I Won't Say Anything, If You Don't Say Anything!

Holy moly! Mexico's Hello Seahorse! have just made my week a very happy one. After watching their video for their new song, "Won't Say Anything", I am excited out of my mind to hear the rest of the new EP that Magic Marker will be bringing to us on November 11th!!! Seriously, this song has got to be one of the most infectious things I've heard in a while. The vocal melodies are so genious, and the acoustic guitar in the chorus is so tremendously catchy I just can't handle it! The video is totally fun, too! Check it out!



Hello Seahorse! on MySpace!

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Sisters Are Forever!

As if new records from The Pobpahs, Crystal Stilts, and caUSE co-MOTION weren't enough, next in line for Slumberland Records is the very, very eagerly anticipated debut 7" from Glasgow's Sexy Kids (ex-Royal We)! The record will feature the enormous-sounding "Sisters Are Forever" b/w "Drown Me" a groovy little song, with more handclaps than the name would suggest. "Sisters Are Forever" is one of the best songs I've heard all year, but I'm still having trouble describing how I hear it. It's not post-punk exactly, and it's not just indiepop either. It's somewhere between the two, with energy as tall as a mountain, and harmonized vocals that soar even higher.

[MP3]: Sexy Kids :: Sisters Are Forever (Super Recommended!)

So keep your eyes peeled and make sure you pick it up from Slumberland Records later this year – or maybe early next year!

Sexy Kids on MySpace!

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Milk Is Politics!!!!!

The Deirdres may be going into hibernation, but not before making a super ace video for what I would say is probably their best song ever! "Milk Is Politics" appeared on their recent Why Do My Glasses Give You The Heeby Jeebys? EP. The song is tremendously catchy and the video is exactly what one would expect from The Deirdres. It's a real shame they won't be gracing us with anymore tunes for some indefinite period of time, but it happens, I guess.



"Milk is Politics" b/w the ridiculous "Sir Michael of Aspel" will also be released on white 7" vinyl by the fine folks at Cherryade Records on November 17th! Whether this may be the very last Deirdres record ever or not, you should buy it up immediately!!! The cover art even shows you how to do the stunning "Milk Is Politics" dance!

The Deirdres on MySpace!

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Such a great big dumb fucking universe

October's been probably the busiest month of my life, as far as I can remember, and that's why I haven't been around here much. However, that doesn't mean I haven't been hearing lots and lots of new fantastic things! Since it's Sunday and I'm enjoying some very welcomed downtime, I thought I'd play catch-up a little bit this week with a few records I love personally, but have yet to love publicly!


The Lil' Hospital

First up, the record that has kept me dancing on the bed more than any other this month is The Lil' Hospital's Universe Sucks EP, which will be out soon enough on Hugpatch Records. Universe Sucks (no "The") is the first – and possibly final – collection of post-D.C., post-Philly Lil' Hospital recordings and I'd say they're some of Kevin's finest songs to date. The back-to-back total fucking jams on the A-side – "Universe" and "Nothing Like A Car Crash" – have been a getting a bit more play than the flip-side, but being that they are total jams, I trust you can, for now, understand why. However, ignoring the B-side would be a total shame because you'd miss such wonders as "Kips Is A Dick", a charming ode to everyone's good pal Kip Pains and "The T-Rex", a song as good as it's title. I think I used to be better at describing music in technical and flowery terms, but these days I feel like the best i can say is THIS RECORD IS FUCKING GREAT, BUY IT AND LISTEN TO IT ASAP.

Like I said, it'll be out on soon-ish on Hugpatch Records. I don't see it listed on the website yet, but hopefully it'll be up there pretty soon, so you can order the crap out of it!! Yay!

The Lil' Hospital on MySpace!

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Busy Busy Busy!!! Ahhhhh!

Sometimes life just gets really, really busy. I'll return soon enough. Compilation CDr right around the corner! :)

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New Header, New Celestial!!!

First of all, I got bored – as I very often do – of the header I had up for a little bit there, so I went and made a new one. I think this might be my favorite and I plan on leaving it up for a while, so I hope you like it! Anyway, onward...


“You only dream about yesterdays. There and back again, there and back again…”

Surprisingly close – though definitely not unpleasantly so – on the heels of last year's brilliant LP Dream On, Sweden's Celestial have got a brand new collection of beautifully catchy, shimmering pop songs for us! The new record, Crystal Heights, is out now as a split release between Music Is My Girlfriend and Lavender and shows the band favoring a brighter, cleaner soundscape in contrast to the darkness, and occasional noisiness we sometimes found on Dream On. Crystal Heights also features the vocals of Malin Dahlberg (Douglas Heart, Laurel Music, We Are Soldiers We Have Guns) and Ulrika Nymark (Northern Fields) creating beautiful breathy layered melodies that one could swear came straight from the heavens. So, listen to the title track, "Crystal Heights" and then ake sure you head over to Music Is My Girlfriend or Lavender and buy this one immediately cause it's probably going to be one of the best records you hear all year.

[Mp3]: Celestial :: Crystal Heights (Soo Highly Recommended!!!)

Celestial on MySpace!!

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Slothbear: "The Exceptional Bastards"

Slothbear EP cover art.

The Slothbear is a wonderful animal and so it's only fitting that a band named after such an awesome creature should, too, be awesome. NYC's Slothbear make noisy, caustic pop songs with more catchiness – and treble – than you could shake a stick at. Since yesterday I've been pretty stuck on them and songs like "The Exceptional Bastards" and "You Make Me Choose You" are so instantly infectious and, well, I don't know, they're just really really good. I wouldn't be surprised if Slothbear were picked up by Siltbreeze in some time soon. However, their debut self-titled EP is out now on internet label Rack and Ruin Records. You can download the whole EP for free HERE! There's plenty of other good records there too, so poke around and download them all for free.

[MP3]: Slothbear :: The Exceptional Bastards (Hiiighly Recommended!)
[MP3]: Slothbear :: You Make Me Choose You (Very Rec'd!!!)

Slothbear on MySpace!

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The Pale Corners: "Steve Buscemi"

As if Sweden ever really needs new brilliant pop bands, now they've got The Pale Corners, hailing from Stockholm and making super catchy indiepop with rather lush arrangements, and wonderful breathy vocals. I was sent their song "Steve Buscemi" early this morning and I haven't been able to make myself hit stop yet, so I guess that's a pretty good indication of how great it is. I suppose a better indicator would be if I were still loving days from now, but that's hardly of any importance to me at the moment. I'm pretty sure they're still unsigned, I think, so, uh, somebody should release a record for these guys! For now, listen to the interestingly named, "Steve Buscemi". I'm still wondering if perhaps their name is an intentional Brilliant Corners reference, or just an convenient coincidence...

[MP3]: The Pale Corners :: Steve Buscemi (Very Highly Rec'd!!)

The Pale Corners on MySpace!

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Indiepop Does Indiepop: Velocity Girl & Glo-Worm

Velocity Girl's "Crazy Town" covered by Glo-Worm.

Well I managed to skip a whole two weeks of it, but INDIEPOPdoesINDIEPOP is totally back, dudes! After D.C. Slumberland babies Velocity Girl made the move to SubPop Records in 1993, they released their first LP Copacetic. On this record appeared a song – the best song they ever wrote IMO – called "Crazy Town". It wasn't until about three, maybe four years ago that I actually consciously started listening to Velocity Girl, but the more I listened, the more I could remember hearing some of their songs, "Crazy Town" included, on the radio (99.1 WHFS to be exact) in elementary school, which I think is pretty neat. Teeny bits of nostalgia aside, the song was slightly later covered by a different set of D.C. natives, Glo-Worm. Glo-Worm were Pam Berry, Dan Searing, and Terry Banks, all of countless other bands before and since. It appeared as the second-to-last track on Glimmer, a Glo-Worm compilation released by K in 1996. Both versions hold their own respective special places in my heart, but whenever I watch Velocity Girl's original video for the song, I have to admit, I get a little giddy for those guitars, and Sarah's voice, and for elementary school again.

[MP3]: Velocity Girl :: Crazy Town
[MP3]: Glo-Worm :: Crazy Town

Mind the tracking! Haha...

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New Lucksmiths! Yesssssss!!!

I've spent all morning studying the history of modern design and running (and sweating) to Kinko's to print two pages for $4 that ended up not fitting in my backpack and now I've got to get to class in about 20 minutes – so I'm gonna make this quick.

Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh a new Lucksmiths record!!! First Frost will be the Lucksmith's first new release since 2005's fantastic Warmer Corners (Warm and Frost... hehe?). It will be out in November on Matinee in the US, Fortuna Pop! in the UK, and Lost and Lonesome in the Australia. There are three(!) new songs streaming on the Lucksmiths MySpace at the moment, so if I were you I'd head over there right this moment and get excited!

Okay bye!!!

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Gothenburg Handshake

The Pobpahs have got a brand new video! The video is for the awesome, awesome song "Gothenburg Handshake" and it's compiled of video taken during their recent week-long tour over in lovely Sweden. Watch away!



They've got a few more shows coming up this month, so you should check out the MySpace for more details!

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Sad and Young Forever: A new mix!

"They're sad and young, and they'll be sad and young forever."

It's time for a new mix, I say! It's not necessarily a fax mix, per se, though the timing would be absolutely perfect. No, this mix is something more along the lines of a collection of extremely danceable songs. You'll notice a bit of a transition, from the start to the end. It begins with the amazing build up of The Feelies' "Moscow Nights" moving through a few fantastic basslines, quick-paced drums, and toe-tapping melodies, slowly winding down until it gets to My Favorite's 'Homeless Club Kids" – a perfect ending by anyone's standards. I Hope you hear a few new things here, but first and foremost, I hope it makes you want to dance!!! Get out into that crisp Fall air and dance down the sidewalk. If anyone looks at you, you know they're just jealous.

Tracklist:
01. The Feelies :: Moscow Nights
02. The Smiths :: Barbarism Begins At Home
03. Miaow :: When It All Comes Down
04. Strawberry Fair :: Why Won't He Answer
05. Dislocation Dance :: Rosemary
06. The Field Mice :: This Love Is Not Wrong
07. The Radio Dept. :: Ewan
08. The Bridal Shop :: Violation
09. The Wake :: Pale Spectre
10. The Morning Paper :: Fingers Crossed
11. Moscow Olympics :: Still
12. My Favorite :: Homeless Club Kids

DOWNLOAD IT! [.zip, 12 MP3s, 104mb]

Enjoy!!!

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Hello Handsome: "Courting Song"

Hello Handsome is the one-girl garage pop project of Sarah K. On her MySpace she lists influences from the TVPs to Sonic Youth. What I'm hearing on "Courting Song" are things like Cub, Bunnygrunt, and a little bit of Bratmobile. It's pretty solid grrrl pop and the totally fantastic, almost blues-y, lead-in to the song's finishing coda is surprising and pretty memorable – memorable enough for me to tell you that you HAVE to listen to it.

[MP3]: Hello Handsome :: Courting Song (Highly Rec'd!!)

Hello Handsome on MySpace!

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