News, updated August 14, 2010
On this page: read about recent releases from The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Tender Trap, Procedure Club, Spectrals, Neverever, Manatee, Chin Chin, Summer Cats, Black Tambourine, The Lodger and Brilliant Colors.
Tender Trap join Slumberland for excellent new album
Tender Trap are now a proper girl-group! Neither Talulah Gosh nor Heavenly (Amelia's previous bands) had this much vocal harmony going on. With two extra girl voices (from new members guitarist Elizabeth and drummer Katrina) this great single combines the harmonies, oohs, ahs and sha-la-las of classic girl-pop with the stripped down beats and dirty guitars of the Shop Assistants and The Vaselines.
Following releases on K, Matinée, Fortuna Pop! and Elefant, we're very excited to bring you Dansette Dansette, the band's excellent third album. From the tough swing of opener "Dansette Dansette" to the frisky punk of first single "Do You Want A Boyfriend?" and "Girls With Guns" to the slower, more swoonsome "Suddenly" and "Counting The Hours," Dansette Dansette is ample proof of why Amelia and Rob have been such a huge influence on today's generation of pop bands.
Fresh and full of melodic surprises, Dansette Dansette is a smashing and very welcome return for this great group. Check out the album info page for more info and a preview mp3. The vinyl LP comes with a code for a free download and a free poster while supplies last. A co-release with Fortuna Pop! in England; please support your local independent label.
| Listen: "Do You Want A Boyfriend?" | add to my cart » | LP | CD |
Procedure Club bring the noise
The Procedure Club is a collaborative "bedroom-pop" project founded by Andrea and Polish emigré Adam Malec in New Haven, Connecticut in 2008. The two began recording as a natural progression from their boredom with living in poverty in New Haven, sharing musical tastes in shoegaze and pop bands of the 80s and 90s, such as Black Tambourine, and The Jesus and Mary Chain, as well as a common admiration for Baroque artists such as Purcell and Bach.
Following on from a well-received string of tapes and CDRs, they've put together their first "proper" album and it's a corker. Doomed Forever is noisy lo-fi pop with the emphasis on NOISE. From the pure synth pop of "Feel Sorry For Me" to the blown-out "Nautical Song," carefully constructed tunes are given a fierce work-over by layers of guitar fuzz and synth scree. A song like "Vermont" could practically be some lost C86 gem, while "Awfully Managed Pigeons" looks farther back to early Velvet Underground's garage racket (check the sick Cale-esque bassline) and "Rather" fondly recalls classic Aislers Set.
What Procedure Club manage to pull off so well on Doomed Forever is striking just the right balance between the songs and the noise, between structure and chaos. Check out the album info page for more info and preview mp3s. The vinyl LP comes with a code for a free download and a free poster while supplies last.
| Listen: "Feel Sorry For Me" | add to my cart » | LP | CD |
Summertime twang from Spectrals
Spectrals is the creation of one young lad "L" from the north of England, a place where to not have a baby and a criminal record by the age of 18 is seen as unusual. After being in various bands playing punk rock in basements, L decided to start something combining his love of doo wop, girl groups and adding a bit of rat pack flair with a punk rock vibe to create Spectrals. In Spectrals short life span they have released an excellent single for Captured Tracks and toured the UK with bands such as Girls, Real Estate and Desolation Wilderness.
7th Date is Spectrals' first release for Slumberland and it's a corker. "7th Date" combines classic 50s songwriting with a lazy swing and drawling, Westerberg-ish vocals. Understated guitar twang snakes through tremeloed strum, punctuated by tambourine shakes and tinkling bells. On the b-side, "Don't Mind" is a gorgeous piece of slow-dance perfection, evoking scenes of beach bonfires and the end of summer. There's a weepy, woozy vibe to L's vocals, his sighing "ahh ahh" back-ups drifting skyward through the jangle riffs to the starry skies.
