Road to the 2007 NYC Popfest: The Ballet

The Ballet from New York

Until looking over the lineups for the Popfest this year I'd never heard of The Ballet. However, what I now know is that a.) they're from New York and b.) they're pretty good. They make pretty catchy drum-machine led indiepop in the vein of something like The Magnetic Fields or The Mathletes, with handclaps, electronic bleeps, and other fun stuff. The Ballet will be playing the 8PM show on May 26th with Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, Harvey Williams, The Ballet, and more!

[MP3]: The Ballet :: I Hate The War
[MP3]: The Ballet :: In My Head

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The 2007 NYC Popfest on MySpace
Super Mega 2007 NYC Popfest post with dates and lineups

Pick up their debut record Gay Secret from them personally, or from iTunes

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Road to the 2007 NYC Popfest: Ballboy

Ballboy

Ballboy are three guys and one gal from Edinburgh, Scotland and they play songs that are pop songs. The band's mostly mopey jangle brings to mind names like Belle and Sebastian, and at times, The Go-Betweens. They signed to SL records back in 1999 and ended up releasing three great EPs. Three years later they released Club Anthems 2001, a compilation gathering up their first three EPs. If you liek what you hear below and are looking for a good place to start, I would definitely recommend picking up Club Anthems 2001. Ballboy will be playing the 8PM show on May 26th with Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, Harvey Williams, The Besties, and more!

[MP3]: Ballboy :: I Hate Scotland
[MP3]: Ballboy :: I've Got Pictures Of You In Your Underwear

Buy their records HERE!

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The 2007 NYC Popfest on MySpace
Super Mega 2007 NYC Popfest post with dates and lineups

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Aberdeen: Byron 7"

"Byron" (sarah093)

I think a week or so ago someone said something along the lines of "Do Aberdeen next!" in the comments of the "You Should All be Murdered" post, and well, I know it wasn't exactly next, but here's my absolute favorite Aberdeen single. Byron was released in 1994 and was the band's first single on Sarah Records, and well, ever. All three tracks on the single are great, but there's no argument really that A-side "Byron" is the definite highlight.

In my opinion, "Byron" the best song the band ever wrote. It opens with a faint synth before drums and tambourine come in, but the song doesn't really get going until the beautiful guitar enters. The way the delayed guitar picking plays off the twinkling piano/keyboard, and vice versa, is just mesmerizing (and wildly dancable). Also worth noting is lead singer Beth Arzy's voice, as it is probably the band's best instrument, floating breathlessly over the music, turning into more of a dream than a song. Anyway, if you like Aberdeen then you'll love this (if you don't already have it), but if this is new to you then I hope you give it a listen and love it as much as I do! More info on Aberdeen can be found at Tweenet. Like always, please feel free to leave any requests in the comments.

Aberdeen
Byron
[Sarah Records, 1994]
DOWNLOAD IT (.ZIP file, 18mb)

Tracklist:
1. Byron
2. Toy Tambourine
3. Fran

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Road to the 2007 NYC Popfest: Allen Clapp and His Orchestra

Allen Clapp and a cropped out cat.

Allen Clapp is a one man pop song machine. He released a number of singles in the early '90s as Allen Clapp and one fantastic full-length record, finally employing "His Orchestra." The album, One Hundred Percent Chance Of Rain, was released on the Bus Stop Label in 1993 and features some Allen's best work ever, and my favorite song, "Something Strange Happens." Allen Clapp and His Orchestra will be playing the Memorial Day BBQ and show on the last day of the Popfest, May 28th.

[MP3]: Allen Clapp and His Orchestra :: Something Strange Happens
[MP3]: Allen Clapp and His Orchestra :: Man and Superman

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The 2007 NYC Popfest on MySpace
Super Mega 2007 NYC Popfest post with dates and lineups

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Road to the 2007 NYC Popfest: Affair d'Coeur

We Like Our Bitches Crazy is your guide to every band playing the 2007 NYC Popfest, in alphabetical order, OBVIOUSLY.

As the caption above says, We Like Our Bitches Crazy will hopefully be your all-encompassing guide to just about every act set to play the 2007 NYC Popfest. The road will be rough, and I may not get to every band, but I will try, I WILL TRY.

