Linda Smith - "Till Another Time" 7"

Linda Smith – “Till Another Time” 7”

Slumberland, 1993

Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2012

Price: $1

The dreamy lo-fi pop of Linda Smith’s 1990 “Gorgeous Weather” 7” gives way to a fuzzy, languid shoegazer vibe that jibes well with her new label, Slumberland. “Till Another Time” sounds like it has a buzzsaw running through it. It feels much akin to the recent crop of Slumberland shoegaze-revival bands that resurged like mad at the end of the 00s. The b-sides have a bit more jangle but on the whole were a lot quieter and I ended up taking a nap somewhere in the middle of it all.

Gut Feeling: Joanna Gruesome - Peanut Butter

Joanna Gruesome - Peanut Butter

Slumberland, 2015

Let’s just get this out of the way right at the top: We all know that Joanna Gruesome is a terrible band name. It’s funny, sure, but it does a disservice to a really terrific young band. Unlike most of the bands on Slumberland’s roster who seem content to dredge up the label’s pop-tinged shoegazey past, Welsh quintet Joanna Gruesome make their own beautiful mess out of punk, indiepop, and a kitchen sink’s worth of nods to the great hooksmiths of the 90s. Now allow me to undercut that statement by saying that Peanut Butter is the spiritual successor to Black Tambourine’s Complete Recordings. That’s about the highest compliment I can pay, because that album is maybe the most perfect indie-pop record ever recorded. The genre is at its best when the albums stick to a ten-songs, all under three minutes formula, and Joanna Gruesome not only follow that line, but keep the tracks around the two-minute mark. As a result, these songs achieve what is basically the equivalent of the Magic Hour in music: They don’t overstay their welcome and you want to immediately listen to them all over again.

Which is why I want these guys to change their name! You deserve better! I mean, it’s certainly a fitting moniker, considering that this band gives about zero fucks about what anyone thinks, but c’mon! Come to think of it, it’s much better than the uninspired band names currently overpopulating the indie rock landscape. At least it’s funny and has some personality! Speaking of personality, Joanna Gruesome has plenty. The opening track, “Last Year,” leads on as the shouty-post-riot-grrrl Sleater Kinney vibe that seems to be so popular at the moment before pulling the rug out and delivering the sweetest, most satisfying hooks I’ve heard all year. It’s a winning formula, and a beautiful juxtaposition that works throughout the record’s brisk 22 minutes. The band’s energy and love for vintage British twee reminds me of my beloved Los Campesinos! but they bring a darker, grungier edge to the table. The result is the most exciting album I’ve heard all year and the CD is going to stay in my car stereo for at least a month and a half.

"Last Year" - The new frontrunner for my favorite song of 2015 by about a mile at this point. If this song doesn't do it for you at least on some tiny level, you have no joy in your heart.

Small Factory - "Lose Your Way" 7"

Small Factory – “Lose Your Way” 7”

Slumberland/Bijoopiter, 1994

Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2008

Price: $1

I feel like I can’t go 20 posts without talking about Small Factory. They were a small band from the smallest state and somehow they always seem to be popping up. Something about their tunes really hits me where it counts. They’re pure indie pop, but not cloyingly twee. They’re a little lo-fi with a firm grasp on mid-90s jangle pop, but these tracks sound timeless. Both “Lose Your Way” and b-side “Scared of Love” are instant winners. I was just slagging Slumberland the other day, but this is the stuff I was talking about when I was talking about Slumberland’s mid-90s heyday where their track record was unblemished. Neither of these songs found their way onto Small Factory’s second and final (and fantastic) LP For If You Cannot Fly, which makes this 7” a tiny miracle. 

Scared of Love from Small Factory on Myspace.

Sarandon - "Joe's Record" 7"

Sarandon – “Joe’s Record” 7”

Slumberland, 2007

Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2009

Price: $1

Beautiful pink vinyl with no indication of which side is which on the label? F. FAIL! WHY WHY WHY DO BANDS DO THIS?! Pain in my ass. I digress. Slumberland is one of those labels I fawned over until I realize, of late, that they basically release the same, washed out sounding pop records on repeat. I love Black Tambourine, Swirlies, Honeybunch, and Velocity Girl, but newer bands like Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Literature, Veronica Falls, Brilliant Colors, Crystal Stilts, and Sarandon either sound like some other band or nothing at all. It’s probably not fair to criticize the label without having heard every single thing they’ve released in the last five years, but every time I bite at something based on my preconceived notions of Slumberland I always feel a bit let down (that new Joanna Gruesome record was pretty good, though, so maybe I just need to dig a little deeper). Maybe I’m just feeling cynical today and being harsh on a well meaning indie label for not living up to the glory of their early days. I’m scanning their complete discography looking for the last record of theirs I really loved that wasn’t a reissue of one of their heyday bands and it took me all the way back to 2003 with the Aislers Set’s How I Learned to Write Backwards. Basically, my impression is that they only release bands that are afraid to sound like something other than cool kids who bury their pop-tinged tracks in layers of fuzz and reverb and hazy production with hushed vocals and a vintage twee vibe. None of the music they release is bad…good god, who knew I cared so much about Slumberland’s discography not living up to my expectations. I’m surprised myself. And a little embarrassed, but I’m leaving it in. Honestly, I think I’m still mad that the Pains of Being Pure at Heart always sound so good upon first listen until I realize their music is totally empty. But it’s so pretty and it reminds me of so many other bands! Ack. Anyway, for Sarandon I played this record three times and I can’t remember for the life of me what it sounds like. I recall jaunty post-punk guitars and some incredibly thin production. I listened to it one more time and immediately forgot. If it were up to me, I would skip this forgettable stuff. That’s what I do when I review new albums. If I hate it, I don’t even give it the time, but for the integrity of this project, I listen to every last little record I own because I gotta understand why it is there. I don’t know why I’m worried about stepping on Slumberland’s toes. It’s not like they send me free records or anything. I think maybe it’s because I used to burn bridges as recent as like, three years ago, and since then I have tried to make a habit of not burning bridges. But writing for the Pitch required me to be very even handed and to avoid this at all costs so my inner snark and cynical trash talk crops up here from time to time. Maybe if Crayola Sarandon had bothered to put some actual text on his 7”s labels I wouldn’t be in this position!

Here's their track "Kill Twee Pop!" which has more verve and energy than any of the tracks on this 7".

Gut Feeling: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Days of Abandon

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Days of Abandon

Slumberland, 2014

There were a couple golden weeks in 2009 where the Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s eponymous debut was my favorite thing in the world. And then reality set in and I realized that the reason I loved the album so much was because it reminded me of bands I already loved. I recognized that the band did little to differentiate themselves from their obvious influences and though enjoyable, the music was hollow. Same goes for the group’s sophomore effort, Belong, which added a beefier sonics but ultimately ended up sounding like Smashing Pumpkins half the time (and with Silversun Pickups having cornered the market on bands that sound like Smashing Pumpkins, it was an easy pass). The music is TOTALLY FINE. It’s really nice. I just can’t get past how this band manages to stay so obnoxiously derivative.

Still, despite the pains in my heart, I bit at Days of Abandon. Naturally, it’s the same old shit and I might as well be listening to the Field Mice or Adorable or any of the dreamy mope-pop greats from the late 80s/early 90s. It wouldn’t be totally hopeless if the songwriting was strong or personal, or if singer Kip Berman relied on anything but bland platitudes in his lyrics, but nope. There’s nothing here to set the Pains apart. Worst of all, in the band’s eternal sideways growth they’ve let the shoegaze elements bloat their songs into oblivion. The first three minutes of “Beautiful You” are some of the record’s strongest, but then the song doubles itself and calls attention to the repetition.

It’s all very good and nice, but for a band that wears its heart in its name, their music is all form and no substance. No heart. No soul. Just pretty ethereal guitars, sensitive Sarah Records vocals, and a bunch of songs that sound like they would rather be in England 30 years ago than live in the present. It’s a shame, because it’s a gross waste of talent. I keep coming back to the Pains of Being Pure at Heart because I know these guys have the skill to make a great record but they just can’t figure out how to mature and move past their influences to make something of their own.

"Simple and Sure"