The Saturday People/The Clientele Split 7"

Slumberland has a storied history of releasing great indie-pop singles and splits. So, I'm sure the idea of pairing up two fantastic singles bands in The Clientele and The Saturday People must have been a no brainer. After all, the majority of these bands finest output were singles and 7" EP's.

On the A Side is the original single version of "Grace" by The Saturday People. It was re-recorded for their LP, but in my opinion this version is head and shoulders above the later version. This song was my introduction to 'The People and it is one of, if not, THE finest recorded moment of their short tenure. "Grace" is everything a beautiful indie-pop song should be - shimmering guitars with a catchy hook and breathy vocals so delicate it seems like they could break at any moment.

On the flip side is The Clientele's contribution with "Porcelain." While it is not my favorite of their early tracks, it is a fine edition to a nearly flawless singles catalog. It's a moody, dreary track perfect for this time of year when you really want to isolate yourself from the cold, grey weather.

If you like either of these bands, or pop music in general, you need this one.


The Saturday People/The Clientele Split 7"

The Babies - Meet me in the City

According to Stereogum, “The Babies is the new project of Vivian Girl Cassie Ramone, Woods bassist Kevin Morby, Bossy drummer Justin Sullivan, and Stupid Party’s Nathanael Stark on bass.”

I have been going to their Myspace on a daily basis to listen to the two songs they’ve posted and I can’t get enough. Here’s hoping for a proper release in the near future.

The Babies - Meet me in the City

The Magnetic Fields - The House of Tomorrow EP

Stephin Merritt is one of the most prolific songwriters of the past 20 years, not only because of his work under The Magnetic Fields moniker, but also as the primary songwriter for The 6ths, The Gothic Archies, The Future Bible Heroes and his work as a solo artist. Though The House of Tomorrow EP is neither his most celebrated or ambitious work, it remains one of my favorite Magnetic Fields releases for a number of reasons. It was my introduction to the band when I was incredibly sick at my friend Robin's house in North Providence, RI. I had an extremely high fever, woke up disoriented and almost tripped down the stairs on my way to curl up on her couch. My friend Matt put this EP on the stereo and it was the perfect thing to be listening to at that moment. It's so lo-fi and warm and Merritt's bassy voice is soothing and rhythmic. I have a tendency to enjoy repetitive songs and that's exactly the concept behind this record - five looped songs, primarily centering around the theme of love, all clocking in around 2:30 and done in a comfortable synth-pop fashion.

For those only familiar with 69 Love songs, The House of Love will feel like a dramatic shift in sound because of its rigid uniformity. However, that is part of the appeal and something I enjoy greatly about Merritt's songwriting. He seems to have an uncanny ability to zone in on exactly what he's going for and make every recording a transparent replication of that vision.

The Magnetic Fields - The House of Tomorrow

Go Sailor - S/T

In high school I picked up a compilation put out by Lookout! Records entitled A Slice of Lemon. It was a double disc comprised almost entirely of bands I'd never heard of aside from the Mr. T Experience, The Bomb Bassets and Pansy Division. However, in addition to being my intro to Elliott Smith and Deerhoof it also turned me onto one of the Bay Area's finest twee-pop exports, Go Sailor. They only released 3 7"s and a track for a compilation, but they were exceptional. Fronted by Rose Melberg of The Softies and the equally great Tiger Trap, they wrote beautiful, catchy indie-pop with wonderful harmonies and just enough punkish energy for the teenage me to be completely unabashed in my love for them. In fact, I would go so far as to say "Silly," "Ray of Sunshine" and "Last Year" are nearly perfect pop songs.


Go Sailor - S/T

The American Analog Set - Know By Heart

Around the time of my 20th birthday I was repeatedly sick all winter. I had bronchitis then I had strep and I just couldn't seem to stay well. At that same time, I wasn't working and I was taking a semester off school so I was just sitting around my house constantly sick. It was awful. I didn't do anything and it became a real bummer. For my birthday, my good friend Robin mailed me a card and a CD of a band called The American Analog Set. I'd never heard them before, but we have comparable taste and I figured if she sent it to me, I would probably like it. We were both right in our assumptions and I listened to it all winter. It has since gone on to become one of my favorites and has a lot of personal significance outside of moping around my parents basement.

In my opinion, Know By Heart is one of, if not the greatest Indie-Pop records of the millennium. Vocalist and primary songwriter, Andrew Kenny has an incredible knack for composing interesting, gentle melodies within beautiful arrangements. He has a unique ability to carry a song with his restrained voice, singing just above a whisper. Though the songs are lo-fi and personal, they are still incredibly catchy and beautiful without dragging on the way some bands of the genre do. While all of their records are great, Know By Heart definitely is the most focused of their material up to that point. Unlike previous efforts, the songs follow more typical pop song structures and don't segue into lengthy repetition ala "The Magnificent Seventies" off From Our Living Room to Yours. I've always felt they epitomize the term "bedroom-pop," with memorable songs that feel like they are being played right before you in your own bedroom. The American Analog set is the perfect music for late nights through headphones or on a dreary Sunday afternoon in the middle of Fall when the leaves start to turn.

The American Analog Set - Know By Heart

The Clientele - Suburban Light

With the days getting shorter and autumn rapidly approaching, I figure it's time to upload one of my favorite fall records and one of my favorite records in general. I've tried to shy away from uploading readily available records in favor of the slightly obscure, but this is something I think everyone needs to have whether you pay for it or not.

