The Notes - Fearless

Good news for fans of The Notes! They have a new download album available for free from Bandcamp! It's a mixture of re-recorded old songs and instrumentals. Although, with the exception of Lost For Days, all these tunes were new to me.

It's not a "proper" album, but then again, it's way better than the usual collection of outtakes and oddities. Best of all, it's FREE! So, there's nothing to lose by investigating.

Have a listen to the title track, Fearless. It's the missing thirteenth song from their marvellous, swishing, swooping debut, Wishing Well - doubtless left off to increase sales amongst the triskadecophobic community.

Listen to Bourgeois. Coming straight at you from a piss-stained concrete dystopia where it rains actual excreta, circa 1980. Would have fitted perfectly in to a Peel show of the time, bookended by the likes of Young Marble Giants and The Chameleons.

Then listen to Lost For Days. Delicate and perfect, like a rusty autumn leaf in the split second before it blows to the ground, only to be spoilt in the gutter.

Come to think of it, you really should listen to the whole thing.

The Notes on Bandcamp

A band called The Notes recently introduced themselves in the Southampton thread on the Anorak forum. Not an easy name to find via search engines - however, through a bit of sleuthing, I eventually managed to find some tunes of theirs on Bandcamp.

In exchange for your e-mail address, the six-song Introducing The Notes is available as a free download. The song that I have been playing on repeat is Dancing Shoes, which reminds me of the days between post-punk and goth, when gloominess was exciting. Psycho-twangin' guitar, echoing, throbbing, headmunching beat music. It's a two-minute gloomthrill. Excellent stuff.

Tweecore Tommy: The Melons

Resident indiepop expert, Tweecore Tommy (pictured, left) has been searching through my list of free downloads on Last fm, searching for rarely-heard gems. He thinks he may have found one, in the shape of The Melons song, Strictly Melonhead.

"Cheap keyboards, synthetic handclaps, cheeky lyrics, sung by hard-drinking party girls - ex-members of Fat Tulips...yes please!" Tommy purred. "If I was human, I'd say it was just my cup of tea, but as I'm a cat, I'll say it's just my puddle of fetid rainwater*".

*This is a good thing. Other free downloads by The Melons are available - Fire Engine Girl is particularly recommended.