1. All The Dirty Kids All The Dead Rockstars
2. Remember
3. Awkward
4. Art and Sex
5. Stuart Murdoch
6. This Despicable Life
7. You and Your Twisted Romance
8. Rhapsody In Blue Jeans (Holiday Records single)
9. PLAY NOTHING BUT HARDCORE 03:18
10. Pretty In The Rain
11. Let’s Not Get Bogged Down In Semantics
12. Same Power Chords
13. bonus-Awkward original version!
“Art And Sex” is the debut full-length from UK indie popsters The Whatevers. The kooky kitchen sink drama songwriting and lo-fi bubblegum punk pop aesthetics have drawn comparisons with Orange Juice, The Smiths and ’90s noiseniks Uresei Yatsura. The self-released cd is a hand-numbered limited edition of 1000.
MEET EASTERN PHOEBES Eastern Phoebes are Ry Smith and Meg Bayley. They play upbeat, piano-based indiepop/folk. They’ve been quietly making stunning digital EPs and albums in their apartment in Long Island, releasing them on Bandcamp and promoting them through Craigslist. They’re latest release — a full-length: “Wampum” — was written, recorded and released in one month as part of the RPM Challenge. Their next release, another digital EP titled “Gypsy Paw,” will be available via February Records in late June.
Check out “Wampum” and their other releases on Bandcamp:
DEXTER POINDEXTER ALBUM SET FOR SUMMER RELEASE
Tommy Komorowski has already released an EP on WeePOP and a digital single on February Records. He’ll be releasing his debut full-length as Dexter Poindexter on February Records this summer. The self-titled album, which will be available in CD and digital formats, is chock full of sweet, sunny tunes that you’ll want to listen to in the car with the windows down or while you’re sitting on the beach.
Check out the first two tracks, which are available for free download on the FR Bandcamp site:
ELM CITY POPFEST 3 WILL BE SEPTEMBER 14, 16 & 17, 2011 Elm City PopFest will be back for a third installment in New Haven in September 2011. After initially deciding to discontinue the series after two years, we were convinced by local music bloggers and bands to sign on for a third round. With assistance from New Haven Music,Manic Productions and members of the band Ghost of Chance, ECPF 3 will focus on quality over quantity with a focus on local New England and east coast bands. This year’s festival will be three evening shows — Wednesday 9/14, Friday 9/16 and Saturday 9/17.
In addition, we’ll be having at least two ECPF pre-shows in August to spread the word and build some buzz. We’ll be at Elm Bar in New Haven on Aug. 6 and Arch Street Tavern in Hartford most likely on Aug. 13.
Stay tuned for more information, locations, times and more bands.
FEB023: “City Lights Fade” — The Whatevers
1. City Lights Fade
2. Everything But The Kitchen Sink Drama
3. The Second Best Of The Whatevers
4. Why Girlfriends Are Better Than Guitars
5. Anne Boleyn (Eux Autres cover)
The Whatevers are a pop band from Leeds in the north of England. Mike writes the songs and Kate sings them. Al plays bass guitar.
Mike and Kate met at school. Kate had shaved her head to shock the locals. Mike had just split up with the only other indie punk girl in their small town, so it was natural they would become boyfriend and girlfriend. Kate would buy the NME and Mike would buy the Melody Maker and they would swap halfway through the week and cut the pictures out and practice interview techniques for the day they formed a famous indie band. Mike was in a band called Sparkling Tarts and they played at the local youth club with Kate’s band. After they had broken each others heart for about 15 years, Mike finally had enough songs and they formed The Whatevers. Al was one of their biggest fans, so they asked him to join the band.
The Whatevers sing mainly about their relationship history, radical leftist politics, not being able to get out of bed and conversations about sex that they have had at bus stops.
“City Lights Fade” is a picture-perfect example of lo-fi boy/girl bedroom pop. Jangling guitars, charming vocals and irreverent lyrics pervade these five songs. The band channels another boy/girl group, Eux Autres, for their cover of “Anne Boleyn.”
RIYL: Eux Autres, The Garlands, Transmittens, The Lovely Eggs
There is a thing with bands, where you work ,and write, and toil and one day it just CLICKS. Leeds duo The Whatevers have well and truly broken through.
