The Salient Braves - guilty until proven innocent EP

We're back (like ballroom dancing)! Also back are The Salient Braves with another EP of jangly pop goodness. Truthfully i listened to this while pretty flu-ed up, so this was some welcome medication. Did more good than paracetamol anyway.

While the title track is a highly enjoyable pop track my favourite is the slightly more off the wall "My alter ego" with lovely dual vocal interplay. Also to be commended is "Cynical old bastard" which for a start has a great title and also some great lyrics, for example rhyming "believe it" with "fleapit" and "Dick Dastard[ly]" with "old bastard"!

Its a great EP, its just what you need when you have a cold, or just anytime right now in this crazy world.

The Salient Braves - they must have seen me coming EP

We haven't covered indie pop on this website for some time... so here is the return of the Salient Braves. Classic guitar pop that is as fun to listen to as it obviously was to make. The title track is lovely jingly jangle. "The great unwashed" has a deeper tone, and surprise instruments! I like this track a lot, the tones are quite country rock at times.

The cover of "Losing my religion". You know the original is one of those overplayed songs that i'm not sure i can stand much anymore (and i love REM) but this cover has an organic urgency and immediacy that brings new life to the worn out track. Its my highlight of the EP which is very enjoyable, and out now on Broken Down Records.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - hell EP

A new EP from POBPAH, though the title track apparently is a bit of a left-over from their last album. Its a shame that happened really as "Hell" would have really added something to Days of abandon with its chirpy guitar work. The other two tracks are cover versions. A cover of Felt's "Ballad of the band" and is done with a lovely jangly melody and sunshine smile. James' "Laid" is interesting it doesn't really deviate from the original, though female vocals do add an interesting twist though it all ends a bit quickly. So three good songs and that makes a well worthwhile EP. You just feel, as with the last few releases from the band, there could be something more. Their first album was the record that bought me back into the indie scene after some years away, i'm not sure this EP would have had the same effect.

Departure - Thai Indie Scene

A wonderful compilation of indie pop from Thailand from SEA Indie. Some great variety of music styles too, highlight of the album for me is the chilled electro-beat "Keyboard" by derdamissyou, a truly wonderful song atmospheric and mesmerising.

Slow Reverse's "when the worlds collide" has some lovely pop melodies coupled to breathy female vocals and a slinky guitar line, and one of the best choruses for ages. Little Fox's "what we are" is a bit New Wave-ish and a great relaxed pop beat. Colonial's "misplaced" is a great pop thrash with added novelty tones. Seal Pillow's "canvas shoe" is another lovely pop song with good energy.

On this evidence the Thai indie pop scene is thriving, and very varied. So much to enjoy.

The Airfields - laneways EP

This is the kind of thing i love, noisy dream pop preferably by a band who are "The" something and have a record sleeve with just 1 or 2 colours on it (the band name written in all lowercase natch). Many hours were spent listening to weird and wonderful bands who released singles like this in my youth. Of course this isn't quite the same thing as its a 6 track CD EP but i still got a nostalgia kick.

The music is psychedelic pop, quite 60s in some ways but with a more modern indie twist (distorted vocals et cetera). Tracks like "Lonely halls" jingle jangle their way along very jollily. "Imaginary stars" has a great driving rhythm. Its wonderful yeah.

The Sugargliders - ahprahran EP

The Sugargliders, hailing from Australia, were one of the many great bands who recorded for Sarah Records. This was one of their numerous singles from the label and my favourite. The title track on this EP has a lovely acoustic guitar driven melody with a beat given that extra bit of specialness with tambourines!

The Sugargliders were two brothers from Melbourne and the harmonies certainly benefit from the blood relationship. The Sugargliders produced delicate and intelligent guitar pop and are certainly well worth a listen.

Eternal - breathe EP (reissue)

Eternal's solo EP (for Sarah) was one of my favourite records of the early 90s and still is one of my favourite singles ever. But here it is re-released and with the "lost" song November to fill it out so how does it still stack up in 2015?

First of all it isn't the same single, i don't know whether these are different studio versions (or the original demos which are said to have been higher quality than the actual studio versions) or its been remastered but it sounds different to the original. A lot higher fi for a start. The wonderful "Take me down" for example actually has chords i can recognise rather than just various fuzzy noises. To be honest i prefer the fuzz but the delicate and doomed beauty of the song is still there. "November" is also lovely though does sound like it needed a bit more work which is maybe why it never made it to the original single.

So the "Breathe EP" how does it stack up in the 21st century? Its different but still amazing. The world has changed a lot since the early 90s but Eternal's incredible record is still capable of changing worlds, or at least my one.

The Hit Parade - in Gunnersbury Park (Sarah)

The Hit Parade released 2 singles on Sarah, of which this was the first back in 1991 (7" single natch). The title track is a sparse but poppy song, eloquent and delicate. Its simple but beautiful music, no feedback and walls of noise, or fancy electronics, vocals and acoustic guitars and not a lot else. Just a lovely song dedicated to a public park.

The B-side "Harvey" is similarly pared back, the vocals breathy and sweet. A lovely pair of songs.

MV : "Hey! Sometimes" by The Orchids

Wonderful of course!

The Orchids - beatitude #9

As everyone should know The Orchids were one of the key bands on Sarah and among the best of the tweepop C86 movement of the early 90s. Then they went away in the mid-1990s... and came back in the late 2000s and this is their third album since their return. And its exactly how you would imagine it, largely the same sonic ground as covered on their last few releases (sweet indie pop thats a friend of electronics) but so well done and refined that this album is a sure fire treat.

Highlights include the incessant "Somethings going on" with its delicious chorus, the perfect pop of "She's just a girl", the electro-pop funk thrill of "Someone like you", the electro throb pop of "Today's the day". Its a great album and despite the passage of time i get the same thrill from this as i did from "Striving for the lazy perfection" so many years ago...

Slumbook - day dream on a sunny day

Available as a free download is this lovely delicate, light but with a nice shuffly beat pop track. A classic indiepop track with warmth buried in every chord. A song with a smile and one that will put a smile on your face.

Glass Arcade (Sarah)

Sometimes a rummage in bargain bins can totally change your life. Lets go back to late 1992, in my favourite indie record shop i was rummaging through the "bargain" CDs and came across Glass Arcade and Air Balloon Road, two compilations from Sarah Records. Well of course i knew of Sarah bands, the Melody Maker said they were shit. But i hadn't actually ever heard any Sarah songs... so i bought both and decided to see if the respected weekly music paper was right. It was wrong as usual...

My life changed. My tastes in music changed. Whereas before i pretended to like "cool" bands now i discovered bands like The Field Mice and The Orchids who i really liked. So this compilation, one of a regular series collecting together songs previously released on 7" singles, is so chock full of great songs. Including Eternal of course, this is the only place you can get their songs off their unmatched sole single on CD.  One of the best shoegaze noise singles ever released, pop glory bursting through glorious noise. Oddly enough though their best song "Take me down" isn't on Glass Arcade which is a shame, so here it is instead.
What is on here? Several superb Field Mice songs such as "Quicksilver" which i think is one of their finest. The Sea Urchins' "a morning odyssey" has one of the most heart felt choruses you'll ever here. The Orchids are of course a highlight with their "Something for the longing". There are indeed very few bad songs on here. Heavenly's song perhaps but then again i never could get into them...

Even As We Speak - one step forward

Sarah Records, the home of many great pop moments but one of the most upfront pop songs was "One step forward", superbly performed by Even As We Speak. A beautiful mid-tempo pop song with an irresistible chorus which erupts into a funk explosion. Maybe one of the best songs on Sarah in fact.

"Must be something else" is far more Sarah-esque, a laid back and delicate indie pop song though it also has some guts too. "Best kept secret" is also quite low-key but still lovely.

MV : "She's just a girl" by The Orchids

The Orchids are back and sound great (as always), here is a track off their new album.

Zipper - the worst day of the week

Out now on Dufflecoat Records this is the latest slice of bright energetic indie pop from Zipper, "Wednesday (the worst day of the week)" is pop tastic though personally i think Tuesday is worse. "Something big" continues the fuzz pop attack. Its a great 7" in the time honoured pop sense: immediate and frenetic. Its maybe not that original but indie pop done so well. "I know that you know" is the perfect close to proceedings, the song building up to a crescendo.

Brideshead - the mermaid

Dufflecoat Records's latest release is this lovely 7" single, classic indie pop thrills on "The mermaid". Its fast and catchy and full of fun pop noises. Its ticks all the twee boxes with its incessant energy and enthusiasm. "The loneliest boy in the world" could come straight off a Sarah single, a joyous slice of jingle jangle pop. I suppose you could say its nothing new, covering well-worn ground, but it does it very well indeed. York Minster isn't anything new either and that doesn't stop it being lovely and well worth your time, as is this. A great pop record to lighten the dark nights.

The Arctic Flow - january stars

The Arctic Flow is gentle and beautiful pop music, mixing the right amount of ethereal dream pop feel with pop melodies. The title track is a masterclass in how to build a gorgeous indie pop song with its delicate tone and melody. "Without her" brings a classic Sarah-esque dream pop feel to proceedings. "I'd rather not remember" is melancholic and reflective. Its perfectly judged, perfectly made, just perfect.

The Wedding Present - valentina

Another Cassette Store Day release though this album was originally released (on other formats) back in 2012 and the track listing hasn't changed. Of course The Wedding Present have been around for aaaaaages, i've been a fan since the Hit Parade days and that seems an ice age ago. Well the sound hasn't changed a great deal if at all, great if sometimes shambolic indie pop with frequent doses of noise.

Maybe that could be considered stagnation and i guess it is, but that didn't stop me enjoying this album a lot. There are some seriously great pop tunes on here. "Stop thief!" is my highlight from the album, a sometimes meandering and sometimes rollicking pop epic.

The Strange Creatures - stargazer

The Strange Creatures play classic dream pop: sweet pop melodies, male female vocals, jingle jangle, whats not to love eh? Actually there is a lot to love here, the title track opener reminds me of a number of Sarah bands. "Despite everything" plays around with some interesting melodies and sounds adding a mysterious psychedelic edge to what is another lovely pop song.

"I feel like i'm on drugs" similarly takes us into light psychedelic territory. "I don't want to see your face again" is a big song, the ballad has that special sauce to elevate it above Yet Another Pop Song. Reflective and layered as it progresses, its the highlight of what is an EP of enjoyable surprises.

Palms On Fire - cars EP

Russia is all over the news these days but what about Russian indiepop? So enter Palms On Fire with their joyously twee guitar and girly vocal sound. Their new EP on the eternally brilliant Dufflecoat Records is a journey through sweet pop and delicate melodies. The title track is the pick with its simple yet acoustically intricate melody. "Suitcase" with its retro electronic touches is also lovely, reminding one a bit of 80s children's TV show theme music.