And Every Conversation's the Same

In desperate attempt to prove that this blog is more than just obsessing about old pop songs, how about some news about upcoming releases? And, well, one brief notation that deals with an old pop song.

I caught the Mezzanine Owls last night at Spaceland as their residency came to a close. They covered a Silver Jews song, "Trains Across the Sea" to be specific. Their amazing girl drummer Pauline Mu sang the song while drumming. It was awesome.

Then I've spent the majority of my morning watching/listening to this:



Knowing that an entire album full of songs like this is traveling towards me as I type this is almost too exciting to stand. Fortunately, I'm a tough girl because the new Lodger album Life is Sweet on which "The Good Old Days" appears is just the tip of the exciting Slumberland Records news iceberg.

The next installment of the Searching For the Now Series is heading our way on June 17. One side of one 7" will contain a song from Australian darlings Summer Cats. One of their band members is credited with sweet, sweet cowbell. How do you avoid absolutely adoring that credit?

The other 7" will contain a song from The Sunny Street. I'd not previously heard of them, but I think their about me on their Myspace page sums it up nicely:

"The Sunny Street is a Londonbased french popduo founded on a boring day by Delphine and Rémi. The songs are mostly about love."

Oh dear, I think I just might have a new crush...

Of course, if you've read this blog before you won't be surprised to learn that my heart nearly stopped when I discovered what the other side of the Sunny Street 7" would be. A Sunny Day in Glasgow covering the Pastels. They are offering their very specific take on "Sometimes I Think About You," I'm fortunate enough to have heard the song and I can say with certainty that it's dreamy. The vocals are lovely, and haunting, and the song will fill corners of your mind that you weren't aware existed.

The other side of the Summer Cats 7" will be provided by the ultra fantastic Pains of Being Pure at Heart. If you visit this page here, then click on the song entitled "Come Saturday" you can hear it for yourself! I strongly recommend that you do so too. The pace is frantic, the guitars are effected to be appropriately fuzzy and distorted, and it will get your day started right, or back on track, or whatever! Slumberland also revealed that they will be releasing a full length from the POBPAH closer to the end of the year. Swoon. They will also be releasing a full length from another Brooklyn band called Crystal Stilts who I've heard described (by the lead singer of the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, actually, via Three Imaginary Girls) as what Joy Division might have sounded like if they were an indiepop band. I think it's quite acurate.

Slumberland will also release the debut 7" from Sexy Kids which is basically the follow up band to one of my favorite musical discoveries of last year (discovered after they were already no more) The Royal We. From the little that I've heard from Sexy Kids so far, it seems that they will fill the Royal We shaped hole in my heart nicely.

Then last but not least, the label is releasing a double 7" from Phil Wilson! If you're not familiar with Phil Wilson or The June Brides head over here immediately. I'll have much more exciting news for you West Coasters on the Phil Wilson front coming very soon. In the meantime, this is well worth watching:



~squaregirl marion