Describing their sound as a ‘pop punk twee mess’, what they actually make is a gorgeous boppy, fun sound with Edwyn Collins meets Emma Pocketbooks vocals. The lyrics are also pretty bloody good, real stories to sigh to on the bus, stories you have lived through yourself. And get this, there are lines you can actually laugh out load to. wow.
‘City Lights Fade’ delivers lo-fi indiepop in its purest state: simple melodies covered by melancholic, fun lyrics and funny music names. The last track is a cover for ‘Anne Boleyn’, from Eux Autres.
Elise and Jason are Bourgeois Heroes. The band began in the spring of 2002 on a roadtrip to Memphis. Once they arrived in Tennessee, they purchased a drum kit and an electric guitar and set out to record their first ramshackle single the following evening at Sun Studio.
Since, the duo has released several handmade EPs that celebrate “Friends”-era Beach Boys production, baroque string arrangements, an often rhythm & blues leaning and various “weird” sounds.
Bourgeois Heroes is currently in a long distance relationship, communicating musical ideas between Austin, Tex., and Northampton, Mass. Their most recent release is “Olé/Hola,” available as a 7” vinyl single. “Olé/Hola” contains more of the same ’60s-inspired, jangly pop that those who’ve already discovered this talented duo have come to expect.
Both tracks were produced by Justin Pizzoferrato, whose recent credits include projects by J. Mascis, Hush Arbors, MV&EE and Thurston Moore.
RIYL: Wings, Harry Nilsson, Lee Hazlewood, The Monkees, Serge Gainsbourg, Robyn Hitchcock, The Ladybug Transistor, Apples in Stereo, Van Dyke Parks
Really lovely and mellow indie pop songs. Very easy to get into.
EDIT: March 30, 2011: Review on Beerandbands blog:
This is a single that does everything you want a single to do. Two short sharp songs that are both excellent, and that as soon as they finish you want to put them right back on again. A vinyl single is made to be touched and loved, and played and played and played, and this one will be.
The new song, “Olé/Hola,” is a dreamy little number with jaunty keyboards, fuzz-tone guitar and quietly catchy vocals. It’s the follow-up to Bourgeois Heroes’ 6-song EP, “Musical Postcards,” which came out last May.
EDIT: May 26, 2011: Short review on Salty Broad blog:
For better or for worse, this song is STUCK in my head. … It kind of reminds me of a new-school “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” Super catchy, and just… goodness.
Bourgeois Heroes have a new single out. Ole/Hola is a neat little tune, unfussy and uncomplicated. Its natural home is somewhere between the fuzzy vibe of laid back Super Furry Animals and the twee sweetness of Belle and Sebastian. When You’re Dancing is a mantra like fuzzy disco tune, without being a dancer. It just seems made for swaying in a club. A neat little brace of fizzing pop.
The CD Olé/Hola was released, says Jason Bourgeois, “in conjunction with a seven-inch record,” the au courant name for what used to be a single. The tune “Ole/Hola” is a bubbly slab of almost retro pop, ringing with Beatle-y echoes and synthesizer weirdness. The song is structured in a loopy fashion, its quite different parts coming back around several times, each jammed (to pleasingly strange effect) right up against the other. Very 1970s sounds show up in the groovy bits, while an intentionally disharmonious female vocal part keeps things interesting in between. The other tune, “When You’re Dancing,” is guitar-driven and unabashedly svelte. It’s centered around the repetition of “You’re beautiful when you’re dancing,” and you get the feeling Bourgeois is offering a perfectly heartfelt sentiment. This is solidly delivered and well-constructed pop.
“Echoic Exclusion,” the new album from Jayson Munro (Ghost of Chance), blends catchy pop hooks with the Connecticut native’s brand of psychedelic guitar. On this full-length solo album, pop sensibilities mingle with strategic elements of surprise, dissonance and harmony.
“Echoic …” showcases Munro’s nearly whispered, understated vocals and his strength at composition and musicianship. With organ, glockenspiel and electronic sounds added to the mix, Munro covers a wide variety of pop and rock styles.
In the spirit of influences such as The Beach Boys and The Zombies, “Echoic Exclusion” is concerned with leaving the listener in a different place from where they began.
RIYL: The Zombies, Sparklehorse, Mojave 3, Slowdive, Built To Spill, Teenage Fanclub, Ghost of Chance
CT Indie:
… Jayson Munro does some solid early ’90s guitar work that could be bookended by anything from the Lilys to Teenage Fanclub.
This guy has such a relaxed style about him. I kinda figure him doing it all whilst lying horizontal, just keeping chaos at bay with his youthful bravado and musical savvy. Of course he has probably done the opposite, worked his fingers to the bone just to get this album done. … It is both intriguing and delightful, and I love it, I really do, this shambolic sounding testament to his talent.
Check out the latest video from Two If By Sea. “Pale as White” has animation courtesy of Clayton Needham. Copies of the “Staysail” 7″ are still available.
Abby Mott has an unmistakable voice and a soulful, hooky songwriting style. Her songs are a unique combination of Americana, indie pop, classical and blues, cleverly arranged with imaginative lyrics.
Mott cut her teeth playing various roles and instruments around Baltimore and Washington, D.C. with a wide variety of bands ranging from bluegrass to funk to ’80s to afrobeat. She finally hit the studio with her own songs in 2007, playing every instrument herself on her debut, “Hearts a’Flutter.” A four-song EP, “Go West! Get East!,” followed in 2009 just before her departure from the states for the Philippines.
Now, Mott has revived her one-woman band to full effect in her new Philippines studio. She hauled everything, from her Grandma’s baby grand to her triangles and maracas, all the way to Asia. And she’s been busy amassing a collection of all new tunes.
“Can’t Come Back” is a dazzling two-song preview of what’s to come. Mott thumps and thunders on every instrument. The result is downright danceable. Her voice is full and commanding, crooning over layers of calculated, crisp backup vocals. These two fantastical songs conjure visions of sea monsters and pirates, boats, and marooned characters. Life in the Pacific “Ring of Fire” plays wildly on Mott’s imagination. The pure infectious joy of tinkering, layering and structuring a song oozes from this pair of poppy tunes.
RIYL: Jenny Lewis/Rilo Kiley, Neko Case/New Pornographers, The Spoons
CityPaper, Baltimore:
Totally angelic indie-pop … Mott displays a growing songwriting sophistication and a divine sense of vocal control … with the sort of sensual abandon that would cause fans of Jenny Lewis, the Watson Twins and Zooey Deschanel to eat their James Perse pants.
Music Monthly:
By layering a motley (pun intended) array of instruments, she’s able to create her own little world of sound.
FEB018: “one year of original music from February Records” by Various Artists
1. I Thought You Wanted To Know – Secret Charisma (previously unreleased)
2. She Don’t Play Nice – Abby Mott (digital single coming soon)
3. Seven Miles Away – Onward Chariots
4. When Sunday Goes – Boy Genius (release coming this year)
5. The Saddest Affair – The Cavemen Go
6. If – Even Artichokes Have Hearts (digital single coming soon)
7. Sixteen Candles – Dexter Poindexter (previously unreleased)
8. If Monday’d Never Come – Brilliant At Breakfast
9. Jennifer – Ghost Of Chance
10. Past The Railroad Tracks – Summer Library
11. Westbound Train – Two If By Sea (previously unreleased)
12. Daffodil – The Month Of June
13. Laugh Out Loud – Birds Of California
14. We’ve Got The Look – The Tyler Trudeau Attempt (previously unreleased)
15. Elizabeth Is Bored – Bourgeois Heroes (live 2004)
16. The Wax Museum – The Inclined Plane (previously unreleased)
17. Soul For Suckers – The Fictional West
18. Strangely Black Was The Night – Jayson Munro (release coming this year)
19. Indian Lunch Buffet – Women’s Basketball (previously unreleased)
January 9, 2011 marks the one-year anniversary of original releases on the February Records label.
February Records released its first original recordings in January 2010. Onward Chariots (Brooklyn/Queens, N.Y.), The Fictional West (New Haven, Conn.) and Women’s Basketball (New Haven, Conn./Brooklyn, N.Y.) composed the label’s initial roster of bands. February Records now has a roster of more than 15 bands and artists, with releases in multiple formats and from bands throughout the United States as well as Canada, the Philippines and Indonesia.
This 19-song compilation looks back at the last year with a track from every band that has released music on February Records. The album also looks forward with songs from five bands that will release music on the label in 2011. This ambitious project also contains previously unreleased tracks from Secret Charisma, Dexter Poindexter, Two If By Sea, The Tyler Trudeau Attempt, Bourgeois Heroes, The Inclined Plane and Women’s Basketball.
The compilation represents a wide range of styles — from the Brill Building-inspired sounds of The Cavemen Go, to the country-tinged pop of Abby Mott; from the minimalist ukulele-pop of Even Artichokes Have Hearts, to the electronically-enhanced tunes of The Month Of June and Women’s Basketball. The album touches on dream pop, Americana, psych, bubblegum and powerpop.
February Records looks forward to another year of bringing people together, forging connections and exposing people to great music.
Check out the accompanying video for “If” by New Haven duo Even Artichokes Have Hearts, which will also be included on their upcoming single.
“One Year Of Original Music From February Records” is pretty much as you would expect, full of tracks from their 2010 releases. The label began pumping out releases at an alarming rate back in January 2010 and as well as spoiling us with quantity also managed to keep the quality somewhere between excellent and bloody brilliant.
EDIT: Feb. 5, 2011: Mention on Japanese blog Pense A Moi.
EDIT: Feb. 7, 2011: Article by Chris Arnott of The New Haven Advocate about the February Records comp and the early 2000s Southern Connecticut State University music scene — “The SCSU Scene, in the February of Their Years.”
… Yet, seven or more years after the SCSU “scene” started, the small Connecticut-based label releases a free digital compilation—One Year of Original Music from February Records—which brings together The Cavemen Go, Tyler Trudeau Experience, Bourgeois Heroes and a more recent Brian LaRue project, Women’s Basketball, all in one place. … February Records is a wonderful resource for thoughtful Connecticut pop bands. Just one year in existence, it’s already an invaluable time capsule of creativity in Connecticut. More than that, this all-too-current label remakes history by showing us that the SCSU scene wasn’t a fluke but sustainable.
I think the last time I got this excited with a compilation was when The Leamington Spa volumes were released. … Really, if you had to listen to only one compilation for the entire year, ‘One year of Original…’ should be IT.
FEB016P: “Staysail” — Two If By Sea
1. Apron of Flowers
2. Pale as White
3. Unbraided Wind
4. Signal Hill
5. Always
Purchase the 7″ vinyl single (shipping included in prices):
U.S. and Canadian orders:
International orders:
February Records is proud to partner with Two If By Sea to promote the band’s self-released debut 7-inch EP, “Staysail.”
Two If By Sea is the brainchild of London, Ontario, Canada’s Teresa Daniele (formerly of The Haircuts). Also featuring Lisle Mitnik (Fireflies, Very Truly Yours) and Kevin Clark (Homeville Circle, Wooden Owls), the three formed a long-distance songwriting collaboration. The result is nothing short of spectacular. “Staysail” features five pop masterpieces; lush soundscapes brimming with ethereal vocals, swirling strings and jangling guitars. Two If By Sea has been compared to such bands as The Field Mice, The Softies and early Lush.
RIYL: The Cat’s Miaow, The Softies, The Carousel, Blueboy, The Field Mice
So, as the snow weeps down outside, and I wonder how the bloody flip I’m going to get to work tomorrow, Two If By Sea are calming my nerves and ironing out my brow … Influences are a big thing ’round these parts, and easy to hear Field Mice, Slowdive, early Lush (especially around the frst couple of eps) and a dash of Francophilia.
… from time to time there are also some new bands that are suddenly turning the corner and touching my inside in a very particular kind with their surprising facility and warmth — to these belong Two If By Sea … due to Teresa’s seraphic, almost whispered voice and a well-chosen instrumentation with some dashes of electronics, the songs seem to be fallen out of time and leave a calm, honest and deep feeling of serenity — unfortunately this is very scarce in these frantic days.
The music is both charming and soothing without being to laid back, the vocals work so well with the music that at times they almost merge into the instruments.
The debut EP offering from this collaboration, Staysail, is made up of 5 tracks pressed for 7″ vinyl and we have quickly grown to appreciate the unique yet classic sound involved. A charming twee backdrop that chimes as a clockwork music box to hold preciously in hand is accented beautifully with the guiding whisper of Teresa Daniele’s vocals. For those who still own just the right type of record player, there will be no greater reward than watching the arm bring another round of either side where this little gem is concerned.
EDIT: Feb. 5, 2011: Mention on Japanese blog Pense A Moi.
EDIT: Feb. 10, 2011: Review of “Staysail” on Sugarsours blog:
Lush would be a pretty good way to describe the 5 track Staysail. It’s also a pretty good…ehh…what’s that acronym “RIYL?” The Field Mice covering The Softies wouldn’t be a bad summarization either (or maybe the other way around?). If that doesn’t entice you, maybe talk of jangling guitars, swirling soundscapes, and breathy vocals will. If you’re still thinking “eh, not for me,” then you’re a lost cause anyways.
EDIT: Feb. 15, 2011: “Staysail” featured on The Janglebox blog.
Like the Clientele’s early, more whispery work, Two If By Sea’s “Apron of Flowers” jangles under a London fog — though the band hails from London, Ontario. The song’s not much more than a handful of chords and featherweight percussion, but its loveliness belies any considerations of heft. The same is true for compilation single “Westbound Train,” which adds a Yo La Tengo synthesizer and ironic dance groove to the mix to charming, reverb-swaddled effect.
I’m seriously in love with all that is simple right now. Westbound Train is nothing short of that. A very simple melody (on an organ–hell yes) that carries throughout the song accompanied by a very simple vocal melody and a consistent drum beat makes for a very simple awesome lo-fi pop track. … I’ll be keeping tabs on this band, you should, too.
EDIT: March 7, 2011: “Apron of Flowers” reviewed on mp3hugger:
‘Apron of Flowers’ is the promo tune and proves to be a prime candidate for Sarah Records new compilation were such a thing ever to happen. Funny too that the duo come from London (Ontario, that is), surely the original hub of lo-fi skirmishes and DIY indie aesthetics. Of course they could just as well be Scandinavian. Looks like the future is bright …
Below are 20 albums that either dominated my stereo this year or made such an impression that they had to be included as favorites.
This is pretty much an arbitrary list based only on what I had a chance to hear this year. There are more albums that I’m sure would have made this list if I’d have gotten a chance to give them a listen. February Records releases were purposely left off the list. For the most part I’ll let the music do the talking.
1. Standard Fare – The Noyelle Beat (Thee SPC)
The debut album from Standard Fare hasn’t left my car or my ipod from the moment Emma put it in my hands. This is just a superb pop album that also knows how to rock. My favorite track is probably “I Know It’s Hard,” but check out the video for “Dancing” below.
Purchase the CD
------------------------------ FEB027: "Gypsy Paw" — Eastern Phoebes
5 tracks Download FEB027
------------------------------ FEB019: "If" — Even Artichokes Have Hearts
a. If
b. Summer Download FEB019
------------------------------
FEB024: "Catch Me When I Fall" — Bangkutaman
a. Catch Me
b. Train Song Download FEB024
------------------------------
FEB023: "City Lights Fade" — The Whatevers
5 tracks Download FEB023
------------------------------ FEB015: "Olé/Hola" — Bourgeois Heroes
a. Olé/Hola
b. When You're Dancing
FEB012: Paw Meds/Mary, All The Time — The Inclined Plane
a1. Paw Meds [mp3]
b1. Mary, All The Time [mp3]
Purchase the 7" vinyl single:
------------------------------
FEB011: Someone's Always Dying To Break My Heart — The Cavemen Go
a1. Someone’s Always Dying To Break My Heart
b1. Andrea
b2. Bonus track
Purchase the CD single:
Purchase the single in digital format through Bandcamp.
------------------------------ FEB018: "one year of original music from February Records" by Various Artists
19 tracks. Click here to download FEB018 for FREE from Bandcamp
------------------------------ FEB008: These Are Dark Times - The Tyler Trudeau Attempt
a1. These Are Dark Times
b1. We'll Win This One Yet
