Not Quite Rocket Science

goodbye my friend

2008-04-02T22:22:00.002+01:00

ee! well, we've had a lovely time doing our wee popcasts over the past year, but we're afraid we have to say goodbye for now!

we haven't had as much time to concentrate on doing the popcasts over the past few months, and the domain hosting fee is up for renewal tomorrow, so rather than renew it for another year, we've decided to lay down Not Quite Rocket Science for the moment.

fear not though! join us over at WeePOP! records to keep up with our goings on, and you never know - you might hear from Not Quite Rocket Science again!

take care and thanks for all the good times!
thor + camila
x

Popcast #16 - Canto en espanol, Si sinor!

2008-03-16T21:35:00.003Z

Quite often people will sing in english even if it's not their mother language, I know there's a number of reasons for why they do it, but I think it's great when they don't. I really like coming across songs i like in a different language, even when i get all the words wrong when trying to sing along.

For our latest popcast we put together some really lovely songs, all sang in Spanish.

The tracklist is:

Hello Seahorse! - Cassette
Nosotrash - Pez Globo
Entre Rios - Salven las sirenas
Mirafiori - El Efecto Bola De Nieve
Nagasaqui - A los q tienen el dinero
Pleasant Dreams - El ultimo Verano Que Pasamos Juntos
Kikí d'Akí - Hoy te vi
Apenino - Recordar
Zipper - Hoy estoy muy pop
Las escarlatinas - Sueno merengue
Juniper Moon - El Resto De Mi Vida
Linda Guilala - Nada que contar
La Casa Azul - C'est fini
Ambarina - Cuando ya te vas
Bel Divioleta - Normal
Francisco Nixon - Me casare cuando me enamore
La buena vida - Como en cualquier lugar

Download the file here.

Hope you enjoy it! x

the last cassette tape label in the world

2008-02-25T23:12:00.004Z

These days Cassette tape culture is almost completely lost. In the so called digital age, "mixtapes" don't really come in tapes, but in cd-rs or in downloadable files like our popcasts. Most people (including me, sadly) don't even own a working tape player/ recorder anymore and it's been years since i saw a tape section at a record shop.

I don't mind the new formats of music storage, actually, i have to admit i love having my entire music collection accessible thru my itunes. And thankfully there's still a lot of people out there keeping the whole DIY ethos still alive by making handmade cdrs. But, still... I think it's a shame tapes are almost gone.

So, even though i don't have a tape player anymore, I couldn't resist any longer and i placed an order at Lost Sounds tapes, probably one of the last tape labels around. And, wow, it was so worth it!

Lost sounds tapes is run by Jon Manning, who also plays in the Blanket truth and does some other awesome stuff in Seatle, US. His releases include watercolor paintings, red pony clock, iji, blanket truth and an amazing ukulele compilation.

What I got in the post the other day tho, was his newest work - The seasonal Splits - a boxset containing 4 coloured cassettes, each representing one season of the year, with music by 8 different artists: Blanket Truth, Milly Geronimo, Shelby Sifers, Rian James, Super Famicom, Jellybean!, Watercolor Paintings and Iji. They come in a VHS style case that holds the 4 tapes (and a bunch of cards with info on the songs and bands) perfectly.

Those familiar with Pop monster collective, know what you should expect from the music: low fi, acoustic, home recorded songs, a lot of ukulele strings, toy instruments and super-sweetness.

If that's not good enough, just so you have no excuse at all not to go get it right now, Jon included a CDR with all the music, for convenience, and, to quote him, "for the analogically challenged".

Visit Lost sounds tapes here.

popcast #15 - a subjective history, '95-96, as told mainly through the medium of 7" vinyl records

