"I don't know about things that have happened before"

Melbourne-based The Motifs are currently Alexis (the band originator), Neil, Chris and May and they're lovely! They produce wonderful dollops of delicate melody, sugar-coated harmonies, and sheer joy and turn them into beautiful and diddy songs. The longest track on the EP I'm about to talk about is a whopping two minutes and twenty one seconds! Coincidentally it's also my favourite.

WeePOP! - that bastion of good taste - has recently released The Motifs' six song EP entitled Matches, which was mostly recorded in Japan. I believe it's The Motifs' third release (the others were Dots on Music Is My Girlfriend and Away on Lost In Found Records) and on this form I sincerely hope they'll have many more! Below you can download a song from Matches. If I were you, I'd get over to WeePOP! sharpish as they've only got a few copies left!

The Motifs - Tell Me More mp3 (right click and save as)

Hear more at The Motifs' myspace page and buy The Motifs' Dots in download form from Klicktrack and Away from Lost In Found.

As a bonus here's another song:

The Motifs - Diagonal mp3 (right click and save as)

I love The Motifs - they're ace!

Three of a kind #9

There are some people who can just move from one band to the next, making everything brilliant. In this case we're talking about someone who started off in 1992 with Tiger Trap formed with her schoolfriend Angie Loy, along with Heather Dunn and Jen Bruan. Tiger Trap released a single, an EP and a full length album on K Records. The following song was on the Sour Grass EP.

Tiger Trap - Carrie's Song mp3 (left click, available for 7 days)

In 1994 after Tiger Trap disbanded she moved on to form well regarded twee band The Softies with Jen Sbragia (now of the All Girl Summer Fun Band).



Their stripped down songs (almost entirely played on two electric guitars) and sweet harmonies won them many fans and influenced a large number of twee (and beyond) bands which have since formed. They released their debut album It's Love on K Records (if you don't own it yet, I cannot urge you strongly enough to rectify that as soon as humanly possibly). The song below is from that album.

The Softies - Fragile, Don't Crush mp3 (left click, available for 7 days)

The Softies released their last album, Holiday In Rhode Island, in 2000 but the lady in question had released a solo album, Portola, two years earlier. It took her eight years to get around to recording the follow up, Cast Away The Clouds, which is probably the best record of her career. You can buy Cast Away The Clouds and Portola here.

Tonight, Matthew, you have been listening to Rose Melberg.



From Cast away The Clouds:
Rose Melberg - Four Walls mp3 (left click, available for 7 days)

"I'm going to stay at home and write my autobiography"

There's something about indiepop with male/female vocals. I can't quite say why it hits the spot so delightfully but Pocketbooks are a great example of gender-blender tweeness.

They are currently Andy, Dan, Emma, Mark and Jonny, having recently undergone a small line-up change (losing early guitarist Ben and gaining drummer Jonny). Pocketbooks' lyrics are eloquent and generally about the everyday rather than the extraordinary, but each song is something special.
Having just talked about the joy of male and female vocals together, the track below is just Emma singing but is really lovely. Give it a listen and then try telling me that lo-fi indiepop isn't brilliant!

Pocketbooks - I'm Not Going Out mp3 (right click and 'save as')

Andy recorded a full album before the band had formed properly and you can download that by going to the Pocketbooks website. The downloadable song below is from that album, entitled Proofreading. (Another track from Proofreading was included on the superb How Does It Feel To Be Loved? compilation, The Kids At The Club.) This time it's just Andy singing, but it's also a joyous song. (Don't worry, we'll get to the mixed vocals soon...)

Pocketbooks - Every Next Day Is A New Adventure mp3 (available for 7 days)

Here for your viewing pleasure is a live Pocketbooks performance of 'Cross The Line', the single released on Atomic Beat Records (still available as far as I'm aware, although only 400 in total). There are those male/female vocals I was rambling on about at the beginning!



As a bonus, I'm including an mp3 by Pocketbooks' labelmate, Pete Green. Pete is a man after my own black heart - he likes MJ Hibbett and hates Myspace. In fact he's written a song about exactly why he hasn't got a Myspace page.

Pete Green - I Haven't Got A Myspace Because Myspace Fucking Sucks mp3 (right click and 'save as')

As you may guess, Pete Green doesn't have a Myspace (because, as he mentioned, Myspace flipping sucks!) but to hear more, you can visit his website, Spaklemotion.co.uk, or his Last.fm page. By the way, if you haven't signed up to Last.fm yet, you should really consider it. It's a great way to find new music and also to keep an eye on what you've been listening to most. (I'm on there as ozgoelz.)

"Who cares about the weather when you know it's going to change tomorrow?"

I'm not normally prone to recommending songs which begin, "OMG! He broke up with me!" (especially those which also mention the dreaded Myspace) but this is a notable exception. 'Emo Phillips' is not about the strange-voiced American comedian of that name, but about those over-emotional, hysterical, depressed, floppy-haired types prone to writing terrible songs about bleeding and how much the world is against them - ie. me at the age of 15. This would normally be a disappointment but this Arrah and the Ferns song is utterly fantastic.

Arrah and the Ferns - Emo Phillips (Right click and 'save target as')


Arrah and the Ferns are Arrah Fisher, Carl Stovner and Dave Segedy from Muncie, Indiana. They formed when Carl and Arrah signed up for an open mic night without having written any songs and managed to persuade the recently-dumped Dave to join them. Their songs may sound sunny but listen closely and you'll find more sinister lyrics lurking:

"I have no choice but to dissect you with the laser beam that I built last year
when the ice caps melted and oh, the world was captive by your fear!
Or should I kill you while you're sleeping?
I'll give you drugs and drag you to the street
The sun is high and bright, I'll grab that magnifying glass
And watch you die you die you die you die!"

That's from Science Books - download below.

Arrah and the Ferns - Science Books (Right click and 'save target as')

Both these tracks are from the album 'Evan Is A Vegan', which you can buy from Standard Recording Company who are handily having a sale during July. Just make a note of the coupon number on the front page.

Here are Arrah and the Ferns performing 'Emo Phillips' live:




Arrah and the Ferns website | Arrah and the Ferns on Myspace