W♥M (Archive)

The School

The School - Let It Slip

The School

Tour Dates

10/10/08 YORK tbc York, Northeast
10/11/08 ABERDEEN Tunnels with Das Wanderlust / Captain Face & The Marionettes (14+) Aberdeen, Scotland
10/22/08 ITALY - Forlì - Diagonal Forlì, Forlì - Cesena
10/23/08 ITALY - Pescara - Mono Spazio Bar Pescara, Pescara
10/24/08 ITALY - Recanati - Extra Alt. Club Recanati, Macerata
10/25/08 ITALY - Foligno - Feedback Foligno, Perugia
10/26/08 ITALY - Fucecchio - Limonaia Fucecchio, Firenze
10/30/08 BATH Moles with The Kabeedies / Lego Castles / The Panther Girls dancers Bath, Southwest
10/31/08 NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE Star & Shadow Cinema - Lulu’s Pension party with The Actionettes Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Northeast
11/01/08 MIDDLESBROUGH Westgarth Social Club with Pelle Carlberg / Das Wanderlust Middlesbrough, Northeast
11/06/08 LONDON Brixton Windmill with Pelle Carlberg London, London and South East
11/16/08 CARDIFF Swn Festival @ Clwb Ifor Bach - Peppermint Patti with Agaskodo Teliverek Cardiff, Wales

Discography

Let It Slip EP (Jun 2008) CD-EP

All I Wanna Do (Apr 2008) 7" Single

I regularly get unsolicited "friend requests" from bands on Myspace, but I rarely like any of their music. I always listen to their songs and give them a chance, but it seems more "miss" than "hit". In the case of The School, however, it was love at first listen... I was blown away.

The School is a six-piece band from Cardiff, Wales (UK). The current members are Liz (vocals, keyboards), Ryan (bass), Joshua (drums), Ceri (guitar, vocals), Steph (violin, vocals), and Harri (guitar/glock/vocals/percussion). They were signed to Elefant Records (Spain) in the Summer of 2007 after performing only four shows. Early this year they released their first single on 7" vinyl, titled "All I Wanna Do". Their first E.P., "Let It Slip", was released this summer.

If you give their songs a listen, it will become quite obvious they're heavily influenced by 1960's motown and girl-groups. Their songs are upbeat and catchy without being mindlessly cute or "twee". It's likely that anyone who likes Camera Obscura will find it easy to to like their labelmates The School. They could also be compared to other 60's-influenced bands such as The Pipettes, Belle and Sebastian, and Lucky Soul.

The song I'm attaching here is the title track from the "Let It Slip" E.P. Containing four outstanding songs, this E.P. is well worth the purchase. The standout track for me is "I Want You Back"... it's the type of song that gets stuck in your head for days, and won't leave you complaining about it for even one second. I imagine they'll be releasing a full-length album at some point, and if their two releases so far are any indication, it's going to be nothing short of fantastic.

The School - All I Wanna Do

The School - Let It Slip

Links: myspace.com/theschoolband theschoolband.blogspot.com

 09/23/2008 08:36:42  ♥ written by randy ()

 

The Sound Of Arrows

 

 

 

The Sound Of Arrows - Danger

The Sound Of Arrows

A couple of months ago I saw an announcement that my favorite record label, Labrador Records, had signed a new band called The Sound Of Arrows. Since I love just about every band on their roster, I was quite excited about this. At the time, Labrador released an mp3 for the track called "Danger!", which I immediately put into heavy rotation in my playlist.

A few weeks ago the debut release from The Sound Of Arrows was finally made available. They are touting this as an E.P. but it's basically the title track, "Danger!", plus two b-sides, four remixes, and "intro" and "outro" tracks. I'm normally not a fan of remixes, but the ones on this E.P. are not too shabby. Also, the b-sides, "A Very Sad Song" and "Winding Roads" are really quite good.

The Sound Of Arrows is a duo comprised of two Swedish lads, Stefan Storm and Oskar Gullstrand, who now live in Stockholm. Together they have differing backgrounds: house music and classical. I think a bit of each comes across in their music. In Labrador's original press release they said "The Sound of Arrows treat their own songs like remixes and will present their releases almost like mixtapes. Their approach to music bare some similarity to Saint Etienne around 'Foxbase Alpha' or The Avalanches, but they never end up sounding like either." I can't wait to get their full-length album, which is due out later this year.

 May 29, 2008 4:50 AM  Randy my♥posts thesoundofarrows.com myspace

Club 8 - The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming

 

 

Club 8 - Heaven

Club 8

It's been a while since my last post, but I figure it's about time I got back into it. Vu's beat me to the punch on Sambassadeur. I was going to talk about their sophomore album, which was released late last year. It's quite good, so go check it out if you like Swedish pop music.