2008-02-21T12:57:00.002Z

This is a slight departure from our norm, more noisepop than indiepop, and also more personally themed.
These are mostly all 7"s i bought between 1995-'96, and as such, is rather subjective, and by no means does it paint any kind of complete picture or history. I was still living in Glasgow at the time, so the mix is mostly comprised of Glasgow bands. At first i was going to make it into a potted history of Glasgow bands around that time, however I had a few fav 7"s such as the Dub Narcotic, Ladies Who Lunch, and The Make Up, which are very much associated in my head with that period of time. Really this is just a personal mix for me, after having ripped all the 7"s, but hopefully you will enjoy it too!
The first Spare Snare track "Shine On Now" was actually from their 10" "Live At Home" which is maybe my favorite record i own, and yes, i know there are three Spare Snare tracks, but they were/are still so good! The Belle And Sebastian pre-Tigermilk demo is just something I had downloaded, but as i always saw those kids around town, they were very much part of the scene around that time, and I wanted to include something more original than from Tigermilk or If You're Feeling Sinister. The "Ladies Who Lunch - Kims We Love" 7" was another favorite at the time - i believe it was two girls from Lusicous Jackson, a pink vinyl tribute to Kim Gordon and Kim Deal, with one side a cover of Sonic Youth's 'Bull In The Heather' and the Pixies 'Gigantic' done on lil' lo-fi drum machines, and released on the Beastie Boy's Grand Royale label.
Also, being more of a mix, i decided to omit any sort of introduction from the popcast, so its just music,music,music! get your lo-fi party hat on, and dance like it's 1996!
hope you enjoy it!

Tracklisting is:
Spare Snare - Shine On Now
Urusei Yatsura - Kernel
The Yummy Fur - Shrinky Dinc
Pink Kross - Velocababy
Ladies Who Lunch - Bull In The Heather
Belle and Sebastian - Pocketbook Angel
Adventures In Stereo - Airline
The Delgados - Monica Webster
Spare Snare - Haircut
Bis - Kill Yr Boyfriend
Lung Leg - Disco Biscuit
Dub Narcotic - Fuck Shit Up
Eska - III Spike
Ladies Who Lunch - Gigantic
Super Furry Animals - Don't Be A Fool, Billy!
Kenickie - Come Out 2nite
Spare Snare - Wired for Sound
The Make Up - Are You A Believer?

Download here

of Elvis and Ukuleles

2008-02-18T10:33:00.002Z

Our fav ukulele troubadour, Jacob Borshard, whose new single we just released over at WeePOP!, has put up four new songs for download at his myspace page. As explained on his website, he has finished writing and arranging the songs for his third album, and these are four brand new songs, which don't fit on it. New album to be available by the end of the year! rar!

Popcast #14 - Covers!!!!!!

2008-02-09T02:09:00.001Z

Hello! Almost a year ago, when we had just started doing popcasts, we did one filled with cover versions. After that, I kept remembering other covers we had missed, or coming across some we didn't know of back then. So I figured it was time for a new "cover versions" popcast.

The tracklist is:

Colin Clary - Donna
Bunnygrunt - Carmelita
Iji - I Don't Believe You
Tiny Records - Back To High School
Alfred Daniels Midland - Every Morning
Bartlebees - Hounds of love
The pastels - Different drum
Phil Wilson - Lee Rimmick
Sealove - All I want is you
Jacob Borshard - Kokomo
Tinyfolk - Emma's House
Dennis Driscoll - Everyday
The Lucksmiths - Make a Wish
Camera obscura - Super trouper
Cub - Cast a Shadow
The Darlings - You Shook Me All Night Long
Hefner - Oblivious
Jeffrey Lewis - Part-time Punks
Darren Hanlon - The book of love
Little My - New Slang
kisswhistle - My date with rachel sweet
The Just Joans - Pictures of you

Download the file here.

Enjoy it! (and try and tell whose the originals are by - no cheating by googling it :))

Popcast # 13 - All those good times we had in 2007

2008-01-02T19:08:00.000Z

This is the most personal popcast we've made so far. The one thing all the songs have in common is that they bring us memories from the past months.

It's our own take on the highlights of 2007, not only great songs that were released last year - quite a few of the songs here are a lot older than that - but pretty much the songs that we listened to the most during the year: stuff that reminds us of a fun holiday, a great gig, things we only discovered recently and fell in love with straight away, and all those others that somehow made it to top of our itunes playcount, for one reason or another.

The tracklist is:

Masters of the hemisphere - Coat Of Arms
The Lucksmiths - Adolescent Song Of Mindless Devotion
Daniel Saturn - It's Running Through My Fingers
Tullycraft - The Punks Are Writing Love Songs
Milky Wimpshake - My Heart Beats Faster Than Techno
Cats On Fire - The Smell Of An Artist
The Electric Pop Group - My Only Inspiration
Math And Physics Club - April Showers
Jacob Borshard - Grass stains
A Smile and a Ribbon - My bunny's back
Irene - Always on My Mind
Pocketbooks - Every good time we ever had
Existential Hero - Almost spirited away
Rough Bunnies - Rollercoaster ride
Sodastream - Twin Lakes
The Lil' Hospital - Big Sister In Hollywood
Colin Clary - Backseat, Man
Breezy Porticos - Ramona, Just The Other Day
The Crisps - Listen Little Man
Alfred Daniels Midland - Oceanside

You can download the file here

Happy 2008 to you all.

Camila and Thor
x

Popcast #12 - Pop Christmas!

2007-12-16T20:31:00.000Z

For our last podcast of the year, we got a bit festive and made a very pop christmas mix. Hope you enjoy it and have a very merry holiday time!

The tracklist is:

Aislers set - Christmas song
Pas/cal - Last christmas
Summer Cats - Plastic Christmas
Michaelmas - My gift song
Lucky Lucky Pigeons - Red Santa
The Diskettes - Noel
Bunnygrunt - Blue christmas
Shumai - California Christmas
Rose melberg and Gregory Webster - Merry christmas (I don't want to fight tonight)
The Magic Whispers - Like Christmas
The fireflies - X-mas song
El perro del mar - Oh What a Christmas!
Bobby Baby - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Would-Be-Goods - Christmas In Tahiti
Masters Of The Hemisphere - The First Noel
Pocketbooks - Christmas In Your Sights
Red Sleeping Beauty - Christmas
Soda Fountain Rag - Jullåten 2007
Amelia Fletcher and Hit Parade - Christmas Tears

You can download the file here.

Camila and Thor
x

001collective

2007-12-08T11:50:00.000Z

Just came across an excellent new torrent based label, although i probably shouldn't call them that - in their faq they say "The collective isn't a label, or an internet distribution site, or an internet label. We like to think of the Collective as a family of artists who help each other out whenever they can, and who make music because they love to make music."

But basically a nice clean website for a really good collection of quality new music, put together by one Luke Morris, an american college student from Louisiana, who also records under the name Secret Owl Society.
At present there are five releases up there, ranging from the lurching shy grandeur of Errand Boy, tinyfolk getting a lot more freak folk than his usual ukulele musings, and the off-beat pop of Secret Owl Society, which kinda sounds like how you imagine Anticon should have sounded. I'm still downloading the other two at the moment, but these three releases so far have all been super good.
What really impressed me was their 'Declaration Of Independence'. Its really articulate and accurately describes our changing habits of music dissemination and file sharing, in the positive manner which it should be viewed, seizing the opportunities of the now, rather than the pessimistic gloom we hear perpetuated from the RIAA and majors.
Oh, and of course they have the cutest logo ever!

Popcast # 11 - Pa pa pa pa ra pa pa pa pas!

2007-11-05T12:45:00.000Z

A bunch of "pa pa pas" and "ba ba bas" is almost certainly going to make a good song even better. We love them! Pa pa pa pas, pa pa pa ra pa pa pas, ba ba ba bas, and any other combination they come in. So we compiled some of our favourite papapa songs in our 11th popcast.

The tracklist is:

Bunnygrunt - 1000% not creepy
Tullycraft - Rumble with the gang debs
Bella Vista - I'd Rather Be Here
The Specific Heats- Other Boys
California Snow Story - Suddenly Everything Happens
Billie The Vision & The Dancers - One More Full Length Record
The Gazetteers - The Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic Of 1954
Annemarie - Bubble Gum I See
Pas/Cal - The Bronze Beached Boys (Come on Let's Go)
Acid house kings - Start anew
Breezy Porticos - Taste Pedlar
Nord Express - Tripleplay
The State Of Samuel - I Still Love You
Math And Physics Club - In This Together
The Galactic Heroes - Baby Blue Volvo
#Poundsign#- Matinee Sunday
Tricycle Bicycle Cycle - Do You Remember? (Face)
Goyouhuskies! - Cubbyhouse
The hat company - A cloud in minor
Beulah - Silver lining
The smittens - Cool sounds
La buena vida - Por la mañana
Suburban Kids with Biblical Names - Rent a wreck

Download the file here.

Enjoy it!
x

Asaurus records and Colin Clary

2007-10-22T22:11:00.000+01:00

I love nice cd packagings - especially nowadays, when the only time i ever use the actual cd is to rip the mp3s to my computer/ ipod - nice cd covers and inserts are what make it all worthy buying physical copies of cds rather than just digital downloads.

And what a big smile i had on my face when i received a parcel from Asaurus records this weekend. Asaurus has been around for almost 6 years and I still can't believe i had never ordered from them before. They are AMAZING!!!

