Monday, 20 January 2014

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...

Friday, 3 January 2014

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: