‘Constellations’ is the latest album from Antartica Takes It! and it is released on How Does It Feel To Be Loved? And as you’d expect from the HDIF stable this is delicate indiepop – that nods at Belle and Sebastian, Motown and Chamber Pop. It’s also the follow up to 2008′s The Penguin League (also released on HDIF). Confession time: I really didn’t get along with that LP and I found it a real mish mash of lo-fi sounds without having anything to draw me in.
So popping ‘Constellations’ on play the other day was done with little expectation. This should be a rule of thumb for all LPs, I think, because I’ve found myself pleasantly surprised by it.
The LP is a million times better than it’s predecessor – the pop music on show here is clever and clear – the closest sister LP I can think of at the moment is the one I’ve just released by One Happy Island. Admittedly Antarctica Takes It! pop sound definetely carries more of a 60′s swing to it’s step. But after only a few plays I am falling more and more for the pop charms on offer here. Highly recommended.
Links: My Space | How Does It Feel To Be Loved?
Prize Pets are a four piece from Nottingham. We won’t hold that against them, either. Their first single ‘New Weirdos’ has just come out on Sex Is Disgusting. And I heartily approve. Lead song – ‘New Weirdos’ is a fantastic song where everything is pushed as loud it can be in the mix. And what a fierce mix it is, mashing together distorted rock’n'roll that comes informed by the likes of The Birthday Party and Gallon Drunk with the faintest echoes of mid 80s Butthole Surfers lurking in the back ground like a trippy teenager.
Dance Magic Dance have put on some fine bands in London over the past 18 months or so. They have now released their first (I think) compilation cassette. And what a great noisy thing it is. This is a lo-fi fuzz fest of guitar goodness that ranges from the sub New York sound of La LA Vasquez to the punk rock racket of the, er The Racket. Elsewhere are my recent garage rock discoveries Sex Beet and always wonderful French Kissing pop up. And that’s just side one. Flip the cassette over and we get the London surf mob One Fathom Down and doomy punkrock sounds of Bo Ningen, to name just two. Like I said, it’s all awesome stuff, really. And this little cassette is just £3. Bargain.
Kid Canaveral have been away, for what seems the longest time. But they’ve not been idly wasting time over the past 12 months the band have been recording their debut LP ‘Shouting At Wildlife’.
Finding it hard getting into the swing of things after a couple months of busy-ness/holidays. But there are buckets full of wonderful bands that are being stock-piled for this blog.
Listening to Marc Riley today, he played a song from The European. As you do when half paying attention to the radio – I didn’t catch it all. But by the end of the song (In a Very Real Sense Now) I was scrambling onto google to see what more I can find out about the band. It turns out a New LP (debut?) has just been released on Stolen Recordings. I couldn’t wait so got the songs from iTunes, with a vinyl order to arrive in due course too. I haven’t been able to find out much about The European apart from what is written on the Stolen Recordings web page:
In the helter skelter world of indiepop you’ve got to be paying attention or you might just miss something important. And it seems I wasn’t 100% on the ball. Why? Read on:
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