Modern Skirts

It might becase I've got a hangover on a beautiful sunny day, but I'm in the mood for a song about a Deep South ghost.

Lucky, then, that Modern Skirts new EP, 'Happy 81' has just flopped into my inbox (how modern). The best track, 'Rebecca St Claire' is way cute; the sort of thing that might cuddle me out of the funk I find myself in this morning. It's lo-fi pop that sounds like The Crystals playing in a bar in a John Wayne film. Stretch your minds around that, and then listen to it.

Right, I'm off back to bed.

The mysterious case of Bubblegum Lemonade

In these days of The Worldwide Internets it's really hard to remain anonymous, but that's what Laz McCluskey, the person behind Bubblegum Lemonade (and Strawberry Whiplash) does quite easily indeed, ta very much. No gigs, no interviews, nothing.

But if self-imposed hermitude from the pop scene means you come up with moments of majesty like 'Caroline's Radio' then maybe a few more bands should buy stock up on a few hundred cans of beans and hole up for a while.

'Caroline's Radio' tells the tale of bedtime pirate radio listening, and all the romance that covert experience undoubtedly brought. An ode to Radio Caroline, then, but one that swoops and glides and has the best guitar solo since, oooh, I dunno, Ride's 'Chelsea Girl', or something.

Over on the b-side, and the hits keep coming. 'Stalling and Laughing' features a cheeky wink to Edwyn Collins in that title and is a perfect blast of psych-pop, whilst 'Looking to the Sun' starts off like The Byrds 'Turn, Turn, Turn' before relaxing into a louche Jesus & Mary Chain haze. It's pretty wonderful, as you can imagine.

You can download 'Caroline's Radio' here, and you can buy the single from Matinee here .

Now go away and leave this man to make more wonderful records in peace.

Now and then

I'm all a bit unsure about the recent spate of indiepop reunions, to be honest. Some people go crazy over them, whereas I'd often like to leave things in a certain time and place, never to be ruined or rehabilitated.

The same can't be said, however, for hearing a newer band make music that reminds me of a certain time or place. No, because this I quite like. The Hillfields have done this to me again, you see, with their new ep 'Come Outside' (Underused Records), which, like last year's 'It'll Never Be the Same Aagin', has rekindled my love of this kind of classic, slightly doom-laden indiepop music. Again, The Hillfields have taken two parts Echo and the Bunnymen to one part Windmills to make the sort of deeply attractive music that, twenty years on from when it was my main hobby, could easily see me lighting the candles, locking myself away, and knocking back a bottle of Thunderbird again. My favourite is the spiky, zesty 'Talk Too Much', which shows that you can still be happy even when you're morose.


The Orchids, meanwhile, are back with their first single in yonks, and whilst it might not break any new ground, were you really expecting it to? 'She's My Girl' (Pebble Records) chimes along like you probably knew it would, but it's meaty enough not to get all lightweight. I'll be honest: when I saw The Orchids at Indietracks a couple of years ago I was bored rigid. They already sound on this single about a hundred times better than they did that afternoon, which saw me fall asleep on a bouncy castle. How's that for an endorsement?

Math and Physics Club - I Shouldn't Look as Good as I Do' (Matinee Records)

The return of Math and Physics Club fills my heart with glee, and on the cover of 'I Shouldn't Look as Good as I Do' Charles, James and Ethan look pretty pleased with themselves, too.

And why not? This album of full of swirling, shimmering songs that kicks off the summer perfectly. It kicks off with the rushing, diving 'Jimmy Had a Polaroid', before the playful, coy 'We Make a Pair' makes a gentle dash for securing the place of first dance at every indiepop couple's wedding.

These two wonderful pop songs set the tone for the rest of the album, which is a much more rounded set of songs than could be found on the eponymous debut album. 'Trying to Say I Love You' sees Charles desperately trying to save a relationship, but failing because of shyness. And that's a theme;'Love or Loneliness', sees Charles singing about sticking with a relationship out of habit, rather than love. The song ends, cheekily, rather suddenly.