First out of the alphabet door are (how appropriate) NYC's own Affair d'Coeur. They play noisy as hell pop songs with lots of feedback that sound kinda like the jangle of The Flatmates meets the blatant noise of early Jesus and Mary Chain. They'll be playing the Popfest alongside The Smittens and The Secret History, among others, on May 28th at The Delancey. Listen to some songs:

[MP3]: Affair d'Coeur :: Heart On Demand
[MP3]: Affair d'Coeur :: Don't Tell Me

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The 2007 NYC Popfest on MySpace
Super Mega 2007 NYC Popfest post with dates and lineups

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NYC POPFEST 2007!

The spring festival to end all spring/summer festivals!

OKAY, so basically, the 2007 NYC Popfest is going to be amazing. The shows and events will be taking place between May 24th and May 28th, ending with a super-awesome Memorial Day BBQ and show on the 28th! Shows will be taking place throughout the week at Europa, The Delancey, Astroland, The Knitting Factory, Luna Lounge, and Union Pool.

The schedule as of today!:

May, 24 2007 Opening Night Gala w/ BMX Bandits!!
98-104 Meserole Ave., @ EUROPA in Brooklyn, 11222
Cost: $15 advance/$20 @ door Time: 8 PM
Lineup: BMX Bandits (Scotland), Pants Yell! (MA), Yellow Fever (TX), The Metric Mile (NYC), Lispector (France) & Other Surprise Guests!!

May, 25 2007 Kick-off the weekend with Mitch Easter & a Rooftop Afterparty!!!
168 Delancey Street, @ THE DELANCEY on L.E.S., 10002
Cost: $15 advance/$20 @ door Time: 8 PM
Lineup: Baskervilles (NYC), Mitch Easter (NC), The Secret History(NYC ax-my Favorite), The Smittens (VT), Affair d'Coeur (NYC), The Reverse (NY) & ROOFTOP AFTER-PARTY

May, 26 2007 FREE Daytime ALL AGES Show
Coney Island Boardwalk, @ ASTROLAND on Coney Island, 11224
Cost: FREE!!! Time: 1 PM
Lineup: Bunnygrunt (MO), Cars Can Be Blue (GA), Best Fwends (TX), The Gritty Midi Gang (NYC) & Special Surprise Guests!!

May, 26 2007 ALL AGES CFTPA, Harvey Williams, The Besties and More!
74 Leonard St., @ THE KNITTING FACTORY in Tribeca, 10013
Cost: $15 advance/$20 @ door Time: 8 PM
Lineup: Casiotone For the Painfully Alone (CHI), The Ballet (NYC), Ballboy (Scotland), Harvey Williams (UK), My Teenage Stride (NYC), The Besties (NYC), Brown Recluse Sings (PA)

May, 27 2007 Pipas, Human Television, Pelle Carlberg, Dear Nora & Much More!!
361 Metropolitan Avenue, @ LUNA LOUNGE in Brooklyn, 11211
Cost: $15 advance/$20 @ door Time: 8 PM
Lineup: Pipas (UK/NYC), CAUSE CO-MOTION (NYC), Human Television (PA), Michael Leviton (NYC), Pelle Carlberg (Sweden), Dear Nora (CA), The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (NY)

May, 28 2007 Memorial Day BBQ & Show featuring Allen Clapp & His Orchestra!!
484 Union Avenue, @ UNION POOL in Brooklyn, 11211
Cost: $10 Time: 1 PM
Lineup: Allen Clapp & His Orchestra (CA), The Gazetteers (NY), The Lil Hospital (PA), Surefire Broadcast (PA), Titans of Filth (GA) & Special Surprise Guests!!

Well there you have it! There's tons more specific info on the 2007 NYC Popfest MySpace including how to buy your tickets, passes, and super secret hotel info to save you money! You should also be their friend too, so you don't miss out on the bulletin updates that have been flowing in daily! I will be making an effort to cover most of the bands on the lineup heading up to the opening day of the Popfest so you can acquiant yourself with everybody!

