“Heads in the Clouds” by David Yetton

Formerly bassist and one of three songwriters in NZ 1980s/90s band The Jean Paul Sartre Experience (subsequently known as JPS Experience, JPSE), David Yetton has cleaned out his computer hard drive with a wry-titled cassette album called “Move to Trash (Bits, Pieces, Offcuts & Stuff)” released on Hamburg-based cassette label Thokei Tapes. Here’s “Heads in the Clouds” from it.

Yetton went on to form Stereobus/ The Stereo Bus after JPSE split. The songs on “Move to Trash” sound to be Stereobus/ The Stereo Bus era demos, out-takes, and ideas.

However some of them also rekindle the sense of hushed melodic wonder of that very first EP by the Jean Paul Sartre Experience released on Flying Nun Records back in the mid 1980s. As “Teardrops” here does beautifully…

Thokei Tapes have released some intriguing oddities from the archives of other NZ artists associated with the Flying Nun label. They are not available for download, however you do get a free download if you buy a cassette. Postage seems to be reasonable so why not…?

“Rip KF” by Wurld Series

Christchurch guitar-botherers Wurld Series are back with a full-length album called “Air Goofy”, fittingly available on cassette. Here’s the second song “Rip KF” for you:

It’s ‘fittingly’ on cassette because it was recorded on cassette, via a Tascam 424 4-track cassette recorder, staple of a generation of bedroom DIY artists in previous decades, and it seems again today.

As we’ve heard from previous tunes and EPs and songs like “Orkly Kid” and “Rabbit” which are both included here, the spirit of early rough-genius Pavement is undeniably strong in Wurld Series at times – twisting fuzzed out guitars and stream of unconscious life lyrical flights.  But so is the spirit of the 3-Ds from closer to home, who arguably influenced Pavement with their eccentric lead guitar shapes and angles atop lurching fuzzed out guitar skronk-pop.

If “Rip KF” – complete with shared lead vocal between guitarist/ vocalist Luke Towart and guest vocalist Tyne Gordon – represents the more middle-of-a-rough-road-to-nowhere melodic guitar pop side of “Air Goofy” then there’s much variety on either side of that median. Check out the thrilling “LT’s Struggle” for an alternative example.

Another great addition to both the Wurld Series and the Melted Ice Cream label catalogues. Don’t just take PopLib’s word for it. UK music blog Did Not Chart has also been singing the praises of this rough diamond.

 

 

“Better” by Deerful

“Better” is the second track of a four song cassette EP released yesterday by London keyboard player Emma Winston under the name Deerful.

“Better” envelopes the senses with layers of blissful synth washes and hypnotic repetition  upon which the vocal melody plays out. It captures perfectly a mood of enigmatic melancholic rapture as spellbinding as the music of another favourite London band, Leaf Library (check their brilliant “Daylight Versions” album).

Judging by the notes accompanying the release it may be a song about recovery from depression using the power of imagination:  “I believed my life would be exactly as I made it/ I believed a future lay within my sight.” Although intended as personal reflection, it can’t help but make any listener’s day better.

It’s not entirely typical of Deerful though because the other songs here (and the first side of the beautiful WIAIWYA Single Club “Moon Maps”/ “Hush Me” single from Deerful a few months ago) are more in the style of the kind of perfect minimalist electronic pop miniatures that fans of early Magnetic Fields will appreciate and enjoy.

 

“Still In The Pool” by Wurld Series

Day 23 of NZ Music Month is from Christchurch band Wurld Series & the budget psychedelia of “Still in the Pool” from their side of a split cassette shared with Jim Nothing.

“Still in the Pool” builds on the strummed guitar, voice and percussion, adding an bottomless pool of reverb guitar in the background. It’s this modest but perfect little experimental touch which gives the song it’s captivating atmosphere.

Their whole side of that (sold out) split cassette is pretty wonderful and varied. There’s a strong bedroom psych-rock experimental pop thing going on and their DIY (cassette?) recording is warm and true. There’s some quite beautiful things on there I wasn’t expecting, like “Stone Door” too.

“Orkly Kid” by Wurld Series

Here’s some unholy lo-fi psych goodness in spades from Christchurch band Wurld Series and their “Orkly Kid” single.

“Orkly Kid” comes across with the sweetly melodic fuzzed up charm of early Teenage Fanclub via Pavement as recorded on a 4 track cassette (I’m guessing).

It’s a bit grainy and lo-fi but that super-psych heavy tremolo-fuzz guitar sound is messily wonderful.

The B-Side “Rabbit” is also great. Looking forward to hearing these one day on “the forthcoming ‘Anthology’ to be released through Voyager Golden Records (Portland, USA)” and on “a full length LP to be released in the NEAR FUTURE.”

Wurld Series also appeared recently on this (sold out) split cassette with Jim Nothing on Melted Ice Cream. Pretty sure that Jim Nothing is also in Wurld Series but they are refreshingly obscure (no FB page!) and I like it that way.

[PostScript: Wurld Series advise “Sorry but we got a FB page after all…” They also say Jim Nothing left a while back but “is forever an honorary member of Wurld Series.”]

“Forget About It Kid” by Jay Som/ Melina Duterte

UK cassette label Beech Coma has already featured in PopLibNZ. It was through Vol. 1 that I discovered Tuff Love and found their Scottish label Lost Map and bought their 10″ EP “Dross” recently.

Vol. 3 is out and, once again, it’s a spectacular collection of indie-pop from around the world. Confirmation of both the global reach and immaculate taste of Beech Coma is their inclusion of PopLibNZ’s song of 2014 “Zero” by Fazerdaze.

Right now I just can’t get past the perfect majesty of the very first track by Californian Melina Duerte (also going under the solo name Jay Som on her own Bandcamp page).

It’s a great song, right from that Cure-inspired chorus guitar to the epic chiming guitar parts and synth wash. Sure it has a nod in the direction of 80’s post-punk, but there was nothing quite as wonderful as this back then. I was there.

As with the previous Beech Coma compilations, Vol. 3 is a great place to start a voyage of discovery, shining a light on music we would otherwise miss.

You can read an interview with Melina Duterte on Impose.