unpopular

Alpaca Sports - He Doesn't Even Like You

 

There's a new Alpaca Sports 7" coming soon. You'll have pre-ordered it already, but in case you haven't, pop along here, wail about shipping charges and then ask yourself how much love is worth.

Tyrannosaurus Dead & His Clancyness

 

It is almost a month since I took this photo, but better late than never, right? Two discs that I'm sure all you fine people of taste will already have nestling safely in your collections but in case not... well, why not? Always Mist: Revisited by His Clancyness is a gem and a half and I really don't know why I waited over a year to pick it up on vinyl (boffs will already know the album appeared first in 2010 as the 'Always Mist' tape release). There are obviously still some of the 300 vinyl disc pressing available, and whilst I'm happy that has meant my tardiness has gone unpunished I'm also sad that so few people out there care about such magic. But then again...

Tyrannosaurus Dead are a neat, sweet contrast to His Clancyness although they assuredly share some kind of distant DNA in the world of squidging, swirly dreampop noises and dampened, damnably devious melodies. Just 250 copies of the 12" vinyl have been pressed by the fine people at OddBox (well, by Trev, anyway) and I dare say you WILL be punished for your tardiness if you don't order your copy pretty sharpish. 

And no, no I wasn't swayed by the cover photo. Of course I wasn't.

Heat Wave

 

I drafted this post (without the photo above) over two weeks ago and then promptly forgot about it in the insanely hectic whirl of school. That I can safely post it now is, given the nature of recent English summers, something close to astonishing. 

 

Plumes

 

This beauty landed in my inbox this week. The first release on the new Tenorio Cotobade label, it collects fourteen of the finest tracks from Dublin band Ginnels' three records from 2011/12 into one magical package. For lovers of The Feelies and that Dunedin sound everywhere. Pick up Ginnels' in digital format on their Bandcamp site and grab the beautifully packaged vinyl from Tenorio Cotobade.

Something More

 

I've got all the answers but nobody asked <Download the entire mix using that there link.

Nashville - The All-About (from 'Suburban Hearts'. On Bandcamp)
Gideon & the Zeroes - The Secret History (from Americans Singing in the Dark)
Something More - Makthaverskan (from 'Something More' 7")
Thundertunes - Pauline Murray And The Invisible Girls (from 'Pauline Murray & The Invisible Girls' LP)
But You Know That - Manors (from 'Fit In'. On Bandcamp)
May Never - Has a Shadow (from 'Sky Is Hell Black'. On Bandcamp)
Country Rider - Ghost Wave (from 'Ages' on iTunes)
Sweetheart Contract - Magazine (from 'The Correct Use of Soap' On YouTube)
Love Goes To A Building On Fire - Talking Heads (available on 'Talking Heads 77' On YouTube)
Shake Some Action - The Flamin' Groovies (available on 'Shake Some Action' On YouTube)
Pure Joy - The Teardrop Explodes (from 'Wilder' reissue)
Summer That Never Ends - Skytone (on Bandcamp)
She'll Come Back for Indian Summer - Alpaca Sports (from 'Indietracks 2013' compilation. On Bandcamp)
Washington Weather - Beach Vacation (from 'Maritime' EP. On Bandcamp)
In The Sun - Hibou (from 'Dunes' EP. On Bandcamp)
Laura - TV Girl (from 'Lonely Women' EP. On Bandcamp)
Auburn Epitaphs - Mutual Benefit (from 'Mouca International Tapes' compilation. On Bandcamp)
Echoing Days - Monnone Alone (from 'Indietracks 2013' compilation. On Bandcamp)
Something That You Do - The Yellow Melodies (from 'My Wedding' EP. On Bandcamp)
Still Time Away - Paul Handyside (from 'Wayward Son' LP. On Bandcamp)

I don't know where you are tonight

Something More

 

Something More? Well, a cardboard stiffener or two inside the padded envelope would have been good. Shipping woes aside (I know people for whom slightly bent sleeve corners is a life and death issue. I may pretend to be more laissez-faire about it myself these days but in reality I'm only slightly behind them in that view...) this is a fine single lifted from the Goteborg band’s splendid ‘Makthaverskan II’ LP. Grab it from their Bandcamp page and expect to see it gracing an Unpopular mix near you soon. Or near here at the very least.

*this post brought to you by the magic of scheduling. I'm actually still in school

Nothing's Too Good For The Common People

 

Got home late from an Open Evening at school last night in a state of exhaustion and end of term grumpiness. Awaiting me on the sideboard was an envelope from New York. It contained two copies of the gorgeous ‘Nothing’s Too Good For The Common People’ book. To say it lifted my mood significantly would be an understatement. 

Printed in an edition of 225 on a Risograph machine by Keegan Cooke at the Circadian Press in Brooklyn, the book looks, feels and smells delicious. It’s a pretty marvellous read too, but then I would say that. 

Looking at the contents list and peeking at the acknowledgements list gives me goose-bumps. All of us love to see our name in print, but still... If someone told me ten years ago that I’d see my name listed next to Stephin Merritt’s in a publication I’d have giggled like a schoolboy/fanboy, punched you lightly on the arm and told you to stop being daft. Funny the way the world turns.

Thanks to Sukhdev Sandhu for inviting me to contribute to such a wonderful project. And yes, since you ask I am actually still giggling like a schoolboy/fanboy today.