When I heard that Pas/Cal was releasing a full length this year, I was excited. Based on their previous singles I was anticipating getting my inde twee pop quota for the year. Now I know that Vik really liked I Was Raised On Matthew, Luke and Laura, but for me, I would say that after a couple of listens, there really isn’t much there for me to go back to. Needless to say, I have spent my days since it’s release in a hopeless trance, roaming the streets aimlessly without that one undeniably catchy melody or harmony banging around in my head that just won’t go away.

Then I found Holiday.

Shit, this album is good. Ready, Steady, Go! is the second album released by this pop quartet. Since the internet was only invented in 2001, I have had a hard time tracking down much history on these guys. Aside from their Wiki page which tells me that Holiday was an indie pop band of Yalies (yale graduates) active on the East Coast of the United States between 1992 and 1997, and a select few album reviews, there isn’t much more I can tell you.

There are no real surprises here with this historic, inde twee release. It’s just solid. I even hear a bit of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci in the sweet vocal department. Any Gorky fans out there? Heh, heh.

Here is my favourite track from the album, Everything You Say. “Lets do something fun for once…” is now banging around in my head all day, and it isn’t all too bad.

 

 Holiday - Everything You Say (Ready, Steady, Go! - 1996): Play Now

It’s taken six years, three EPs, two twelve inch split singles and a handful of appearances on compilations for Detroit based Pas/Cal to finally release their very first LP, ‘I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura’.

I first came across Pas/Cal in 2003 at ‘A New Architecture’ one of the better indie nites in Toronto at the time. I got to know one of the DJ’s and he lent me a copy of their first EP ‘The Handbag Memoirs’, consisting of upbeat pop gems like ‘The Bronze Beached Boys (Come On Let’s Go)’ and ‘I Wanna Take You Out In Your Holiday Sweater’. I remember asking him what their name was and all I heard was ‘Pastel!!’ over the loud music and beer-clogged ears. I stumbled away confused thinking he was talking about ‘The Pastels’ as they are more of a melancholic synth band. I was tempted to send a drunken email to Stephen Pastel saying ‘You’ve changed man, it used to be about the music’ but luckily the DJ was kind enough to clarify the name and handed over a copy of the EP.

Subsequent EP’s,’Oh Honey, We’re Ridiculous’ and ‘Dear Sir’ followed in 2004 and 2006 respectively. Both of them were Viktically acclaimed but they always left me wanting more, like that half eaten packet of Whoppers I just stole from my coworkers drawer.

When Pas/Cal announced they were releasing a full LP earlier this year, the news was almost bittersweet as I’ve been waiting for this news for a long time, but at the same time weary of the fact that they may not have it in them to create a full album of stand out tracks.

Although I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura constitutes Casimer Pascal and Co.’s trademark high pitched vocals and up-tempo ’60s pastiche, after a few listens you’ll feel this LP isn’t something you can just throw on in the background while you’re doing something, you’ll need to sit back and pay attention to the story it has to tell. From the opening track IWROMMLL rocks and bounces along at an unpredictable pace but beneath the surface it compels the listener to pay attention every chord struck and word sung during it’s whimsical journey.

There is a track on IWROMMLL called ‘Ballad Of The Ignored’. Perhaps a cheeky attempt at an apology for making fans wait so long for a full length album, but it’s really not necessary guys, I for one am glad you took your time.

4.5/5

I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura is available July 22 on Le Grand Magistery Records

1. The Truth Behind All The Vogues She Sold
2. You Were Too Old For Me
3. We Made Our Way, We Amtrakked
4. Summer Is Almost Here
5. Glorious Ballad Of The Ignored
6. O Honey, We’re Ridiculous
7. Dearest Bernard Levine
8. Little Red Radio
9. Cherry Needs A Name
10. Cherry Tree
11. O My Cherry
12. Citizen’s Army Uniform

 

 Pas/Cal - You Were Too Old For Me: Play Now

 

 Pas/Cal - The Bronze Beached Boys (Come On Let's Go): Play Now

Labrador Records wants to get you prepped for the Summers days at the (insert favorite summer hangout here) with this essential mix and it’s all yours for free! The odd thing is when I tried to download it the ZIP file contained a note that says the following:

“Our server broke down, so please download the summer sampler from PirateBay instead. http://thepiratebay.org/tor/4257645/LabradorSummerSampler

Have a good summer!
/Labrador”

PirateBay.org? Sounds shady and Jack Sparrowy. But if Labrador is endorsing the site, it’s gotta be legit. Oh yeah, I also hear that you have to download something like Transmission for Mac or Azureus for Windows in order to get the album. I don’t even know what all that means. Damn kids today with their music…