Home to some awesome bands like Colin Clary, pants yell!, the diskettes, sinkcharmer, the mathletes, the fainstest ideas, and lots others, Asaurus is a small CD-R label based Athens, GA. It's run by artists and musicians, and they really put an effort in making things nice and special, all their releases come in handmade packaging, and just to give you an idea of how good these guys are: Colin Clary's, "sweater weather" comes inside a sweater, and the diskettes self tittled album comes inside a 5.25" floppy disc.

The main reason I placed this order was for Colin Clary's new album - Apocalypse yow! - which, after listening to it nonstop all weekend, is definitely one of my top favourite albums of the year. With 17 songs in just over 30 minutes, Apocalyse yow! delivers some very sweet melodies and real good lyrics to go with them. And it comes inside a real, working, paper foturne teller.

Get a taste for the album here:

Colin Clary - Blowing off the sun
Colin Clary - Top secret secret project
Colin Clary - Action figure

and go visit Asaurus store.

Popcast #10 - Songs That Tullycraft Have Covered

2007-10-01T12:37:00.000+01:00

Hello! we're very excited about the upcoming release of a new Tullycraft album, due out on Magic Marker records on Oct 23rd! eee! In preparation we've done a new popcast based on songs that Tullycraft have covered. In a lot of cases like Helen Love's 'Girl about Town', BMX Bandit's 'Kylies Got a Crush on Us', we had first heard the Tullycraft version, and as we discovered more and more songs that Tullycraft had discovered, we had somewhat of a running joke 'do Tullycraft write any of their own songs?'! hehe. One inclusion is from Sean Tollefson's pre-TC band, Six Cents and Natalie, which being his own song, i'm not totally sure it counts as a cover, but if you've not heard this version, its fun to compare them! There are some covers we've missed out, like New Order's 'Loveless' or Thompson Twins's 'Hold Me Now', we've opted just to go for the more tweepop covers they've done - have we missed any others out?

Track Listing is:
The Judy's - She's Got The Beat
The Bartlebees - Miracles are hard to find
Benji Cossa - Knock Out
six cents and natalie - christine, north dakota
Helen Love - The Girl About Town
The 6Ths - Falling Out Of Love (With You)
Johnathan Richman - They're Not Tryin' on the Dance Floor
BMX Bandits - Kylie's Got a Crush On Us
The Judy's - Mental Obsession
The Pooh Sticks - Heroes And Villains
Jim Guthrie - Who Needs What

Download the popcast here

thanks!
thor + camila
x

The Terrordactyls - Songs about zombie love and sand castles

2007-09-25T22:47:00.000+01:00

The Terrordactyls is one of my most recent finds, and it's been making me smile quite a lot.

Both their releases, Hoppy Birthday EP , from 2004 and the self-titled full length, released earlier this year, are available for free download on their website. Expect handclaps, lalalalas and some very funny lyrics.

Their album comes in an amazing looking pop-up digipack that makes it even more special. Well worth checking out.

Popcast #9 - Cats and other pets

2007-08-28T00:24:00.000+01:00

Hello there! Our latest popcast is inspired by all the cute kitties of the world, all songs themed around cats and other pets!

The Port City Allstars - I Wish I Was A Cat
Desmond Reed - Guinea Pigs
Soda Fountain Rag - Dogwalkin' Summer
Awesome Animal Ambulance - Operation Kitty
Girlfrendo - Cat Heaven
My Little Airport - My Little Fish
Masters of the Hemisphere - Who Is This Dog?
The Lucksmiths - Cat In Sunshine
After-school sports - Roe deers, cats and mice
The Fiery Furnaces - I lost my dog
All of My Brother's Girlfriends - Kitty On A Rocket
Heavenly - Pet monkey
Tinyfolk - Do Animals Get Lonely Late at Night?
Cub - My Chinchilla
Loch Ness Mouse - My Cat & Me
The Mathletes - Animals
Daniel Johnston - Walking The Cow

Download it here

hope ye enjoy it!
cheers,
thor + camila
x

The Rosie Taylor Project

2007-08-17T11:33:00.000+01:00

After posting our British Bands popcast on my lastfm journal, i received a comment from someone saying i would probably like The Rosie Taylor Project too.

I had a listen to their four songs available on Lastfm and also their myspace page, and 100% agree they are ace!

Had we heard of them before, they would definitely have been included in the popcast, writing some super sweet indie-pop folk, in a similar vein to Monkey Swallows The Universe.

Hailing from Leeds, but inhabiting a dreamy world of twee americana, this five piece group have an upcoming single on Bad Sneakers records and also a video to check out on their myspace.

Unfortunately their myspace downloads arent working, although they have a note on their myspace to email them to get send mp3s or a cdr of their demo tracks. True to their word, i just received the four track demo, "Scotland Sketches EP" in the mail this morning, which i've had on repeat for the past hour, basking in their warm sunny glow!

I have found one download online over http://microsites.nme.com/radarmp3s/From_The_Crowd.mp3

Hmm, hope they make it down for a London show soon!

Popcast #8 - British bands!

2007-08-05T22:27:00.000+01:00

Hello,

The British music scene is great at the moment, lots of new labels around (just to name a few: hdif, atomic beat records , weePOP! records, lost music records), new venues, new promoters, good gigs happening all the time, and the main thing, without which any of those would be of any use: Lots of awesome new bands!

For our eighth popcast, we compiled some of them. There's actually lots more out there, and we tried to get a bit of everything we've been listening to the most and going to see live. Enjoy it!

The School - Shoulder
The Felt Tips - Not Tonight
Roadside Poppies - Counting the seconds
My sad captains - Bad decisions
Pocketbooks - I'm not going out
The Manhattan Love Suicides - Suzy Jones
The Crisps - Happiness
The Just Joans - I Hear You're The Man Now, John
Pete Green - The Ballad of Phil Jevons
Stars Of Aviation - Love Is Only In Your Mind
Butcher Boy - Girls Make Me Sick
The Hermit Crabs - Feel Good Factor
Monkey swallows the universe - Little Polveir
The Hi-Life Companion - Times table
The bobby Mcgee's - Ivor cutler is dead
Slow Down Tallahassee - Candy
Amida - Monkey Puzzle
Strawberry Whiplash - Falling through
Little My - Cute guts
Ray Rumours - Making noise
Sunny Intervals - Let the city run away with us

Download the file here.

Popcast #7 - Tha Ukulele Playlist!

2007-07-15T16:37:00.000+01:00

hello! you may have noticed a bit of an affinity round here for pop songs with Ukuleles! Well, taking it to its natural conclusion, we've put together a popcast with a selection of our fav Uke songs - hope you enjoy!

Ray Rumours - A cup of tea
Blanketarms - Eff That Ess
Crewsin for a Brewsin - Bailey park
tinyfolk - Love Is A Thing
All of a sudden - Friend in need
Let's Be Honeys - Heartful Of Secrets
Jacob Borshard - Vincent and Theo
Caj - Let's Date
Magnetic Fields - With Whom To Dance
Benji Cossa - Ukelele
The Galactic Heroes - All in Time
Nice And Friendly - Next to the Water
Darren Hayman - 8 Bit World
The Crisps - Moving mouth
The Wrong trousers - Had
Beirut - Postcards From italy

Download it here

89

2007-07-12T11:22:00.000+01:00

Mmm, if theres two things i really love, its comic books and Jacob Borshard, so when Jacob Borshard records a new song called "The Bat Days (summer of 89)" - i get kinda excited!
Its up for free download on his myspace at http://www.myspace.com/jacob
Its pretty fun! Its a bit more novelty than his other recordings, but i can't get enough of his recordings, so anything new makes me happy!

chased by ghosts and grieving widows!

2007-07-09T11:56:00.000+01:00

hello!

Over at the WeePOP! records website, we've just posted up a new video for our latest single from Bugs Eat Books. Its a flash animation me and Camila have been slaving over for the past few weeks! We're really pleased with the results tho, let us know what you think!
WeePOP! records is a new label we've recently started, focussing on small cute limited run hand made packaged releases. We're now onto our second release, but if you hurry we still have some copies left of the first release too!
You can get to the video directly at http://weepop.net/flash/killers.html

thanks!
thor + camila
x

Popcast #6 - Boy/Girl vocals!

2007-07-01T14:32:00.000+01:00

Hello hello! time for another popcast - this time all songs have that special magic you only hear when you have two contrasting boy/girl vocals going on!

