99% of indie pop is good- you just havent heard most of it yet

Oddly enough, I just heard something by them for the first time, "Her Name I Don't Remember." Pleasant.

Anyway, I also think Spearmint are dodgy at best. Screen Prints approach perfection. I haven't heard the new Saloon and Dressy Bessy yet.

I want to hear a song that's going to stick with me for years. A new classic. Like Edson "Sunday Bloody Sunday" which is only a couple of years old.

There are few people who I can trust if they recommend something. Generally, I buy loads of new stuff, listen once, and then file, and it makes me feel like i'm just getting loads of average stuff, when the reality is that i probably haven't listened enough (or bought the wrong thing).

I need someone to play DJ to me and tell me what the "hit" song is on each of these discs. From my experience on this list, there are a couple of people that seem to have the same taste in indiepop stuff as me - and unfortunately, electric sound of jim isn't one of them, i think keith is though.

I need a new band to get excited about. Bear in mind that I heard the Screen Prints and the Clientele way back in 1999. It's time for another one to get excited about.I sometimes dig up old stuff from the 80's that I haven't heard (LTM reissues etc), and I'm going to pick up a few Sarah things. I have heard some positive things about Florian and a few other Swedish bands, but can you trust the recommendations?, and what I've heard of Safe Home, I like OK. But it isn't enough, and I've found myself listening to Indierock and alt-country stuff in the meantime.

Are there any other recent indiepop albums to get excited about? I love both the Aisler's Set and Boyracer records (the Boyracer would have made my year end list if it wasn't for the fact that I was convinced at the time that a record with that many covers on it couldn't be great - I was in denial). That said, I have no clue what else, if anything (as suggested in the 'racer review) is worth seeking out.

Also, since the indiest of indies has said it's OK to like indiepop, I think it's time for everyone to step up and profess their love.

Those who do not respond hate fun.

It's mostly standouts and things around the fringes that get me now, non-indiepop bands in the indiepop world: the Chicago expatriate axis, which I keep trying to track down (Toulouse, I think, are particularly fantastic), some of the indie-synth-pop stuff (My Favorite, Figurine, etc.).

I loved Wolfie like I love my own mother.

(Re: Pitchfork -- I've been thinking over there that when indie rock enters a strongly "rock" phase, as it is now with post-punk grottiness, indiepop becomes more important. This is one reason I was very happy to big up Boyracer, who in my opinion have just made one of their first full recordings that people outside of the genre can prima facia love. Also the Marine Girls cover is ridiculously good.)

THEY CARRY IT AT FORCED EXPOSURE!!!!

(also: rocketship, rocketship, rocketship)

I'm playing Wolfie now. Makes me want to jump up and down on my bed. (damn you, low celings!)

Finally, I'm going to check out the jel recommendations. The Poison love baffles me and intrigues me and makes me want to hear everything else suggested.

Too many people posted before my finally. The world needs another Rocketship record!

ESOJ, have you heard of Sarah Sarah? Are they any good?

Also, I like the idea of "kittens!" but I don't like kittens in reality. Does this have anything to do with my relationship with indiepop?

That's not really an answer, I guess. I was trying to write to people who don't care about indiepop, in order to offer them some interesting new things to look into. A lot of people read Pitchfork, so I imagine a few of them will figure out how to order it. Plenty of them will find at least one copy in their local stores; maybe enough others will ask about it to get more store buyers to try and order copies. But yeah, a lot of them will just go through the next few years thinking "Boyracer ... I think I read a positive review once, but I've never seen their records anywhere."

spam to thread!

http://www.pataphysics-lab.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?item_id=512&action=showitem

m.

the boyracer album is just wonderful, something about the speed at which stewart strums his guitar is thrilling to no end. and the aislers set album is just incredible, amy linton is the smartest pop chick(oh no i said pop) on the block.

Well i like FLorian a lot have done it for a few years now...

The number one band in the indiepop list poll this year was the Funday Mornings, so me and a few others i know scrabled around to find their records. As Pete H. says on twee.net it's straightforward Fat Tulips esqe fun pop, and it's OK, but it's not mind boggling good. So I'm still waiting for a best new band to come along. And I've been signing on to the tape-swaps just waiting for them to jump out at me.

*drools* what an amazing song that is

I do not care if braindead indiepop fans do that david (free jazz threads only ever get 5-20 replies anyway). I have heard indiepop and most of it has nothing going for it.

Doesn't that approach kind of miss the point? I should really stay out of this.

-fh

I arranged their first live show, they are really nice 15 year olds
you can get their 7" from www.benno.com or maybe www.normanrecords.com
or maybe www.roughtrade.com

You´ll like it if you like the likes of Fat tulips, Talulah gosh, Twa toots...

1. Politics: the UK in the 80s was a political place and indie was particularly so. It was an uncomfortable politics and not an especially active one, but everyone I knew felt they were politically engaged, and if there were right-wingers they certainly kept quiet about it. Certainly some thought of Rock and Thatcher as linked, things to be opposed. 86-87 was also a time of a sense of hopelessness for the left, the miners long defeated and Thatcher's apparently unstoppable charge to the 87 election landslide. The loser pose makes a certain amount of sense in that context. (I think Reynolds has something interesting to say about this stuff in "Against Health And Efficiency" but it's been a long time).

For some of us who took some time away from indie in the 90s, coming back to find that sound (and to some extent, the look) had become the noise of choice for a constituency of intelligent, wealthy American right wing College types was a real shock.

2. Punk Rock. The UK indie scene in the mid-1980s was obsessed with punk. Many people saw themselves as the true standard-bearers of the spirit of Punk, claiming a lineage which went Vic-Dan-Edwyn-and-so-on. You heard tales of Primal Scream in '85 going round after their jangliest shows asking People Who Knew "was that Punk Rock"? It was crucially important and we all made sure we hated hippies, even though we barely saw hippies ever. We'd have to make up hippies to hate (in one of the "Communication Blur"s, The Legend! and Alan McGee famously laid into the El records lot as 'short haired hippies').

Hm I could say more about this but I should leave it for now.

The "right wing" is a little out of place there; indie is the American noise of choice for a group that trends left, in a kind of rote post-collegiate way. That's true of the Friendster set, anyway; as you move younger into new-convert fans of big mainstreamed indie bands (Strokes, Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand, Death Cab) I think you might find something more politically neutral.

The true patron saints were the punk lineage that Tim mentioned, which also stretched way back before Vic, Dan and Edwyn to Jonathan, Lou, Iggy and Rory. The fact that he's moaning about not getting on TOTP is telling, since the very pervasive punk ethic of time meant that most indie bands couldn't have cared less about TOTP or daytime radio.

Of course we could have all been escapists escaping from different things... living in Texas, punk politics was an escape for me at the time.

Indie rock is maybe assumed to be left-wing probably because it's strongly associated with being in college? But I knew plenty of folks growing up who loved punk and indie rock because of how it sounded and just totally disregarded (or made fun of) its politics.

[reads last post and sobs]

lol

Rereading the Twee As Fuck piece from 2005 because I've been geeking on this stuff again (+ the American take on this that sometimes has a little Sonic Youth or Dino Jr mixed in the recipe. Like Versus). Wondering if anyone else that's still here loves it too?

I still love Versus - and their many side projects are all great, too.

The "Scared To Get Happy" and C86-C89 comps are full of gems and are a ton of fun in general.

Yes! Love that Saturnine tape in particular!

I think my favorite early/legendary comp for this kind of music is the Corrupt Postman tape if you're familiar.

Never heard of that tape, downloading it now, thanks for the tip!

You're welcome! Enjoy!

yeah, the Stars are Insane remains a great album

It is! But imo I can't say they have a stand out album... all of their 90s material is top notch.