The Clientele are a great Indie-Pop band from London who have been around since the early 90's, but only started receiving notoriety in the states once they were picked up by the always consistent Merge Records. They've released 3 LP's, several split 7"s, singles and EPs and while most of their material is solid, nothing will top the singles collection, Suburban Light. Whenever I start getting sick of summer and psyched for fall, Suburban Light is the first record I think of. Everything about it embodies fall to me - rainy days, cooler weather, sweaters, shorter days. I hear it in Alasdair MacLean's breathy, reverbed vocals and in the soft, dark production that makes each song sound like it was recorded in a dreary London bedroom. I hear it in songs like "Rain" and the off-kilter but upbeat "We Could Walk Together" in which MacLean sings about the fading heat of summer. They write dreamy, laid back music comparable to the lyrics about the simple pleasures of getting high, rainy days, quiet mornings, dusk and sleep. The Clientele have a knack for wearing their influences on their sleeve without borrowing too much from them. In their life-span, The Clientele have rarely strayed from their trademark brand of nostalgic pop, but what really sets these songs apart is the production. I know nothing about recording, but these songs sound exactly how they should - like looking out the window into a cold grey day when you're warm and cozy inside your house listening to your favorite record.

The Clientele - Suburban Light

The Saturday People - S/T

Despite having members of the fairly popular band Velocity Girl and a split with The Clientèle, The Saturday People are a band I rarely ever hear about. Much like The Clientele, they play a jangly brand of indie-pop heavily steeped in 60's nostalgia comparable to bands from the Sarah Records roster. All 15 tracks on the Saturday People's debut LP are catchy and rich without relying heavily on a lot of orchestration and extra instrumentation. Frankly, the songs are better without it. I've always felt The Saturday People are a diamond in the rough and had they stuck around a bit longer, I think they might have enjoyed some of the success their contemporaries received.

P.S. Note the nod to "A Hard Days Night" in the beginning of "Upside Down girl."

The Saturday People - S/T


The Saturday People on Myspace

The Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray

The Lemonheads are one of those bands that made a seamless transition from my childhood into my adult life. If anything, I like It's a Shame About Ray more now than I did then. Perhaps, because I grasp the lyrics about drugs, loss, love and growing up with greater understanding now than at age 11 when I first heard it. Or maybe because I really respect how they grew from a messy punk band into this incredible straight-forward rock band without ever losing that edge or punk sensibility. Whatever the reason, this record has continued to resonate with me for 15 years while many others didn't make the grade. At just under a half hour, every song on It's a Shame About Ray is as vital as the next. From the lazy dope scoring haze of "My Drug Buddy" to the budding love story of "Kitchen" and the need to play even the smallest role in someone's life of "Bit Part," no adolescent emotion or theme goes unreferenced. The songs are concise and undeniably catchy, full of hooks and some of Evan Dando's best lyrics. While I don't think The Lemonheads ever put out a bad record, there is no denying It's a Shame About Ray is their finest hour. It's one of the few records I will listen to, then immediately press repeat and get psyched to hear a song I just heard all over again.

As a sidenote, I saw them with Karl Alverez and Bill Stevenson of the Descendents as Evan Dando's backing band the day before my birthday this past year and it made me feel like a kid again. I kept my composure and didn't turn into "that guy," but inside I was bubbling over with excitement as they played literally every song I wanted to hear. It was one of the best shows I've been to in years. So, if you get the chance to see them, definitely do so. Evan Dando is a bit faded, but in between songs he just starts riffing on "Nervous Breakdown" so it's win-win.

The Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray

Sunday's Best - Where You Are Now

Though they formed prior to his joining, for all intensive purposes Sunday's Best really took shape once Tom Ackerman of major label cut-out-bin band Skiploader became their new drummer. They recorded their debut 7" Sons of the Second String and caught the attention of Crank!, known for their track record of releasing quality albums by Boys Life, Mineral, Vitreous Humor and a slew of other emotional brooders. Their next EP, Where You Are Now like the 7", falls right in with that. Despite their home base of California, I can't help but envision desolate, snowy Midwestern prairie every time I listen to this record. It has this dark, cool production that makes the quiet, sad parts that much more heart wrenching and the brighter moments feel hazy like the sun in the dead of winter. You know it's there, but it's just too far from the Earth to really heat the surface. As it happens, their next two LP's for Midwest institution, Polyvinyl Records, took a more upward, sunny turn toward catchy pop melodies and smoother production. Those records are great too, but Where You Are Now will always be the definitive Sunday's Best material in my eyes.

Sunday's Best - Where You Are Now

The Comfortable People - Weight of the World & In August, 1977

At the request of my friend Matt, I have uploaded the other two Comfortable People EP's, In August, 1977 and Weight of the World. The latter contains an excellent cover of Neutral Milk Hotel's classic "The King of Carrot Flowers Pt One." The former has a cover of Lee Hazelwood's "These Boots are Made for Walking. If you checked out Sings Different but Familiar in my last post, you know what to expect - tuneful indie-pop with lush twee tendencies. These two eps are more of the same.







The Comfortable People - Weight of the World







The Comfortable People - In August, 1977

The Comfortable People on Myspace

The Comfortable People - Sing Different but Familiar

The Comfortable People were a lush indie-pop band from Providence, RI with roots firmly laid in 60's psych-pop. Comparisons can be made to bands of the Elephant Six Collective, The Shins, etc. Singer Tim Hiles has a soothing, even tone and his love of British pop music shines through in each song. The opening track "Lonely Marmalade" was one of my favorite songs of 2005 and brings back great memories each time I hear it. Though The Comfortable People's ability to tour was limited (if they did at all) and their recorded output consisted only of 3 self-released ep's, they wrote some great songs I wish were available to a wider audience. Though my blog is hardly "a wider audience," hopefully a few more people check them out. If you like this and want me to upload the other two ep's please let me know.

The Comfortable - Sings Different but Familiar

The Comfortable on Myspace