1 [Ingenting] - Här Kommer Solen
2 The Sound of Arrows - Danger!
3 Sambassadeur - Final Say
4 Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - Funeral Face
5 Pelle Carlberg - I Love You, You Imbecile
6 Club 8 - You And Me
7 Johan Hedberg - Grammisgalan
8 The Radio Dept. - Freddie and the Trojan Horse
9 Sambassadeur - Subtle Changes
10 Tribeca - Her Breast Were Still Small
11 Chasing Dorotea - Dark Angel
12 The Mary Onettes - Explosions
13 The Legends - Darling
14 Leslies - Take A Look
15 Irene - By your side
16 Pelle Carlberg - Go to Hell, Miss Rydell
17 Club 8 - Jesus, Walk with Me (The Sound of Arrows remix)
18 Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - Trumpets and Violins
19 Acid House Kings - Start Anew
20 Irene - Little Lovin
21 The Radio Dept. - Pet Grief
22 Club 8 - Whatever you Want
23 Acid House Kings - This Heart Is A Stone
24 Loveninjas - Little Black Friends
25 [Ingenting] - Släpp In Solen
26 Caroline Soul - Been Turning (Into Something Bad)
27 Acid House Kings - Sunday Morning
28 Johan Hedberg - Var Dig Själv
29 The Legends - Make It All Right
30 The Sound of Arrows - Danger! (Ice cream shout)

 

 Acid House Kings - Summer's On It's Way: Play Now

There seems to be a resurgence of musical genre’s these days. From 80’s electro-pop groups like Cut Copy to more contemporary throwbacks with She & Him. While I’ve throughly enjoyed aforementioned bands, there is one genre in particular that I’ve always hope would make a comeback: Britpop. I felt that this genre was only starting to scratch the surface before it’s untimely death in the late 90’s. But like a Phoenix rising from Arizona (thanks Frank C.), The Ruling Class is the first band that I feel is actually continuing what The Stone Roses, The Charlatans and Ride had started.

This Swedish/English combo started by singer/songwriter Tomas Kubowicz and bassist Anton Lindberg in 2006. After little success in finding like-minded bandmates in Sweden, they relocated to London in an attempt to perhaps gain some influence. It may have been a little too late, seeing as it was almost 10 years after Britpop’s demise, which Tomas admits to in a recent interview:

“The Stone Roses was kind of an introduction – I never had any high thoughts of their debut album when I first listened to it, but when I picked up the album again a couple years later and had a listen, it totally exploded. It’s a masterpiece. I’ve never left them since.”

Eventually they managed to find a drummer and subsequently recorded their debut EP Tour de Force, produced buy Mark Wallis who’s credits include the Smiths, the La’s, the Go-Betweens.

If you’re looking get that Britpop Monkey off your back, this album is sure to be your um…banana.

P.S. - Check the MP3 for ‘Umbrella Folds’ I’ve posted below. I think the chorus sounds exactly like ‘Waterfall’ by The Stone Roses, it makes me wonder if Tomas wrote that as a kind of cheeky homage.

4/5

Tour de Force CDEP is available now on Shelflife Records.

 

 The Ruling Class - Flowers: Play Now

 

 The Ruling Class - Umbrella Folds: Play Now

Ahhh indie music genres, there’s no shortage of them these days. From post-punk to twee, every band out there seems to fit into their own specific music style. While researching the band in today’s Tweeview, I found perhaps the most fitting genre applied to a band. Welcome to the world of ‘laptop-pop’. Songs consisting of synth beats, electronic orchestras accompanied with a simple guitar pluck or strum. Perhaps the most popular band I can think of that uses this music production method would be The Radio Dept.

This is also perfect description for the kind of pop tunes Kuryakin creates and they’re not ashamed to admit it:

“Kuryakin is simply trying to make beautiful music. If they could they would have a symphonic orchestra backing them up on every song, but for now they have to be satisfied with all the sounds you can make with a computer.”

Despite my digging around the internets for a proper bio on these guys, the best I could find was a very short blurb about them on their website. Petter and Johan got together in University in 2002 and started recording music a year later. Their first song ‘Onie’ appeared on the fantastic Are You Scared To Get Happy? compilation released in 2005, with a subsequent demo simply titled ‘Birds’ consisting of 3 tracks. These days their music is put together by mailing samples and ideas to each other and then play together a few times a month, à la Postal Service.

Kuryakin will be releasing a combined EP and 7″titled ‘Still Here’ on Shelflife Records sometime this Spring. If you like to sway to sweet, simple songs that are perfect for to listen to on a rainy Sunday morning, pick up this album.

Thanks darksoy.

 

 Kuryakin - Take My Hand: Play Now