'Will You Still Love Me' is a much better version 'When I'm 64' and sounds like those A Smile and Ribbon songs that wowed us three or so years ago. But the real gem is 'The Internationale', which rather than being a rallying cry for international working class solidarity, seems to be berating a braggard that Charles is tiring off. Also, when he sings "nothing in particular he does his best Morrissey impression. Add in some Marr-ish guitar shapes and you've got a beautiful homage to The Smiths.

The album ends with a pop at the indie-than-thou ghetto dwellers called 'We're So DIY', which in parts reminds me of Shrag's 'Rabbit Kids', and namechecks Tullycraft. One for the trainspotters, ironically enough. It should be a single, anyway.

An album about relationships, then. Nothing particularly new there, but it's the way Math and Physics Club do it that makes the difference. Sweet and tender in places, but with a pop bite that kills me every time. The summer starts here.

World Cup 2010 unofficial non-anthem

I've never really understood why people go nuts over New Order's 'World in Motion'. Sure, it's better than your run of the mill football song, but it'd be interesting to see how many people would've gone nuts over it if England hadn't reached the semi-finals of Italia '90. It just sounds a bit bland, to me. Much like the current England team, you might say.

Now this is a football song.



Mark E Smith has previous when it comes to ace footy-related songs, of course. You might rememeber 'Kicker Conspiracy' and, more recently, 'Theme From Sparta FC'. Somehow, though, I can't imagine Stevie, Lamps, Wavy, Davey, Dozy, Beaky and Fabby listening to this during their pre-match team talk. Shame.

The return of the mighty Positions

I think 1998 might have been the low point for music for me. Back then I was beginning to get into Six by Seven and thinking they were The Future. There was no good music about: FACT. The week consisted of working for around ten grand a year, then spending all my wages in a shithole bar in Grimsby or Cleethorpes. I might have gone two years without seeing a band.

All of that makes living in 2010 seem pretty ace, music-wise. Sure, David Cameron is Prime Minister and the Israel's state terrorism still sinks to lower levels than you thought possible, but - wait! What's that o'er yonder webpage? It's only the new Positions album, 'Tonight', available free on their bandcamp page until 29 June.

You'll be able to hear this straight away, of course, but let me tell you straight away that this easily equals the band's last album, 'Bliss!' which was - gulp - released way back in 2005. Which seems an awful long time ago now.

The horns are still there, and the killer stop-start bits that remind me of Architecture in Helsinki's 'In Case We Die' masterpiece. And The Positions still have that knack of writing songs that you think you've heard a million times before on the radio.

My current favourite (this will undoubtedly change) is 'HI/CA', which is the biggest tease ever - and only ever gets going with about a minute left, but it sounds like it'd be a great driving song, or something. If I could drive I could test this out, but maybe the bus is the best place for it tomorrow morning.

I digress!

For pure pop happiness it's really hard to beat The Positions. I remember when we were on holiday last year with Andy and Hayley, and we were on the way to Morecambe. We put 'Bliss!' on in the car and the countryside whizzed by in a haze of wonderful sounds and jokes about balloons (you had to be there). That's the sort of bon homie that The Positions exude. We're not going on holiday this year, but if we were, 'Tonight' would make the perfect soundtrack.

Slowcoaches board Cannanes gig

You know those gigs you organise where the line-up changes every two weeks, mainly through no fault of your own? Well, the Cannanes gig has already been two two line-ups and is now onto it's third.

Academia has beaten Japanese Sleepers as one of their number has to attend a conference in that there London. So their place is taken by candypop noiseniks Slowcoaches, in a move that will see singer Heather Perkins play her first hometown gig with her new band. The parents have been alerted and a red carpet ordered.

There's a facebook page for all this here. You can't really miss out on seeing The Cannanes now, can you?