Undercover poplover, part 17

Remember the other day
I would call, you would say
"Baby, how's your day?"
But today, it ain't the same
Every other word is "Uh huh", "Yeah, okay"

Download (Mediafire)
1. of Montreal - Spanish dance troupe
2. The Hidden Cameras - Say my name
3. Eels - Altar boy

The Blanche Hudson Weekend

Still sad about the end of The Manhattan Love Suicides? Well, so am I of course. But here's The Blanche Hudson Weekend, The Manhattan's Caroline and Darren with friends. Lots of fuzz, lots of 60s ghosts, lots of raw and pretty tunes. Well, at least three so far.

Their debut 7" single, The Letters To Daddy EP, is available for pre-order on Squirrel Records now.

Order here

Download (Mediafire)
1. The Blanche Hudson Weekend - Crying shame

Interview: Zipper-Cremallera

Maria, David and Oscar from Madrid, Spain, are responsible for some of the most addictive and danceable pop songs of the last few years. It's been a while though since Zipper-Cremallera released 11, their fantastic debut album. I thought it was time to get to know the band a little bit better, and to see what they're up to.


Hello Maria! Can you give us a short history of the band? How did you meet? When and why did you decide to start a band together?

We met at the university in 1996!! At the beginning we were four and have changed second guitarist twice. Finally, the three of us decided to go on together as a trio. Oscar plays the drums and sings a little, David plays the guitar and sings backing voices and I play the bass guitar and normally sing.

I know it’s silly, but it’s still unclear to me what your actual band name is. Is it Zipper-Cremallera? Or is it Cremallera in Spain and Zipper for us English speakers?

Yes, both mean the same and it’s true that we decided to change the name to Zipper-Cremallera when we started to sing in both languages. At the beginning we only sang in English. But now, the meaning could be different. Perhaps in the future there could be two projects…

Like you just said, you sing in both Spanish and English. How have the reactions in Spain been? Are you a bit popular?

It depends on the year or moment that we’re going through. When we started, there were many Spanish bands that sang in English, then it changed and these bands were criticized and now, it’s changed again and there's a mixture. We’ve just been doing what we felt at each moment all these years. We’re not very popular in Spain, though, but have some good true fans (I could tell you all their names).

You were picked up by Cloudberry, WeePOP! and Liliput. Was it you who found the labels, or did they find you? Is the independent 'DIY' spirit of these labels important to you, or are you secretly hoping for a big record deal in the future?

Cloudberry and WeePop! found us thanks to myspace. And we’re very thankful to them because many people from all the world know us thanks to them. And Liliput Records is (or was) a Spanish little record label in Spain. But, it was dissolved last year, so we’re completely free again. But thanks to them too we've released our first long album in Spain.

To be honest, I’m not very aware of a lot of Spanish bands or a Spanish pop scene. Is there a community or scene you feel part of? Which other Spanish bands should we be paying attention to?

There's not really a huge pop scene right now. There are some bands that do similar things and we like them like Papa Topo, Linda Guilala, Indienella or M.A.L. You should listen to them.

A quote from your website: “We’d like to be the soundtrack of a really stupid happy moment of your life. One of those moments that won’t last in your memory for having been decisive for your future but you’ll vaguely remember it as one of the best from your past.” Can you tell us about one of those moments from your own life, and what music brings back that memory?

For example, David can't stop listening to Bicycle ride by the Swedish band The Never Invited To Parties, and I remember when I had to study for the exams that I always found more interesting to translate every song by Talulah Gosh...

Speaking of memories: what was the kind of music you grew up with? When was punk or indiepop introduced into your lives?

We grew up with the Spanish 80's pop music. Later, in the high-school we started to delve into British indiepop bands, we shared our cassettes with new discoveries to each other and finally myspace has opened our range of countries, especially Sweden.

First you played the London Popfest, and then Indietracks. It’s been an exciting year for the band! Do you like being on stage? What’s been your favourite performance so far?

We're very lucky for playing in both festivals. The London Popfest opened our door for the Indietracks and it's been amazing. We really love our English audience. I think we've played more times in England this year than in Spain. It's funny, but we feel more comfortable there. Our favorite performance was also at the London Popfest. The venue was completely full, it was sold out!! (though it's not a very huge place...) And we shared stage with Amelia Fletcher!!

It’s been a little while since your last release. Can we expect anything new sometime soon? Have you been writing or recording new songs?

In fact, we're recording 11 new songs right now. We think they'll be finished by the end of November. Some of them are going to be for a vinyl with Cloudberry Records, some of them for another vinyl with the Scottish record label Bubblegum Records and the rest of them, we will see...

Thank you Maria!

Zipper-Cremallera myspace
Cloudberry Records
Embajada de Liliput
WeePOP! Records
Bubblegum Records

Download (right click, save as)
1. Zipper-Cremallera - Former friends

Pants Yell! - Received pronunciation

Pants Yell! are one of those rare great bands that come out with a good debut, and then keep getting better with each subsequent album. So good even, that their third, Alison Statton, was my #1 album of 2007. Now here's the fourth, Received pronunciation.

I've just hit the 'order' button on the Slumberland website half an hour ago, so I can't tell you a lot more about this than the very obvious: New Pants Yell! On Slumberland! I'm excited!

Buy this album here
Pants Yell myspace


Download (right click, save as)
1. Pants Yell! - Cold hands

We need a holiday

If you're the kind of person who pays attention to these things, you may have noticed a link to Holiday Records in my list of links down there somewhere on the left that's been there for a couple of months now.

"in these troubled times things have become so complicated. music is too exciting. you deserve a break and we're going to give it to you! we know you don't have any money, neither do we!"

It's not only free music for everyone; it's good free music for everyone.
Have a look around.

All good things take effort

We were talking about music (of course we were).

We were watching MTV for a bit and again we were amazed by how little it seems to take to be on TV. It made us feel a little bit sad. Then we browsed the Internet. We were overwhelmed by how many amazing artists are hidden somewhere in this world. We were overwhelmed by how many amazing artists will always be hidden somewhere in this world. It confused us more than a little when we tried to link the rubbish on TV and the goldmine out there, somewhere.

We thought about it for a second.

I remembered my interview with Pete Green. He said: "There's no point getting your knickers in a twist about the charts. Industry music is no more relevant to the indiepop movement than Baroque chamber music or horse racing. What we do and where we are now is wonderful and I'm just about completely joyous about the whole thing. (…) We've got a beautiful scene with everything we need."

And Pete's right of course. We shouldn't be saddened by what's on TV; we can turn it off without any effort.

To be honest, a big part of the joy of music is the experience of discovery, of digging in that mine yourself. To get ridiculously excited when you find that diamond. To have that little secret, that knowledgde about something so beautiful that no one else you know knows about. Sometimes, when your diamond, your little secret, through mechanisms that will probably always stay a mystery, suddenly gets a lot of attention in the 'real' world, it's secretly even hurting a little bit, isn't it? Think Belle & Sebastian. Think The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, even.

I stumbled upon Sibylle Baier's website and smiled at this part, written by her son: "Sibylle will most likely never see this site. She is really quite perplexed by all the attention that her music has gotten (after over 30 years). My father keeps telling her about all the pages and articles that are out there, but she, though smitten, prefers to hear about her accolades through the eyes and ears of her family. The web makes her dizzy, I think."

I imagine a future world, say 2030 (I'm 52). The world discovers The Smittens, Pants Yell!
The press rave about Liechtenstein, Pocketbooks.

It's ok. We've had them to ourselves for long enough by then.

The web makes me dizzy too. Dizzy but happy, and so, so grateful.

Download (Mediafire)
1. Sibylle Baier - Tonight
2. When I was 12 - Make believe hearts
3. Rose Melberg - Things that we do

Undercover poplover, part 16

"On white horses let me ride away to my world of dreams so far away.
Let me run, to the sun. To a world my heart can understand.
It's a warm and gentle wonderland.
Far away, stars away."

Download (Mediafire)
1. Trixie's Big Red Motorbike - White horses
2. Jesus And Mary Chain - Surfin' USA
3. Sambassadeur - La chanson de Prévert

One night in Phitsanulok

4 years ago

Although it's 8 PM it's still hot and humid at the Bangkok bus station. We've got 390 km ahead of us. It'll be a 7 hour drive to Phitsanulok. We have spent the first three days of our five-week vacation in Bangkok and are ready to travel up North, impressed by the capital city but eager to leave its smell and chaos behind us. We tip our guide for the day and get in the bus.

The first thing I notice is the karaoke TV for entertainment. The second thing I notice is that we're the only tourists. The third thing I notice is that our front row chairs leave no room at all for my legs. It's going to be fun.

"Here we go", I state the obvious. "Yes", my girlfriend says. My girlfriend and I, we've been together for about four years at that point. We don't need a lot of words. We're good together. We love each other so much. We do. We do.

Do we?

A couple of days before our flight from Amsterdam to Bangkok we got the excting news that the appartment that we wanted would be ours by the time we'd come home. Now, while the first hour of our bus trip slowly passes by, I find myself daydreaming about that future. Our future.

"There's a school around the corner", I say. "Nice, for our children." I'm joking, but only a little bit. We've talked about having children, one day. I expect another absent minded "Yes" from my girl. Maybe even a somewhat more interested "Mh hmm". None of that though.

"Dennis", she says. Something in the tone of here voice makes me snap out of my daydreamy state. The bus is dead silent. Even the sound of the karaoke has been turned off now; all you see on the screen are the neatly dressed up Thai people, silently singing while the little ball skips over the undecipherable words. We've got over six hours to go, every minute further from Bangkok. Every minute further from home. Nowhere to go. "I don't want to be with you anymore."


4 weeks ago

The doorbell of our new house in Almere rings. I put my son on my arms and walk towards the door.
"Honey, she's here." My girlfriend walks down the stairs.

"Here we go", I state the obvious. "Yes", my girlfriend says. My girlfriend and I, we've been together for about four years at that point. We don't need a lot of words. We're good together. We love each other so much. We do. We do!

I open the door and look my ex-girlfriend in the eyes. "Hello!"

We have a good afternoon together, all of us.
I look at my ex-girlfriend.
I look at my girlfriend.

"There's a school around the corner", I say. "Nice, for our children."

I look at our son.
I look at my girlfriend.
I look at my ex-girlfriend.

"Thank you," I say.


4 days ago

A colleague of mine mentions her travel plans.
"Thailand. Have you been there?"

Thailand. The most confusing weeks of my life.
The biggest possible heartbreak ever.
Exhausting, in every way.

"Yes. Yes, it's wonderful." I say.

It's brought me nothing but good things.


4 hours ago

The dog barks.

I lie awake in bed.
I turn around.
I turn around again.
The events described above go quickly through my head.

Life is strange. No, actually: life is quite perfect.
People are strange.

Once I start writing the post you're reading now, I already know I'll be my same old sappy self. I just tend to get a bit too sentimental like that. Usually re-reading a piece like this before posting it stops me from actually clicking that 'post' button.

But I thought I'd keep this one.