What should LTM be releasing

i'd like to see reissues of more crepuscule albums, particularly their many compilations.

What I most wanted was this....and now it's coming! http://home.planet.nl/~frankbri/ltm2396.html

It would be great if he could persuade Section 25 to get back in the Studio.

Acute's been in negotiations to do a Fire Engines CD for some time, as well as some other projects with Bob Last. We'll see what comes from that. We've also been treading on James' territory a bit in that I've wanted to do a Distractions CD for years but, and I'll repeat myself once more, Universal/Island has been difficult in the past.

But I definately second various Crepuscule comps, particularly From Brussels With Love and Fruit of the Original Sin, which, as a double album, may need to be more then 1 CD?

Dark Beloved Cloud should do a Diagram Brothers CD. I sold Douglas one of their 7"s a few years ago, I think.

I do that all the time.

My copy of The Ascension, I kid you not, has no cover label whatsoever on the disc. Both sides look exactly the same.

to make me happy?

In that case just send it over here.

Ian, what do you mean "cover label"? Do you mean on the actual CD? The Disk itself is white on top with the words "Glenn Branca" and "The Ascension" in black. The released CDs and the promo CDs are all like that. Are you sure you have the Acute version of the Ascension and not the Newtone italian release? Don't know what that one looks like. But I'm pretty sure there's plenty of info on the Acute version, I typeset the damn thing myself. In an effort to match the original LP release, I went as far as realizing to match it I'd have to use Avant Garde Condensed with 70% Horizontal scaling or whatever. And all you see is a shiny blank surface?

Ian, I'll talk to my partner, see what was up, and perhaps we can send you a replacement, or at least a replacement disk. Send me your address off-list.

Coming up from LTM

Here's what's coming up next after the summer releases:

Fall 2004 will also bring new CD releases from The Servants (Reserved), Anna Domino (Best Of), Revenge (Live), Severed Heads (Rotund for Success), Steven Brown (Half Out), The Room (In Evil Hour/Clear!), Kalima (Night Time Shadows) and some way cool goodies on the revamped Boutique label

also, s & d LTM's catalogue too?

1) Totally Essential

a) Blue Orchids - The Greatest Hit. grimy spectral beauty the line 'the mathematics of music ringing in my ears' sums it up.

b) Section 25 - From The Hip. SXXV get their hands on New Orders sequencers and a pulsing northern techno results. Impossibly great.

c) Section 25 - The Key Of Dreams. Blackpool's own Can sleepwalk through the shadows, flitting in and out of view.

d) V/A - Cool As Ice (Be Music Productions) If you only get one get this! Utterly fantastic collection in which Section 25 invent a v miserable kind of acid house, and 52nd Street, Quando Quango, Marcel King etc mash down in a Hacienda stylee.

2) You should also get :

a) Blue Orchids - The Sleeper. Unreleased 1993 album from a late BO line-up, simply confirms Martin Bramah's utter songwriting genius. Loses points for occasionally veering towards baggyness, but still grebt.

b) Cath Carroll - England Made Me. Gorgeous blend of lazy synths, bossa nova and acoustic guitars. Heartbreaking.

c) Miaow - When It All Comes Down. Everything they did. On the face of it a fairly typical mid 80's guitar band, on deeper inspection they're doing things that no-one else did, before or since

d)Ludus - The Damage. Best place to start with Linder's mad combo. jazzpopfunkrock n' hormones. Don't mess.

e) Ludus - The Visit/The Seduction. Releatively straightforward for them - in another galaxy compared to everyone else.

f) The Wake - Harmony and Singles. Some great synth sounds and pulsing atmospherics guiding Caesar's tales of loss, redemption and catholic guilt.

g) Section 25 - Always Now. Recorded at great expense at Britannia Row, very expensive Peter Saville sleeve, impossibly uncommercial and glum record.

h) Ultramarine - Every Man and Woman Is A Star. Beautiful anglo-folk-electronica. Owls hoot, Kevin Ayers pops up, sequencers burble and pop like never before.

3) Good

a) The Wake - Holy Heads. Both Sarah albums - surely the best things ever released on that turd of a label. They almost rock on the first one 'Tidal Wave of Hype'

b) Swamp Children - So Hot. Quasi-ACR/jazzbo combo's first recd before they became Kalima. Crap vocals spoil a bit

c)Quando Quango - Pigs and Battleships. Manc/Belg funkpop thing - not quite as funky or pop as it could be. Still good.

d)Crispy Ambulance - The Plateau Phase. Not like anything else at all. Ever. Rumbling and groaning rhythms, keening vox and strange synth textures zoom in.

e) Blue Orchids - From Severe to Serene. Classic Peel sessions, lo-fi Manchester gig and the Thirst EP. Nice!

4) Watch Out!

a) Minny Pops - Secret Stories. The singles Dolphin Spurt and Secret Stories are fanatastic. The rest varies from standard issue low-countries grimcore to unlistenable.

b)Ludus - The Pickpocket/Danger Came Smiling. A step too far towards skronk for me.

c)All The Other Crispy Ambulance CDs apart from Scissorgun, which I haven't heard - a little goes a long way

d) Crawling Chaos - The Gas Chair. I used to quite like this, but objectively it is fucking terrible.

e) Section 25 - From The Hip in The Flesh. Jenny Ross's vocals are SO far out of tune on these live in the USA cuts of the From The Hip material...what did the inhabitants of Baton Rouge make of it? From the audience response....not much.

5) Avoid Totally

The Royal Family and The Poor

I have yet to get the Marine Cd or Twice As Nice, the follow up to Cool as Ice. I fully expect that they're essential.

Actually, Dr. C, I got around to hearing the new album from this year, The Powder Blind Dream, and it's REALLY good.

(pst, thanks dr. c.)

New Crispy Ambulance album C/D?

I much prefer the more accessible Ludus stuff, The Visit/The Seduction is favored over Danger Came Smiling, which I have on vinyl and couldn't really get into.

I've acutally never heard Key of Dreams. I have to get that.

and why no stockholm monsters on that list? amazing band, like a scally belle and sebastian. get "all at once", the singles collection; then "alma mater plus".

section 25, meanwhile, are perhaps the single greatest band ever to walk the earth; certainly the most under-rated. so i'd also recommend their last album, "love and hate": the CD is re-ordered from the original release and includes "crazy wisdom" - possibly their finest hour - as well as a couple of other works of genius.

and i love the sxxv live stuff; i think it's astonishing. so there :)

! My goodness that's quite right. And you didn't mention the Passage reissues either, Dr. C! ;-)

Bah, we'll have none of this talk about what he wished or didn't wish for. ;-)

hm, good point. shd probably have read above the divider.

still, doesn't excuse a) missing off "love and hate" and b) daring to suggest that sxxv were ever anything other than sonically perfect :)

I bought Key of Dreams once, listened to it once, decided pretty quickly I hated it. I remember the record store was actually kind enough to let me exchange it for Siouxsie's Kaleidoscope LP! I'm curious to hear what it sounds like again, though as I'm not a Section 25 hater by any means and I'm wondering why I had such a overwhelmingly negative reaction to it. Crazy Wisdom is indeed their finest moment, but the b-side to that 12" is ace, too. Just get the CD of From The Hip and you'll be set to go.

Anyone want to comment on Berntholer? I know nothing at all about that. Also curious to see The Servants featured for an LTM release.
I wonder does this mean the old Servants or the revamped Servants or possibly a whole new third incarnation of same?

Hey, I left out The Monsters, Passage and Josef K cos Cozen didn't want to know about them. My Monsters luv is well established and chronicled here : http://www.freakytrigger.co.uk/stockholm.html

**mostly agree w/ Dave except:
I much prefer the more accessible Ludus stuff, The Visit/The Seduction is favored over Danger Came Smiling, which I have on vinyl and couldn't really get into**

No, I agree. I thought I'd said that!

Oh I forgot Tunnelvision. I sort of love Watching The Hydroplanes, but a whole CD is a bridge too far for me. They're actually back together again.

**still, doesn't excuse a) missing off "love and hate" and b) daring to suggest that sxxv were ever anything other than sonically perfect :)**

Good call. Love and Hate is OK - I don't have the reissue, I have it on vinyl and I don't know if it's a dodgy pressing or summat, but it sounds pretty thin and amateurish compared with the majesty of From The Hip. I guess it's a different band in a way - only Larry and Jenny left by then IIRC. They were a great live band, although I only saw them in the Larry, Vince, Paul Wiggins pre-sequencer days when they used to support New Order everywhere. Vince was a great live drummer btw.

i 'eard that rumour. heheh.

>Love and Hate is OK - I don't have the reissue, I have it on vinyl
>and I don't know if it's a dodgy pressing or summat, but it
>sounds pretty thin and amateurish

yeh ... it sort-of is. it was delayed for a year because factory thought it was a demo, apparently ... they just sat there waiting for larry to deliver something else. it's the most under-produced album in the world, and the track ordering on the original is *terrible*. but the CD is remastered (as much as you can remaster something so flawed) and re-ordered, and works much, much, *much* better.

Not from LTM 'though.

Acute is probably doing the Fire Engines.

Anyone have contact info for the Glaxo Babies? I've considered it for Acute.

Early Scritti Politti seems unlikely.

I've thought about Ut, and have a connection to them, but could never decide. My favorite stuff of theirs is the later stuff which isn't very hard to find. Griller and In Gut's House can still be picked up on CD from Blast First. Some of the early tracks may appear on a forthcoming follow-up to Anti-NY being put together by Stuart Argabright (Death Comet Crew/Dominatrix/Ike Yard)

Phil Smee from Waldo's, who's more known as a graphic designer, owns the rights to some of the Tea Set material, while the band owns the rest, including an unreleased LP. He gave me their email address but I haven't followed through yet.

My dream project is stil the Distractions, the only issue is wondering if we can take the chance not legally licensing the Island material, because I can't get anywhere with that. The band would get paid for it though, just not Universal Music. It's a shady area, ethically.

Another is Manicured Noise, if James Nice doesn't beat me to it. They had 2 FANTASTIC singles and apparently an earlier line-up that was more experimental. Robert Lloyd thanks them in the Prefects liner notes, but when asked says he hasn't talked to them in many many years.

Acute has one or two other tricks up it's sleeve that we'd rather not talk about yet!

Look here : http://home.swipnet.se/skroff/distractions.html

I didn't really like the Essential Logic CD - too much lame 90's material in there. It's an admirable effort though.

draws blank,
m.

What's your take on the Winston Tong LTM reissue? I have the collaboration with Sussan Deyhim I can't get my head round it.

Don't know much about China but she's come out of hiding...Eric's in touch with her apparently.

Girls at Our Best, Dolly Mixture and the Mo-Dettes all deserve reissue. If KRS doesn't do it, maybe we will.

The Distractions were a manchester pub rock/power-pop band who caught the Buzzcocks buzz and started writing broken-hearted 60s garage rock and girl-group influenced songs with punk rock energy. They had 1 ep on TJM, a single on Factory(perhaps the best single of all time?) an LP and a few singles on Island, then a final single they self-released w/ Rough Trade's help. Their music was really wonderful.

Maybe a lost Manchester release? Manicured Noise and the Distractions. Who else? Maybe some Object Music bands? Grow Up and IQ Zero and Steve Miro? I hope James Nice isn't reading this!

Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet.

Belgian band that released their most famous single My suitor on Blanco y negro (first issue on Blue feather) Its been coevered by Kahimi karie and Figurine among others. Its the best Crepuscule-ish pop there is. Better than Mikado, Thick Pigeon and all those.

use Google

Also, being most candid now, if I'm talking to Santa (Father Christmas) and I tell him I want the ultimate reissue along these lines, LTM or someone else, then I would have to say the full Peel Session material of Ski Patrol and The Distributors, every last recording ever by Manchester band Gods Gift (God's Gift?) and some hidden demos or live stuff by Boots For Dancing that may only exist in my fantasizing imagination.

If this were to occur, I would no doubt lay myself inside a coffin quickly, with headphones.

Almost all of Wanna Buy A Bridge can be found on various other reissues by this point.

Distributors were on Red Rhino, and contributed a track to the Hicks From The Sticks compilation in 1980 entitled "T.V. Me". This track was released as a single and is a good place to start if you want to see what they're like. Danceable/funky/new wave. First two singles are ace...their third release was a 12" on Red Rhino which wasn't quite as good.

Anyway, just thought I'd give a little background on these.

Your posts are a little hard to understand, Allred. But I will check out that swamirecords site you mentioned. And whatever this Atavistic thing is.

Marine - Life In Reverse. I was right - totally essential. Having only heard Life in Reverse, Animal In My head and Same Beat before, I was expecting great things, but kind of prepared to be disappointed too. Could the rest of their stuff be as great as these 3? Well yup, it is. Even better in the main - Life In Reverse is actually one of the weaker tracks. What makes them great : a)that the bass players in each of the line ups are brilliant and really funk it up wickedly. (Think - ABC's Alphabet Soup)The guitarists play off each other - usually a sinewy picking from one juxtaposing a furious scrub from the other. Also the sax player knows when to skronk and when not to skronk, which is a good thing. These comments don't do it justice - there's some magic in there which I can't yet define. Buy.

I was expecting Twice As Nice, the Be music/Dojo/Mark Kamins/Arthur Baker productions set to be as good as Vol.1 : Twice As Nice. It's not as consistent, but it's growing on me. I doesn't help by starting off with the normally brilliant 52nd Street's unusally muted 'Express' and Cheyne's 'Call Me Mr.Telephone' which is just crap. But most of what follows is pretty grebt, including the thunderous 400 Blows remix of 'Low Rider' (Quando Quango), Anna Dominos boredly poppy 'Summer' which threatens to become Donna Summer's 'Love's Unkind' at times, and 52nd Street redeeming themselves with the flip of Express 'Look Into My Eyes' - brutally funky bass slap action on this one. Even the RFATP track is quite good, dodgy vocoder aside. Best of all is Shark Vegas's 'You Hurt Me' - yikes I've never actually heard them apart from the track on the FACTUS comp 'Young Popular and Sexy', but this is sensational - glacial sequencers duelling to a thumping Euro-beat. Could have been a massive hit single any year since it's release (1985) and could still do it now. Huge.

Grimly fiendish made a strong case for Section 25's 'Love and Hate' upthread so I rebought it, having ditched the original vinyl at some point. Well- yes, the new track order works better. Sweet Forgiveness, Bad News Week and Crazy Wisdom is a strong start, but for me it's still a huge disappointment after From The Hip. The Guitar Waltz is bizarre, Gymnopedies pointless and Warhead irritating. They really let themselves down with Conquer Me and The Last Man in Europe. The former is just a rip-off of New Order's Lonesome Tonight with absolutely dreadful vocals from Jenny Ross. The LAst Man in Europe is a waste of a brilliant intro (stadium rock Factory style), falling again into this default New Order by numbers schtick.(check the phrasing and vocal 'melody') More tragic singing too. So sorry, I'm going to have to advise caution with this one.

I also had a close listen to The Swamp Children's 'So Hot'. The album's good, but what makes this CD is the tracks from the 2 singles. I'd forgotten how much I used to love all the tracks from these singles especially You've Got Me Beat, Call Me Honey and Boy. The slight variations in sound and mix between tracks are really clever, changing atmosphere, texture and mood, but always retaining a stately funkiness. Good stuff, and I am promoting them from 'Good' to 'You Should Also Get' in my list above.

Yeah, I really enjoyed that album, and have a review of the disc as well as a bio of the band (cribbed from the liner notes, admittedly!) up on the AMG now.

The Anna Domino best-of, much as I enjoyed the reissues of the first two albums of hers, is the real revelation -- there are some flat out fantastic singles there, and the fact that I never heard her work before this year is now bugging me.

Oh don't get me wrong I love SXXV too, it's just that L&H is such an unworthy swansong for a great band IMHO. I feel kind of sorry for them above all else. By the time they recorded it it was clear that all was over - band disintegrating, no real interest from anyone. I suppose it has a kind of defiance that I admire, but all their flaws are glaringly laid open too. Oh well.

Even a reference to great lost favorite Object Music band IQ Zero as "Manchester's answer to Devo."

is one of the worst music books ever. CHRIST, middles cannot write.

i mean. "from joy division to new order". is that THE most tedious title imaginable? gaaah.

best place to learn about this stuff is dennis remmer's site:

http://listen.to/factory

the 24HPP book is wonderful, but don't rely on it for facts. it's a very clever concept - wilson writes book based on fictional film based on his life - but you're not going to learn a lot from it.

http://www.cerysmaticfactory.info/index.html
Cerysmatic Factory - www.cerysmaticfactory.info - a blog, history and archive about Factory Records, the independent record label from Manchester, England.

I've heard of that Middles book. I guess I've just never felt the need to get another JD related book. I'd welcome a chance to flip through it though.

I have the 24HRPP book, and started to read it when I began to worry it would just be a rehash of the film, and it's not as if I trust Wilson to give the truth, anyway. If I'm gonna sit down and be bothered to read a book, I'd like to think I'm being given the straight dope, but in a movie you can get away with more, I think.

1) Totally Essential

a) Blue Orchids - The Greatest Hit. grimy spectral beauty the line 'the mathematics of music ringing in my ears' sums it up.

Well I admit I don't have this one as of yet, but I have the Severe to Serene one and I think that's essential already.

b) Section 25 - From The Hip. SXXV get their hands on New Orders sequencers and a pulsing northern techno results. Impossibly great.

Absolutely must be had. New Order fanatics get a bad grade on their test if they don't have this.

a) Blue Orchids - The Sleeper. Unreleased 1993 album from a late BO line-up, simply confirms Martin Bramah's utter songwriting genius. Loses points for occasionally veering towards baggyness, but still grebt.

This is an essential purchase for someone who doesn't yet give a damn about Blue Orchids. Great stuff.

c) Miaow - When It All Comes Down. Everything they did. On the face of it a fairly typical mid 80's guitar band, on deeper inspection they're doing things that no-one else did, before or since

Must be owned, obviously.

f) The Wake - Harmony and Singles. Some great synth sounds and pulsing atmospherics guiding Caesar's tales of loss, redemption and catholic guilt.

Even Primal Scream hatuz can handle that bass guitar! Woah! Some REAL nice pop stuff, here. Sarah fans have to come on board too for this one.

g) Section 25 - Always Now. Recorded at great expense at Britannia Row, very expensive Peter Saville sleeve, impossibly uncommercial and glum record.

If you like the doom rock, if the goth side of the street is the dark one YOU want to be on, then you have to have this. After awhile you may find you overlook it's imperfections, as I have long since done.

h) Ultramarine - Every Man and Woman Is A Star. Beautiful anglo-folk-electronica. Owls hoot, Kevin Ayers pops up, sequencers burble and pop like never before.

EVERYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND MUST OWN THIS. IT IS IMPERATIVE. If LTM as we know it today existed for one reason, to keep this album in print, I would still respect them as much as I do today. The Ultramarine album is not quite God-like, but approaching the sun, surely.

c)Quando Quango - Pigs and Battleships. Manc/Belg funkpop thing - not quite as funky or pop as it could be. Still good.

Not a band to ignore if you've never heard them before.

d)Crispy Ambulance - The Plateau Phase. Not like anything else at all. Ever. Rumbling and groaning rhythms, keening vox and strange synth textures zoom in.

Well, they're only my second favourite band ever, so no one I could be objective about. Hyperbole would be superfluous.

e) Blue Orchids - From Severe to Serene. Classic Peel sessions, lo-fi Manchester gig and the Thirst EP. Nice!

Ah here it is after all! In your "good" category. Well to me it feels essential, (particularly the Thirst stuff, which absolutely blows my mind - very Stooges, as it happens) but I guess we can disagree peacefully. The important thing is to worship early Fall.

4) Watch Out!

a) Minny Pops - Secret Stories. The singles Dolphin Spurt and Secret Stories are fanatastic. The rest varies from standard issue low-countries grimcore to unlistenable.

Mmm. Yes, there are some great and essential songs here. But a winner as a whole? No. I agree with you.

b)Ludus - The Pickpocket/Danger Came Smiling. A step too far towards skronk for me.

Haven't quite been able to come to grips with Ludus thus far. I do think there are some great songs but they are in a style I may have grown tired of for whatever reason. Perhaps in 10 years I will sing their praises, though, who knows?

COMING 1/31/05
17 tracks. LTM are proud to announce the first reissue on CD of the entire works of The Field Mice, the cult South London band who recorded for the Sarah label between 1988 and 1991. Snowball + Singles combines the first Field Mice album Snowball (released as a 10” mini lp in August 1989) with all tracks from their first three singles. Emma’s House and Sensitive were released as bestselling 7-inchers on Sarah, while I Can See Myself Alone Forever was a strictly limited 7” on The Caff Corporation, the boutique label curated by Bob Stanley of St Etienne. Indeed Snowball includes Let’s Kiss and Make Up, the song covered by St Etienne for their second single. This embarrassment of riches is completed by That’s All This Is, a rare compilation track. Sensitive, incidently, was made Single of the Month by choosy French rock magazine Les Inrockuptibles, whose glowing review was signed by the entire editorial staff. Snowball runs for 70 minutes, features 17 remastered tracks, and contains detailed biographical notes in the booklet. The new artwork is by German designer Stefan Kassel. Career Precis: formed by Bobby Wratten and Michael Hiscock in suburban Mitcham in 1988, the band released eight singles and three albums on Sarah Records. In the process they became huge in France, and expanded from a duo to a five-piece before splitting at the end of 1991. Chief songwriter Bobby then formed Northern Picture Library, and currently fronts Trembling Blue Stars. The Field Mice compilation Coastal topped the UK indie charts in 1991, while their 1998 retrospective Where’d You Learn to Kiss That Way? sold in excess of 10,000 copies. Barcode: 5024545310122.

I got that first Twice As Nice comp Dr C raves about upthread for $5 without really knowing anything about it except that "View From A Hill" was supposed to be good. The whole thing is brilliant.

also, they weren't on factory or anything, but I really wish someone would rerelease the first Au Pairs record on CD...it's really hard to find and expensive now....sense and sensuality is all over the place and i have that but i've heard the first one is way better...

i am interested in the SXXV DVD, though, details of which i've, umm, tacked on the end of ts: factory vs rough trade because i couldn't be arsed resurrecting this thread. cough.

Really? How strange.

The latest things I've received from them is that live CD, the new Dead Cowboys, the Reininger/Wilson Lisbon CD and the Field Mice reissues.

nothing has hit me drastically re: sound yet. the remastering is either very subtle or my ears need clearing out. but i've only been through the skywriting discs so far, so maybe the snowball one will sound different

James has been releasing some increasingly esoteric stuff -- which he's always had a bent for, of course, it's just that now he's really taking the plunge. I think part of it is that much though not all of the classic Factory back catalogue is now well and truly rereleased, so he's been busy bringing to light more material on Crepescule that's not as familiar, like Isabelle Antena, the spoken word Richard Jobson albums and even more obscure bits from the Tuxedomoon family tree. At the same time there's been the Sarah reactivation -- Field Mice, NPL, soon the Orchids -- and material from even further afield like Minimal Man and the Severed Heads reissues. To top it all of he's started a new sublabel called Salon which I guess is going to explore his concurrent passion for early twentieth century futurist and dadaist music, previously only showcased in three compilations. The first such effort focuses on a group of composers in France labelled "Les Six," who were associated with Cocteau and Satie. It's quite good, though my technical unfamiliarity with how they're approaching composition in their work can only offer general praise.

It's all been quite fascinating and I can't wait to see what happens next. Also, I STILL think he's got to do a Modern Eon reissue at some point if he can swing it!

Spring 2005 will also bring new CD releases from A Certain Ratio (I'd Like To See You Again, Live in Groningen 16.10.1980), Tuxedomoon man Peter Principle (Conjunction) and Ultramarine (A User's Guide). After the summer expect the entire, expanded works of The Orchids plus a new one-off album from The Occasional Keepers, comprising Bobby Wratten of Field Mice/Northern Picture Library/Trembling Blue Stars, and Caesar of The Wake and Altered Images.

COMING 10/7/05
20 tracks. 5024545347623. LTM is pleased to announce the second of three CD album re-issues by acclaimed Glasgow band The Orchids, who recorded for cult label Sarah between 1987 and 1994. Formed in 1987, this prolific yet overlooked five-piece recorded a string of singles for Sarah as well as three excellent albums, Lyceum (1989), Unholy Soul (1991) and Striving for the Lazy Perfection (1994). Often compared to similarly cerebral pop operators such as Felt, Aztec Camera and Primal Scream, the band split in 1995 at the height of their powers. Almost all of their records were produced by Ian Carmichael of One Dove. Newly remastered for CD, Unholy Soul + Singles runs for 70 minutes and includes nine bonus tracks as well as liner notes by Alistair Fitchett. Stand-out tracks on Unholy Soul include Dirty Clothing, Bringing you the Love, The Sadness of Sex Pt 1 and the should-have-been single Peaches. Among the pick of the binus cuts are the singles Something for the Longing and Bemused, Confused and Bedraggled. Contemporary reviews praised the record as “a beautiful album – time less melodies for sure” (Dave Simpson in Melody Maker) The Orchids reformed last year and new material is expected later in 2005. Also available by The Orchids on LTM: Lyceum + Singles (LTMCD 2442) released 5 September 2005, Striving for the Lazy Perfection + Singles (LTMCD 2451) – released 7 November 2005.

ORCHIDS, THE Striving for the Lazy Perfection + Singles cd $14.99
LTM (UK)

COMING 11/7/05
5024545347722. 16 tracks. LTM is pleased to announce the third of three CD album re-issues by acclaimed Glasgow band The Orchids, who recorded for cult label Sarah between 1987 and 1994. Formed in 1987, this prolific yet overlooked five-piece recorded a string of singles for Sarah as well as three excellent albums, Lyceum (1989), Unholy Soul (1991) and Striving for the Lazy Perfection (1994). Often compared to similarly cerebral pop operators such as Felt, Aztec Camera and Primal Scream, the band split in 1995 at the height of their powers. Almost all of their records were produced by Ian Carmichael of One Dove. Newly remastered for CD, Striving for the Lazy Perfection + Singles runs for 62 minutes and includes liner notes by Alistair Fitchett. Stand-out tracks include Obsession No 1, A Kind of Eden, Lovechild and A Living Ken and Barbie. The three bonus tracks are culled from the 1992 single Thaumaturgy. Contemporary reviews praised the album and band as “one of British pop’s best-kept secrets – lithe, evocative and memorable music” (John Mulvey in NME) The Orchids reformed in 2004 and new material is expected this year. Also available by The Orchids on LTM: Lyceum + Singles (LTMCD 2442) released 5 September 2005, Unholy Soul + Singles (LTMCD 2445) – released 3 October 2005.

also a description of the occasional keepers--

OCCASIONAL KEEPERS, THE The Beauty of the Empty Vessel cd $14.99
LTM (UK)

COMING 9/12/05
5024545349221. 10 tracks. LTM are proud to announce the debut album by The Occasional Keepers, an ongoing collaboration between Bobby Wratten (Field Mice/Northern Picture Library/Trembling Blue Stars) and Carolyn Allen and Caesar (The Wake). The album features a meditative, beautiful and minimalist mix of guitars, keyboards, echoing drums and male and female vocals, set against the background hummings of real places and real times – these sections recorded by Bobby prior to the sessions. The songs incorporate a variety of styles, to produce a highly personal synthesis of neo-folk, experimental pop, dissonance, electronics and improvisation. The Beauty of the Empty Vessel was produced by the Keepers with Ian Catt (St Etienne) in London in April 2005. Stand out tracks include The Bracken and The Last Lighthouse Keeper. Also available on LTM: Field Mice : Snowball + Singles (LTMCD 2419), Field Mice : Skywriting + Singles (LTMCD 2421), Field Mice : For Keeps + Singles (LTMCD 2423), Northern Picture Library : Alaska (LTMCD 2436), The Wake : Harmony + Singles (LTMCD 2323), The Wake : Here Comes Everybody + Singles (LTMCD 2332), The Wake : Assembly (LTMCD 2334), The Wake : Holy Heads (LTMCD 2446).
pre-order me now!

had no idea about the orchids reforming and recording.

COMING 9/5/05
5024545347524. 20 tracks. LTM is pleased to announce the first of three CD album re-issues by acclaimed Glasgow band The Orchids, who recorded for cult label Sarah between 1987 and 1994. Formed in 1987, this prolific yet overlooked five-piece recorded a string of singles for Sarah as well as three excellent albums, Lyceum (1989), Unholy Soul (1991) and Striving for the Lazy Perfection (1994). Often compared to similarly cerebral pop operators such as Felt, Aztec Camera and Primal Scream, the band split in 1995 at the height of their powers. Almost all of their records were produced by Ian Carmichael of One Dove. Newly remastered for CD, Lyceum + Singles runs for 74 minutes and includes liner notes by Alistair Fitchett. Stand-out tracks on Lyceum include It’s Only Obvious, the punk rock rush of Caveman and the minor chord gem Blue Light. Among the pick of the twelve bonus cuts are Tiny Words, Yawn and the anti-Poll Tax protest song Defy The Law. Also included are both sides of the rare single released on Bob Stanley’s Caff label. Contemporary reviews praised the album as “another fountainhead of unqualified greatness” (Bob Stanley in Melody Maker) while the NME awarded it a “splendid” rating of 8/10. Lyceum scored highly in the indie charts. The Orchids reformed in 2004 and new material is expected this year. Also available by The Orchids on LTM: Unholy Soul + Singles (LTMCD 2445) released 3 October 2005, Striving for the Lazy Perfection + Singles (LTMCD 2451) – released 7 November 2005.

Why is Darla reissuing the New Radiant Storm Kings? IS there a big demand?

I feel flooded with an overwhelming sense of a "guilty pleasure". Guilty because 1) as a New Order fanatic I'd rather not admit that I never even gave them a go because of a certain conviction I had that it must be complete crap and 2)I really don't think it's all that bad. I mean it may not be the second coming or as good as New Order, but still...why all the hate? I can't fathom it.

Inside info on the Factory fuck-up and news that there may be a new SXXV album in 2006!

A fine alternate name! Moving posts, those -- gives a sense of how it's not operatic tragedy or drama, like most of life it's corrosive slow-burn bringdowns and unexpected changes. Hearing how the marriage ended as Jenny's life drew to a close was news to me, and saddening.