Okay I guess that's it for now, Hopefully I might see you there! :D

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Even As We Speak: Peel Session

I couldn't find a photo of the band that was big enough, so I made this... I guess it works.

Aside from maybe two or three other records, Even As We Speak's Feral Pop Frenzy is one of my all -time favorite Sarah releases. It's basically flawless and so is the Peel Session they did on January 9, 1992. They played three tracks from Feral Pop Frenzy and one non-album track, "Stay With Me." The quality on this is fantastic and as far as I know this is the only recorded version of "Stay With Me." I hope you like it as much as I do!

Even As We Speak
Peel Session 1/9/1992

Tracklist:
1. [MP3]: Falling Down The Stairs
2. [MP3]: Stay With Me
3. [MP3]: Straight As An Arrow
4. [MP3]: Sailors' Graves

Egg Records in the UK are supposed to be releasing a sort of end-all-be-all Even As We Speak comp sometime in the next couple months comprised of the band's first 17 tracks ever released, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

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The Dreamers

Sarah Nyberg Pergament and Kevin Wright

Happy Friday friends! I think, today, that you should all go listen to The Dreamers. I think you should go to their MySpace and listen to "Michael." Then, you should listen to "A Place I Know," followed by the other two songs on their page. "Michael" is hypnotic and wonderful and it makes me real happy and sleepy. Actually, all of them do. The Dreamers make really pretty songs and Sarah sounds kinda like Trish Keenan from Broadcast, and well, that just makes me really happy. They are also unsigned so maybe someone should release something for them. That's all, I hope you really like them.

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I Love The Stockholm Monsters and So Should You!

The Stockholm Monsters, circa sometime ago.

I don't claim to be any kind of an expert on The Stockholm Monsters, but I love them a lot and for a few minutes I'm going to try to sound like an expert in hopes of making you love them, too. The Stockholm Monsters were birthed around the Summer of 1980 in Manchester, England (Not Stockholm). The original line-up consisted of main-dude and lead vocalist Tony France, bassist Jed Duffy and drummer Shan Hira. Tony made up the band's name, which is basically just a combination of David Bowie's Scary Monsters record and the capital of Sweden... yeah.

So the story goes on, they played a few gigs (still in their teens, mind you), and on the night of one such gig and certain Peter Hook was in the audience and thought they'd be a nice fit over at Factory Records. After getting them in the door at Factory, their first single, the outstanding "Fairy Tales" (Factory 41) was released in 1982. Peter also ended up producing a large majority of the band's material from then on out under the production alias "Be Music". The Monsters released several more singles on Factory and sister label Factory Benelux and one album, Alma Mater (Factory 80), in 1984. NME Hated it, but Sounds and Melody maker praised it, saying "As a debut album it stands up well, and promises good things for the future."

So very true, too, because the next year The Stockholm Monsters would release the fantastically bold "How Corrupt is Rough Trade?" (Factory Benelux 46). The A-side was a dark, haunting track featuring incoherent shouting and a bassline to die for. The single also included the B-side "Kan Kill," which along with the A-side, made it one of the best singles the band ever released. Their final single, "Partyline" (Factory 146) was released in 1987, failed to break, and was widely ignored. Why? Who knows. A few months later, the band was effectivelt split-up. Two years later Manchester exploded. Bummer.

LTM Recordings released basically everything the band ever recorded back in 2002 in the form of three records: Alma Mater Plus, All At Once (Singles 1981-1987), and The Last One Back (Archive 1980-1987). I would highly recommend every one of them, but if you're looking to give them a try I'd say All At Once is your best bet. Now, the whole point of this post... listen to them! All tracks are very highly recommended.

[MP3]: The Stockholm Monsters :: Fairy Tales
[MP3]: The Stockholm Monsters :: How Corrupt is Rough Trade? (12" Version)
[MP3]: The Stockholm Monsters :: Partyline (12" version)

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Interview with Ali Howard of Lucky Soul

Ali Howard of Lucky Soul

I've expressed my great love for Lucky Soul more than a few times before and I still can't get enough of their new record The Great Unwanted. It's as good as I'd hoped it would be and it's definitely an early contender for one of my favorite albums of the year. I recently asked Ali Howard some questions and she was nice enough to answer them for me/you/us/everyone! Pick up the new record HERE!

