Brighter - demo recordings 1988-1990

Ah Brighter, the band that encapsulates the fragile glory of twee pop to some and the banality of it to others. I am firmly in the former camp, to me Brighter so often produced perfection in the early 90s. So "demo recordings" then, not that they sound too different from the definitive Brighter studio recording sound. A little rougher maybe around the edges, but that kind of suits Brighter...

As far as i can tell none of the songs (or final versions of) appeared on Sarah releases though a good number appeared on the brilliant Matinee compilation "Out to sea" collection, though not all the songs do.

"Wallflower" has a simple pop beauty to it. "Sunburst" sounds like it was recorded in a phone kiosk but still has an irresistible urgency to it. "Top of the world" grinds its way to your heart despite nearly falling apart a few times. "If i could see" is totally wonderful and one of Brighter's best ever songs, a jangle of pop delights and a delicate joy. One song i definitely haven't heard today is the somewhat haunting instrumental "Painted angels".

If you love Brighter you'll love this, if you don't... well... your loss.

Air Balloon Road (Sarah)

Some records can leave you cold, some give a momentary relief from harsh reality, others can take you to a whole new world and if you are lucky you never ever leave. Such as happened to me when i bought the Sarah Records compilation Air Balloon Road many years ago, it introduced me to the mysterious world of twee pop and C86, and i've remained ever since.

Sarah released periodic compilations of the pick of songs from their singles (well their pick anyway, some great songs never made it), Air Balloon Road covers the early period of Sarah and includes the early classics like the Sea Urchins' blissful pop song "Pristine Christine" which of course was the very first single on the label as well as wonderful tracks like The Field Mice's melancholic "End of the affair" and The Orchids' "Its only obvious". Wonderful indie pop tunes which sound as fresh today as they did in the early 90s.

"Darkest blue" by Gentle Despite is another favourite, plus don't forget Another Sunny Day and Brighter, The Golden Dawn, Action Painting, the pop trash of 14 Iced Bears' "come get me"... well all 23 tracks are just essential. This is probably as close as you could ever get to something as banal as "The best of Sarah", although there were many other great songs to come this is truly a document of a golden age.

MV : "End" by Brighter

Hal - election day

In between Brighter and Harper Lee was was a short lived side project by Keris Howard who released just the one EP as Hal. With Hal Keris went for a much more electronic sound after Brighter, the title track bringing to mind early 80s pop and even a bit of New Order. Its a great pop song as you might expect, with a catchy up-beat and down-beat lyrics.

"Clear about this" is a sparkling song and "Somedays" continues the vein, sounding a bit too much like an indie dance remix of a Brighter song however. Ultimately this may have been why the Hal project was not continued for long. Its great, but somehow just seems a bit... wrong.

MV : "City station" by Harper Lee

Brighter - Noah's Ark

Another Brighter single on Sarah another essential piece of vinyl. Following in the wake of their epic "80 days" EP for Sarah this leads off with the title track, a typical piece of introspective jangly guitar pop with a melancholic tune. Brighter were masters of keeping a song slow and simple, logical and beautiful. Noah's Ark also explodes into (what is for Brighter) heavy rock guitar too, i nearly had to hide behind the sofa when i first heard it.

"Does love last forever?" is a wholly different song, but just as wonderful. Fast jingly jangly guitar pop which rocks along like a runaway C86 train.

MV : "Things will get better" by Brighter

This is my favourite band of all, whats yours?

Brighter - disney EP

What do you think of Brighter? Whole lotta magic.

This was the end of Brighter, their last release on Sarah and amusingly the last track on this 5 track EP was called "End" too. Its Sarah C86 distilled to the ultimate degree, concentration X. A mournful fragile and beautiful piece of pop.

"Killjoy", which opens the album, is quite upbeat. Almost weirdly upbeat for Brighter indeed with its jangly guitar chords and driving bass but still a perfect Brighter moment, the chorus is wonderful. "British summertime" is maybe more typical Brighter, a slow sad and fragile pop tune. To me there is no better band that this, their music speaking directly to my heart.

This was the end of Brighter and what a way to end, a perfectly judged EP. Thank you Brighter for all you gave to me and many others.

New video channel

I've set up a dedicated Youtube channel for this blog, on it i shall upload obscure indie tracks from years lost. Only songs which don't seem to be around already of course. If you are the owner and want me to take it down its cool, let me know et cetera. One of the first i uploaded is the wonderful Brighter song "falling" from a 1990 flexi.

Brighter - out to sea

I've had this album for a number of years but given my recent C86 revival its time to review it. Brighter are (or were) one of the most important bands in my life. Their songs of heartbreak and disappointment amid jangly guitars and perfect tunes spoke to me more than any other band's. Years later can that still be true? This compilation collects together their only album, Laurel (10" LP - cool) plus some rarities and unreleased tracks. All these years later can this still make my soul sing?

OMG yes. Even more so. This is my blues. My heart's soundtrack. The tones and melodies mixed with sad vocals and lyrics. The music is delicate, almost impossibly fragile at times. There is an amateurish air about the proceedings but in a good way. These are people who cared and were doing it for themselves. Its the ultimate punk rock.

Every song is irresistible. It won't be true for most people but for me this is the best record ever released. Word.

• Out to Sea (Amazon Link)