Ponies In The Surf - Ventricle
The Hi-Life Companion - You're the greatest
Roadside Poppies - Just Another Love Song
The Maybellines - Wait For You
Blanketarms - I Love Your Guts
Acid House Kings - Drama Inside
Arrah And The Ferns - Skylark
The Lucksmiths - How to tie a tie
Lava lava - Dylan
Agent Simple - I wouldn't know
The Gazetteers - Tin Anniversary
Moldy peaches - Jorge Regula
Strip Squad - Unreliable narrator
Bunnygrunt - Good But Not So Good
California Snow Story - Brook Lune
Boy crazy - Stark Street
Milky Wimpshake - Pearshaped
Los campesinos - Death to Los Campesinos
Pocketbooks - Cross the line
The Diskettes - Come on over
The Haircuts - Umbrella day
The Smittens - C'mon! (When the Grass Grows Tall and Green)
Saturday Looks Good To Me - The Girl's Distracted
Let's Be Honeys - No love

Download it here

The Just Joans

2007-06-29T13:31:00.000+01:00

Possibly influenced by my Lanarkshire/Glasgow roots, but more likely just by the sheer humour and catchiness of their tunes, I have fallen head over heels for Motherwell's The Just Joans! taking their name from Scottish newspaper The Daily Records' agony aunt, their tales of teenage life in the outskirts of glasgow are wry odes to the adventures and mischief possible even in the shittiest of towns.

Filled with colloquial humour and slang, sang in a broad accent over winsome guitars, occasional banjo, and beachboys-esque backing vocals, their songs exude charm and innocent naivety. Whether feigned or genuine i can't tell, but the tales resonate so strongly and honestly with my own teenage memories, I can't help but laugh out loud!

Their myspace page - http://www.myspace.com/thejustjoans - lists five band members, however the website of their label, Ivan Lendil, only lists David Pope and Chris Elkin, which is supported by their live video footage, which can be found on webcaster "Last Night From Glasgow". Links to the label and webcasts can all be found at their myspace, where you can also download two tracks and stream another two. My personal fav to check out is "I Hear You're The Man Now, John"!

On the strength of those tracks, i bought a copy of the album last week and have been listening to it on repeat since i received it on wednesday, and would highly recommend its purchase!

Popcast #5 - Scary monsters!

2007-06-17T22:24:00.000+01:00

Hey! Time for another popcast, and number #5 brings you horror songs: zombies, vampires, monsters, cannibals and all those other scary things! Enjoy it!!!

The love letter band - Tim Burton
Jacob Borshard - Brains brains
Antsy pants - Vampire
Milky Wimpshake - Not zombie
The bartlebees - She loves monsters
The sprites - George romero
Matty Pop Chart - Ghost dream
The besties - Zombie song
All of my brother' girlfriends - Turn the lights off
Ballboy - Kiss me, hold me and eat me
Bunnygrunt - Here come the vampires
Tha galactic heroes - Mummy
The blanket truth - I'm in love with a ghost (dennis driscoll cover)
Tricycle bicyle cycle - Zombies!
The bicycles - Ghost town
Chugga chugga - Don't eat my brains

Download the file here

Popcast #4 - Short Songs That Make Us Happy!

2007-06-04T00:21:00.000+01:00

Hello!

For our fourth popcast we went for short pop songs that instantly have you dancing round the bedroom and leave you wanting more!

Alfred Daniels Midland - Goodbye Luke And Sally
Magnetic fields - Reno Dakota
Watercolor Paintings - Fun in the Morning
Blanketarms - Honeypie
Basil The Mouse - All The Girls
Nice And Friendly - Uke Song #2
Chugga Chugga - What's Yer Fone Numbr
Nosotrash - Tanga
Bella Vista - Crushed
Kimya Dawson - I Miss You
Life Under A Tree - Peanut Butter And Cheese
All girl summer fun band - Theme song
His secret identity - Shoots laser beams
Bart & friends - Rumors
Annemarie - Lazy Sunny Day
The Bartlebees - Right or wrong
Julian Nation - All The Capital Cities Names
Sprites - Ambient Industrial Dronescape
Matty Pop Chart - Dancin' Shoes
Ghost Mice - The Pines
the capstan shafts - World-hater company song
Jacob Borshard - First girlfriend part 2
The Motifs - Remind Me
The Pancakes - De Vez En Cuando Me Pregunto Por Que
Nixon - Hey Girl
The Pastels - Over My Shoulder
Harry and the Potters - The Hogwarts Tonsil Hockey Team
Pete Dale And The Beta Males - Meat-Eating Hippies
Megamoog - Music Interlude
Tullycraft - Radio theme
Hormones In Abundance - trashtwee
Lunchbox - Lotion
Boyracer - The Moment
Crayon - Honey Bunny
Milky Wimpshake - Noam Chomsky Versus the Ramones
Cars can be blue - Bike Shop
Laura Watling - Crush
Myredpocketbook - The Ignore from the Girl Across the Seat
All Of My Brother's Girlfriends - Breakfast
The Nymphets - I Don't Wanna Live (On Earth Anymore)
Palomar - 50 Second
Papas fritas - Kids don't mind
Pas/Cal - Grown Men Go Go
Paul Baribeau - The Pier
Snowbirds - Afterglow
Strawberry Story - Freight Train

46 songs in 43 minutes, 51MB download.
Download it here

Missing You Like Pokemon

2007-05-30T17:07:00.000+01:00

Having topped my weekly lastfm charts since i first discovered him less than a month ago, i can definitely say that my current musical obsession is Alfred Daniels Midland!

I discovered him while making my way through lastfm's recommended similar artist to Jacob Borshard, and while his music is not at all like Mr Borshard's ukulele-pop, its easy to see the similarity in their poignant bedroom lo-fi compositions.

Alfred Daniels Midland is more uptempo and not all sad stories, although he does have his fair share of heartbreak tales.

According to his artist page on Lastfm, Robby Fronzo, the lad behind the moniker, was previsously called Snow-fi, but curiously changed his name to mock a US agriculture business named "Archer Daniels Midland".

His own website over at http://www.freewebs.com/alfreddanielsmidland/ has links to several albums for free download, hosted at archive.org, and the cutest video of playful kitties (you just can't go wrong with cute kitties!!), however - sadly his myspace page states "I'm not a band anymore - I've decided to stop making songs under this name, BUT i'm looking to form a pop punk band... so if you play an instrument, and like pop punk.. tell me."

Which we think is a crime!! :)
Go download his albums, get addicted and let's all try and convince Robby to keep playing Alfred Daniels Midland!

Soda Fountain Rag

2007-05-30T00:44:00.000+01:00

This morning I got some singles I had ordered from Cloudberry records delivered, and amongst them, there was Soda fountain rag. It's a nice little single, Norwegian pop at its best!!!

And listening to it reminded me: Soda fountain rag has lots and lots of mp3s available to download here. Enjoy!

There's not much information on her (yes, it is a one-girl band!) online, but the songs speak for themselves.

You can also buy her previous album at My honey records or at Poppolar records.

Popcast #3 - Cover Versions!

2007-05-20T15:53:00.000+01:00

Ola!
time for another popcast, this one based on Cover Versions - It was loads of fun making and researching! Hope you enjoy it and find out a few new artists, or songs!
Quiztime as well - we want to see your answers to who the original artists are in the comments! :)

Tracklisting is:

Tullycraft - Girl about town
Gregory Webster - Untidy towns
Genoe - Miss Douglas County
Billie The Vision & The Dancers - I'm a Cuckoo
Acid House Kings - Keep your love
Strawberry Story - Made Of Stone
The Guild League - Between Delta and Delaware
Math and Physics Club - You're So Good To Me
The Softies - Hey Hey Girl
Six Cents And Natalie - Your Class
The Smittens - Party time
Colin Clary - Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
The World Record - She Plays Guitar
All Girl Summer Fun Band - Look of love
Sun Hill - Falling Out Of Love (With You)
Jacob Borshard - I'll Be Your Mirror
Basil the Mouse - Here Comes The Sun

Download it here..

thanks! thor + camila

Pocketbooks - New single out tomorrow!

2007-05-13T13:55:00.000+01:00

When I first discovered Pocketbooks, it was still a one-man project, they were not playing any gigs and hadn't released anything, but Andy had lots of mp3s available online and I was thrilled to find them! It was new year's day and there's nothing better to start a year than brand new music! That was a real treat!

They've gone a long way since then, nowadays Pocketbooks is a fully formed band, they have a big repertory of good songs, have been playing lots of gigs and have recorded their first single, which will be released tomorrow, 14th May, on Atomic beat records.

The choice of the two songs for the 7" couldn't have been better: "Cross the line" and "Every good time we ever had", two of the songs I enjoy the most when they play them live.

You can buy the single directly from Atomic beat records, and download lots of their other songs here.

Roadside poppies - One day you won't feel a thing

2007-05-09T18:28:00.000+01:00

If you haven't heard of Roadside poppies yet, here's a nice chance to check them out:

They recorded an album as part of the RPM challenge (10 songs in 28 days) and I have to say they made it well. "One day you won't feel a thing" is one of those albums I keep wanting to go back to: It's catchy, lo-fi, jangly indiepop and it makes me smile and dance around my bedroom whenever i put it on!

They have made the entire thing available to download here.

Enjoy it!

Popcast #2 - Girls In Love!

2007-05-06T11:53:00.000+01:00

rar! we've just put together the second in our series of themed popcasts - this one based on girls singing love songs. Hope ye enjoy it!

Tracklisting:
Shermans - Boy With the Bright Eyes
The Icicles - Ralphy Rodriguez
The Golden Circles - Gonna Love You
Go Sailor - Bigger Than An Ocean
The Charade - My Song To You
The maybellines - On & On
The Diskettes - Abc's of love
Cub - Your Bed
The Postmarks - Weather the Weather
The Smittens - Jeans And Mittens
All girl summer fun band - Cutie pie
The Motifs - Every Way
Springfactory - As winter gives way to spring
The 6Ths - You You You You You
Sister vanilla - The two of us
Adventures In Stereo - Close To You
The Softies - Excellent
Bella Vista - I've Only Ever Dreamt of You
The Pastels - Love It's Getting Better

Download the file here

tinyfolk - free mini album

2007-04-27T18:04:00.000+01:00

hello!

If you're not already subscribed to them, i would recommend the mp3 label disguised as a blog that is.. A Bunch of Beatniks Riding a Rocket

Their latest posting/release is by Tinyfolk "Little Mice and Other Things That Go Skitter Skitter" and its a whole big hug of twee lo-fi indiepop, and its going to be a perfect soundtrack to my upcoming weekend! You can download the album from http://bunchofbeatniks.blogspot.com/2007/04/bob022-tinyfolk-little-mice-and-other.html.

If it is your first introduction to the mp3 label, theres load to check out, all of exceptionally high quality - one of my personal favs is a single from Nate Mitchell & Becky Brooks, two solo tracks from the members of Cars Can Be Blue.

Popcast #1 - Superpowers!

2007-04-20T10:49:00.000+01:00

Ola! Here's the first in our series of popcasts, each based loosely around a theme. Our first episode is themed around superheros and superpowers! Tracklisting is:

Tullycraft - Superboy & Supergirl
Masters Of The Hemisphere -Meteor
Showdown At The Equator - Powers
Kissing book - Superman vs. Lloyd
Tricycle Bicycle Cycle - The Time I Learned To Yogic Fly
The Apples in Stereo - Signal in the sky (let's go)
Cars Can Be Blue - Dating Batman
The Bright Lights - You Have Amazing Powers
Basil The Mouse - Supergirls
Six Cents and Natalie - Fly With Me
Milky Wimpshake - Spidey
The Galactic Heroes - Heroes And Villains
Jim Guthrie - Where Have All The Heroes Gone?
Vaccum Tube Technology WIll Render Your Fear Obsolete - Superheroes in Love
Shermans - Fly Away
Shonen Knife - Buttercup ( I'm a super girl )
Aikagi - Invisible Friends

Download link is here

tha secret borshard cover versions

2007-04-14T01:46:00.001+01:00

Jacob Borshard is definitely one of my fav artists - the melodies, the lyrics, the pain, the hurt, the humor, the ukulele - i love this guy so much!!

I've posted the link to his website on lastfm before, where you can download two whole albums of amazingness ... http://www.creebobby.com/

but today, someone on lastfm posted a link for me to his secret page -- uhhhh!!! three cover versions - The Smiths, The Beach Boys and The Velvet Underground.. so good!!

I don't want to publish the link as then it wouldnt be a secret - but its worth searching for!

Spiral Scratch - Thu 12 Apr

2007-04-13T18:19:00.000+01:00

Spiral Scratch, 12th April 2007 – Cats on fire, Pocketbooks, A Smile and a Ribbon

what an ace night! Definitely one of the most fun gigs i've been to in ages, with all three bands being on top form, a lovely atmosphere in the venue and everyone having a great time.

Pocketbooks were stripped back to a three piece, and yet sounded more full and tighter than i've seen them before - everyone relaxed on stage and really enjoying themselves. They're new single on Atomic Beat Records was on sale at the gig and also sounds great - nice to hear the songs 'Cross the Line' and 'Every good time we ever had' recorded properly.

A Smile and a Ribbon were the perfect shambolic fun indiepop outfit, all smiles and funny awkwardness, and utterly charming for it. Unfortunately (for us) they didn't have any records on sale!

Cats on fire, the headline act were just incredible, sounding much more fierce and loud than on record, an absolutely incredibly energetic and engaging performance! The lead singer, Mattias Björkas, is such a good front man, all good looks and style, chiseled cheek bones, twitchy dancing and twee campness!

Spiral Scratch are totally on form and definitely seem to be putting on the most interesting and fun gigs in London at the moment!