Nighttime

03. Curse Of The Frontierland

04. Waltz The Halls Always

05. 24

05. Friend Of The Family

07. Nine Lives To Rigel Five

08. Aliens of Our Midst (Twinkeyz)

09. I Wanna Get Hit By A Car

10. Shark Pretty

11. Rayon Drive

12. I Want To Hold Your Hand 

MP3  or  FLAC 

V/A - Here Comes That Girl - U.S. Power Pop Vol. 1 [1978-1987] & Knock Me Down - U.S. Power Pop Vol 2 [1977-1986] (2007, Sold-It)

So the story goes, and unnamed record dealer in Europe was sitting on a stash of scarce, private-press power pop singles from a bevy of Yankee unknowns, and prior to unloading his trove onto the marketplace he had the foresight and capitalistic savvy to digitize and compile several of them on two cd-r compilations that were seemingly as difficult to come by as the original 45s. So much so that I don't have physical copies of said cds myself.

I suppose that if MP3s will suffice for me, they will for a few hundred of you as well.  Between these two collections there are 30+ bands, the majority of which I don't believe have been compiled or at the very least profiled anywhere. Despite this quantity I have less to unpack here (save for a pair of  lofty tracklists) than you might think given time constraints on my end and the lack of biographical details available on the artists themselves.  In a nutshell, back in the early/mid '80s when I was getting my head around the likes of Genesis and Hall & Oates, it seems that in every city, burg and borough there was at least one or two under the radar outfits toiling away in obscurity playing for a crowd of 50 or so warm bodies at a local dive, and occasionally were proud enough of their craft to warrant recording and releasing a 7" single on their own label, or better, yet a local imprint that was willing to bankroll the few hundred dollars it would require to bring such an endeavor to fruition.  Scores of such unknown quantities have cropped up on digital DIY collections like the Teen Line and Powerpearls series, but the entrants involving the two albums I'm featuring today, Here Comes That Girl and Knock Me Down seem to be of an especially more arcane variety.  

While a good 99% of musical connoisseurs were tethered to top-40 radio and MTV at the time, lower-profile contestants with monikers like Peer Group, The Windows, The Crickle, and P-15s operated in a parallel universe of sorts, honing a more homespun variation of the pop polemic, conveyed via a far more meager delivery system. Yet in the grand scheme of things these bands occasionally yielded results more heartfelt, sincere and satisfying than their comparative major label counterparts. There was no internet (at least as we know it) or social media outlets to propagate any of these 42 songs when they  originally saw the light of day between '77 and '87.  Those in "the know" by and large lucked out by virtue or attending local venues, tuning into college radio, or more likely had the good fortune of being informed by good old fashioned word-of-mouth. Sure, The Finders and Atlantics never became "stars" per se, they at least had their profiles enhanced a few decades after the fact once the internet eventually dredged up their names in forums and blogs (um, maybe like this one?). In short, better late than never. 

If it's the more aggro or punky side of the power-pop spectrum you're angling for, you might want to stick to your KBD comps, as what you'll encounter on both of these compendiums populate the more melodic end of the three-minute gamut. Surprisingly, Wilfully Obscure has only overlapped in two or three instances with the contenders here, limited  to the likes of the Fan Club, The Choice, and Finders. That means there are three-dozen or so new rabbit holes to plunder, so have at it.

V/A - Here Comes That Girl - U.S. Powerpop 1978-87

01. Atlantics - Television Girl

02. Britins - She Knows

03. Brunettes - You and Me

04. Choice - Strange

05. Crickle - Henry the VII

06. Effections - Cheerleader Crush

07. Fan Club - Just Another Kiss

08. Finders Which Way

09. Hitman - Give Yourself to Me

10. Bill Kern - You're Not Coming Home

11. Masterbeats - Silver Lining

12. Glenn Miller & Impossibles - Walk Right Over You

13. Nems - Solider of Love

14. News - She's So Square

15. P-15's You're Not That Girl

16. Peer Group - No Attraction

17. Pets - Break Em All Down

18. Point - No Desire

19. Rom's - Where Were You

20. Sliders - Here Comes That Girl

21. Windows - Don't Hang Up

Hear

V/A - Knock Me Down - U.S. Powerpop 2 1977-86

01. Abstracts - It's Me (1981)

02. The Cheeters - You Aint Breakin' Nobodys Heart (1985)

03. The Effections - Candy (1984)

04. The Finders - It's So Insane (1981)

05. The Gooses - Just a Tailor (1977)

06. Randy Gun - I Apologize (1980)

07. Bill Kern - Don't Listen to Them (1979)

08. The Krayolas - Cry Cry, Laugh Laugh (1980)

09. Mor's - The Girl Next Door (1979)

10. The Nems - A Girl Like You (1979)

11. The Noogs - Everybody Loves You (1980)

12. The Outlets - Knock Me Down (1980)

13. Peer Group - Change of Plans (1981)

14. The Rudies - Sherry Goodbye (1980)

15. The Shake Shakes - You Can Run (1979)

16. Squirrels From Hell - Adverse Reaction (1982)

17. Stan Skora - You Like It (1981)

18. Transistors - R-Love (is Approaching Critical Mass) (1980)

19. Tommy Trash - Why Not (1983)

20. The Windows - My Dear (1982)

21. The Young Idea - Cool Side of Town (1985)

Hear

File under Windbreakers: Bobby Sutliff - What I Wanted Wasn't What I Found: Home demos (1986)

In a nutshell, when singer/songwriter Bobby Sutliff passed away after a battle with cancer on August 29, 2022, the world in general didn't know what they lost, because frankly, the world in general wasn't aware of his presence in the first place. Nonetheless, I know he's not a stranger to a lot of you reading this, but just as a backgrounder for the uninitiated, I'm going to source some details from a piece I originally penned for the reissue of Bobby's 1987 album Only Ghosts Remain.

Making his bow in the early '80s from the somewhat unlikely locale of Jackson, MS as half of the songwriting quotient of the Windbreakers, Bobby, partnered with Tim Lee, would be responsible for three memorable albums of collegiate guitar pop (Terminal (1985), Run (1986) and A Different Sort (1987), not to mention a handful of preceding EPs. The Windbreakers were something of a staple on left-of-the-dial radio outlets, and were a decent live draw, but they didn't come close to breaching the mainstream.  To fans of jangle-laden indie rock coming remotely from the same environs as R.E.M. (and maybe less so the Dream Syndicate) the band was a breath of fresh air. Almost immediately subsequent to several of the aforementioned albums, Bobby pursued solo endeavors resulting in five albums between 1987 and one posthumously released earlier this year, Bob Sings and Plays. 

As for the music concerning tonight's presentation, What I Wanted Wasn't What Found was not my creation, and in fact I have no source to credit the actual curator, so to whomever assembled this (possibly Bobby himself?), gracias. Despite it's purported recording date of 1986, none of the songs here wound up on his first proper album, Only Ghosts Remain, making the bulk of these compositions unique to this collection. Given these dozen and a half songs were likely committed to a four or eight track machine, sonically there's an organic, lo-fi bent to them. While certainly not buttoned-down, so to speak, Bobby doesn't engage in anything particularly sloppy either. The overarching vibe is akin to an early Mitch Easter of Don Dixon production, and while perhaps not as seminal as, R.E.M. or the dB's there's a plenty of charm and roughhewn warmth to revel in. Highlights include but aren't limited to jangly, engaging morsels like "Cold Cold Rain," "Call Your Name," not to mention the hazy psych tinctures (a la Rain Parade) employed on "Don't Come Here At Night."  Amongst a bevy of stimulating originals is a rewarding spin on the Flamin' Groovies masterstroke "I Can't Hide."  Though it may lack the continuity of a proper album, What I Wanted... is nonetheless a font of inspired, homegrown songcraft that will be a major find for both aficionados of the Windbreakers, and fans of guitarsy, indie pop emanating from the southeast circa the mid-80s. 

01. Our Little War

02. One Thing True

03. Quinn Street

04. Cold Cold Rain

05. I Thought You Knew

06. I Remember

07. I Can't Hide

08. What I Wanted Wasn't What I Found

09. Call Your Name

10. Wedding Bells

11. Too Much in Time

12. Our Little War

13. Being Chased by a Ghost

14. Don't Come Here at Night

15. I'm Moving On

16. I Want You, I Need You

17. Same Way Tomorrow

18. Small Town Romance

Hear

The Posies - live in 1987 in Bellingham (first show!) & V/A - Bring Me the Head of Brian McKenna - a Posies Tribute (199?)

Welcome to night one. So I'm going into this one with more than a little bit of trepidation.  By now a lot of you have disavowed The Posies, or at the very least one of the group's core components.  In case you've been living under a rock you can get caught up to speed here. Ultimately, I decided to put these two offerings on the table...but why you might ask?  Well, the simple fact is before the troubling revelations, accusations, and the band's acrimonious and sudden dissolution in 2021, there was a phenomenal body of music to be had.  It's still phenomenal.  Heck, just excise the band's career down to three albums, Dear 23 (1990), Frosting on the Beater (1993) and Amazing Disgrace (1996) and their place in power-pop is cemented right then and there, yet they gave us much more than that, almost all of it good to great. From this point on I'm going to ignore the soap opera, and focus entirely on what I came here to offer, two untainted pieces of music I hope you'll simply be able to appreciate.  

First up is a tape of what I've been informed is the Posies debut performance, all the way back in 1987 in their hometown of Bellingham, WA. I don't have an exact date or venue details to offer, but considering the set consists entirely of covers it's not hard to rationalize this was very early in the band's career when they were functioning exclusively as an acoustic duo.  In fact we don't even get a hint of what they'd offer on their 1988 debut, Failure.  Besides the fact that Stringfellow and Auer were adept players and harmonizers this early in the game they also had commendable taste with the likes of The Jam, R.E.M., Replacements, Squeeze, Billy Bragg and yes, the Beatles all coming under their scrutiny in this 46 minute set. The performances are lucid, slightly cheeky, and by and large faithful to the original arrangements, and the tape sounds as if it was plucked straight from the soundboard - that or an extremely tight audience recording. The only glitch is that the intro to "Mrs. Robinson" is cut off.  This one has likely been in circulation among collectors for a few decades now, but for the brunt of you this is bound to be a delight (to one degree or another).

Just a few months ago the existence of a Posies tribute album (ostensibly a cassette only release) Bring Me the Head of Brian McKenna, was absorbed into my radar. No copywrite was provided, but considering that the format is a tape, and with the inclusion of a cover of "Start a Life" from the band's 1998 LP Success, I'd peg the date of release to be hovering around 1999 or 2000. The album does have a curator, but I''ll let that be revealed in the liner notes for those of you whom opt to download this.  The pressing of this one was likely minimal, as there is no mention of it anywhere online. A few hundred copies (if that) I would guess?  There's nary a household name to be head here, with only the likes of The Pyramidiacs and Walter Clevenger triggering any personal recollection.  

As far as tributes go this one is pretty straightforward.  Nothing leftfield you might say - just primo songs covered with reverence yet sheer passion. For whatever the reason, the Dear 23 chestnut "Any Other Way" has the distinction of being featured here twice, but I'm not complaining. Lots of homegrown, bedroom-tracked vibes on this one.  As for the puzzling title, I can't help but wonder who Brian McKenna is/was. So much so that I did a quick Google query, yielding a match for a recently deceased film director of the same name, who seemingly had zero ties or overlap with the band.  Your guess is as good as mine.  Full tracklists for this and the live gig are below. 

Live in Bellingham 1987

01. Mrs. Robinson

02. I'm Looking Through You

03. Don't Look Away

04. Swingin' Party

05. I've Just Seen a Face

06. Sitting Still

07. That's Entertainment

08. I Can't Reach You

09. English Rose

10. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away

11. Separate Beds

12. Greetings to the New Brunette

13. Superman

14. So Sad About Us

15. Strange

MP3  or  FLAC

VA - Bring Me the Head of Brian McKenna - a Posies Tribute

01. Every Damn Day - Help Yourself

02. Walter Clevenger - Paint Me

03. The Pyramidiacs - Open Every Window

04. Khadejah Dein - Coming Right Along

05. Hammerfish - Dream All Day

06. Gino Scarpino - Any Other Way

07. Nerdburgers - What Little Remains

08. Underwater Sunshine - Everyone Moves Away

09. The Superstitions - How She Lied by Living

10. Juji Frootz - Any Other Away

11. WINK? - Earlier Than Expected

12. Little Buddy - Under Easy

13. Ed Taboada - Flavor of the Month

14. The Warm Jets - Start a Life

Hear

Chanukah, anyone? Eight consecutive nights of downloadable gifts are imminent.

 

Another year and another Chanukah is upon us.  2023 is almost in the books and ready to be sealed away, but not before the annual Festival of Lights, which in our case means no more, but no less than eight consecutive nights of gifts in the guise of extra special uploads from me...and hopefully extra special downloads for you.  Comparatively speaking new content has been low this year, so this is perhaps the best and most constructive way I can compensate. Will I outdo myself from previous years?  Regrettably, maybe not but i just might come close. You'll have to tune in starting this Thursday night (the 7th, yes, damn early this year) to find out.  You can anticipate the reliable flurry of un/under-released vinyl, bootlegs, live offerings and demos. 

You might be asking what initially motivated me to begin this tradition altogether.  For one, it gives me a convenient excuse to share several mind-blowing "gifts" instead of just one big reveal on Christmas.  Secondly, Chanukah represents personal relevance to me.  We all know you were envious of that kid down the block who had a yarmulke festooned to their head, who was given the privilege of lighting the menorah, and of course, reveling in eight glorious nights of presents.  Once again, I'm paying it forward.  Previous Chanukah entries have featured Wire, Velocity Girl, Jellyfish, Husker Du and Teenage Fanclub, but name recognition is hardly a guarantee.  As in past years, there will definitely be familiar faces, but also several entrants that have never garnered face-time on W/O.  Bear in mind that what's crucial and/or special to my ears may not be of equal essence to yours, but kindly, try to humor me.

At the top of each Chanukah upload will be a thumbnail photo of a menorah, with the appropriate number of lit candles to denote each succeeding evening until all eight slots in the candelabra are occupied on the concluding night of December 14. 

• Look for the first Chanukah posting this Thursday evening, and then for the remaining seven nights 'round supper time all next week. 
• Mystery Monday will be taking a break this coming Monday (Dec. 11) so as not to disrupt or distract from the continuity of the eight consecutive nights of the holiday.
• Some offerings will be made available in FLAC (in addition to standard MP3).

That's it in a nutshell. Download responsibly. 

This war of words is killing me.

A fairly astonishing debut from 2001. RIYL Seaweed and Ultimate Fakebook.

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

Hear

Six Finger Satellite/Green Magnet School – The Declaration Of Techno-Colonial Independence 2x7'' (1992, Sub Pop)

Here are a couple of really inventive bands that for whatever the reason I've rarely brought up on these pages before. Rhode Island denizens Six Finger Satellite, as their adjacent picture to your right is likely to suggest, were a band who very much functioned on their own wavelength so to speak. Bearing the same artful, aggro aesthetics of Volcano Suns, 6FS wielded wily dynamics and flirted with avant affectations, yet possessed a lopsided accessibility that catapulted both of their songs here, including the wonderfully urgent "Sex Transistor" over the top. These guys were a trip to witness live, and left us with roughly a half dozen albums, mostly rearing their weird little heads in the mid-90s.

Also from New England, and equally as fascinating were the Massachusetts based Green Magnet School, a noisy, sonic caterwaul of an indie rock proposition who were amped-out as all get up and sublimely guitar driven. Lots of angularities too and they had a penchant for gravitating towards austere motifs without ever succumbing to anything overtly gloomy. The concise, blitzkrieg assault of  "12 Guage" mines an early Jawbox vein, while a considerably slower cover of Neil Young's Freedom deep cut "Don't Cry" is surprisingly enthralling and effective.  GMS' 1990 debut platter, Blood Music is a heady, hot mess of a fever dream that is not to be missed. I might be sharing more from these folks at some point.

Six Finger Satellite

01. Crippled Monster Bearing Malice

02. Sex Transistor

Green Magnet School

01. 12 Gauge

02. Don't Cry

Hear

It did me better in the long run, it did me better in the end.

From 1981. Essentially a one-off album from a band commandeered by a prolific singer, songwriter and toiler of cult renown. One of his most linear and satisfying forays into power pop. 

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

Hear

Let's pretend that we could never reach the end...

When this dropped a few Black Friday's ago (2017 to be exact) it seemed kind of, well, random.  Why demos for the P.O.V. album, and why only three selections from that particular title?  In the '80s Todd Rundgren and Utopia reliably toured and dropped a new album roughly every year until they ceased around 1985.  P.O.V. was the finale for Runt and Co., and while it didn't quite reach the infectious Beatlesque plateaus of Deface the Music (1980) and the even better self-titled Utopia two years later, P.O.V. did bear copious fruit.  If you're an aficionado of this era of the man and his band in question, from album to album you by and large knew what you were in for with each succeeding release - tight production, a predictable mix of ballads and taut rockers, perhaps a little prog seasoning, and of course Utopia's trademark, heavy-handed harmonies. Thankfully it was an era when the major labels still peddled some integrity amidst an ever-accumulating quotient of commercial gloss and overbearance.  It seemed like such a simpler and more gratifying time but I digress.  Once again, the ep I'm presenting here is only three songs deep with prototypes that were quite hashed out already and would differ little with the finished versions. Slight as they may be the discrepancies are present, and the tunes are thoroughly rewarding. Enjoy.

A1. Secret Society

A2. Mated

B. Play This Game

Hear

The Darling Buds - Killing For Love: Albums, Singles, Rarities and Unreleased 1987-2017 (2023, Cherry Red)

Perhaps not as lyrically profound as the H.E. Bates novel this photogenic coed quartet (and eventual quintet) purloined their moniker from, The Darling Buds were responsible for a profound amount of affecting and winsome guitar pop that spanned two decades and six robust years, churning out a trio of renowned albums.  The packed and newly released 85-track Killing For Love box corrals not only these full lengths (Pop Said, Crawdaddy and Erotica) but virtually every contemporary b-side, early recordings, demos and even a few representative live cuts in one fell swoop illustrating the prowess and quality control that the Buds seemed capable of exuding at virtually every turn.

Helmed by frontwoman Andrea Lewis the band was established with guitarist Harley (Geraint Farr) in 1986 in Caerleon, Newport Wales. Inspired in part by the blossoming UK indie movement of the era the Darling Buds though plenty raw at first quickly segued if not into a "hit-factory," per se, a wholly reliable guitar pop entity delivering vivacious, three-minute refrains adorned with saccharine hooks, crunchy guitars and a dollop of '60s girl-pop savvy.  Structurally, they were on an even keel with home-country mates The Primitives, so much so that comparisons were inevitable. Commencing their swath with the 1987 "If I Said" single (and a clutch of heretofore unreleased demos from the same period compiled on the "early years" portion of Killing For Love) the Buds came across as veritably savage in their most nascent phase, but for the most part downright catchy.  The Jesus and Mary Chain were an early reference point, but this proved to be a fleeting phase for the band, as Lewis and Co. were already on their way to shedding some of their noisome tendencies by the time '88 rolled around for two more singles "Shame On You" and "It's All Up To You" both making their digital debut in their set. Unmoored from the constraints of the mainstream record industry the Darling Buds packed a visceral bite on these wonderful early 45s and even though three-plus decades have passed they still illicit an intoxicating rush.     

The Bud's debut, Pop Said arrived in 1988 on Epic, and even the dented the charts. More significantly it was a quantum leap from their preceding releases, manicuring some of the noisome clamor without stifling an iota of the effervescence. Still very much in the punk-pop wheelhouse the overall effect of the band at this interval wasn't unlike the early Go Go's, minus some of the harmonies of course. Pop Said is a start-to-finish whirring buzzsaw of a hookfest, relentlessly indelible and sing-songy in the most sophisticated guise this stripe of music ever presents itself.  A near-perfect record, one that only the Buds could (slightly) improve upon.  The album is accompanied in this set with no less than ten b-sides and alternate versions.

Their attack and acumen got doubly tighter on 1990's Stephen Street produced Crawdaddy, which may not have lit up the charts back home but seemingly gave our protagonists exponential notoriety in the States, at least with the burgeoning alternative clientele of the time. "Tiny Machine," "Crystal Clear," and "It Makes No Difference" should have beckoned as FM radio clarion calls on both sides of the Atlantic.  Just when I thought the Darling Buds couldn't have exuded any greater universal appeal they deliver an equally dazzling follow-up that in fairness occasionally tamps down on the extraneous guitar crunch in favor of something more rhythmically aware. Crawdaddy was incontrovertibly the next logical step in their progression. As for the three extra versions of "Tiny Machine" tacked on at the end, why not?

Not a sea change so much as subtle evolution, their third and final LP, Erotica featured no less than two songs conducive to dream-pop, "One Thing Leads to Another" and "Angels Fallen" boasting discernably flanged guitar effects that were nearly startling on my initial listen. Elsewhere "Sure Thing" could have comfortably rubbed elbows with the likes of Juliana Hatfield and Velocity Girl.  Thanks to a considerable push from Epic, "Long Day in the Universe" and the sugary confection "Please Yourself" made the most sizable waves, garnering even more endeared Yankee ears, but bona fide stardom wasn't in the cards. Shortly after Erotica's album cycle the Buds decamped to Los Angeles and managed to eke out some promising demos just prior to what would be an amicable breakup. 

That leads me to the fifth and final installment of Killing for Love, a nicely patched together odds and sods composite of some random but fascinating demos from yesteryear, a few Erotica-era live cuts, the contents of the aforementioned L.A. demo session, with the finale featuring all four songs from the band's underpublicized 2017 reunion EP, Evergreen, a brief but effective return to form.  True, Killing... is an exhausting archive of the Darling Buds catalog writ large, but even more than a tidy summation of the band's career it's a testament to their consistency as songsmiths and dazzling melody-peddlers. Frankly, this is astonishing stuff kids. The whole enchilada is available in a clamshell box set straight from Cherry Red or Amazon.

Spun up meals on crooked wheels.

From 2016. Like a postpunk Sundays adorned with a noir edge, a few notches short of goth. 

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Art Kritics - Duck and Cover (1987, Da Dü Discs)

And now for something a tad frivolous (but just a tad). Boasting a correspondence address of Springfield, MA this quartet is otherwise a cold case with virtually no archival web presence...until now. Sort of an acerbic punk/power pop setup here, not overwhelmingly reminiscent of anyone, but they seem to share the same headspace as say, Too Much Joy at times. Side one of this platter seems to boast some of the Art Kritics sharper ideas, with a fine opening salvo, "Last Phone Call" which deftly fuses guitars and synths in that telltale mid-80s AOR manner. "Cyndy Changed Her Name to Charlie" is that more impressive, and oddly enough isn't as sardonic as it's premise suggests. "All By Myself" isn't the Eric Carmen chestnut, but the band does tackle the Chambers Brothers' classic "Time Has Come Today" relatively convincingly.  Duck and Cover is a fun, if not quite revelatory romp. 

01. Last Phone Call

02. Cyndy Changed Her Name to Charlie

03. How Do They Sleep at Night

04. All By Myself

05. America

06. Feeding Me Dirt

07. Time Has Come Today

08. T.V. Patrol

09. D N A

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Who are they to say, I do thing’s my own way.

A compilation of singles and non-LP scree spanning 1991-93. Mostly unintelligible lyrics on this one. Dig in.

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V/A - You're a Super Lady 7'' ep (1996, Corduroy)

I couldn't get enough of Canadian indie rock in the '90s, and even though labels like Sub Pop and Murderecords, Teenage USA, Cinnamon Toast, and Mint had a lot of the bases covered, there were oodles of bands that went underrepresented. You're a Super Lady is a compilation 45 that from what I understand was accompanied by a fanzine, that I either never received or misplaced. Luckily I still have the wax (and oversized picture sleeve) which does a succinct job of covering four neglected outfits, including a favorite of mine, Mystery Machine that ironically as it turns out weren't so neglected given they were signed to Nettwerk Records. They're contribution, "3 Fisted" is a jangly, distortion prone tempest that was a b-side from their spellbinding Glazed album, circa 1992. There's not much info to be had on ThanatoPop and Loomer, although the later churn up a noisome maelstrom that will charm the pants off the Unwound fans in the audience. The all female Halifax quartet Plumtree were able to garner a reasonable following, with three albums to boast for themselves, and a crunchy, muscular indie pop sound that transcended the typical twee contingents of their era. 

01. ThanatoPop – Friend Surplus

02. Mystery Machine - 3 Fisted

03. Loomer - Montazuma's Revenge

04. Plumtree - Fatherhood

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Life in General - s/t ep (1982, Panece)

By 1992 it was a cinch to typecast music emanating from Seattle. Ten years prior, not so much.  Life in General were gestated under the name of X-15, but released two records under the banner of LiG including this ep in '82.  Despite the brevity of their tunes, they didn't quite breach into punk or hardcore environs (and certainly not some proto form of grunge), yet they struck me as discerning connoisseurs of UK post-punk a la Bauhaus and Gang of Four, with mouthpiece Kelly Mitchell dead-panning Peter Murphy at times, just not as austere. The urgency coursing through "The Fog" and "Affliction" really feed into Life's distinctive schtick and make this all too-fleeting ep something of a revelation, or at the very least a revelation when it dropped some 41 years ago. Live versions of material from this record along with a subsequent single and previously unreleased tunes were later compiled under the band's former X-15 moniker in the guise of Bombs and Insurance. 

01. Respite Lost

02. The Fog

03. That's Life

04. Affliction

05. One Way

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Everything you touch just ends.

 From 2017. 

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Reboot: Fictions - s/t (1980, Intercan)

At long last the drought is over.  Finally some new content...sort of. I went into this Canadian troupe's lone album cold a few years ago, but it wasn't until recently that I purloined an original copy, and as such a cleaner rip...and a more thoughtful reassessment. Fictions' album sleeve exuded seemingly telltale art/post-punk vibes. Was really expecting to parachute into a noir-ish new wave neighborhood, but ended up landing amidst something all the more lighthearted, even jovial at times in fact. There are some lightweight punky inclinations here (see "I Let Go" and the skinny tie endowed "Snob Appeal") albeit don't hold your breath for any political overtones or preachiness. Elsewhere "Shuffle" and "Fixation" could go toe-to-toe with anything the Cars were dishing out around the same time. In a nutshell, I was expecting something along similar lines to the Comsat Angels, and wound up with something more in the vicinity of the Pointed Sticks or early Joe Jackson. Go figure.

