Another Form of Relief

I have to admit that when I first planned this post it was going to be a kind of nostalgic look back at a band that had seemingly gone downhill. Rilo Kiley have been one of my absolute favourite bands for the past five years or so, and so when the I heard the lead single from the new album, Under the Blacklight, I was disappointed. Then I read a lot of negative comment toward it, and my enthusiasm was pretty much killed. This led to me listening to some of their older material, particularly The Execution of All Things a lot over the last few weeks. Yesterday I finally heard the new album in full, and I actually quite like it. Whether the low expectations helped that or not I don’t know, and while it’s certainly not a masterpiece, it’s a fun record. So while the original intent of this post has kind of changed, I still want to give those early albums a little bit of attention.

Looking back, I think Rilo Kiley were the first truly indie band that I got into. I’d already been dabbling with alternative for a couple of years, with bands like Weezer and Semisonic becoming mainstays of my music collection. Then sometime in 2002, I heard a song on XFM (I considered XFM indie then too) that just grabbed me. I don’t recall ever hearing it on the radio again, but it was enough for me to seek it out online, and then even more from the same band. It was The Execution of All Things, which to this day remains my favourite Rilo song.

After that I explored backwards (2001’s Take-Offs & Landings) and when it was released, 2004’s More Adventurous, and however many b-sides and unreleased material I could find in between. Each album holds some special place for me (the latter providing this blog’s title), as do most of the band’s spin-offs and associated projects. To be quite honest, given these, I wasn’t even expecting another album until the announcement came earlier this year. Most of the other bands I hold a genuine affection for are no longer with us (some literally, others musically), so while I’m kind of torn over the new record, I’ll welcome it the best I can.

MP3 Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things (expired)
MP3 Rilo Kiley - With Arms Outstretched (expired)
MP3 Rilo Kiley - It’s a Hit (expired)
MP3 Rilo Kiley - Science vs Romance (expired)

Rilo Kiley: Website || Myspace

Nosferatu D2 formed in June 2005 and broke up in June 2007. For two years they did their thing, recording ten songs and playing eighteen whole gigs. I was lucky enough to be at their final gig, a support slot for Los Campesinos! back in March, although it wasn’t their final one at the time. They played through their songs to a room of 50 or so mildly interested people. I don’t know if that’s a good end for a band or not. Regardless of whether it is, they deserve a little attention.

The band was made up of two brothers from Croydon. Ben sang and played guitar while Adam did his drumming thing. For a band without even a bass player, they developed a rich sound, which is all the more impressive for songs that were (I think) home recorded. Their most memorable songs were upbeat tirades about consumer culture and the modern music scene peppered with some very bizarre tangents. The songs that grew on you were slower, more reflective numbers. Both had their place, and they worked well side by side.

MP3 Nosferatu D2 - Broken Tamagotchi (expired)
MP3 Nosferatu D2 - A Footnote (expired)
MP3 Nosferatu D2 - Springsteen (expired)

Those songs are all from the upbeat end of their catalogue, but you can download all ten songs from their lastfm page. Ben now does his own thing in the more restrained, but no less interesting Superman Revenge Squad.

Nosferatu D2: Myspace

I’m not usually one to get all excited about record labels, but the folks at Weepop! deserve a little love for what they are doing. Having only launched in June, they have already put out releases by Roadside Poppies, Bugs Eat Books, Little My and Desmond Reed.

While this roster may seem impressive in itself, the effort they are going to for each release is lovely. Each release is on a mini 3″ CD (sure beats vinyl), each with detailed artwork, a handwritten certificate of authenticity (each release is limited to 120 copies) as well as other fun stuff that seems to arrive as part of the package. Which is a great deal for all of £3.

As for the music itself, it’s all fantastic twee pop, but the first release by Cambridge band Roadside Poppies is the standout. I wasn’t familiar with the band before I heard their CD, but I’m certainly a fan now. This is perfect upbeat indie pop which doesn’t seem to come from UK bands anywhere near as often as it should.

MP3 Roadside Poppies - Just Another Love Song (expired)

If you’d like to get hold of their CD, which happens to be Weepop! 001, you can order it from the Weepop! website, but seeing as they down to the final 8 copies, you may want to hurry. Alternatively, Roadside Poppies have an entire album (with completely different songs) available on their website for free download. Which is just lovely.

Weepop!: Website || Myspace
Roadside Poppies: Website || Myspace

Ballboy are one of those bands that has existed for years yet only a few dedicated fans seem to know about them. Which is kind of a shame as once they finally come to their end of their road they will probably be seen as one of the great British indie bands of this decade. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The band are from Scotland and make songs that are sometimes upbeat and usually miserable. Thankfully, they don’t sound like Arab Strap, who seem to be the blueprint for all indie bands coming out of Scotland these days. Not that they don’t come close at times. I Hate Scotland is a spoken word diatribe against anything and everything the likes of which wouldn’t seem out of place on an album by that band. But the sound here is so varied that they are far harder to pigeonhole. I Lost You But I Found Country Music is a gentle, mournful song about exactly what it says while Avant Garde Music is the exact opposite gentle and just may be the most sardonic song I’ve ever heard.

Ballboy haven’t released anything since 2004 and their website seems pretty quiet on exactly what they are up to at the moment. They seem to still play the odd shows though, so there must be a little gas left in the tank at least.

MP3 Ballboy - I Hate Scotland (expired)
MP3 Ballboy - Avant Garde Music (expired)
MP3 Ballboy - Donald in the Bushes With a Bag of Glue (expired)
MP3 Ballboy - The Art of Kissing (expired)
MP3 Ballboy - I Lost You But I Found Country Music (expired)

Ballboy: Website || Myspace