Adds for August 31 1999

CD / VARIOUS / The Tell Tale Signs Of Earworm / Earworm

Double CD compilation. The first disc has songs from Earworm singles that are out of print, the second CD has songs that Earworm meant to put out, but were never able to. I'm really liking the Ma Cherie For Painting song "Naeu" from the first disc, and The Gwen's, Screen Prints, The Wee Turtles, and The Minders songs from the second disc. I recall George Kilgoar saying that he thought the Screen Prints song "Evening Feel" was about the most perfect thing he had ever heard.

CD / VARIOUS / Organ Radio 5 / Org Records Ltd.

22 song compilation that I bought simply because it was inexpensive, and it had songs from bands we like such as Elephant and The Pop Tarts. To my surprise, there are 8 songs on this disc that are very good, by bands I had never heard, such as Rhatigan, Cay, Disco Pistol, The Beatmolls, Mogul, Camp Blackfoot, and Muy Feo. These bands are probably staples of the Camden Town circuit, but the good songs on this disc are very good, and most of these bands are very much unknown at the present time.

CDEP / DIVINE COMEDY / The Pop Singer's Fear Of The Pollen Count / Setanta Records

This single features a remake of a song from the 1993 LP "Liberation", a Magnetic Fields cover ("With Whom To Dance"), and an acoustic version of one of the better songs ("Eric The Gardener") from the last LP "Fin De Siecle". I loved the "Pollen Count" song when it was originally put out, and I enjoy this slightly embellished remake as well.

10" / MINA / "Minsc" b-w "Novokino" / Bungalow

This is the first of the three 10" singles Mina put out. I did not think we would ever find this one! There are 2 instrumentals from this Berlin band, featuring an organ up front and a beat you can't miss, blending various influences into their own sound; somewhat easy, somewhat downbeat, somewhat krautrock.

7" / GYPSOPHILE / The Lazy Dance / Clover Records

Clover is a Japanese label that has been putting out mostly minimal twee singles. Gypsophile is a French artist who has a 3" CD on the Radio Khartoum label, and a 7" (which we have) on Blackbean & Placenta. His stuff is sparse French singer/songwriter in a Serge Gainsbourg way.

7" / LOLITA STORM / "Goodbye America" b-w "Get Back (I'm Evil)" / Rabid Badger

Lolita Storm are a new UK band that sound a lot like Cobra Killer and Chicks On Speed. They have 3 girls doing vocals, and completely distorted messes for music underneath, though it all comes together beautifully in the package they present. This was single of the week in NME when it was released a few weeks ago.

7" / BEACHWOOD SPARKS / "Desert Skies" b-w "Make It Together" / Bomp Records

Beachwood Sparks is an LA band that has arisen out of the ashes of Further, and Strictly Ballroom, with a Lily's member as well. Like Summer Hits, they play a beach influenced vision of pop that (in their case) sounds like a Western version of Big Star. They also have a song on the "Mystique" CD compilation, which we have.

7" / BUTTERFLIES OF LOVE / "Wild" b-w "The Brain Service" / Secret 7 Records

Connecticut band who had a song which did extremely well at WZBC last year ("Rob A Bank") in it's original domestic release, and in the later UK release on Fortuna Pop!, which featured a different B-side. This red vinyl 7" is the first release on the label run by Chris Rasmussin of the Bridgeport CT record store Secret Sounds. They play a soft but moving psychedelic pop.

7" / WIRETAPS / "Romulan Invasion" b-w "Don't Talk to Me" / Anyway Records

The Wiretaps are a band from Columbus OH who have a very spunky sound (not unlike Bow Wow Wow on "C30,C60,C90" on the A-side, and The Who "Can't Explain" on the B-side), and fun subject matter as well, with their fun-poking at the Make-Up on the "Romulan Invasion" song and on the sleeve art as well. I don't know whether The Wiretaps will be a one hit wonder or whether they'll continue to put out great stuff, but this single is worth hearing and playing.

7" / BITCHSCHOOL / "Bitchschool", "Record Shop" b-w "I'll Be Good to You" / Lipstick Records

Lipstick Records is run by someone from The Bobbyteens, and Bitchschool sound like their heroes all the way through. The three songs they've given us are as strong as anything The Bobbyteens have given us, so where's the harm? "I'll Be Good To You" steals a bit from the Rolling Stones song "Street Fighting Man", as The Bobbyteens themselves have done on one of the songs from their singles.

CD / HOOD / Cabled Linear Traction / Slumberland

First CD issue of 1994 vinyl only LP on UK Fluff Records, which was re-pressed by Slumberland on vinly in 1995. This was the LP that came out just before Silent 88. Hood have changed a lot since these recordings. Their two most recent LP's on UK's Domino Records ("Rustic Houses, Forlorn Valleys", & "The Cycle Of Days And Seasons") were both produced by Matt Elliot, and feature much more drawn out songs than on earlier records, and much better production as well.

CD / BLACK TAMBOURINE / Complete Recordings / Slumberland

Black Tambourine were from DC and only release 2 singles, but the strength of the personalities in the band would resurface again and again in more notable bands, which made the Black Fantastic output legendary and sought after. Pam Berrywent on to front many many bands, including The Castaway Stones, glo-Worm, The Shapiros, and co-editoring Chickfactor fanzine. Archie Moore was the principal creative force of Velocity Girl, and later fronted The Heartworms.