[MP3]: Lucky Soul :: The Great Unwanted (Highly Recommended!)

If you could, please tell us a little bit about the band and how you guys got started (or perhaps, "re-started").

Andrew and Nathaniel go way back. They were in a band together in Liverpool and it was only when they decided to move down to London with another friend to start the label that Lucky Soul really came about as we know it now. But it wasn’t long before Lucy and Tom (the original singer and bassist) had a baby together and left the band, so there was a bit of a false start. By all accounts Ivor was ‘rescued’ from some kind of blues jam; I saw an ad in Loot whilst looking for a flat; we found Toby in the pub, and Malcolm (an old mate of Toby’s) came along about a year later, once we’d started gigging and realised there was a gaping hole in the live sound.

After releasing a bunch of fantastic singles over the past couple years, the full length is finally right around the corner --- are you pretty happy with how it turned out?

I wish I could sit down and listen to the album objectively, like any other punter, but I can’t. All I know is that we put our heart and soul into it and that’s something to be proud of. Whether it’s any good is for everyone else to decide, but I think the songs are fantastic and we’ve been really brave with the production. It's pretty shameless! Today I think it’s amazing and tomorrow I’ll probably hate it. Oh I don’t know. I’ll listen to it again in about a year and let you know.

Besides the record coming out, what else has Lucky Soul been up to? Can we expect any type of tour soon?

It’s all been a bit hectic, what with getting the album out ourselves – we’ve been sticking labels on the CDs and sending them off in old Monster Munch boxes. (We really are that DIY!) And we’ve just got back from playing a festival in Sweden with Plan B and The Futureheads. It was an eclectic line up and we were the only three British acts out there, which was really bizarre but brilliant at the same time. We bonded with Plan B strangely! Then we’re off to Madrid in a week or so, which should be fun. We’re really looking forward to getting out of London and seeing some more of the UK but we might need a new bus first as ours is falling apart.

Speaking of touring, what's it like to tour and make music with a bunch of guys? Any interesting stories?

There are lots of interesting stories, but you know what they say? What goes on tour stays on tour! We do have a right old laugh though, and it’s brilliant fun meeting new people and going to places like Umea in Sweden, where you wouldn’t necessarily go to on holiday. I’m really just one of the lads when it comes to touring and making music with the boys. A lot of it involves beer and football.


What are some of your favourite records of the year so far?

I loved the Broken Family Band’s song ‘Alone In The Makeout Room’. It’s really quite dark and it features Eddi Reader on the single version, and Cat Power’s ‘The Greatest’ has been on my CD player quite a bit too.

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The Field Mice: Missing The Moon 12"

Missing The Moon (Sarah057)

I didn't intend to post two Sarah releases in a row (this one being a 12" single, rather than a 7"), but that's the just the way it ended up going I guess. It all doesn't really matter though because if you've heard this record you know it's awesome, and if you're hearing it for the first time, it's gonna be awesome.

One of their very longest songs, "Missing The Moon" blended indiepop and electronica perfectly, in a way that a many bands have tried to do, but haven't quite succeeded in doing. It opens with a nice soft synth that bleeds right into a busy layer of keyboards, with drums following right along. Whenever I listen to this song I just want it to go on forever and ever, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.

The b-sides, "A Wrong Turn And Raindrops" and "An Earlier Autumn" contrast the overly electronic sound of "Missing The Moon" really well, both of them being nice relaxing acoustic tracks. Listen to it on repeat and by the time the b-sides are over, you should be ready for "Missing The Moon" again! More info on The Field Mice at Tweenet.

The Field Mice
Missing The Moon
[Sarah Records, 1991]
DOWNLOAD IT (.ZIP file, 21mb)

Tracklist:
1. Missing The Moon
2. A Wrong Turn And Raindrops
3. An Earlier Autumn

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Another Sunny Day: You Should All Be Murdered 7"

"You Should All Be Murdered" (sarah022)

These days I listen to a lot more older stuff than new stuff, and some of this old stuff is out-of-print/hard-to-find/M.I.A./whatever, so I guess what I'm trying to say is I think it'd be pretty fun to post a lot more old singles than I currently do. They're all out of print 7"s basically, so I'm assuming it's cool to spread them around and stuff. Anyway, yeah I hope some people like the idea of this, I think it'll be more enjoyable and fantastic.

