3. Allo Darlin' - Allo Darlin' (Fortuna Pop!)

Twee as can be and proud of it, not afraid to steal lyrics and even chrouses from already popular songs. Allo Darlin' had already charmed me beyond the point of return when I saw them support the lucksmiths on their final show ever, this album only served to establish and further my affection.

Charming, twee and seemlessly bridging the gap between Camera Obscura and Tender Trap. Responsible for some of the most danceable indie pop this year.

Spoiler : What Boomkat Said:

Sharing a record label with The Pains Of Being Pure Of Heart, Allo Darlin' occupy a similarly sunny indie-pop disposition, harking back to the heyday of twee-pop and the C86 movement's sounds. Led by Australian-born songwriter Elizabeth Morris, this London-basedquartet got their start with 'Henry Rollins Don't Dance' a splendid and most comical indie-pop missive that's sadly absent from this debut album. 'Woody Allen' fills the gap left by the band's absentee Black Flag ode, opening with the line "In the movie of our lives would Woody Allen write the screenplay?" before musing on whether Ingmar Bergman might be a more apt helmsman for a cinematic depiction of the narrator's relationship: "Max Von Sydow couldn't play you/I know you'd want him to/But Max Von Sydow couldn't play you". Following on is the disarmingly sweet 'Let's Go Swimming' a song that typifies this band's ability to transcend their potential for irritating archness. When Morris starts singing about a lake she and her beau would visit together, there comes the chorus: "And all the punks in Camden couldn't shout about it/And all the hipsters in Shoreditch could never style it/And all the bankers in Moorgate could never buy it for you", which somehow sounds rather touching for its romanticising roll call of London Boroughs - the sort of thing that was so popular within indie circles back in the Britpop-era. For all their feyness and knowing lyrics, Allo Darlin' are incredibly easy to fall for, and this eponymous debut surely represents one of the most charming examples of twee-pop in recent memory.

Find more artists like Allo Darlin’ at Myspace Music

Bearsuit Go Dubstep!?

I've long been a lover of Bearsuit and I even have the original Hey Charlie, Hey Chuck 7" single to prove it, not that anyone would want me to do that but there you go. Renowned for their hectic boy/girl screaming interchangeable vocals and their ability to slip from Belle & Sebastianesque pop to Melt Banana white noise whilst still retaining pop sensibilities, it can only be good news that they have a new album on the horizon, The Phantom Forest, which is due for imminent release on the lovely Fortuna Pop! label.

So, just to give you absolutely no idea what to expect from the album, here's a filthy dubstep remix of one of the tracks from the aforementioned album, When Will I Be Queen. An affinity with Bearsuit is not required as this is like nothing they've touched before, judging by how good it is maybe they should take it as a new direction or at least slap Crystal Castles around their face with it until they realise this is how you make music.

Bearsuit - When Will I Be Queen? (KANEDUBSTEP Remix) by KANEDUBSTEP

Bearsuit - Please Don't Take Him Back mp3

Airport Girl - The Foolishness That We Create Through Love Is The Closest We Come To Greatness (Fortuna Pop!)

Another free download from Fortuna Pop! and this time a real blast from the past, Airport Girls, Honey I'm An Artist is one of my favourite pop albums from a very important part in my life musically, I remember discovering Airport Girl supporting Cinerama and playing alongside Solar Plexus (who became Saint Joan and now Ellen Mary McGee) at the now rarely used venue, The Boat Club in Nottingham.

The monstrously long titled track The Foolishness That We Create Through Love Is The Closest We Come To Greatness was always one of the highlights, starting off with an Idlewild esque riff before full on exploding into Dexys style pop and not sounding a second too long despite its length of just over 6 minutes.


The only sad thing is that my actual favourite Airport Girl song, and the original Bside to this single is not included, that of Striking Out On Your Own. Still it appears that the singles still available to buy on the website, it would indeed be money well spent. A welcome reminder of my indiepop past.