The balance of timeless songwriting and modern suss is pitch-perfect, and this single shows Spectrals to be purveyors of smart modern pop of the first order. For more info and a preview MP3 check out the single info page. All copies pressed on minty green vinyl.
| Listen: "7th Date" | add to my cart » | 7" |
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart release new single!
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart had quite a 2009, and 2010 is shaping up to be even better. They released their self-titled debut last February to universal acclaim, racking up features in magazines like Spin, Rolling Stone and NME, earning Best New Music status from Pitchfork, and touring the US and Europe non-stop. They began 2010 with a month-long tour of Japan, New Zealand and Australia, but somehow managed to take a breath to record this fantastic new single.
Say No To Love is a big step forward for the band, combining The Pains' now-trademark youthful energy and infectious song craft with a more considered approach to the studio. The result is what we think is the best Pains single yet, a peerless slice of pure pop just right for the summer. "Say No To Love" is an absolute smash, a tune bursting with melody, great riffs, delicious guitar jangle and the infectious energy we've some to expect from the Pains. "Lost Saint" on the flip is an altogether moodier affair, and exclusive to this single.
You can go to the single info page for more info and a preview MP3. And be sure to catch the band live; they are on tour now.
| add to my cart » | 7" |
Still available:
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart: Higher Than The Stars EP
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart: Come Saturday 7" single
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart: self-titled LP/CD
The return of Tender Trap
Tender Trap are now a proper girl-group! Neither Talulah Gosh nor Heavenly (Amelia's previous bands) had this much vocal harmony going on. With two extra girl voices (from new members guitarist Elizabeth and drummer Katrina) this great single combines the harmonies, oohs, ahs and sha-la-las of classic girl-pop with the stripped down beats and dirty guitars of the Shop Assistants and The Vaselines.
In contrast with earlier Tender Trap, which had a more electronic bent, the new revitalized 'Trap has stronger links to the pop lineage of its founder members; Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey were in influential indiepop originals and John Peel favorites Talulah Gosh and Heavenly, who released records on such indiepop labels as Sarah Records, K and 53rd and 3rd. Do You Want A Boyfriend, taken from the band's upcoming album Dansette Dansette, is a perfect chunk of pop, but it's not as innocent as it seems - it celebrates the girl-pop phenomenon, but deconstructs it too.
Amelia sings in response to Katrina and Elizabeth's increasingly intimate questions about boyfriends. Her answers stray well outside the standard girl-group territory. The punk-rocking flip side "The Sum and The Difference" is the closest Tender Trap have come to Talulah Gosh; while guitars and drums rush by in a blur, Amelia and Elizabeth harmonize sweetly, contemplating whether to kiss or kill another unreliable partner. For more info and a preview MP3 check out the single info page. All copies pressed on white vinyl.
| Listen: "Do You Want A Boyfriend?" | add to my cart » | 7" |
Neverever deliver brilliant debut album
Jihae and Wallace Meek are a couple with a keen ear for POP who've travelled the world together in search of the perfect tune. Having met in Glasgow while Ms. Meek was the singer for pop phenoms The Royal We and Mr. Meek helmed the excellent Bricolage, they eventually relocated to LA to soak in the sunny vibes and pop history. Neverever is their new band, a tough group with a flair for echoey three minute symphonies, marrying classic pop melodies with punk-informed crunch and glam-infused 70s stomp.
Angelic Swells is the their debut album, and it's a remarkable effort that takes in 50s rock 'n roll, 60s girl-group sounds, 70s glam-pop and 80s power-pop and mixes them with their own unique melodic genius. It’s a timeless sound: fuzzy riffs, pounding rhythms and tales of teenage love and lust. In other words - classic POP. From the epic, widescreen opener of "Here Is Always Somewhere Else" to the glorious pop symphony that is "Underwater Ballet," every tune could be a lost hit echoing from a crackly AM radio.
Neverever know their pop history, but they also know how to write great songs and Angelic Swells provides ample evidence of that. It is a an ambitious, iconoclastic record packed with rambunctious riffs, rumbling drums, ear-nagging melodies and, most of all, timeless tunes. Check out the album info page for more info and preview mp3s. Vinyl LP is now available.
| Listen: "Young And Dumb" | add to my cart » | LP | CD |
All hail the regal Manatee
Slumberland is very happy to bring you the first release by the San Francisco/Oakland band Manatee. Featuring Black Tambourine/Whorl alumnus Mike Schulman, Manatee were a relatively short-lived project who, on this evidence of this fine single, flamed-out far too quickly. Inspired by bands as diverse as Velvet Underground, The Ramones, The Feelies and The Replacements, Manatee created a straight-ahead brand of power-pop that's as impassioned as it is timeless.
Hearkening back to the 80s heyday of Game Theory, The Replacements and The Smithereens, "Indecision" is an effortlessly rocking pop gem that demonstrates the enduring strength of the basic guitar/bass/drums format when combined with great tunes and a passionate delivery. "Fifteen Minute Drive" is a moodier affair, a minimal strum 'n' drum that snaps along nicely until it reaches a squalling stun-guitar coda, what was once a subliminal bed of noise becoming a torrent of squeal and feedback.
That combination of melody and untamed noise is a fine summation of the Manatee aesthetic, and of course makes Manatee a natural for the Slumberland roster. For more info and preview MP3s check out the single info page. All copies pressed on lovely ice blue vinyl.
| Listen: "Indecision" | add to my cart » | 7" |
Bits & pieces…
- Now in stock: the black vinyl second pressing of The Mantles' Bad Design 7".
- We are now shipping the white vinyl second pressing of Brilliant Colors' Introducing album.
- We are total suckers for some rocking bubblegum sounds, and Tim Sendra's The None More Twee Bubblepunksoul Dance Party podcast delivers in spades. Mashing up classics from The Osmonds and Tommy Roe with rarities from Rick Springfield and Little Eva and doses of gallic greatness from Sylvie Vartan and Jacques Dutronc, this one blazes from start to finish.
- Now SOLD-OUT: Lorelei Everyone Must Touch The Stove vinyl LP, Lorelei Asleep 7" single and The Pains of Being Pure At Heart's Young Adult Friction 7".
- We know how hard it can be sometimes to find new releases, especially on vinyl, so we are launching a new section of the site to showcase stuff we sell that is not on Slumberland. For the most part it's records by Slumberland bands on other labels, but we may expand it to include more releases from labels we like. Keep an eye on this page for frequent additions. Just added: Liechtenstein's excellent new Passion For Water 7" on Fraction and a handful of the Australian-only CD verion of The Pains of Being Pure At Heart's Say No To Love single.
The Lodger release third album
Flashbacks by Leeds' The Lodger was recorded in Autumn 2009 onto tape at Hall Place Studios, Leeds by local genius and sociable recluse Richard Formby who had just finished Wild Beasts critically-acclaimed "Two Dancers". The new album continues the lyrical themes that informed the first two albums, Grown-Ups and Life Is Sweet, fused with the musical trademarks of upbeat melodies, jangly jazz chords, bouncing basslines tied to energetic drums, but with the addition of new textures and a more straightforward approach to recording.
With Mr. Formby's firm hand on the tiller all went according to plan and the result is Flashbacks. A bold step forward from 2008s well-received Life Is Sweet, this excellent album is simply a must-hear for fans of smart, soulful guitar pop. Touching on crucial references like The Jam, Orange Juice and Aztec Camera, The Lodger have created something at once familiar and totally new. Fueled by Ben's songwriting vision and the band's creative energy, Flashbacks is an ambitious addition to the classic pop canon.
Check out the album info page for more info and preview mp3s. The vinyl LP is also now in stock and ready to ship!
| Listen: "The Back of My Mind" | add to my cart » | LP | CD |
Chin Chin's scarce C86 album reissued
Chin Chin were an all-female Swiss band who were inspired by punk to pick up instruments in 1982 and form a band, and whose influences were taken from inside and outside punk: The Clash, The Ramones, X-Ray Spex, Blondie, Generation X, Siouxsie & The Banshees, David Bowie, Motown, 1960s girl groups and glam rock bands like T-Rex and Slade. In 1984 they took the rare step of forming their own label, Farmer Records (along with fellow punks SOZZ), and released their first single, the now legendary "We Don't Wanna Be Prisoners."
In 1985 they hit the studio again, recording the tunes that would comprise their debut album. Sound Of The Westway is a brilliant mix of punk-informed crunch and buoyant pop melody that shows Chin Chin to be true pioneers of DIY noisy pop. Their combination of punk ethic, fuzz guitars and bubblegum pop was also gaining traction in the UK with the nascent C86 scene, and Chin Chin fit right in next to groups like Shop Assistants, The Rosehips and The Fizzbombs.
Though they went on to tour with Shop Assistants and released an EP on Scotland's seminal 53rd & 3rd label, this album has long been a rare collector's item more talked about that heard. We're very excited to team up with our friends at Mississippi Records to bring you this fully-licensed reissue on vinyl LP only, newly remastered form the original master tapes and featuring posh new artwork. For more info and preview MP3s check out the album info page, and do note that the LP includes a code for a free download.
| Listen: "Dark Days" | add to my cart » | LP |
New Brilliant Colors single out now
San Francisco’s Brilliant Colors have staked-out a unique spot in the indie music landscape. Inspired in equal parts by post-punk DIY fervor and the spiky pop of C86 and early Flying Nun/Creation label output, they hearken back to a time when the best tunes came out on 7" singles and weekends were spent digging through the stacks at your favorite local record shop. Their 2009 album, Introducing, is one of the finest debuts in recent memory, combining guitar buzz with dreamy melodies and rushing rhythms into some dream combination of The Dils and Shop Assistants.
Now the band is back with their first new recordings since that great album, and boy are they winners. "Never Mine" is simply 1:49 of punk-pop perfection, a spare guitar riff underpinned by sturdy drums and a melodic bassline. It's Brilliant Colors in a nutshell: crunchy garage punk played with total purposefulness, leavened by an instinctive pop sense. On the flip side the pace picks up for "Kissing's Easy": all rolling snares and frantic guitar strum and echoey vocal sass.
Recorded with DIY simplicity by Ty Segall, who knows a bit about garage pop himself, the minimal sound fits the bands tune like a glove. This great single hones Brilliant Colors’ spiky, angular crash-pop and points to a very interesting 2010 for the band. For more info and preview MP3s check out the single info page. Mail order copies come on green vinyl!
| Listen: "Never Mine" | add to my cart » | 7" |
Still available: Introducing LP/CD
New Black Tambourine compilation out now!
Though they only released a handful of songs during their two-year lifetime, Black Tambourine has been hugely influential in the world of indie music. Welding classic pop to waves of guitar noise, they wore their influences on their sleeves: The Jesus & Mary Chain, of course, but also folks like Phil Spector, Smokey Robinson, Love, The Ramones, Shop Assistants, The Pastels, 14 Iced Bears, Orange Juice and the list goes on… Their dark, dreamy sound was consonant with the shoegaze sounds of the day, but the classic 60s-influenced songwriting and Pam's standout vocals give their tunes a timeless appeal.
Black Tambourine gathers up all of the songs released by Black Tambourine, and handily trumps 1999's Complete Recordings reissue by including six previously unreleased tunes; four of those are brand new recordings the band made in Summer 2009 especially for this comp. We went all out to make this the definitive Black Tambourine package: all the songs have been remastered, we commissioned new liner notes, unearthed never-before-seen band photos and are pressing this on 12" vinyl for the first time, with a lovely gatefold jacket no less.
