The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Belong [7"]

The title track of THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART's BELONG album came out as a 7" on blue vinyl (although that's a bit hard to see on this pic) around the same time when the album came out in March 2011. Radio-friendly alternative rock in the vein of old Smashing Pumpkins. The B-side (a non-album track) is more like a Ramones-style rock 'n roll song.

Label: Slumberland Records
Cat.nr.: SLR 140
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Belong

SIDE B:
01. I Wanna Go All The Way

Cocteau Twins - Tiny Dynamine [12"]

The TINY DYNAMINE EP was released between the Treasure and Victorialand albums. It features four tracks that can't be found on any of COCTEAU TWINS' albums. Word goes that these tracks (together with four more that were issued on the Echoes In A Shallow Bay EP) initially were just recorded to test the production capacities of a new studio. When the band was satisfied with the result, they were released after all. Ribbed And Veined is an instrumental track; something that's quite rare for Cocteau Twins' songs. My copy's on Virgin Germany who licensed it from 4AD.

Label: Virgin
Cat.nr.: 602 061           
Year of release: 1985

SIDE A:
01. Pink Orange Red
02. Ribbed And Veined

SIDE B:
01. Plain Tiger
02. Sultitan Itan

School Of Seven Bells - Iamundernodisguise [7"]

The A-side IAMUNDERNODISGUISE comes from the Alpinisms album by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS. A typical SVIIB song from their earlier days; repetitive and alienating. The B-side even takes that a little further and almost sounds like a mantra. I don't know the original of the song, but apparently it comes from a compilation album called The Green Owl Comp: A Benefit For The Energy Action Coalition. The artwork is great so that's why i thought i'd also made a pic of the other side of the fold-out sleeve:

Label: Full Time Hobby

Cat.nr.: FTH070S

Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:

01. Iamundernodisguise

SIDE B:

01. Trance Figure (Nobody Remix)

Wooden Constructions - People Now People [12", LP]

A few weeks ago i saw WOODEN CONSTRUCTIONS playing a few songs live in a local record store. What an amazing band! Their LP PEOPLE NOW PEOPLE came out last week (only on vinyl by the way) and this was something i definitely needed to have.
How to describe their music? They clearly have their influences, but still never sound like a rip-off of any of the bands they've listened well to. Call it plain post-punk; it won't really do them justice.
I'd say: take some Talking Heads and Joy Division, add a little LCD Soundsystem and The Fall, blend it with some Girls Against Boys and Pixies, and finish it off with a hint of Foals. Then serve it with some afrobeat on the side. A great recipe for 30+ minutes of awesome music.

Label: Subroutine Records
Cat.nr.: SR 039
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. Full Brother
02. Smoul In Mali
03. Sampla Bagannar
04. No Toys On The Playground
05. Quality

SIDE B:
01. Rhythm Section
02. Chikapunga
03. Punch In The Face
04. Kadouche
05. 400E

Jesu - Sun Down / Sun Rise [12"]

Pressed on really nice clear vinyl with red in the middle, this SUN DOWN / SUN RISE 12" by JESU has a lengthy song on each side. Sun Down starts with some heavy riffing before it turns into a shoegaze song. After a while it fades out and then an ambient part starts. Sun Rise has less variety throughout the song and sounds much more electronical, but is still a great song. My copy is part of the second pressing, with only 300 made of this particular color.

Label: Aurora Borealis
Cat.nr.: ABX011
Year of release: 2007

SIDE A:
01. Sun Down

SIDE B:
01. Sun Rise

Velvet Crush - Post Greatness E.P. [12", Promo]

I must confess i never heard of the band VELVET CRUSH until i ran into this promo 12" at a second-hand store in Cork, Ireland. But the fact that it only cost an Euro and that it is a Creation release didn't make me hesitate very long. This POST GREATNESS E.P. has 4 songs on it and the first time i heard it, i immediately got associations with Teenage Fanclub because of the (pretty American sounding) sound these bands both have. Turns out that Velvet Crush is in fact an American band, who apparently earned their contract with Creation because of a cover they did of a Teenage Fanclub song. Now that's funny.

Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CRE 122 TP
Year of release: 1992

SIDE A:
01. Window To The World
02. Atmosphere

SIDE B:
01. The Gentle Breeze
02. Butterfly Position

Austra - Feel It Break [12", 2LP]

This debut album by AUSTRA was one of my favourites from 2011. FEEL IT BREAK is packed with nice electro-goth songs. Icy vocals, warm & fuzzy synths. Fever Ray meets Giorgio Moroder meets Ladytron meets Bat For Lashes; something like that. And quite a good live band as well.

Label: Domino
Cat.nr.: WIGLP270
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Darken Her Horse
02. Lose It
03. The Future

SIDE B:
01. Beat And The Pulse
02. Spellwork

SIDE C:
01. The Choke
02. Hate Crime
03. The Villain

SIDE D:
01. Shoot The Water
02. The Noise
03. The Beast

Maps / M83 - To The Sky / We Own The Sky [7"]

A nice limited 7" like we know them from quality label Sonic Cathedral. The bands on this split 7" are both featured with a remix of the other band's song. So on the A-side there's MAPS with their song To The Sky, in the M83 mix. While the original version is more uptempo, it has become quite an anthem here that starts off all quiet with just an organ and vocals, before epic drums roll in. Totally M83-style.
The version that Maps made of M83's We Own The Sky on the B-side is totally different from the original as well. First it sounds like they used a metronome for additional beats, but later on there's more variety. Still not really my cup of tea, this remix. I miss the bombastic grandeur of the original and this version just makes me a little nervous. But hey, that's me. Despite all of that, a really good A-side plus a remix of an M83 song that can't be found anywhere else. So a welcome addition to my collection.

Label: Sonic Cathedral
Cat.nr.: SCR008
Year of release: 2008

SIDE A:
01. MAPS - To The Sky (M83 Mix)

SIDE B:
01. M83 - We Own The Sky (Maps Mix)

Starflyer 59 - Silver [12", LP]

The SILVER album was STARFLYER 59's first full length. I still remember ordering the CD at the time when it came out in 1993, because it wasn't that easy to get and i read a review on which i based my order. Oh, those good old days when Spotify, Youtube and Soundcloud were not existing yet...

The album's a nice mix of alternative rock (à la Swervedriver and Smashing Pumpkins in their early days) and shoegaze.

This vinyl edition came out some 13 years later and i was happily surprised to run into it a few years ago. Brought back a lot of good memories, as i hadn't played this album in years. But since then it can be found regularly on my record player.



Label: Crossroads Of America

Cat.nr.: XRA-019           

Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:

01. Blue Collar Love

2. Monterey

03. Sled

04. Hazel Would

05. The Zenith

SIDE B:

01. 2nd Space Song

02. Droned

03. Happy Days Are Here Again

04. She Only Knows

05. The Dungeon

The Depreciation Guild / Ringo Deathstarr - Split [7"]

A nice split 7" on the Club AC30 label. Two members of  THE DEPRECIATION GUILD joined The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart when the first band disbanded. To my opinion, their song on this split 7" has a bit of a Cocteau Twins / The Sundays feel to it. The RINGO DEATHSTARR song is an uptempo one with some slower parts. Reminds me a bit of MBV during their early period on Creation.

Label: Club AC30
Cat.nr.: AC306087
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. THE DEPRECIATION GUILD - Dream About Me

SIDE B:
01. RINGO DEATHSTARR - Tambourine Girl

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than The Stars [7"]

HIGHER THAN THE STARS was released inbetween THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART's self-titled debut LP and the Belong album. A gentle song, that sounds a tiny bit like The Smiths to me. Which i don't see as a bad thing by the way.

Label: Slumberland Records
Cat.nr.: SLR 105
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Higher Than The Stars

SIDE B:
01. Higher Than The Stars (Others In Conversation Remix)

Jesu - Lifeline [12"]

A great 4-track EP by Justin Broadrick's JESU. The title track of this LIFELINE EP has a bit of a The Cure-vibe (Disintegration-era), and on Storm Comin' On you can hear Jarboe (of Swans). The packaging is also lovely (which is always the case with Hydra Head releases) and the version i have is the first pressing in gold/black split.

