It’s funny how you come to take some things for granted, isn’t it? Things that you just sort of assume will continue to be there, adding occasional but regular drops of delight into your life. Individual groups and artists are like that of course, but so too are the labels who put such love, time, effort and money into bringing you the records. There are few labels who have been such a reliable source of magic over the past few years as San Diego based Bleeding Gold.
A quick check of my archives tells me that it is in fact almost three years exactly since Bleeding Gold first came to my attention courtesy of the excellent ‘Introducing The Notes’ EP. That was quickly followed up by the beautiful ‘Wishing Well’ Pop Art artefact. I mean, who could resist a brown and white vinyl double 10” EP? Certainly not me. From that point on the arrival of new product from Bleeding Gold always filled me with a thrill of excitement. Sure, not all the releases were right up my street, but when they pressed my buttons they did so big style. From the fuzzy scuzzed up bittersweet teenage anthems of HEHFU to the moody twilight melancholy of Tear Talk. From the tinkling cracked Ladybird book Pop of Songs For Walter (for all those free ‘singles’ alone we should clutch them close to our hearts) to the sensual gothic gloom of So Sexual. From the dayglo psychedelic Po(m)p of Sex Dream to the masterful nouveau Dream Pop of Just Handshakes (did any other band make the union of New Order and 10,000 Maniacs sound as magical?). Not forgetting the Artful one-offs and limited asides: a limited edition of lathe-cut singles by Flowers (who grew out of The Notes) on x-ray plates; another limited lathe-cut by the brilliant Tyrannosaurus Dead; a beautiful screen printed poster...
It’s a great shame then that the journey appears to be over, at least for the time being. A message via email suggests a rest and regrouping. I for one will be crossing fingers and looking forward to seeing their return before too long. In the meantime there is a ‘Songs For Bleeding Gold’ collection to act as a swan song to this particular chapter. The album features ten Bleeding Gold artists covering songs by other Bleeding Gold artists. It’s pay what you want over on Bandcamp. I suggest paying ‘em whatever you can.
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