Hey Evan, have you checked this out?

https://acolourfulstorm.com/track/i-wont-have-to-think-about-you

Great indiepop from Australia!

i posted about that comp on another thread just the other day! v into it

Oh wow I totally missed this!

Yes I LOVE that comp because Bart Cummings is a legend and I've recently been absolutely obsessed with all of his bands. I also love the Cannanes! They played in NYC a few years ago and it was a huge treat.

What a label too! They actually reissued Unisex by Blueboy, how exciting!

Oh hey I hope you liked the Corrupt Postman tape, too.

first two Blueboy albums + attendant singles are all timeless

Yeah I recently realized how much I love the songs Dirty Mags, Air France, and Sea Horses (latter which I fell back in love with because of the exciting live version on the Bikini 7" if you've heard that).

And man as a early 90s shoegaze fan, Dirty Mags is just such an incredible song from a band that doesn't typically go there.

yeah I remember how surprising that track was when it was released... good though. and I do have that Bikini 7"! printed in acid green ink on white cardstock

Then you know! Something about the energy in that version. Wish I could have seem them live so I could jump up and down during the chorus.

Update: geek levels are off the charts

Where are the other classic-indie-pop geeks of ILM?

Classic indie-pop as in stuff compiled on the "Scared To Get Happy" box? Count me in!

Yes, and American style stuff as well!

Since you mentioned that specifically, you'll really love this:

https://wilfullyobscure.blogspot.com/2013/06/va-scared-to-get-happy-addendum-aka.html

Oh yes, there were other addendum lists that came out at the time, I compiled them all.

Whats your top 10 indie pop LPs?

There were? I thought this was just a singular fan exercise by that blog.

Dang, I'll need a minute to over-think that answer. There's so much overlap with shoegaze, american shoegaze, lo-fi, Dino Jr rock, slacker, general ameri-indie stylings...

Give me some guard rails maybe!

I’m not listening to much of this kind of stuff at the moment but was surprised and pleased to see a song by the band I was in 35+ years ago crop up in that addendum list. Thanks for posting it, Evan.

Of course! That is a fun surprise. And because you weren't forthcoming about it, I won't ask :)

Haha sorry for being obtuse, you can hear me singing on “Goldmining” by The Visitors.

Wow, top spot!

Whats your top 10 indie pop LPs?

Second Story - The Hang Ups
Sunlight In A Jar - The Lucksmiths
Trampoline - Greenberry Woods
Passion Play - Papas Fritas
Tallulah - Allo Darlin
Mercury Girl - Cleaners From Venus
Lunar Sea - Camera Obscura
Sprocket Dick - Tripmaster Monkey
Black Cab - Jens Lekman
The Wild Ones - Push Kings

I still have the Visitors flexidisc!

!!

A really tiny number of people seem to like it quite a lot.

Not sure if I quite grasp the thread revival, but FWIW I listen to late 1980s UK indie a great deal. In recent weeks I was playing the C87 CDs 2 and 3 over and over and over again.

I also enjoy Tim's old records, but he knows that already.

I found 3 great sources for addendum's to "Scared To Get Happy":

From Wilfully Obscure (http://wilfullyobscure.blogspot.com/2013/06/va-scared-to-get-happy-addendum-aka.html):
01. Visitors - Goldmining
02. Moss Poles - Go Down
03. Remember Fun - Train Journeys
04. Field Mice - I Thought Wrong (Run away) (demo)
05. The Church Grims - Plaster Saint
06. Candy Skins - She Blew Me Away
07. Outskirts - Blue Line
08. Various Artists (the band) - Original Mixed Up Kid
09. North of Cornwallis - Billy Liar
10. Hellfire Sermons - Rachel Clean
11. Potting Sheds - Happy Again
12. The Perfect Disaster - Call it a Day
13. Hey Paulette - I Really Do Love Penelope
14. Jane From Occupied Europe - Ocean Run Dry
15. James Dean Driving Experience - Drop Dead Darling
16. The Rose Of Avalanche - Always There
17. Power of Dreams - The Jokes On Me (demo)
18. Palisades - Knight in Gale
19. This Scarlet Train - Picture Frame
20. St. Christopher - Even The Sky Seems Blue
21. Stray Trolleys - Secret Dreams Of A Kitchen Porter
22. Sundays - Can't Be Sure (4-track demo)