W♥M has mentioned Club 8 before, but I thought we should re-visit this fine band from Sweden. Their latest album release, "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming", is one of my favorites from 2007. The duo is comprised of Johan Angergård (formerly in Poprace, currently in Acid House Kings[W♥M] and The Legends[W♥M]) and Karolina Komstedt (formerly in Poprace). The combination of Karolina's beautifully delicate vocals and Johan's instrumentation create what i consider to be a masterpiece of pop music. The album drifts back and forth between songs that are light and melancholic, and others that are more upbeat and happy. The band also shows off a variety of influences, including subtle hints of gospel and country in some of their tunes. Their top-notch songwriting and production really shines as well, due in part to the fact that these two are seasoned veterans when it comes to making wonderful pop music. This is, after all, their sixth album... and what a great one it is.

The song I'm including here is "Heaven", the second single to be released from "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming".

 Feb 4, 2008 8:00 PM  Randy my♥posts club-8.org myspace.com/club8

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

 

Doing All the Things That Wouldn't Make Your Parents Proud

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

If you're into noisy indie-pop, you will probably like The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. On the surface the loud, fuzzy guitars may remind one of The Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine, but the underlying melodies and vocals are more dreamy and "poppy". The band's influences include The Pastels, The Exploding Hearts, The Ramones, Black Tambourine, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are: Kip Berman (Guitar & Vocals), Peggy Wang (Keyboard & Vocals), Alex Naidus (Bass), and Kurt Feldman (Drums). Kip, Peggy, and Alex are big fans of The Manhattan Love Suicides [W♥M], and got them to play at Peggy's birthday party when they were in the states earlier this year. Before the party, the trio of friends decided to form their own band, which also played at the birthday bash. They have since added a drummer, Kurt, and recorded a limited CD-single on Cloudberry Records and a self-released EP containing 5 outstanding tracks.

The band is playing a few dates in New York and Philadelphia before hopping over to England to play a mini-tour in February.

 

Thanks to Kip, I have obtained a few nuggets of useless trivia about the band:

1. The band got its name from the title of a book by Charles Augustus Steen III. Mr. Steen claims that his book was plagiarized by Dr. Seuss' estate and published as "Daisy-Head Mayzie" in 1995.

2. "There is another Peggy Wang who lives in California who is friends with the Peggy Wang who is in The Pains. Hence, 'Peggy Wang-West' and 'Peggy Wang-East.'"

3. "Kurt (drums) joined our band after proving his worth by being the only person to best me at the 1980s arcade classic, 'Galaga.' We live together in an apartment called 'The House of Pains.'"

 

 December 10, 2007 11:59 PM  Randy my♥posts official myspace

Acid House Kings - Say Yes If You Love Me

Due to a combination of busyness and laziness, I haven't posted anything here for a while. In order to make up for it, I've promised Vu that I'll post something each day this week^[1]. So, here goes... post #1...

 

 

Acid House Kings - Say Yes If You Love Me

Acid House Kings

 

 

Say Yes If You Love Me

Acid House Kings has been mentioned here at least once, but no one's done a proper writeup for them (I know... *gasp*). This indie-pop band was formed in Sweden in 1991 by Joakim Ödlund and brothers Niklas and Johan Angergård. They cite the early 90's indie-pop scene in the UK, and many of the Sarah Records bands in particular, as influences. Their sound has evolved a little over time, but they remain a guitar-based pop band writing heartfelt, melodic, and incredibly catchy songs, and have remained remarkably consistent even after 15+ years.

They released their first album, "Pop, Look & Listen" in 1992. "Advantage Acid House Kings", their second full-length album, was released in 1997 and saw the appearance of Julia Lannerheim as a guest singer. She later joined the group full-time as co-lead vocalist for the third album, "Mondays Are Like Tuesdays And Tuesdays Are Like Wednesdays" (2002).

2005 saw the release of their fourth and latest album, "Sing Along With Acid House Kings". The initial release of the CD included a karaoke DVD, apparently the first ever such release. Along with a few music videos, the DVD contains a video for each song, which can be played with or without the vocals, thus allowing you to "sing along", if you so choose. This limited edition is out of print, but if you can't find a copy on ebay or a used record store, you can still enjoy the videos on youtube.

Anyway, the song i present to you here is "Say Yes If You Love Me", from their "Mondays Are Like Tuesdays And Tuesdays Are Like Wednesdays" album. Also check out the live TV performance!

 

[1] The "week o' posts" was supposed to happen last week. Did I mention the laziness?

 August 20, 2007 8:47 PM  Randy my♥posts www.acidhousekings.com

The Radio Dept. - Deliverance

The Radio Dept. - Deliverance

The Radio Dept.

