The second issue of the February Records zine, “March, April & May,” is now officially available to order through our Bandcamp page. Inside are band interviews, essays and even a little bit of humor. Interviews include: Duglas T Stewart of BMX Bandits, The Arctic Flow, Tiny Fireflies, Jigsaw Records, Lost Tapes, Big Quiet, The Very Most and Cozy Catastrophes.
The zine is limited to 50 copies and is only $2. Order here.
Posted in march april & may, Uncategorized
February Records is very proud to offer the latest album from Boise, Idaho, indiepop band The Very Most. This is a very special digital-only release with nine of your favorite songs by The Very Most re-recorded as synth-pop songs featuring guest vocalists for each track. Guests include Lisle from Tiny Fireflies, Adriano from Postal Blue, Colin from The Smittens, Charles from Math and Physics Club, Thomas from Pale Spectres, Sam from Boise band Central City Music Company, Adam from California band Adam and Darcie, Laz from Bubblegum Lemonade/Strawberry Whiplash, and Geoff Crestwell from Boise City, Oklahoma, shoegaze band Pellow.
Pre-order the album from Feb. 15-Feb. 22 and immediately receive two tracks for download, “Sweater” featuring Thomas Guilcher, and “Multnomah Now!” featuring Adam Sanders. “Syntherely Yours” will be available for purchase on Feb. 23.
The Very Most was started in Boise, Idaho, by Jeremy Jensen in either 2002 or 2003 (he honestly can’t remember). Since that time, the band has released three full-length albums, seven EPs, and a bunch of miscellaneous tracks. Recorded entirely in Jeremy’s backyard studio (made from a converted shed), the music exists in a pretty little spot on the Venn diagram where The Beach Boys, Camera Obscura, New Order, Teenage Fanclub, and The Wedding Present meet. It makes heavy use of male/female harmony, vocal call-and-answer, and lushly layered instruments, both conventional and not-so-conventional. It’s all pop, and it’s all melodic, but it finds a lot of different ways of being melodic pop.
Jeremy Jensen and co … are just perfecting their craftsmanship, each new song seems to be more enduring and rich. Can’t wait for the rest! — Bloodbuzzed
February Records has been pretty quiet lately, but that’s about the change. We have three projects on the horizon for early 2016 that have been keeping us pretty busy and that we’re really excited about.
March, April & May No. 2 — At some point this winter, we will be releasing the second issue of our zine. We’ve rounded up some great contributors, so expect more interviews and more news. More information will be coming soon!
Syntherely Yours by The Very Most — In February, we will be releasing the next album from Boise, Idaho, indiepop band The Very Most. This will be a very special digital release, a collection of synthpop songs from the band featuring lots of guest vocals. Guests will include Lisle from Tiny Fireflies, Adriano from Postal Blue, Colin from The Smittens, Charles from Math and Physics Club, Thomas from Pale Spectres, Sam from Boise band Central City Music Company, Adam from California band Adam and Darcie, Laz from Bubblegum Lemonade/Strawberry Whiplash, and Geoff Crestwell from Boise City, Oklahoma, shoegaze band Pellow.
Constant and True: A Tribute to the Songs of Rose Melberg — In late Spring, we will be releasing Constant and True, a compilation CD of indiepop artists paying tribute to one our favorite artists of the last 25 years — Rose Melberg. Rose’s bands (Tiger Trap, The Softies, Brave Irene, Go Sailor, Knife Pleats) have been important to indiepop nearly since its inception. Rose has also made several gorgeous, mostly acoustic solo albums for labels like K and the late, great Double Agent records. Constant and True will feature such bands as Rocketship, The Smittens, Band a Part, LAKE, Seapony, Transmittens, The Very Most (featuring Sarah Lowenbot), Marc Elston, and many others covering Rose’s songs.
I wasn’t planning on writing a year end list this year until Danny convinced me to. Being an adult took over this year – I changed jobs, I bought a house, and then proceeded to spend the last 6 months fixing up said house. Suffice to say, I didn’t listen to a lot of new music. There is definitely some overlap between Danny’s list and this one, but I feel that’s to be expected.
In no particular order:
The Arctic Flow – The Luminous Veil
Lost Tapes – Lost in Youth
Owl & Mouse – Departures
Postal Blue – Of Love & Other Affections
Tiny Fireflies – The Space Between
Funeral Advantage – Body is Dead
Alpaca Sports – When You Need Me The Most
Tim the Mute – Why Live?
The Spook School – Trying to be Hopeful
Thee AHs – Names
Share your favorite albums of the year with me! What have I missed out on?
Happy New Year, everyone. We’ll see you in 2016!
— Kristin
Every year I waffle back and forth around this time trying to decide if I’m going to do a year-end list. This year, it really wasn’t until I saw Knute’s from Eardrums Music wonderful month-by-month lists that I decided to put one together.
There was a lot more really great music this year than I had originally thought. Some standouts for me were The Go! Team, who I’d never really listened to before this year. Cozy Catastrophes, who we released an EP with last year, put out a great full-length this year on Jigsaw Records. Boston’s own Funeral Advantage had one of my favorite albums this year.
Here, in (mostly) no particular order are fifteen of my favorite releases from 2015. Kristin will be posting her’s later this month. — Danny
The Go! Team – The Scene Between
(Check out the track “Catch Me on the Rebound”)
Funeral Advantage – Body is Dead
(Check out the track “You Sat Alone”)
Tigercats – Mysteries
(Check out the track “Wheezer”)
The Fireworks – Switch Me On
(Check out the track “Runaround”)
Mammoth Penguins – Hide and Seek
(Check out the track “When I Was Your Age”)
Tiny Fireflies – The Space Between
(Check out the track “Youth”)
Lost Tapes – Lost in Youth
(Check out the track “Slumber Party”)
Joanna Gruesome – Peanut Butter
(Check out the track “Honestly Do Yr Worst”)
Wild Honey – Sleep Through It
(Check out the track “Sleep Through It”)
Space Daze – Capture a Thing
(Check out the track “Was Never”)
Cozy Catastrophes – Have You Ever Heard of Cozy Catastrophes?
(Check out the track “Hideaway”)
Big Quiet – Big Quiet
(Check out the track “Punk Floyd”)
Alpaca Sports – When You Needed Me the Most
(Check out the track “Just Like Them”)
Virgin Suicide – Virgin Suicide
(Check out the track “There is a Glace Over my Eyes”)
Seapony – A Vision
(Check out the track “Everyday All Alone”)
As we have now come full circle and we’ve reached out to just about every alldayer, weekender, or Popfest that we possibly could think of, this will be our last in the Popfest Previews series. We’re very happy to be able to include Going Up The Country!
If you’ve been at any major Popfest or festival in the UK in the last year, you’ve likely met Christie the Bear and her compassionate companions, Kevin and Linda. Christie accompanies Kev and Linda to various events, indiepop or otherwise, to help raise awareness and donations for Macmillan Cancer Support. Kev and Linda also happen to be the organizers behind Going Up The Country.
GUTC is what Kev and Linda call a “charity indiepop mini weekender.” Taking place each year at The Church in Congleton, this year’s charity pop weekender is being held on the 13th and 14th of June with bands such as The Swapsies, The Mersey Belles, Bodyheat, and many more!
Can you give us a history of Going Up The Country (dates, previous organizers involved, etc.)? How and why did you come to be involved?
The inspiration came from Bentley Cooke of Manchester-based band Help Stamp Out Loneliness back in 2011. At a gig he made a throw-away comment about wanting to play somewhere in the countryside. That weekend we were guest DJs at a Charity Scooter event at The Church House, our local pub. They had bands playing on a truck outside and we thought ‘Could we put something on here?’ Bentley loved the idea so, in memory of his mum, he chose Christies, the world famous Cancer Hospital, as the Charity and Going Up The Country was born. This year will be our 4th. Previously, it’s just been one day but we’ve added a totally acoustic Sunday this year. We aspired to give it a mini-Indietracks feel, our favourite festival in all the world … I hope we’ve succeeded!
What is the process of choosing bands like? Do you contact them or do they have to apply to play? Are there any rules as to who can or cannot play?
Having never done anything like this before, the process was a bit scary! Kev approached bands that we’d seen and enjoyed, so pretty soon we had our first great line up. Disaster struck when Help Stamp Out Loneliness split up (please get back together!). Luckily, The School stepped in as a replacement so our first stab at promoting an event was a great success. As GUTC has become more known, bands now approach us to play too, so if we have space and they have the right Indiepop feel, then they’ll be considered.
What has experience taught you when it comes to organizing the event?
Don’t have flyers printed too soon. It pays to have someone calm and laid back on the team (Kev) to counteract the one who panics and worries (Linda). Help from friends like Jamie Harrison and Pete & Jo Dale have been invaluable.
When does organization start? Is there a timeline you follow? How soon after the festival ends do you begin to plan the next one?
At the end of the very long day you think do we want to do this all over again? Then you wake up and remember just how much fun it was, add in the wonderful feedback and the answer is a resounding YES. Planning is mainly booking the bands so it’s pretty much straight after. If we see any and think ‘WOW we’d love them to play Going Up The Country,’ we usually ask them there and then.
Do you have any inside tips for attendees?
Congleton is pretty sleepy in comparison to Manchester but it is accessible by train and a fair amount goes on musically and artistically. Cheshire is a beautiful part of the world, so come along and have a pint or two of our real ale Pristine Christine, see some excellent musicians, dance your socks off and, to quote one of the best tweets we ever had, have “the most fun ever in a pub car park.” We finish off with an Indiepop Disco in the pub … the locals just love watching everyone bouncing around and think Pristine Christine is made of cherries ….
What are some of the best and worst GUTC moments you can remember?
Nothing catastrophic has happened yet so fingers crossed for 2015, but there have been a few hairy moments. Rain and cold temperatures in our English Summer is always a worry, although we do have adequate shelter! Bands who forget their instruments … yes they do! Highlights are too numerous to mention just so many talented, friendly and extremely generous people from all over the country — even Spain & Germany — having a really great time … can’t wait …
As always, all profits from the weekend festivities will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support, so why not feel good about watching some of your favorite pop bands? Tickets for the weekender are now on sale. Visit the GUTC Facebook group for more info on the lineup and where to purchase your ticket.
Posted in march april & may
Tagged going up the country, popfest, popfest preview, zine
As you’re probably already well aware, the Pop!South 2015 weekender is already behind us and we are entirely at fault for failing to post this in a timely manner! We can only hope that our lovely Scottish friends can forgive us.
Pop!South has been booking pop gigs in the south side of Glasgow for a few years now. Their first weekender, more aptly known as the “All Day-and-a-half-er”, occurred in 2014 and they have kept up the tradition this year, adding an extra night to the festivities. The event, which took place at The Glad Café, included two nights of all-out pop and an afternoon of acoustic sets. February Records band The Swapsies as well as our friends The Mini Skips played alongside bands such as The Just Joans, Withered Hand, Shambles Miller, and many more. From all accounts, the weekend was everything you’d expect: friendly, welcoming, and full of top-notch pop.
Before the weekender, Chris Gillies, one of the many organizers involved with Pop!South, was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.
1. Can you give us a history of Pop!South Weekender (dates, previous organizers involved, etc.)? How and why did you come to be involved?
We started Pop!South around May 2013 and enjoyed the gigs we were putting on so much that we thought it would be nice to try something bigger. The first event in 2014 consisted of one full day of music on the Saturday and a slightly shorter acoustic day on the Sunday – this year we’re going even bigger by adding a Friday night gig too.
2. What is the process of choosing bands like? Do you contact them or do they have to apply to play? Are there any rules as to who can or cannot play?
Basically the main group of us in Pop!South get together in the pub and decide on the bands we’d like to play – simple as that! Obviously you have to have a certain number of acts that are going to guarantee you get people in and you have to make sure you’re not going to bankrupt yourself, but otherwise it’s pretty much all personal choice. Occassionally bands contact us anyway and sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesn’t.
3. What has experience taught you when it comes to organizing these events?
That if people have too good a night on the Saturday then they may not be physically able to turn up on the Sunday even if they have a ticket for it! That’s what we learned last year!
4. When does organization start? Is there a timeline you follow? How soon after the event ends do you begin to plan the next one?
We were pretty late in getting going last year and it’s amazing to find how quickly bands can get booked up in advance. With the level of bands we’re dealing with that might be that they have another gig or simply that they have to work or go to a wedding that day! We had planned on getting started much earlier this year but it was a busy Summer for everyone and it was September before the first band was asked. Seems to have worked out ok though and we’re very nearly there already. We’re never going to have the venue booked a year in advance like the Nottingham alldayer though!
5. Do you have any inside tips for attendees?
Buy your tickets now – we had to turn people away last year!! If you’re coming from outside Glasgow then have a wee jaunt round the Southside. Most tourists won’t make it this far and they’re missing out. Actually some Glaswegians never make it this far!
6. What are some of the best and worst Pop!South moments you can remember?
Selling out our first show was pretty special. Only 14 people may have turned up for our second show, but at least we already had that memory to look back on! I thought the Haiku Salut show was pretty magical too and pulling off the weekender last year with so many people having a great time was pretty rewarding. Any time you find yourself wondering why you’re putting in all this time and effort for nobody to turn up at your shows though, you can almost be guaranteed that someone will come up and say to you that they appreciate what you do or put on a show that blows you away. We meet the nicest folk from all around the world and it’s great!
Just because the 2015 Weekender has passed doesn’t mean there won’t be any Pop!South gigs for you to attend in the future. Keep an eye out on the Pop!South website for more info on upcoming events!
February Records turned 5 in 2014 and to celebrate, we are releasing a CD compilation featuring 14 bands spanning the length of our catalog. Most of the songs have never been released and are exclusive to this comp. We wanted to make this project special. We think we have.
Bands featured on the compilation are: The Swapsies, Brilliant at Breakfast, Ry Smith, Onward Chariots, Summer Library, Boy Genius, Lunchbox, Finnmark!, Ghost of Chance, Secret Charisma, The Halamays, Cozy Catastrophes, The Month of June and The Pretty Greens.
In addition to the compilation, we’ve produced the first physical edition of our zine, “…March, April & May.” The 60-page zine includes interviews with 14 bands plus articles on DIY culture in New England and some February Records history.
There are three ways to order — all through our Bandcamp page:
1. The compilation and zine combo is limited to 100 copies and includes a digital download.
2. Download the digital version of the compilation from our bandcamp page.
3. Order the “March, April & May” zine on its own.
Orders of the CD/zine combo received before midnight (U.S. Eastern Time) Wednesday, February 4, will be entered for a chance to win a February Records feltie keychain made by Lynn Chan, The Quirky Girl Crafter.
We almost totally flaked out on year-end lists this year. But, here they are, for what they’re worth.
DANNY
I listened to a lot more new music in 2014 than I usually do, but I know I still barely scratched the surface of what was out there. Some of these albums I liked instantly and listened to them over and over. Some of them took a while to grow on me.
10. Fear of Men – Loom
9. Fireflies – In Dreams
8. Martha – Courting Strong
7. Ex Hex – Rips
6. Allo Darlin’ – We Come From The Same Place
5. Dum Dum Girls – Too True
4. The Hobbes Fanclub – Up At Lagrange
3. Alvvays – Alvvays
2. Withered Hand – New Gods
1. Flowers – Do What You Want To, It’s What You Should Do
KRISTIN
Per usual this year, I tried to steer perfectly clear of all the hype bands. Yes, that’s right, I still have not heard the Alvvays record. Nor do I plan to, regardless of how many times someone tells me I “need” to hear it. Sorry, folks!
I also don’t think this year was extraordinarily great for albums. Singles and EPs, perhaps, and I still have every intention of writing about those elsewhere, but I had trouble coming up with 10 albums I absolutely loved this year. I have instead settled on five. Three of these five albums really had to grow on me before I began to fully appreciate them and I’m awfully glad they did:
1. Withered Hand – New Gods
2. Martha – Courting Strong
3. Glamorous Life Savers – Resurrected Elsewhere
4. Allo Darlin’ – We Come From The Same Place
5. The Hi-Life Companion – Our Years in the Wilderness
‘Tis the Season! It’s nearly that time of the year: holiday gatherings, mulled wine, festive sweaters and, of course, the Big Pink Cake Christmas party.
London’s pop outlet Big Pink Cake has been organizing a Christmas-themed all-dayer for the past several years and 2014 is no exception. This year’s lineup is chock full of incredible pop acts, including February Record’s own Finnmark. The intimate gathering, happening this Saturday (13 December), is not to be missed if you’re in London. A little last minute, we asked one of the organizers, Matthew Rimell, a few questions concerning the event.
Can you give us a history of the Big Pink Cake Christmas Party (dates, previous organizers involved, etc.)? How and why did you come to be involved?
Well we’d been putting on gigs for a while in both London and Bristol, but decided that we kind of needed to scale back a bit because of how busy we all are … A Christmas party seemed like a nice idea, to get friends together and bands that we liked. Heather and I had put on indie pop weekenders before, in Bristol and although we love doing them they left us physically exhausted, an all-dayer seemed like a better burst of activity and then having the next day to recover … Or not.
What is the process of choosing bands like? Do you contact them or do they have to apply to play? Are there any rules as to who can or cannot play?
Well it’s sort of floating around in my head for a little while, leading up to summer … It’s a combination of asking and being asked … Bands that we really like, have put on before or bands that have grabbed us by going to gigs throughout the year. A lot of bands though have become friends over the years, so we love them and the bands their in — what better excuse to have a party.
What has experience taught you when it comes to organizing the Christmas Party?
Try to sort out most of it during the summer when you’ve got a bit more time … Otherwise it can get a bit panicky when September happens and people are too bogged down with stuff … I think it’s to give stuff plenty of time because things change, new things might have to be thought about … I think time is a key issue.
When does organization start? Is there a timeline you follow? How soon after the festival ends do you begin to plan the next one?
During the summer time when my job is much less of a strain … I love August! I wish it was August all the time … But I’d get bored wouldn’t I? Maybe not … I think organisation is a bit too grand really … It’s a bit of a thought, a bit of passion, then an action with hopefully a yes as the desired response … We aren’t that organised and I don’t think we’d want to be. Fun has to be the main element, or forget it.
Do you have any inside tips for attendees?
Not really, just enjoy yourself and have a lovely time … You’re amongst kindred spirits, who are there for the specialness of the quieter afternoon session upstairs by the Christmas tree and chandelier … Come and join us all for a curry during the break if you like and then jump up and down to the full on electric session in the cellar for the evening. We love both sessions, they present something different and special … But mostly its friends coming together … it really is a great feeling to be around people coming from all over the world for our small little event.
What are some of the best and worst Christmas Party moments you can remember?
Not really any worst ones (yet) … Although Heather and I did get a bit ‘silly’ when we couldn’t have the Christmas tree last year … Heather and I are old and best friends from school … Sometimes we can get a bit daft — you know, in the way best friends can get. The best bits are too many … Seriously, we love seeing everyone having a lovely time, making friendships and smiling. The bands also, every single one that we’ve had has been totally special and have made it for us and everyone else. There are literally too many bands that stick out for me … But mostly it’s the atmosphere created by everyone … That’s the reason why we do it.
For more information, check the event page here.