Check out the album info page for more info and a preview mp3. The vinyl LP comes with a code for a free download and a free poster while supplies last.
| Listen: "For Ex-Lovers Only" | add to my cart » | LP | CD |
Summer Cats are back!
Melbourne Australia’s Summer Cats are keen students of POP in all of its flavors. From the motorik strum of Modern Lovers to the folky lilt of early Creation/Sarah label bands to the feedback-drenched noisy pop of the 00s, Summer Cats have got you covered. Their 2009 Slumberland album Songs For Tuesdays dazzled with its seemingly effortless song craft and sharp melodicism. Now Summer Cats are ready to release their first single since the album, and it's a corker.
Your Timetable is a well-honed slice of noise-pop, full of fuzz guitar, romping organ and a chorus to die for. Augmented by new second guitarist Jeremy Cole, Summer Cats turn Your Timetable into a glorious racket of barely-contained guitar squall and crashing drums. On the flip we have live favorite TV Guide finally given the studio treatment. TV Guide is an organ-driven bopper featuring excellent vocals from Scott Stevens, restrained guitar jangle 'n' strum, and yet another indelibly catchy melody and chorus.
Jangly, fuzzy and catchy as hell, Summer Cats make brilliant pop records to dance and swoon to, and this fine single is sure to please fans of all things melodic and groovy. Go to the single info page for more info and a preview MP3.
| Listen: "TV Guide" | add to my cart » | 7" |
First single from The Lodger's new album
Have A Little Faith In People is the first single to be taken from The Lodger's forthcoming third album, Flashbacks. Recorded by Leeds legend and analog purist Richard Formby (Spacemen 3, Wild Beasts), Flashbacks is simply a must-hear for fans of smart, soulful guitar pop. Touching on crucial references like The Jam, Orange Juice and Aztec Camera, The Lodger have created something at once familiar and totally new.
Have A Little Faith In People is a two-minute soul-pop blast with horns, female backing vocals, and a lyric seeing the band taking a rare look on the bright side. In other words, perfect, upbeat summer pop. The two non-LP B-sides were produced at home by singer and songwriter Ben Siddall using a laptop; The Best I Ever Had features judicious use of the Casiotone 403 organ, while The Honest Song is a lovelorn lament with a string section and a shuffle beat.
We were so excited to get these new songs out to you that we couldn't even wait to press up singles. So, for now this is a digital-only release, available on iTunes, eMusic, Amazon and all of your usual sources for fine downloads. Go to the single info page for more info and purchase links.
Did you miss the Slumberland Anniversary shows?
Well, they were pretty darn amazing. But don't hurl yourself off that cliff, we did save you some pretty cool stuff! To make the occasion extra-special, we worked with a bunch of the bands to cook up some limited singles to sell at the shows, and we also put together a stellar compilation CD featuring super-rare and unreleased tunes from Slumberland stars past and present.
The Slumberland 20 CD contains twenty-two tracks: a few rarities, but almost all unreleased, including some crazy stuff like a New Order cover by Lilys originally intended for a Slumberland covers comp tape, a raft of cool demos, radio sessions, and all manner of ephemera, all for the price of a 7". The Go Sailor single (co-released with Take A Day) is a one-sided affair, featuring a long-lost alternate mix of Long Distance by Rocketship's Dustin Reske that strips the tune down to its minimal essence, then builds it back up. Very cool. And finally, The How and Boyracer team up for a split single (co-released with 555) that's packed with all the mod punch and punk raucousness you would expect from such a match-up. All of these releases are super-limited and will go fast, so don't delay now and regret later!
Coming soon
In just a few weeks we'll begin a very busy autumn of new releases with the gorgeous self-titled debut album by Frankie Rose And The Outs. In stores September 21, this album is not to be missed. In October we'll be releasing new singles from Crystal Stilts and Phil Wilson, and November will bring albums from SF noise monsters Weekend and Phil Wilson.