The way I see it is there's no better way to get going than to share with you what is probably my favorite single ever: Another Sunny Day's grimly titled "You Should All Be Murdered" b/w "Horseriding" and "Green." Released on Sarah Records back in 1989, it was one of the label's most popular records ever, likely due to the leading track's overall "Smiths-ness." Deritavive or not, it really doesn't matter, it's an amazing song and an amazing single and one of my favorite songs ever.

Another Sunny Day
You Should All Be Murdered
[Sarah Records, 1989]
DOWNLOAD IT (.ZIP File, 15mb)

Tracklist:
1. You Should All be Murdered
2. Horseriding
3. Green

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Saturday Looks Good To Me news!

Saturday Looks Good To Me

Super great awesome pop band Saturday Looks Good To Me announced this past Friday that their new record, Fill Up The Room will be released on September 11th. It will be released by K Records in the U.S. and Popfrenzy in Australia. There should also be a new video on the way sometime soon, too! Man oh man, I cannot wait for this record! No new stuff around yet, so here's one of my favorite SLGTM songs ever, "Meet me By The Water." Be excited!

[MP3]: Saturday Looks Good To Me :: Meet Me By The Water

Fill Up The Room Tracklisting:
Apple
(Even If You Die On The) Ocean
When I Lose My Eyes
Make A Plan
Peg
Money In The Afterlife
The Americans
Edison Girls
Hands In The Snow
Come With Your Arms
Whitey Hands

Saturday Looks Good To Me on Myspace

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I Think I Have A Favorite Record Of The Year So Far

For a band that I know, seriously, nothing about, Love Dance have surprisingly released what I would say is probably my favorite record of the year so far. Result, released by the consistantly awesome Marsh-Marigold label in Germany, sounds like it should have been released at least ten years ago. It's easy to say that a record is great from beginning to end right when you hear it, but I've been playing Result over and over and over for the past month or so and not only am I not tired of it, but it seems like the songs keep getting better. From the addictively catchy jangly guitar melodies and handclaps to the glowing synths, and even the occasional dabble in poppy shoegaze, it's just fantastic, period. I was gonna treat you to my absolute favorite track, "Losing Faith," but I think I've somehow corrupted the whole album on my computer and every track just started skipping. Sooooo, instead, courtesy of Love Dance's might-as-well-be-non-existant website, here's "Ninety Six," which is almost as awesome. Okay nevermind, I fixed them. Now listen to this and realize how exceptionally exceptional it is!

[MP3]: Love Dance :: Losing Faith (Highly, Ridiculously, Recommended!)

In the U.S.? Buy Result from Indiepages!
In, um, not the U.S.? Buy it from somewhere else, maybe Marsh-Marigold's shop!

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Skatterbrain's Lazy Springmix

A mix for those yellow-orange, lazy spring days.

So I guess I've been gone for about over a week now. I had a whole bunch of internet troubles, plus the nice weather kept me from sitting inside trying to solve the aformentioned internet problems. But! I'm back now, and what better way to come back then a super great mix for Spring! It's ten tracks -- because I like short mixes -- and it's pretty nice, I think. The files are tagged as a compilation, with artwork and proper track order, so it should be pretty easy for you to handle. I hope you like it! Let me know if you do!

[ZIP]: Skatterbrain's Lazy Springmix (10 MP3s, 44mb)

Tracklist:
01. Belle and Sebastian :: Lazy Line Painter Jane
02. Springfactory :: As Winter Gives Way To Spring
03. Even As We Speak :: Anybody Anyway
04. Fat Tulips :: My Secret Place
05. The Softies :: Excellent
06. Saturday Looks Good To Me :: No Good With Secrets
07. Let's Go Sailing :: Sideways
08. The Hit Parade :: In Gunnersbury Park
09. Sambassadeur :: Between The Lines
10. Blueboy :: Amoroso

MMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmm :D

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