.... ._ _. _.._._. ._.. ._ .__. (spells hand clap)

Sorry things have been completely rubbish and unengaging lately. From here. I mean, apologies if other things are a bit rubbish and unengaging for you, but I was specifically talking about the Roar thingy, which seems to be on a permanent IV drip of Ovaltine (although that's hot chocolate in the picture...it's what we do around here).

For my sins, however, I can't think of anything more engaging than hand claps (and the first person to disagree, or worse yet, suggests something frightful like Midsomer Murders or Jacques Derrida gets slapped). Think of them as completely democratic expressions of glee.

Even Bauhaus used the odd hand clap, although we won't be visiting them today as the unrelenting rain, Victorian architecture and soggy fields (slightly flat) are goth enough for me today. I have other fine examples though...

Tender :: Blur [buy]
Memorize the City :: The Organ [buy]
Sing to the Singer :: The Danielson Famile [buy]
Hey Man (Now You're Living) :: Eels [buy]
Viens Avec Moi :: Les Breastfeeders [buy]

And I just have to say a big thanks Dandelion Radio for introducing me to Les Breastfeeders, a wonderful Canadian band that I've really enjoyed shaking my fringe to, and I hope you will as well. Thankfully, hand claps need no translation (although you can clap the word out in Morse Code to stunning effect)

If you're friends of twee, then you're friends of me

Earlier this morning, I read a socio-political analysis of twee that argued the roots of twee, both in a musical and social sense, can be connected to a subconscious cultural desire to attach oneself to a least-threatening denominator. Or something. And it used a lot of not-nice words.

C'mon c'mon. No one said the revolution would come dressed in an anorak (although it might have a mint Kit-Kat in its pocket, you never know).

Personally, I think the Holy Roman(tic) Empire of Sweden and Wakefield has a nice ring to it. Now stand at attention!

Stardust :: Irene [buy]
Blue Motorbike :: Moto boy [buy]
The Way You Used To Smile :: The Research [buy]

(And yes, these are all relatively new artists and have been given the gold beret of approval by our most august Polkovik, who's standing in for me as I'm in a bit of a rush.)

Hands up if you like Fuzzbox!

I do.

I think I still have a bit of a crush on Vickie.

Sigh.

I could just eat them.

Sigh.

Anyway, a bit of a Friday shorty, but I have the two tracks from the ladies' first 7" single, back when they were still We've Got A Fuzzbox...And We're Gonna Use It, which makes this release just slightly before 1986's Bostin' Steve Austin record (well, obviously Liz. That's why it's a single).

Rules and Regulations :: We've Got a Fuzzbox...

XX Sex :: We've Got a Fuzzbox...

It's also worth mentioning that lead singer Vickie Perks is still touring, recording music and generally looking quite lovely. There's a linky to her MySpace page here, and a couple of classic Fuzzbox videos here (Rules and Regulations) and here (Love is the Slug).

Happy cheers for the weekend.

Oh, what will it be?

What you need to do, right, is a) get a dressing gown (I recommend the fluffy £20 ones at M&S) and then b) open it up like you're going to flash someone on the bus (it helps if you're wearing something underneath, but don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about) and then c) give yourself a good spin (think of Prince when he'd spin around on stage and the tail of his coat would twirl around like a little sex propeller. Yes, you can achieve this with a dressing gown and the right velocity) and finally, d) play this song very fucking loudly.

Dying For It :: The Vaselines [buy]

Do some rock kicks, if you like. Or that bit where you run in place and shake your head like Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club. Speaking of, if you have a banister to dance on top of, that would be pretty smart as well.

I love The Vaselines, just as I love all things that come from Scotland that involve fringe, guitars and bad jumpers. They were born with love from Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, along with some fairy dust from Mr. Stephen Pastel. And, despite only releasing two singles and an album, they have a Complete History because the late cardie king Kurt Cobain began cover their songs after The Vaselines opened for Nirvana in Scotland. But, I bet you knew that.

Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam :: The Vaselines [buy]

Rory Rides Me Raw :: The Vaselines [buy]

It's like thunder...lightning!