From Facebook suggestions:
Playthings - Juice
The Times - My Andy Warhol Poster
The Cleaners From Venus - Julie Profumo
Atom Spies - Aliens In Your Wardrobe
The Perfect Disaster - TV Girl On Fire
The Passmore Sisters - Every Child In Heaven
Barbel - Inferno
Jim Jiminee - I Wanna Work OR +Snap Me Up
St. James Infirmary - Terry Marriagehead
Essential Bop - Eloquent Sounds OR +Croaked
Electric Guitars - Work
The Lilac Time - Return To Yesterday
Snakes Of Shake - Southern Cross
Memphis - You Supply The Roses
Dislocation Dance - You’ll Never, Never Know
The Anyways - Confession
The Friendly Fires - Arkansas
Fat Tulips - Where’s Clare Grogan Now?
Parachute Men - Leeds Station
Fizzbombs - Surfaround
Mousefolk - Devil in the Deep Blue Sea
Baby Lemonade - Real World
Mayfields - World of Your Own
Moss Poles - One Summer
The Bridewell Taxis - Just Good Friends
Candy Darlings - That’s Where Caroline Lives
The Big Paintings - My Minitrend Friend
Gifted Children - My Favourite Films
Honeycrash - Kill Someone You Like (aka I Don't Blame You)
Fontaines - I Want Everything
City Giants - Little Next To Nothing
Jazzateers - Wasted OR +Natural Progression (Part 1)

From https://pedaladasabuenritmo.wordpress.com/2013/07/04/scared-to-get-happy-addendum-i/
Young Marble Giants - Cakewalking
Vic Godard - Stop That Girl
Direct Hits -Modesty Blaise
Eyeless In Gaza - New Risen
Ringing - Caprice
Memphis - You Supply The Roses
Cocteau Twins - Aikea Guinea
Beloved - A Hundred Words
Enormous Room - 100 Different Words
Stars Of Heaven - Talk About It Now
Bridge - Shame Is A Girl
Wallflowers - Thank You
Cleaners From Venus - Living With Victoria Grey
James Dean Driving Experience - World Weary & Wise (new version)
Emily - Mad Dogs
Reserve - A Perfect Lie
The Man From Delmonte - (Will Nobody Save) Louise
The Parachute Men - Sometimes In Vain
Marden Hill - Oh Constance
Remember Fun - Cold Inside
Po! - Appleseed Alley
The Nivens - Yesterday
St. Christopher - All OF A Tremble
The Ogdens - Rachel Put Your Arms About Me
Devine & Statton - Under The Weather
The Love Parade - Under The Weather
Treebound Story - Swimming In The Heart Of Jane
St. James Infirmary - Terry Marriagehead

Nice! Looks like wilfullyobscure inspired the third one (at least)

Not sure if I quite grasp the thread revival

Sorry, to clarify I was providing a personal status update given my previous revive here.

Well, to answer your previous revive -- yes, I am still very strongly into this music and listen to it frequently.

Awesome.

Boy I got so overwhelmed by the innocent top 10 indie pop question, I've been putting it off...

Going to pivot and mention some recent favorite 45s:

Majestic 12 - Lost & Found
My Favorite - The Informers & Us
Tizzy - New Jersey
Moped - Naked, Sharp & Plastic
Snog 6 - Start All Over Again (CD EP)
Sammy - Neptune Ave. (Ortho Hi Rise)
The Someloves - Know You Now
Lenola - Oh Yes, Jeep Is Good! (more in the indie-noise-shoegaze camp)
Number One Cup - Malcolm's X-Ray Picnic
Bubby Girl - Coyote Spindle
Solar Coaster - Zero Sum / Karmageddon
Hopper - Wasted
LKWRM - Thirty Years Of Concentrated Thought (CD EP)
The Pennikurvers - The Pennikurvers
Clag - Manufacturing Resent
Madison Electric - Heavy Petal
The Cherry Smash - West Coast Rip-Off
New Sweet Breath - Silka
Charlotte Hatherley - Summer
Bomb Pops – Girl Daredevil + Riverside

Long shot - does anyone have digital rips of anything the label Bliss Aquamarine released?

It's always seemed to me that there was an "indiepop revival" around say 2008, and indeed that much of the current / subsequent idea of "indiepop" was actually crystallised then, retrospectively streamlining much of what had happened originally.

The prevalence of "popfests" for several years (plus Indietracks) around that period would support this view.

I also have the sense that this then flowed into some kind of dreampop that was possibly 80s-revivalist viz. Wild Nothing (who when I saw them live were not very different from a guitar-based indie band - but this is as long ago as 2010).

Whether there has been yet another wave of indiepop revivalism I don't know - rather, I suspect that C21 culture has "kept everything in play", permanently available.

Hey check out my stellar thread-relevant haul yesterday at the shop I used to manage (I am in the US):

Hood - I've Forgotten How To Live
Juno - Magnified And Reduced By Inches / Pablo Y Zelda
Fertile Virgin - Lucky Day
14 Iced Bears - World I Love
Tompot Blenny - Thinking Of Ways Of Keeping You Warm
Trembling Blue Stars - The Rainbow
St. Christopher - All Of A Tremble
The Sweetest Ache - I Remember Caroline
Strawberry Story - Small & Slightly Rounded EP
Various - Joe Friday
The Some Loves - It's My Time
The Melons - Strictly Melonhead EP
The Melons - Fast Lane
Eye Pilgrims / Choo Choo Train - Wall Of Sand / Many Happy Returns

Not bad for ~$55 total, right?

Anyway... anyone have any good leads for some obscure "classic" indie cassette compilation uploads? I've been hunting the web and it's tougher than I'd thought! Not to dismiss the great stuff I AM finding but just as often I'll learn of compilations that don't seem to exist digitally on soulseek or blogs or archive.org etc. yet. Or, I'll remain puzzled at the absence of any blogs dedicated to that "scene" of DIY and/or small label cassettes (with downloads). It would seem like one of those things a fan like myself with access would have done by now.

Have a gander at the things on here that aren't the NME tapes (actually the NME tapes are largely excellent but they are mostly outside the rubric of this thread): https://pressplayandrecord.wordpress.com/

I found this by searching for two old tapes whose names stuck in my head: Abigail's Birthday Party and Plinky Plonky There's a Donkey. For shame.

Ha! I can see why they stuck... thanks!

You're welcome. There are some good things on those tapes but if you emerge from listening to them and find yourself agreeing with the thread title, you're made from stronger stuff than I am.

I have a high tolerance for messy experimental throwaway if there's at least something to grab onto. Could just be atmosphere, or the extra-musical context of the tape aesthetic. The lows emphasize the highs along the journey, too. It all contributes to an audio ransom note of pop experiments with punk spirit.

pinefox I'm sorry to have passed over your post above!

You're probably right. I remember 2004-06 the trend in indie circles was bombast and post-rock/emo melodrama with elaborate post-twee instrumentation. Classic indie-pop was all about the ingredients of punk with a pop approach, so it would make sense that this would come back when there was a need for the pendulum to swing back in the other direction. But the 80s revival was certainly extremely popular too so yeah that focus got mixed in.