The Radio Dept. - Pulling Our Weight

Today was really dark and gloomy, which seems to have put me into the mood for The Radio Dept. Their music is quite befitting of this weather... it's shoegazey, melancholy, a bit subdued, but also lush and really well-layered between the vocals, guitar, keyboard, samples, and drum machine.

The Radio Dept. comes from Sweden, and formed in 1995. Interestingly, I've never seen their name written as "The Radio Department", it's always abbreviated as "The Radio Dept." Anyway, they apparently took their name from a gas station/radio repair shop they saw called Radioavdelningen, or "the radio department" in Swedish. They've had many band members come and go, and now consist of Johan (original member), Martin, and Daniel. They've released several singles and E.P.s, and two full-length albums: Lesser Matters (2003) and Pet Grief (2006). If you've read my last post you might know how much I love a good B-side... so the song I'm featuring here is "Deliverance", a B-side from the "This Past Week" E.P. (2005).

For some extra credit I'm including a video for another one of their songs, "Pulling Our Weight", from the "Pulling Our Weight" E.P. (2005). I think it explains why the weather here is so dreary.

For more songs and info check out their website and page on myspace.

-randy

The Mary Onettes - Lost

The Mary Onettes - Lost

The Mary Onettes

The Mary Onettes

I can't seem to get this song out of my head, so I figure that's a good enough reason to add it to our blog. It's "Lost" by The Mary Onettes.

They are a Swedish band that first got together in 2000. After being dropped by their first two record labels and having released only one E.P. (entitled "Make Me Last"), they've landed a contract with Labrador Records. Since then, they've released the "Lost" E.P., and just recently the "Void" E.P. A full album is in the works, but I haven't heard of a release date as of yet.

Their influences include "modern rock" bands from the 80's and 90's such as The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and The Stone Roses. Check out their website and their page on myspace for more songs and info.

>randy<

P.S. - This song also appears on the recently-released Labrador 100 compilation from Labrador Records. It's a 100-song, 4-CD box set commemorating 10 years of music from Labrador. This box set is the 100th release from the Swedish indiepop label, and contains one song from each of their past single, E.P., and album releases (plus one new song thrown in to make it an even "100"). If you're interested in buying yourself a copy, I suggest you order it directly from Labrador. It's only 200SEK (approx. 22EU or just under US$30), which includes shipping, even to the USA!. It's quite a deal for 4 CDs of fabulous tunes. My copy arrived a few days ago. =)

Math and Physics Club - Weekends Away

Math and Physics Club

 

Weekends Away

Math and Physics Club

Math and Physics Club hails from Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. I have no idea if they're especially good at math or physics, but I do know they're capable of creating some really great tunes. This five-piece band formed in 2004 and released 2 wonderful E.P.s in 2005, to much critical acclaim among the indie-pop community. Their highly-anticipated debut album was finally released late last year.

Their songs range from upbeat and airy to wistful, and features the smooth, sweet vocals of lead singer Charles Bert. When listening to their music, it's very easy to see that they're heavily influenced by The Smiths/Morrissey, Belle & Sebastian, and The Lucksmiths, among others. Their music would be a good soundtrack for a lazy, sunny, Sunday afternoon, or a leisurely drive down the coast.

Here I'd like to present "Weekends Away", the title track from their debut E.P. If you like this, you can check out their website and also their page on myspace for more songs and info. Please enjoy.

-randy

Love Dance - Stay Handsome

Love Dance - Stay Handsome

Love Dance

Love Dance

Randy here. For the past few months I've been listening to a lot of indie-pop. Here's a relatively new band called Love Dance. So far they've only released a 7" EP on Marsh-Marigold Records, called "You Should Know Where I'm Standing". This song, "Stay Handsome", is one of four songs from that EP. They have a full-length album due out in only a couple of weeks, and if it's anywhere near as good as the 7", I know I'm going to love it.

I don't know too much about this band, except that it consists of 3 young men from Bergen, Norway: Eirik, Kristopher, and Kjetil. I believe they are all still in college.

Useless Trivia: They called themselves Try Happiness before they changed their name to Love Dance.

Jonathan Coulton - Baby Got Back

Jonathan Coulton - Baby Got Back

Jonathan Coulton

This is Randy. Since we're on the subject of cover songs, here's a fantastic cover of Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back". Personally I don't like cover songs unless they're quite different from the original and also don't sound like crap... and this one's certainly different, and also... not crap. If you've ever wondered what this song would sound like if Sir Mix-a-Lot were a white dude, here's your answer!

Jonathan Coulton is an independent artist from the northeastern U.S. If you like this song, please support the artist and visit his website. There you can buy this song for one measly dollar (mp3 without DRM), as well as all his other songs and albums. I believe they're available on iTunes as well. He also has a page on myspace.