01. Won't Wash Away

02. I Let Go

03. Don't Look Down

04. Shuffle

05. Better

06. Fixation

07. Snob Appeal

08. Jersey Shore

09. Dimestore Romance

10. Do it With the Lights On

11. Praying for the World

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To the memories in your mind that misbehave.

From 2020. Smooth, but forward-thinking indie pop exuding a deftly balanced blend of gits and keys. Signposts point to everyone from Roxy Music, China Crisis, Merchandise, and I'm sure you'll draw your own conclusions as well. 

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Take me back to 1979 so I can find my open eyes.

A debut album from 2003. The last throes of Brit-pop, or a new chapter altogether?  Give this a few listens to sink in.

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Dwight Twilley - Between the Cracks - Vol One (When!/Not lame)

The passing of Dwight Twilley on the 18th of this month was more than just another celebrity R.I.P., it was more akin to the passing of an era. Yes, there were a couple of noted Top 40 entries to his credit, but it was really the dedicated power pop cognoscenti that really felt the brunt of this loss. Occasionally whispered in the same breath as Big Star and Badfinger, Dwight Twilley (with the closely associated Dwight Twilley Band that found him paired with the late Phil Seymour in the late '70s), he wasn't always the immediate practitioner of the form that people associated with the genre.  Though musically active (perhaps right up until his unexpected passing) visibility was another story, despite the caliber of his recordings, especially the two landmark DTB albums, Sincerely (1976) and Twilley Don't Mind (1977) that veritably thumbtacked power pop on the proverbial map. 

A lot of you have no doubt read a flurry of remembrances on social media, or have found yourself spinning Twilley albums over the past couple of days. I had no personal connection to him, nor do I necessarily consider myself a major fan, but I appreciated his music, even ravenously at times. Most of what he had to offer is still available via paid download and streaming (and even the occasional reissue), and as of right now, the only thing I have to offer that's even slightly under the radar is this 2000 compilation composed out of outtakes and such, that ranges from 1973 to '94. Per the liner notes a good half of the songs are situated from 1983, just prior to his  '84 Jungle album, the last record of his to score a charting hit by way of "Girls."  That little morsel of trivia out of the way, for an album of abandoned material Twilley exuded a remarkable amount of quality control across a disparate and diverse selection of tracks. So much so, that even if you're a newbie to the man in question, Between the Cracks functions as a representative sampler of his arc as a songsmith.  It's another reminder of a bona fide talent that even the most observant of us took for granted, especially in the latter decades of his career.

01. Black Eyes

02. Let Me Down

03. Don't You Love Her

04. Lullaby

05. Forget About it Baby

06. Round and Around

07. Reach For the Sky

08. Too Young For Love

09. Eli Bolack

10. Oh Carrie

11. Living in the City

12. Christmas Love

13. To Get to You

14. Where the Birds Fly

15. No Place Like Home

16. Perfect World

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Reboot: Ultracherry Violet - I Fall to Pieces (1994, Bedazzled)

This one has been a long time coming. Shortly after I shared this in 2014 it was pointed out to me that the third track on this album, "Remember" wasn't the song in question, rather a duplication of another album track, "Losing My Friends." Indeed this was frustratingly the case, the byproduct of a careless mastering job on Ultracherry Violet's one and only LP, I Fall to Pieces.  Heck, I should have been alert enough to notice it before I posted the thing nine years ago.  Nonetheless, when I became conscious of this snafu, I didn't pull the link because the album was otherwise perfect.  It never occurred to me to reach out to anyone in the band...but many years on someone else did, and although doing a repress of the CD wasn't in the cards, the missing piece of the puzzle (the aforementioned "Remember") was recently posted on YouTube. 

I've updated the folder with the corrected track and have made it available to download per the link below.  The original write-up for the album can be accessed here, and for the uninitiated, if you're an aficionado of '90s dream pop from either side of the Atlantic, this one is something of a revelation. A big thanks to Sam who alerted me of this truly "lost" recording. 

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Poetry has given way to this.

 A debut album from 2004.

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