Feature - Culture of the Copy

Bit late with this (and I know talking about your own band is a bit dull) but Tye Die Tapes have very kindly put out Feature's new EP, 'Culture of the Copy' so I thought I'd give it a quick, totally shameless plug.

Because of Bandcamp's new rule change, you can now hear ALL of the songs from the four-track EP, right here, or just stream 'Psalms' to see what it's like:



We were really lucky to record this in January up in Sheffield with Michael and Adam at Tye Die Tapes. It was bloody freezing but they've done a great job at hiding the noise of the wind coming through the windows on the guitar parts. The EP was based on (one of) Jen's favourite books, Culture of the Copy by Hillel Schwartz, which is a cultural history of twins, doubles, copies, imposters and Doppelgangers. I've only dipped in and out of it on a train journey, but if you can get your hands on a copy you should - I found vanishing twin syndrome particularly fascinating, and this is what the lyrics of 'Twins' looks into.

It has also been amusing/frustrating how many 'girl band' references we're now getting, especially the old favourite of 'riot grrrl', even though as far as I know I'm the only member that has a teen love of the 'genre' (though describing it as a genre still doesn't do justice to such a hugely diverse selection of musicians that are associated with the movement). Jen never went through a riot grrrl phase and I don't think I've ever really chatted about it with Heather, so it's strange that we're still being referred to as a riot grrrl band. We wrote this piece a few years ago for our friend Sarah's art submission, which hopefully to some length explains why gender really shouldn't still be a big deal. I feel as though even responding to it draws unnecessary attention, or makes us sound moany or whatever, but there's still definitely need for discussion when it continues to still be the focus for some people.

ANYWAY. Should you like what you hear, you can get the EP on cassette or download directly from TDT: http://tyedietapes.bandcamp.com/album/culture-of-the-copy

Playlist - Into Spring

In two weeks I'm going to be heading to New York for the very first time, and so in preparation I'm trying to put together playlists for the long flights there and back. If anyone passes by here and has any tips, recommendations are welcome! It's boring to always moan about lacking the hours to sit and write and consume new music, I know, but I am enjoying setting time aside to research recent albums and catch up on tracks and bands that I've seen flash by my screen, unexplored until now.

So here I am at the beginning: some music that's caught my ear recently, that will hopefully lead to further new discoveries...

January 2014 Mixtape

As someone with a memory full of blackholes and a waning attention span, Songdrop has been my saviour this month, neatly adding a virtual post-it note to all those tracks that pass by during report-writing, emailing and glancing longingly through the window...

Although it's not the end of the month quite yet, my next update could be some time so here's a rundown of songs that have caught my ear so far in 2014. Special mentions go to Seeds of Doubt, Primitive Parts, As Ondas, Ravioli Me Away, Lady Neptune and Blueprint Blue, simply for reminding me that despite mice, damp, horrible train journeys and extortionate rent prices, living in London can be worth it when bands like this are locals too.

Here goes...

My Secret World: The Story of Sarah Records

After ceasing existence in 1995 following an eight-year run of many beloved releases (including The Field Mice, Another Sunny Day, The Orchids and Heavenly), I'm very excited to hear that one of indie-pop's greatest DIY labels, Sarah Records, is soon to be getting a long overdue documentary!

Founded in Bristol in 1987 by Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes, Sarah Records released an impressive 623 7" singles, fanzines, albums and compilations in total, and filmmaker Lucy Dawkins has spoken to many of the label's bands, diehard fans and amassed footage from the era, "[proving] you can run a successful business without surrendering personal ethics". The film is currently looking for distribution and will have a premiere in Bristol sometime this year. Here's the first trailer:

Find out more: http://storyofsarahrecords.com/