WeePOP!

I'm sure most of you are already aware of this, but WeePOP! Records might be the cutest label around at the moment. Just look at those little CDs! Handmade covers and all. You can't really see clearly, but I'm actually holding the Summer Cats's Passion Pop EP and the Mexican Kids At Home's When we all live in igloos EP. Both still on sale, both great.

WeePOP! are on the verge of releasing their first vinyl 7" for One Happy Island's Secret party the other party doesn’t know about EP. It's scheduled for next month.

Download (Mediafire)
1. Summer Cats - Burnt toast
2. Mexican Kids At Home - Start a one man band!
3. One Happy Island - Potential

Finally

Summer starts today! In Amsterdam it's still a bit too cloudy, but I'm packing my bags and leaving for sunshiny New York this Wednesday so no worries.

Download (Mediafire)
1. The Loves - Summertime

Voetbal & Pannenkoeken

You might have noticed that the European Football Championship (UEFA Euro 2008) is going on. If so, you might also have noticed that Holland are doing quite well, beating both World Cup finalists (Italy and France) with a three goal difference. It's only a game, but it's nice. People are smiling and partying and the Netherlands are slowly but surely turning a bright orange. It makes me smile too. Last Friday I watched the Holland-France game (4-1) with a friend in a crowded pub on a big screen. We walked into a pub filled with about a hundred strangers, hours later we left with a hundred new friends. Nothing brings people together like an good night of celebrating. You don't even need to like football to enjoy a night like that.

On a completely unrelated note, for tonight a friend invited me for a pancake dinner. She's the first person I ever met through the internet, after I joined a forum a few years back. This is how the internet is at its best: when it results in real life friends. It's hard to imagine us meeting without the help of the interest-filter a forum can be. I haven't been meeting a lot of people this way, but with a girlfriend and a pancake-baking friend it's not a bad score after all!

Recovery

Of all lazy weekends this might have been the laziest ever. Apart from a long pubnight on Friday I hardly left the house. I even spent most of the Saturday and Sunday in my underwear, with uncombed hair. No need to dress, not meeting anyone. No obligations. Just me, my bed, my computer, my television, my telephone, my books, magazines and my music.

Boring? Completely. Nice? Certainly. I needed it.

Download (Mediafire)
1. Dressy Bessy - Side 2
2. Elenette - Pappa go riot!
3. The Hidden Cameras - Doot doot ploot

Doubly unbeatable

Cars Can Be Blue have a new album, Doubly unbeatable, out on Happy Happy Birthday To Me this week. If you pre-ordered it like I did you would have received a nice package in the mail today, inluding a t-shirt, a badge, a signed picture ("Dennis, your load I want to taste!", mine says quite charmingly) and a bonus EP.

With CCBB you know what to expect: fast punkpop songs with lyrics that are often quite explicitely about sex and meant to be funny. I say 'meant' because the jokes don't always work perfectly (and are often on and over the edge of the normally acceptable), but overall it's more hit than miss. Their sound? Try to imagine a speeded up mix between The Vaselines and The Moldy Peaches and you're getting pretty close.

If you loved their first (All the stuff we do) there's no doubt you'll like this one too. It's almost the same album, part two.

Download (Mediafire)
1. Cars Can Be Blue - I like (from 'All the stuff we do')
2. Cars Can Be Blue - Sun blows up (from 'Doubly unbeatable')

Searching For The Now

Throughout 2008 Slumberland Records is releasing a wonderful series of 7" split singles under the name Searching For the Now. The plan is to release two singles every ten weeks, and after eight singles compile them on a CD. And start again, perhaps. All singles are released on colour vinyl and in special sleeves.

So far released this year:

Searching For The Now 1:
1: The Company Presents Roy Moller - Join the dots
2: The Hermit Crabs - Flaxen-haired boy

Searching For The Now 2:
1: Bye! - Oh no, baby don't
2: The Happy Couple - Song for the troubadour (acoustic version)

Searching For The Now 3:
1: A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Sometimes I think about you
2: The Sunny Street - Pottery & glass

Searching For The Now 4:
1: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Come Saturday
2: Summer Cats - Let's go!

According to the Slumberland website some of the bands confirmed for future releases include The School, Eux Autres, Strawberry Fair, Soda Fountain Rag, Liechtenstein, Pants Yell!, Moscow Olympics and Pipas. Every SFTN release is strictly limited to 600 copies, so don't be late getting yours!

Get it while you can

If you go over to the Asaurus Records website, you'll be confronted with this message:


"So folks, this is the beginning of the (potential) end for Asaurus Records as we all know and love it. Your last day to place an order is June 15th, 2008. After that is anybody’s guess. I have a few ideas, but we’ll talk about them later."


That's only one week left to get those lovely records. I took this opportunity to order the two completely wonderful Colin Clary (of The Smittens) records out on Asaurus. They're nice little handmade packages with great music and also really cheap, so go have a look!


Download (Mediafire)
1. Colin Clary - The mixtape on my mind (from 'Sweater Weather Or Not, These Are The Songs I Got')
2. Colin Clary - Backseat, man (from 'Apocalypse Yow!')

Back to New York City

Last weekend I booked a ticket to New York again! Only three weeks to go before take off. Sadly I'll be just a few days late for the NYC Popfest, but I'm sure I'll find other ways to entertain myself.

Girlfriend! Summer! New York!

And ehm... Music! Even though perhaps that ! not in New York then. I do need to start preparing some roadtrip mixes though. Maybe (and maybe not) including these songs:

Download (Mediafire)
1. The Cuties - Postgirl (remix)
2. Slow Down Tallahassee - Kiss me again
3. Lacrosse - No more lovesongs