Label: Hydra Head Records
Cat.nr.: HH666127LP
Year of release: 2007

SIDE A:
01. Lifeline
02. You Wear Their Masks

SIDE B:
01. Storm Comin' On
02. End Of The Road

School Of Seven Bells - Heart Is Strange [7"]

Like the Windstorm single that has similar artwork, the HEART IS STRANGE single comes from the Disconnect From Desire album by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS. A radio edit of the track can be found on side A, while the B-side has a remix of Dust Devil by White Sea (in other words Morgan Kibby of M83 fame). Great stuff.

Label: Full Time Hobby
Cat.nr.: FTH104S
Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:
01. Heart Is Strange (Radio Edit)

SIDE B:
01. Dust Devil (White Sea Remix)

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Heart In Your Heartbreak [7"]

HEART IN YOUR HEARTBREAK is a single taken from the Belong album by THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART. A nice powerpop anthem on transparent purple vinyl.

Label: Slumberland Records / Fortuna Pop
Cat.nr.: SLR 134 / FPOP 109
Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:
01. Heart Of Your Heartbreak

SIDE B:
01. The One

Esben And The Witch - Marching Song [12"]

This was the first single that was lifted off their Violet Cries debut album, and with reason. MARCHING SONG is definitely one of ESBEN AND THE WITCH's best songs. Actually the song that got me hooked when i first heard songs from their 33 EP online. The other tracks on this EP are non-album tracks. There's a sticker on the sleeve saying it's limited, and Discogs claims there were only 300 made, but i don't know if that's true.

Label: Matador
Cat.nr.: OLE-9461
Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:
01. Marching Song
02. Souvenirs

SIDE B:
01. Done Because We Are Too Many

Astrobrite - Crush [12", LP]

About half a year ago i ran into some songs online by a band called ASTROBRITE, and from that moment on i knew i had to buy this album. CRUSH was apparently originally released in 2001 on CD only on Clairecords, and 10 years later BLVD Records released it on vinyl. They made 600 copies: 300 on black, and 300 on red (which is the version i have). A great underground shoegaze album that definitely deserved a vinyl release!

Label: BLVD Records
Cat.nr.: BLVD001
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Crasher
02. Radiofriendly
03. Bottlerocket
04. Happysad
05. Overdriver
06. Lemondrop

SIDE B:
01. Hopefully
02. Blown
03. Crushed
04. Butterfly kiss
05. Comet
06. Peachfuzz

Serena-Maneesh - Serena-Maneesh [12", 2LP]

  

The awesome self-titled debut full length by SERENA-MANEESH. Main man Emil Nikolaisen, who played in metal band Extol and garage/glam band Silver before, and his bass playing sister Hilma come from a musical family. Brother Ivar is the singer for Silver and their sister Elvira has a successful solo career.

Serena-Maneesh is a Norwegian band that plays their own pretty unique blend of krautrock, shoegaze, noise, psychedelic and garage rock.Think of a mix between Velvet Underground, My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen3, The Stooges and Amon Düül.

Label: Play Louder

Cat.nr.: PLAYR 4LP

Year of release: 2006

SIDE A

01. Drain Cosmetics

02. Selina's Melodie Fountain

03. Un-Deux

SIDE B:

01. Candlelighted

02. Beehiver II 

03. Her Name Is Suicide

SIDE C:

01. Sapphire Eyes

02. Don't Come Down Here 

03. Chorale Lick

04. Simplicity

SIDE D:

01. Your Blood In Mine 

Ride - Going Blank Again [12", 2LP]

Nowhere may be my favourite RIDE album, but GOING BLANK AGAIN is an absolute beauty as well. And Leave Them All Behind is definitely one of the best songs this band has ever made. Unfortunately, after this album it went only downhill with Carnival Of Light and Tarantula.
Originally, the album came out in 1992. Twenty years later it was the first time ever that it was reissued on vinyl, by a recently launched label called Obscure Alternatives. And they did a really great job with that.

Label: Obscure Alternatives
Cat.nr.: OAR 1108
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. Leave Them All Behind
02. Twisterella

SIDE B:
01. Not Fazed
02. Chrome Waves
03. Mouse Trap

SIDE C:
01. Time Of Her Time
02. Cool Your Boots
03. Making Judy Smile

SIDE D:
01. Time Machine
02. OX4

Torche - Meanderthal [12", LP]

I just love this TORCHE album. Not just because the songs are great (Healer being my favourite), but also because of the artwork. MEANDERTHAL comes in a foldout cover. Once you've flipped the clouds on the front to the sides, the following unfolds:

Now that's what i call Artwork with a capital A.
I have two copies of this album; both of the first pressing, but different versions. The first one is clear yellow; 400 copies were made of this.

The second one is the picture disc version. Normally i'm no big fan of picture discs, but this one is simply awesome to look at and fits perfectly with the rest of the package. Of this version they pressed 1000 copies.
The pics below just show the disc, but the picture disc version comes in a cover as well, just like the other versions.

Label: Robotic Empire
Cat.nr.: Robo 072
Year of release: 2008

SIDE A:
01. Triumph Of Venus
02. Grenades
03. Piranha
04. Sandstorm
05. Speed Of The Nail
06. Healer
07. Across The Shields
08. Sundown

SIDE B:
01. Little Champion
02. Without A Sound
03. Fat Waves
04. Amnesian
05. Meanderthal

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart [12", LP]

This is the first, self-titled full length by THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART. A lot of people call them a shoegaze band, but to me they're much more power pop - or just plain indie rock if you want. I didn't see them staring at their pedals at their shows at least, and their songs are way too uptempo. A really great band though, and a lovely album for that matter. Arguably the best indie album of 2009.
The singles lifted from this album all have the same cover by the way, but in different colours. Nice idea.

Label: Slumberland Records
Cat.nr.: SLR 89
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Contender
02. Come Saturday
03. Young Adult Friction
04. This Love Is Fucking Right!
05. The Tenure Itch

SIDE B:
01. Stay Alive
02. Everything With You
03. A Teenager In Love
04. Hey Paul
05. Gentle Songs

Baroness - Blue Record [12", 2LP]

BARONESS likes to give their releases simple, yet logical names. Their EP's were named First and Second, and after their debut Red Album followed BLUE RECORD. Although Red Album remains my favourite, this is also a true beast of an album. A great mix of post-metal, post-stoner and sludge. And all of that combined with fantastic artwork by frontman John Dyer Baizley.
Many pressings, at least 5 or more, in various colours have been made of this release by now. But i'm very happy with my (appropriate) baby-blue edition, part of the first pressing. Only 1000 copies were made of this one.

Label: Relapse Records
Cat.nr.: RR 7053-1
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Bullhead's Psalm
02. The Sweetest Curse 
03. Jake Leg

SIDE B:
01. Steel That Sleeps The Eye
02. Swollen And Hollow
03. Ogeechee Hymnal

SIDE C:
01. A Horse Called Golgotha
02. O'er Hell And Hide

SIDE D:
01. War, Wisdom And Rhyme
02. Blackpowder Orchard
03. The Gnashing
04. Bullhead's Lament          

The House Of Love - The House Of Love [12", LP]

After they'd released a self-titled album on Creation in 1988, THE HOUSE OF LOVE did it once again on Fontana in 1990. And although as far as i'm concerned it doesn't even come close to the Creation album, their two biggest hits (Shine On and Beatles And The Stones) are featured on this release.

Label: Fontana
Cat.nr.: 842 293-1           
Year of release: 1990

SIDE A:
01. Hannah
02. Shine On
03. Beatles And The Stones
04. Shake And Crawl
05. Hedonist
06. I Don't Know Why I Love You

SIDE B:
01. Never
02. Someone's Got To Love You
03. In A Room
04. Blind
05. 32nd Floor
06. Se Dest

Ride - OX4_ The Best Of Ride [12", 2LP]

A nice compilation album, released approximately ten years after RIDE's heyday and named after their hometown Oxford. Although to my personal taste there's about five songs from the band's later period (read: side D) that could've been replaced by older songs from their EP's or first two albums. Anyway, a welcome addition to my Ride collection.


Label: Ignition Records
Cat.nr.: IGN LP14
Year of release: 2001

SIDE A:
01. Chelsea Girl
02. Drive Blind
03. Like A Daydream
04. Taste

SIDE B:
01. Dreams Burn Down
02. Vapour Trail
03. Unfamiliar

SIDE C:
01. Leave Them All Behind
02. Twisterella
03. OX4

SIDE D:
01. Birdman
02. From Time To Time
03. How Does It Feel To Feel?
04. I Don't Know Where It Comes From
05. Black Nite Crash

The Smiths - Girlfriend In A Coma [7"]

GIRLFRIEND IN A COMA - i know it's serious. Of course i couldn't let this classic single lie in the racks when i saw it at Iki-Pop in Turku (Finland) some months ago. Definitely one of the better songs by THE SMITHS.

Label: Rough Trade
Cat.nr.: RT 197
Year of release: 1987

SIDE A:
01. Girlfriend In A Coma

SIDE B:
01. Work Is A Four-Letter Word

A Place To Bury Strangers - A Place To Bury Strangers [12", LP]

Last weekend i went to see A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS in Amsterdam. It was the third time i saw them, so the surprise was a bit gone, but boy is this a good live band. A total in-your-face assault of noise and shoegaze while it's only three guys on stage.
This self-titled debut LP i bought shortly after i saw them live the first time and was completely blown away by them. It's been pressed in various colours; mine is white as you can see on the picture and apparently it's the third pressing of which 300 copies were made.

Label: Important Records
Cat.nr.: IMPREC170
Year of release: 2007

SIDE A:
01. Missing You
02. Don't Think Lover
03. To Fix The Gash In My Head
04. The Falling Sun
05. Another Step Away

SIDE B:
01. Breathe
02. I Know I'll See You
03. She Dies
04. My Weakness
05. Ocean

Jesu - Conqueror [12", 2LP]

To me, CONQUEROR is still the magnum opus of JESU. Their (or i should say his, as it is a one-man project) second full length is a perfect example of how some post-metal bands have more in common with shoegaze than metal. I dare actually say that this album is more shoegaze than for example The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - a band that's often labeled as shoegaze while their music is pure indie / power pop. Anyway, if you like drony melancholic shoegaze with powerful guitar chords then this is your album.

Label: Conspiracy Records
Cat.nr.: CORE046
Year of release: 2007

SIDE A:
01. Conqueror
02. Old Year

SIDE B:
01. Transfigure
02. Weightless & Horizontal

SIDE C:
01. Medicine
02. Brighteyes

SIDE D:
01. Mother Earth
02. Stanlow

The Jesus And Mary Chain - Happy When It Rains [12"]

HAPPY WHEN IT RAINS is a single that's taken from the Darklands album by THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN. Personally i think it sounds quite a bit like their song Head On, which was released two years later. Which is not bad, but i like Head On better ;)
Track 3 on side B is only mentioned on the center label but not on the sleeve.


Label: Blanco Y Negro
Cat.nr.: NEG 25T
Year of release: 1987

SIDE A:
01. Happy When It Rains (Long Version)

SIDE B:
01. Everything's Alright When You're Down
02. Happy Place
03. F.hole

School Of Seven Bells - My Cabal [7"]

A true gem on Sonic Cathedral, this yellow coloured 7" by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS. It features the song MY CABAL and a remix of that song by Robin Guthrie (of Cocteau Twins fame). The version on the A-side is different than the one on their Alpinisms album (or the song's 12" on Ghostly International for that matter), but that's no wonder since this single came out a year earlier than the album. It's more straightforward, mainly because of the drums.
Robin Guthrie did a great job with the remix as well, giving it a less mechanical and more shoegazy touch; so more in the direction of the album version if you want.

Label: Sonic Cathedral
Cat.nr.: SCR004
Year of release: 2007

SIDE A:
01. My Cabal

SIDE B:
01. My Cabal (Robin Guthrie Mix)

Ride - Ride EP [12"]

I bought RIDE's self-titled EP together with their Play EP at the record fair in Utrecht. It wasn't cheap, but i've been looking for this 12" for such a long time already that it was well worth it. Drive Blind and Close My Eyes, both featured on this EP, are two of my favourite Ride songs ever.

Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CRE072T
Year of release: 1989

SIDE A:
01. Chelsea Girl
02. Drive Blind

SIDE B:
01. All I Can See
02. Close My Eyes

Lush - Mad Love EP [12"]

Another great 12" by LUSH. I came across this MAD LOVE EP at the Utrecht record fair recently. But of course I've had it on CD already since the day it came out ;)
All these songs are featured on the Gala LP as well.

Label: 4AD
Cat.nr.: BAD 0003
Year of release: 1990

SIDE A:
01. De-Luxe
02. Leaves Me Cold

SIDE B:
01. Downer
02. Thoughtforms