Airport Girl - The Foolishness That We Create Through Love Is The Closest We Come to Greatness mp3


What they said way back when :

REVIEWS:

"Like Belle & Sebastian meet Denim, which is the stuff of genius"

(Melody Maker)

"Indiepop doesn’t come up with many epics. The three-minute perfect pop song ideal still seems to be held in high regard, long after commercial producers have padded the norm out to four and a half with reprises, extra choruses, key change, instrumental parts and longer intros (or it seems to be anyway, there’s probably an interesting graph waiting to be made of song length on number one albums over time)

And rightly so! Brevity is important in music, so explaining the brilliance of The Foolishness that We Create Through Love Is The Closest We Come To Greatness is tricky, as it clocks in at just over six minutes. I suppose part of it is the spontaneity in the lyrics that seems to force you onto the dance floor. “Just when I thought the chance was missed… well that’s when we kissed” being the moment that the song is hinged around. It just demands you dance to it.

The Foolishness… is also important for other reasons. It was unashamedly indiepop at a time when the genre was scattered all over the place and hard to find. For someone in the early days of discovering the genre at the time, this song seemed to say that it wasn’t all over. Dancing to Airport Girl at Indietracks in 2008 was proof of that.
So, um, I suppose if I have to explain it using the three-minute perfect pop song ideal, this is two perfect popsongs. Back to back. In the same song.

It saves you the bother of having to get up to put the stylus back to the start every other time too."

(Sweeping The Nation)

Allo Darlin - Polaroid Song (Fortuna Pop!)

Fortuna Pop have kindly decided to periodically release a free downloadable single from the cream of their wonderful pop roster. This time it's Allo Darlin, a band that you'll have heard me rave about previously, and one that I'm absolutely kicking myself about not including in my end of year pop list. Easily my favourite gig of the year seeing them support the Lucksmiths at the Scala, previous weePop! single Henry Rollins Don't Dance was as good as it got last year popwise, certainly up their with The Loves, Fergus and Geronimo, God Help the Girl and The Magic Kids.

Polaroid Song picks up where Henry Rollins left off, wonderfully catchy pop with dreamy lyrics 'I Feel like dancing on my own / To a record that I do not know / In a place I've never seen before" speckles of flute and Camera Obscura-esque guitars. This one WILL MAKE my 2010 list for sure.


BSide Will You Please Spend New Years With Me? coincidentally picks up where Heart Beat Chilli left off, showing a more melancholy and yet still deeply romantic and cutesy lovableness, all Kimya Dawson if she had a more perfect voice and was much much cuter, "I've been trying to think positively/ about taking up new activities/ I'll do yoga and learn Chinese/ play accordion/ and eat my peas/ But will you spend/ new years eve/ with me/ we can hide in my bedroom/ and watch cartoons all night" all followed by a whistled refrain that will no doubt be compared to the Moldy Peaches Anyone Else But You, but who cares, this is the sweetest song I've heard this side of the new year.

Allo' Darlin - Polaroid Song EP

What Fortuna Pop! Said:

The Polaroid Song is the first fruit from Allo Darlin’s soon to be released debut album. A breezy, bouncy, eighties-style pop song that could have come straight from the soundtrack of a John Hughes movie, it was inspired by Polaroid’s decision to stop manufacturing the iconic film, a move that prompted Elizabeth of Allo Darlin’s photography-obsessed boyfriend to start his own stockpile. B-side Will You Please Spend New Year’s With Me? possesses a childlike naivety and emotional directness that conjures up the anti-folk lullabies of Kimya Dawson. As an added incentive to buy the record 100 of the 7” singles will contain a unique, individually-taken Polaroid which entitles the lucky finder to enter a competition to win a special Allo Darlin’ gig live in their own living room!

Allo, Darlin' - Henry Rollins Don't Dance

Allo, Darlin' - Henry Rollins Don't Dance

It was a sad time earlier in the year to hear the news that the wonderful, poptastic The Lucksmiths had decided to call it a day, however this did mean one last tour and an excuse for a trip to London to see their very last show on British soil.

Arriving late as usual I found myself glued to the stage, rarely have i been so won over by a band on very first impression, live that is, it happens all the time on record. It was so refreshing to see a band actually enjoying themselves instead of worrying about their hair, getting their cordless straightners out between verses to re-straighten yet again. Allo, Darlin' are no such band, instead a bundle of joy, pop as it should be, stealing choruses from popular songs, we counted Johnny Cash, Weezer and Grease amongst the victims.


On record they do not fail to impress either, Henry Rollins Don't Dance is again one of the tracks of the year popwise, trumpets leading the way into her oh how delightful vocals. There's a hint of Helen Love in there, without the "tack" that is, instead silver service pop that is bound to fill indie disco floors for years to come. Dear Stephen Hawking is as good as the title would suggest, intelligent, yet catchy pop. And finally Heartbeat Chilli, a downbeat Johnny Cash borrowing ballad, so sweet it reminds me of Slow Club.

Listen to Allo, Darlin' here

Look out for the full length album currently being recorded for our faves Fortuna Pop!

The Loves - Three & Liechtenstein - Survival Strategies In A Modern World - Reviewed

The Loves - Three
Liechtenstein - Survival Strategies In A Modern World

Whereas you could almost bet your mortgage that Lacrosse's Bandages for the Heart is going to be my favourite pop album of the year two other bands coincidentaly starting with the letter L may well give it a good run for its money.

First up Slumberland Records Liechtenstein with their album/ mini LP Survival Strategies In A Modern World.


A delightfully short nine tracks that suceed in taking the Shop Assistants template and warping it only just enough to make it their ow. Jangly, melodic and catchy as can be, occasionally taking the unexpected route away from the obvious verse chorus verse, but not enough to spoil the fun.

Sounding not too distant from Heavenly and the more reverberated, less distorted parts of the Aislers Set, ie. if they had rerecorded My Boyfriend Could Be a Spanish Man during the Mission Bells sessions, you might begin to get an idea where Liechtenstein are coming from.

Postcard is a glorious stand out with its repeating "Don't leave the cat on its own".


Perhaps better and a most likely contestant to Lacrosse is the new offering from the long loved The Loves, inventively entitled Three, this is the Loves third album to date and perhaps their strongest, if not their strongest, it certainly contains some of their best songs to date.

Ode to Coca Cola and Sweet Sister Delia are fine lessons in the art of writing a pop song, and yes I of all people am always interested in hearing something new and love the idea of stretching music to it's limits but you can rarely beat good old pop, and if that means stealing parts from elsewhere then please do go help yourself. If it ain't broke...

A little bit TRex, a little bit Beach Boys, a little bit fantastic. Both previous downloadle singles, One Two Three and the Ex-Gurlfriend feature and are lovely to hear once again along with the aforementioned favourites and the quite wonderful two and half minutes of pop perfection of You Don't Have To.

One for the appreciative few to wind down the windows, open the sunroof and drive steadily, bopping your head much to the chagrin of confused fellow drivers.

Put simply, i love The Loves and really you should too.

Liechtenstein - Postcard mp3
Liechtenstein - Roses in the Park mp3
Source = Pop Tarts Sucked Toast

The Loves - Ex Gurlfriend EP Download
Myspace

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Session & Interview

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Everything With You (Fortuna Pop!)
The Pains are back and with a worthy contender indeed for what was always going to be a hard task, following up the excellent Come Saturday single, a clear favourite to be amongst my favourite tracks of the year.
Everything With You is three minutes of JAMC fuzzy pop brilliance, culminating in a great breakdown just before the two minute mark when the guitar solo comes in right on time to take you through the final minute and into the closing chorus. Sublime.
The self titled flipside is another slice of pop loveliness stomping its way right to the forefront of your mind with its "we will never die chorus" guarenteed to have you singing along.

Myspace
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart -Everything With You mp3
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Come Saturday mp3

LAST FM: Imagine if the Ramones traded in their leather jackets for anoraks, or Stephen Pastel actually threw Aggi off the bridge and married Black Tambourine’s Pam Berry and had four babies that formed a pop band.

Meet The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, a New York four-piece who plays dreamy, noisy POP with boy/girl vocals, blissful melodies and blistering drums.

For everyone who is missing them if you're quick you can listen again to their interview with Steve Lamacq on BBC 6music here. Click on Wednesday and forward to around 1hr 40mins in and you're there. I think it may only be up for one more day before it's overwritten by Gary Crowley, so don't delay!

While they were here the Pains also recorded an interview and an acoustic session with the wonderful Samanthi on Q radio, originally broadcast last Friday the 19th but which you can hear again here. You'll need to forward to 1hr 8mins into the show. That just leaves the session they recorded for John Kennedy at XFM - we don't have a date for its broadcast yet but we're told it'll be sometime in January. As soon as we have an exact date we'll let you know.

Finally on the Pains front, they've just made an ace video for their current single "Everything With You". It's shot entirely on Super 8 by their friend Art Boomparn and you can watch it here

For old times sakes, a classic track M.I.A - Sunshowers Mp3

and something that may be of interest Pitchf*rks Top 100 Tracks of 2008

And a fairly depressing/ comical story of my hometown

Dianogah, El Ten Eleven, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart Reviewed plus Los Campesinos & Marnie Stern

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Come Saturday (Fortuna Pop!)
A lovely blast of summery noise pop, contagious as pop music gets with its ooooo-ee-oooo’s and its laid back slacker cool attitude. With the melodic charm of the Lucksmiths getting covered by the Shop Assistants this is a summer classic certain to bring a smile to your face and have you dancing your socks off at every indie disco you attend between now and forever.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Come Saturday mp3

El Ten Eleven - These Promises Are Being Videotaped
Dianogah – qhnnnl
A refreshing pair of “post-rock”ish bands, perhaps both veer more towards math rock. El Ten Eleven remind me of two of my favourite discoveries, back in the day when I’d purchase albums simply based on how much I liked the look of the cover, State River Widening & 33.3. Simple and understated, staccato melodies picked out on deep strings.
These Promises Are Being Videotaped, the latest offering from El Ten Eleven sees a move towards dance, like Justice covering Tortoise, and is a successful attempt at pushing the boundaries of “instrumental” music. Both their previous albums are less beat driven but come highly recommended.
Dianogah’s strangely titled qhnnnl is a dreamy autumnal album, some tracks are more “Alternative/American Indie” but the unusual core set up of two basses and a drummer makes for an interesting listen. When they are instrumental they are at their strongest particularly on the gorgeous Andrew Jackson, don’t be fooled by the Always Look on the Bright Side of Life intro, this is a dreamy number with delicately arranged strings that add the garnish to an already superb musical offering. On A Breaks B they could be mistaken for the Delgados, which is no bad thing in my eyes. Sprinter is lovely too, easily the best of the vocal tracks, again reminiscent of the Delgados Emma Pollack, though please don’t expect a new Delgados album of smooth Scottish pop, this is definitely “instrumental” and “math-y” but tuneful and upbeat in its approach, maybe in the same way that the aforementioned Scots always had a lovely bass line holding their songs together.
Certainly two bands well worth your careful attention.

El Ten Eleven - Jumping Frenchmen of Maine mp3

El Ten Eleven - 3 plus 4 mp3

El Ten Eleven - Hot Cakes mp3

El Ten Eleven - Living on Credit Blues mp3

El Ten Eleven - Lorge mp3

Dianogah - A Breaks B mp3

Source: The Line of Best Fit

And finally a mention of two rather welcome returns, guitar shredder Marnie Stern and indie pop anarchists Los Campesinos...i like them both rather alot :) :)

Marnie Stern - Prime mp3

Source: Cannibal Cheerleader

Los Campesinos - Ways to Make it Through The Wall mp3

Source: Certain Songs

The Loves – One-Two-Three EP Reviewed

The Loves – One-Two-Three EP (Fortuna Pop!)
Mixing T Rex and Johnny B Goode, the Loves have cooked up the feel good song of the year. A chorus so good that you’ll be singing before you’ve even heard the song “I love you/ You love me/ we’ll be together/ One-Two-Three ugh-huh-huh!!”
The release also sees another reworking of a song from their debut Track and Field album, the simply titled “Love”. It’s Chelsea Girl this time that gets the make over, whereas last time the lovely aching, slow She’ll Break Your Heart was sped up into a French Pop cover of the Velvet Underground, here they do the opposite, dragging it out, almost like Low if they were hippies with flowers in their hair, one to sing along to broken hearted and sat in the rain.

MySpace (four songs for FREE download)

Fortuna Pop!

Some other tracks by The Loves

The Loves – X’s and O’s MP3

The Loves – I My She Love You MP3