Anyone out there remember the Lucksmiths song Detective Agency from their album the Green Bicycle Case? New Seattle band Detective Agency don't sound anything like that Australian band, but that was the kind of my logic going on in my head when I clicked on a link to listen to them a few months ago. Better points of reference would be Tiger Trap , Ramones , Tuscadero and perhaps the Shop Assistants . Up until last week they had a few songs floating around the internet. I [...]
I've gone high concept this week, and that is not a reference to this week's cover art which is by my friend Davie Kaufmann. No, I mean there's a gimmick: all the songs on Summer Fridays 4.10 are less than two minutes long. All 33 of them (maybe even 34). With this kind of criteria, we don't really have much in the way of new music (two songs by my count) but quality remains high of course. I've tried to vary it up as much as possible because the bulk of the two-minutes-or-less songs in my collection are of the [...]
The Shop Assistants Album: Shop Assistants Anthology (iTunes) Label: Self Released Shop Assistants - What a Way to Die Tweet
Safety net - Shop Assistants I think there's another song by another band that starts with this exact same bass line, with the guitar coming in at the exact same time, and i might actually have that song in my head. A more menacing, intense song. Or, to put it a better way: A differently, more conventionally menacing, intense song. An American band. But, seeing as though i can't figure out who sang that song, let's rejoice in another Shop Assistants song.
I don't wanna be friends with you - Shop Assistants The most perfect of songs. Successions of two chords, the vocals breathlessly following the changes, the Ramones-like assertiveness of the lyrics, the lead guitar line, stand-up drumming... Yes.
It is thanks to a couple of compadres who first mentioned these football and musical items, both of which have reached the same anniversary... The first one was from the now sadly defunct I'm Not Always So Stupid blog who originally owed and scanned the very first edition of When Saturday Comes . It was a hand crafted, lovingly put together football fanzine which eventually became the source and King of all the fanzines. WSC has now reached it's 25th anniversary and throughout those years has managed to survive Gazza, [...]
I've been itching to do this podcast for a while, but only now got my arse in gear to do it: record a podcast straight from vinyl. It's a bit of a nuisance, because I have to switch back and forth from the mic, for the chatty bits, to the USB input for the records... oh never mind, you don't care about my logistical hassles do you. The nice thing about vinyl is that the playlist is not simply going to be an inbox dump of whatever new indie has arrived this week, simply because I don't have [...]
A post inspired/reminded by Football and Music and Sweeping The Nation ... and countless other great blogs. This is my contribution to marking John Peel's passing in 2004 with a Peel Session track is - well, I've cheated. I had a few choices, so why not post 'em all? ' I Don't Want To Be Friends With You ' - Shop Assistants - Peel Session 1986 ' Hung Over As The Oven In Maiden Vale ' - Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Peel Session 1998 [...]
The Shop Assistants were one of the bands featured on NME's famed C86 cassette compilation and along with Talulah Gosh and The Pastels defined the more twee end of the movement documented on that release. While these bands tended replace punk's hostility and aggression with a cute and cuddly sensibility, they did continue the punk revolution insofar as they completely and utterly rejected musical professionalism. In truth, they rejected it far more thoroughly than the first wave of punk bands in the UK, as many of the original punks (Keith Levine, Steve Jones, Captain Sensible, and others) were [...]
Very special episode of Danger Radio. We play the legendary and rarely found C86 album in it's entirety in order. Along the way we discuss the bands and what it all means to myself and my co-host Jake Ryan. This is one of about 5 albums I can point to that shaped my musical tastes and I'm proud to say that it sits at the top of that list. PLAYLIST: Velocity Girl – Primal Scream Happy Head – The Mighty Lemon Drops Pleasantly Surprised – The [...]
Mrs. Toad has been away in China for the last week or so and, frankly, I am jealous. I am wedded to Edinburgh now, for fairly obvious reasons, but I have always been something of a gypsy, as have my parents, and as such China has held a pretty significant fascination for several years now. I spent three years in Singapore between the ages of eleven and fourteen and I absolutely loved the place. Not just Singapore, but all the travelling we did in South East Asia - I was absolutely captivated. Honestly, if it were [...]
The always musically omniscient Transparent unveiled a catchy-almost shoegaze-y-gem in UK newcomers Yuck sometime last week. Basically the last word to come to mind when listening to their music. "Georgia" evoked the spirits of Shop Assistants or (more recently) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and have just put the pared down "Automatic" on their blog for a free download. Yuck - Georgia Yuck - Automatic
This week we've been to Christmas parties, been confined to bed with some horrible bug, travelled to London and Crewe, made Christmas lists with Mrs Mackerel, met a long lost cousin, struggled with the MM best of 2009 lists, witnessed dramatic staff walk outs ("it's the high pressure world of corporate sandwiches in a small town" said Barry-Sean thoughtfully) and proudly watched our son
Out today is the 24 minute Slumberland Records debut from San Franciso-based Brilliant Colors . Together, Jess Scott, Diane Anastasio and Michelle Hill have created a small gem out of guitar, drums and bass. It is entitled Introducing . If you like you punky Shop Assistants -esque indie pop, you need to hear this. Downloadables: Absolutely Anything (mp3) English Cities (mp3) Purchase Introducing from Slumberland Records... here . Note: Slumberland will be closed from Nov 4 to Nov 17 (and [...]
you know, much as i like all the awkward, angular stuff like big flame and all the "clever" post rock, sometimes you just want songs that give you a bit of a cuddle. ::: shop assistants - it's up to you ::: mccarthy - the well of loneliness ::: los campesinos! - miserabilia coming up next: a seriously dodgy mix of mostly terrible songs that were popular when i was at school. bet you can't wait.
On this day five years ago, John Peel was getting ready to present another episode of his radio show. Unfortunately, it would be his last as a heart attack would take his life a few weeks later while on a working holiday in Peru. He had been best known as a disc jockey and champion of the musical underdog on BBC radio. His Peel Sessions gave many bands their first chance of airplay and a load of them went on to have successful careers in the music business. Sadly, I never got to hear his shows as it was not [...]
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That there finely crafted piece of graphic art is the flyer for the Toad Night happening on Sunday at Sneaky's. Beauticious, isn't it - took me almost fifteen minutes. It should be a fun night though, particularly if you get lubricated at the Shipping Forecast Garden Party at the Pear Tree beforehand. I was a guest DJ at Born to Be Wide last night, which was rather fun. My assignment was to play about half an hour of unsigned Edinburgh bands, so it was a fine opportunity to make a club crowd listen to tunes by the likes [...]
Shop Assistants - It's Up To You The Shop Assistants were an indie band from Edinburgh in the mid-80s who released just one album which scored them the #100 spot on the album charts (for a week), a John Peel session, praise from Morrissey and a place on the legendary C86 compilation. Then, they disbanded and faded into obscurity; although their album was re-released on CD in 2001, it remained a collectors item until re-surfacing again late last year. Buy Photo by [...]
Strawberry Story Genre: Indie / Pop / Shoegaze From: The North, United Kingdom [...]
the finest kiss
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Rollo & Grady
Adding Machine
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Song, by Toad
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Weekly Tape Deck
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NPR Music: Monitor Mix
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New Music Tuesday