FACT: If you sell your soul to the devil, he will do nice things for you, like help you empty your bins.

FACT: In the 1970s, British prisons were filled with old men who dressed as schoolboys.

FACT: 'Knock on Wood' is one of the greatest, most versatile songs of all time.

Knock on Wood (12") :: Amii Stewart [buy]

Knock on Wood :: David Bowie [buy]

Knock on Wood :: Morningwood [buy]

I'm especially fond of the Morningwood version, it's quite dirty and glammy and prompted Simon to tell me that my singing voice probably makes dogs want to castrate themselves (although he did say something kind earlier in the evening about how he appreciated the fact that I did come in on the off beats as I should). Needless to say, I've been singing this song for days and I have no idea why, and I just thought that posted two or three good versions of it would help me get it out of my systems.

And yes, I've been AWOL for quite some time but I'm just now settling into something of a routine and all the meeting and greeting has died down (just in time for fucking TT Week to start...they've already knocked out the power out twice today).

So, what have I missed?

Maximum fringe

So, this is goodbye, at least for a fair bit. I'm taking tomorrow for myself, and then I'll spend the next handful of days with my family before flying to London on Thursday. If there aren't any major complications with that part, I'll be tucked in my new home on Friday...but I expect that Simon and I will have some, um, catching up to do over the weekend. Business should resume as normal week after next and thanks again from both of us for all the well-wishes.

Since I'll have a fairly lengthy absence, I'm giving you my personal 'best of' twee/indie/nostalgia pop. You can download these tracks individually, or scroll down to the bottom of the list to grab them all in a handy zip file. Take good care, everyone!

MAXIMUM FRINGE
01. Son of a Gun :: The Vaselines
02. Come Get Me :: 14 Iced Bears
03. Louise Louise :: Orange Juice
04. Break Your Face :: Talulah Gosh
05. Nothing To Be Done :: The Pastels
06. Hell Bent Suicidal Over You, Baby :: Rainyard
07. Then He Kissed Me :: The Crystals
08. Jacob's Ladder :: Monochrome Set
09. Whole Wide World :: Soup Dragons
10. Sick Tired & Drunk :: The June Brides
11. Lee Remick :: The Go-Betweens
12. Love Is The Slug :: Fuzzbox
13. Sensitive :: The Field Mice
--
MAXIMUM FRINGE [13 songs, 36:05 minutes, 47 MB zip file]

EDIT; While I'm away, I'd heartily endorse the following: Mssers Colin, JC , and Ed for all your Scottish pop blogging needs (needs, I say), while Ally, London Lee, Davy and Crash make up the remaining roundtable of British bloggers. Dearest FiL and Matthew for witty prose as well as quality music, and ZB and CP are my favorite sources for fantastic podcasts. Merz, Fraser and Marcy each have wonderful, ecclectic American music blogs, and you can't beat Mentok, Omega, Subter and I Like for (mostly) non music related enjoyment.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

Eh up!

So, priorities. Gah. I've had to set a fair few this week, boring priorities. Change of address. Removal of Morrissey posters from flat. Explanations of Crown Dependencies. Boring.

One thing I'm absolutely thrilled to do before I leave, however, is tell you about a wonderful little indie band from New York, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, who have just made my day by sending along a handful of lovely tracks which they've very kindly said I could share.

In addition to just being dead nice and fun to harass on MySpace, they play extremely catchy music that should please anyone who's ever cast a loving ear on The Pastels, Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Black Tambourine and a whole host of other bands featured in regular rotation here.

Although they're something of newcomers, they'll appear this summer on the roster of the NYC Popfest and a bit later share a bill with Sunny Day in Glasgow (!) and My Teenage Stride (!!). If they'd been around a bit longer, I'd at this point start expressing my dismay that they're as yet unsigned, but I'm sure they'll get snagged up quite soon, and in the meantime they have a limited edition single which will be released by Cloudberry Records on May 21, with something in vinyl to follow.

Follow any of the links for more information, makey friends on Myspace, and right-click save as. It will do your heart good.

This Love Is Fucking Right! :: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Orchard of My Eye :: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart