To order, click the white checkbox[es] to the left of the "Artist" field, then scroll to the bottom of the page and click the box marked "add checked item".

The first single, "Inside," appeared on TV Personality Mark Flunder's Frank label in late 1986 and was an instant success. BBC recording sessions for John Peel and fanzine/music weekly adulation quickly followed. A second single for Frank, "Balloon Song," further consolidated their following. The band toured England and Europe and the press was ecstatic. The late '80s revival of classic guitar-based pop was kind to the 'Bears, and Sekula's talent at penning catchy, twisted melodies earned them a coveted spot as one of the best of the lot. A third single sealed the deal, the raucous "Come Get Me" on the then-new label Sarah.

The band went on to release their self-titled debut album in 1988 - a masterpiece of psychedelic pop that turned a lot of heads with its ambition and skilled songcraft. A raft of singles and a second album in 1991 followed, and the band quietly disbanded in 1992.

In The Beginning compiles those classic first three singles in their entirety, along with eight never-before-released BBC session cuts and four demos/live tracks. This is the complete story of the band's most seminal, influential recordings. Upbeat, punky songs like "Inside" and "Balloon Song" are tempered by dreamy ballads like "Cut" and the folky "Like A Dolphin." Every tune is a perfect little gem, combining memorable melodies with punchy guitar noise and infectious enthusiasm. These songs have had an undeniable influence on indie pop in the years since, and 14 Iced Bears stand tall with contemporaries like The Pastels and The June Brides as cornerstones of the indie scene.

• Essential compilation from influential and sorely missed UK indie pop champions
  
• Collects impossible-to-find seven-inches from the Sarah and Frank labels
  
• Fans of the Pastels, the June Brides and the Creation and Sarah labels will need this

  30-second RealAudio excerpts:

  Inside
  Blue Suit
  Cut
  Balloon Song
  Train Song
  Like a Dolphin
  Lie to Choose
  Come Get Me
  Sure to See
  Unhappy Days
  Balloon Song
  Shy (-) Like You
  Train Song
  Cut
  Miles Away
  Spangle
  Hay Fever
  If I Said
  Jumped in a Puddle
  Gave You My Coat
  Ring the Far Bell
  I Don't Know Why

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music service, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

And now, with the release of their self-titled debut album, Bricolage rightfully take their place as part of Glasgow's peerless pop lineage.

Bricolage formed in late 2005, united by their love of Postcard Records' evergreen "Sound of Young Scotland" and similarly iconoclastic post-punk heroes including Vic Godard and Fire Engines. In less than two years, the band released three 7-inch singles and toured solidly, sharing stages with Godard, a reunited Fire Engines, Franz Ferdinand, even the Sun Ra Arkestra.

Bricolage, the album, is the realization of those singles' huge promise. Produced with sparkling economy by former Altered Images guitarist Stephen Lironi, its dozen tracks are the product of its influences, but also a path beyond them. From the swooning romanticism of "Plots Are for Cemeteries," to the lovesick giddiness of "Turn U Over," to the Northern Soul-style stomp of "The Waltzers," this is pop full of melody, verve, and wit for a modern world about to discover how badly it needs it. Bricolage may be a new strand in Glasgow's ongoing musical history, but for the band themselves, this is where their own stunning history truly begins.

"They're the most exciting post-Franz band, with wit, style and memorable tunes, and are an awesome live act." --SoundsXP

"This is easily the fizziest C86-edged pop to bubble by for a while, with spiky Vic Godardesque tunes and vocal harmonies." --Spacelab.tv

"... possesses a refreshing air of vitality that actually sounds like the artists have made an effort to write a catchy tune rather than simply bludgeon the listener to death under a halo of white noise." --Drowned In Sound

30-second MP3 excerpts:

Bayonets
Flowers of Deceit
Footsteps
Plots are for Cemeteries
The Spoilsport's Retort
Looting Takes the Waiting Out of Wanting
A Terrible Souvenir
Turn U Over
6th Form Poet
On the Omnibuses
Sleepwalk to Me
The Waltzers

Purchase the download:

iTunes

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive titles available for download from the iTunes Music Service, emusic, and AmazonMP3, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

"Turn U Over" is taken from Bricolage's eponymous debut album, to be released on Slumberland in January 2009. It's a fresh and brilliant slice of modern pop that simultaneously recalls the Sound of Young Scotland thrills of Orange Juice and a more classic strain of 70s power-pop. Bursting with catchy melodies and chunky guitars, it's a perfect taster for one of the great pop albums of 2009. "Night Falls With Vertigo" here sees vinyl for the first time, and its glam-tinged rush marks this as no mere b-side. Quality timeless pop is the game here, and Bricolage are rapidly making a reputation for themselves as a band to keep your ears open for.

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for BRICOLAGE "Turn U Over"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service, emusic and Amazon MP3, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

The band has built up a rabid following playing way too many shows to count during the last six years, with bands like Love Is All, Vivian Girls, Tyvek, Japanther, The Apples In Stereo, Crystal Stilts, and many others. They've been championed in Brooklyn Vegan, Dusted, Pitchfork, and pretty much every place where savvy music fans trade notes about the newest singles. Using reverb as a weapon, caUSE co-MOTION! has honed their hyperactive sound into a formidable DIY pop lexicon. Dig their new language.

It's Time! neatly summarizes the history of caUSE co-MOTION! so far--a blast of pure pop energy and DIY sincerity for these all-too-knowing and ironic times. The fourteen songs race by in barely over twenty minutes, the compressed rush of melody, tunes, and crash-bang energy perfectly mirroring the hormonal frenzy of adolescence and young adulthood. The eagerness to communicate, if only for two minutes at a time. Classics like "This Time Next Year" and "Take a Look" have become mix-tape staples, and are joined by more recent missives like "Say What You Feel" and "Cry For Attention" in the canon of crash-pop. One cannot listen to tunes like these and not get up and dance, clap, and sing along. Go ahead, nobody is watching. We won't tell.

"caUSE co-MOTION! make frantic guitar rock sound just so pleasant. These guys have the goods to stick around for a while."
--Oh My Rockness

"... here are four guys doing it for themselves and their friends and for history. Promoting sweet times and smiles and togetherness should be on more bands' agendas."
--Dusted

30-second MP3 excerpts:

Only Fades Away
Baby Don't Do It
This Just Won't Last
This Time Next Year
Take A Look
Which Way Is Up?
Falling Again
Don't You Know?
Say What You Feel
When Will It Finally End?
Who's Gonna Care?
I Lie Awake
You Don't Say
Cry For Attention

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for caUSE co-MOTION "It's Time!"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service, emusic and Amazon MP3, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

"Because Because Because" begins a new chapter in the Cause Co-Motion! story. Recorded with Ladybug Transistor's Gary Olson at this Marlborough Farms studio, this six song EP tempers the band's frenetic attack with a more honed attention to arrangements and pace, and the relaxed approach gives singer/guitarist Arno space to turn in his best vocal performances yet. The songs are all top-drawer as well, and we fully expect the driving "Leave It All" and the Buddy Holly-esque "You Lose" to take their places in the Ca Co-Mo! pantheon of future classics.

Fired by a love of classic pop and a punkish devotion to short songs, eager tempos and enthusiasm-over-technique, Cause Co-Motion! have busted out of their native Brooklyn to garner a world-wide fanbase and critical acclaim from such respected organs of music opinion as Pitchfork, Under The Radar, Spin, Skyscraper, Exclaim and of course countless blogs. Because Because Because is further proof of Cause Co-Motion!'s mastery of exuberant, hooky garage pop, a ten minute blast of racket, reverb and energy that's as timeless as it is perfectly of-the-moment.

Purchase the download:

iTunes

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive titles available for download from the iTunes Music Service, emusic, and AmazonMP3, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

Like their previous records, I Lie Awake is produced to crash-boom-bang perfection by Tim Barnes (Rogers Sisters, Sonic Youth). A blazing chaos of jangle, clatter, and thump - busted strings and broken hearts. Hummable tunes to scratch that TVPs/Pastels/Comet Gain itch, with more than a dash of 14 Iced Bears and Desperate Bicycles in there too. Three doses of pure DIY pop pleasure, straight from the garage to your ears, feet and heart.

caUSE co-MOTION! have been playing at gigs and parties around NYC and across the country since 2002, sharing stages with folks like Love Is All, Tyvek and Vivian Girls while developing their unique sound and a rabid, enthusiastic group of fans. I Lie Awake might be their most concentrated blast yet, and is an ideal taster for the compilation CD featuring all of the bands singles, due out on Slumberland later this fall.

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for caUSE co-MOTION! "I Lie Awake"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service and emusic, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

Blue Genes is the first release from The Champagne Socialists and it's a pretty flawless statement of intent for this sharp new band comprised of Jihae Simmons Meek (singer for pop phenoms The Royal We) and Wallace Meek (vocals and guitar for Bricolage). Sparked by a catchy guitar riff and rama-lama drums, Blue Genes jumps from the speakers and heads straight for your feet, sure to pack the dancefloor and get you hand-clapping along with the chorus. It's a timeless sound: fuzzy riffs, pounding rhythms and tales of teenage love and lust. In other words - classic POP. Young Runways goes straight for a Shadow Morton vibe, kicked-off by a revving motorcycle and jumping into an updated slice of girl-group goodness that re-imagines the Shangri Las as they might have sounded playing at CBGBs in 1976. Clocking in at a perfectly-formed three minutes, Young Runways is brilliant power-pop for the '00s, with nods to Blondie and Shop Assistants along the way.

So, nothing less than an essential summer single from our new heroes The Champagne Socialists. Look for more great songs from them soon, and catch them on tour with label-mates The Pains of Being Pure At Heart in July.

From the mod-ish pogo of "Quality (Not Quantity)" to the angular "The Earnest Young Man Song" to the full-on near-hardcore of "Crabapples For Change" this great EP rushes along in a breathless blur, fuelled by lager, explosive tunes and a love of great pop. The band included members of The Frenchmen and Black Tambourine, and this single is sure to please all fans of scrappy punk-ish pop. All copies pressed on colored vinyl in a hand-stamped sleeve.

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for SCRABAPPLES "Crabapples for Change"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service and emusic, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

2007 and 2008 were busy for Crystal Stilts as well, with the band rounding out their line-up with bassist Andy Adler (The Ninjas) and drummer extraordinaire Frankie Rose (Vivian Girls), and playing a string of insane shows with the likes of The Clean and The Vaselines. Recently, Brooklyn's Woodsist label reissued the band's single and EP to acclaim from Pitchfork and Stereogum. Along the way, they've been working on the tracks for their eagerly anticipated debut album, taking time to ensure that each tune contributes just the right amount to the whole, a perfect album which realizes their distinctive music vision.

Alight of Night delivers on the promise of those early singles. There is an unmistakable flavor of The Velvet Underground to be had, but Crystal Stilts' spectral avant-garage also references the spooked '60s Texas psych of The 13th Floor Elevators and Red Crayola, the gothic blues/punk howl of The Gun Club, the dark, experimental DIYism of early Flying Nun/Xpressway groups Pin Group and Plagal Grind, and a post-punk minimalism that brings to mind early Rough Trade and Factory releases. A strong pop element brings to mind the buzzsaw bubblegum of early Jesus and Mary Chain B-sides and Meat Whiplash.

These are all just rough points of reference, though. From the twang 'n' echo of "Crystal Stilts" to the primal pop stomp of "Prismatic Room" and the lovely jangle of "Shattered Shine," the band adds something extra and unique to the mix, whether it's a fleeting dash of harmonica, a hypnotic organ line, or simply an amazing guitar sound. A unity of purpose is at work here, a special mood conjured by the sounds, production and sequence of songs that lifts Alight of Night into the realm of the classics and reveals new twists and turns on each listen.

30-second MP3 excerpts:

The Dazzled
Crystal Stilts
Graveyard Orbit
Prismatic Room
SinKing
Departure
Shattered Shine
Verdant Gaze
Bright Night
Spiral Transit
The City In The Sea

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for CRYSTAL STILTS "Alight of Night"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service, emusic and Amazon MP3, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

We're thrilled to be able to bring you this ace single, featuring two brand-new songs not to be found on their album. "Love Is A Wave" is a firm favorite of the band's live show, a perfect two-minute pop nugget in the best punk rock tradition. Fired by an insistent fast-strummed riff, an eager beat and barely-contained feedback, "Love Is A Wave" is an instant classic that stands tall with tunes like "Never Understand" and "I Heard Her Call My Name" in the noise-pop pantheon. B-side "Sugarbaby" is no slouch either, sounding for all the world like The Clean if they had been produced by Lee Hazlewood back in Arizona in the late 50s. With a spookily evocative keyboard line, breathless backing vocals and undistorted twang, "Sugarbaby" could be from 1959, or 1969, or 1989. But it's pure 2009, and another great example of how Crystal Stilts have managed to mine rock's past and create something entirely new and crucial for today.

"Crystal Stilts have created one of the most perfectly formed reconciliations of classic rock swagger and zoned dreampop."
--The Wire

"...one of the year's best albums..." --Brooklyn Vegan

30-second MP3 excerpts:

Love is a Wave
Sugar Baby

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for CRYSTAL STILTS "Love Is a Wave"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service and emusic, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the iTunes button immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to the iTunes Music Service page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music service, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the iTunes button immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to the iTunes Music Service page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music service, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

With the nine-song Survival Strategies, Liechtenstein not only delivers the spooky harmonies and loping basslines that earned their singles such critical attention, but they also stretch out into realms only hinted at before. The band not only gives Love Is All a run for their money in the Swedish post-punk revival department, but they can also fit right in alongside labelmates The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (not to mention "lost" bands of the C-86 era like Swiss buzzsaw-pop girl-group Chin Chin) in delivering manic pop thrills. Clocking in alongside the post-punk flavor of lead track "All at Once" and "White Dress," for example, comes the bubblegum sugar rush of "Roses in the Park." Liechtenstein also has more than angular post-punk tricks up their sleeve; they channel the naive-yet-proper Oxford charm of Talulah Gosh or The Carousel on songs like "Postcard" and "The End."

Mixing its '80s influences with a very fresh and contemporary enthusiasm, Survival Strategies in a Modern World packs so much excitement into less than 23 minutes that you will discover a new favorite song with every spin. At least, that is, until your sister sneaks into your room, snatches it (along with your Vivian Girls records and rare Mo-Dettes singles), and takes her own shot at indie stardom. Better buy two.

• 10" vinyl version comes with download code!

  30-second MP3 excerpts:

  All At Once
  Postcard
  Sophistication
  By Staying Here (We Will Slowly Disappear)
  Wallpaper Stripes
  Roses In The Park
  Reflections
  White Dress
  The End

  Purchase the download:

  iTunes

  For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive titles available for download from the iTunes Music Service, emusic, and AmazonMP3, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

As great as Grown-Ups is, Life Is Sweet, The Lodger's brand new full-length, ups the ante even further. More textural and varied thanits predecessor, Life Is Sweet is still filled with gorgeous melodies and catchy tunes, but is also deeper and more thoughtful, full of emotional peaks and valleys. Rather than just chip in with an album of "more of the same," the band has paid extra attention to the arrangements, with 12-string and acoustic guitars, lap steel, and violin adding crucial detail and depth to the tunes.

And what about the songs? These are easily the strongest batch of Lodger tunes yet. Opener "My Finest Hour" is an upbeat charmer that reminds one of The Pale Fountains, setting a wistful tone for the rest of the album. First single "The Good Old Days" is pure Sound of Young Scotland energy; with its scratchy riff, driving drums, sing-along chorus, and bouncing bass, it's bound to fill dancefloors for years to come. "Honey" is a beautiful country-tinged lament, and "A Year Since Last Summer" is pure guitar-pop pleasure, a two-minute tribute to the genius of The Housemartins.

And so it goes-- superb tune after superb tune, each one distinct from the others but together building Life Is Sweet into an assured example of the pop songwriter's and band's craft. It's a true classic-- a brilliantly written, produced, and sequenced album that reveals new facets and produces new favorites with each listen.

"Full of glittering gems, Grown-Ups is proof that the best things come in small packages. You won't hear a better album this year, we promise you that." --This Is Fake DIY

"Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2007" --Amazon.com

30-second MP3 excerpts:

My Finest Hour
The Good Old Days
Falling Down
Honey
The Conversation
A Hero's Welcome
A Year Since Last Summer
An Unwelcome Guest
Running Low
Nothing Left (To Say)
Famous Last Words

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for Lodger "Life is Sweet"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service and emusic, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music service, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music service, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the iTunes button immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to the iTunes Music Service page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music service, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music service, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

And now we have their brand new single in hand, and we think you'll agree that it's the most infectious blast of pop perfection you will hear all year. Taken from their forthcoming debut album (due in January 2009), "Everything With You" is a tidy distillation of all the great noise-pop precedents-- early MBV, House of Love, Pale Saints, Rocketship-- but with that incredible exuberance and energy that the Pains bring to every song. There is simply no such thing as a rote moment or lazily-delivered tune in their repertoire. Every song is delivered with pure conviction and unstoppable verve, the excitement of youth just rushing forth and sweeping the listener along.

This autumn is looking to be a mighty busy one for the Pains, with a tour of Sweden in September and December jaunt around the British Isles accompanying The Wedding Present. "Everything With You" and its anthemic b-side "The Pains of Being Pure At Heart" will be the sounds that you'll hear all fall, rocking the discos and blasting from iPods. The Pains are crafting noise pop gems that are timeless but completely NOW, and these two examples are all the proof you need that this is definitely a band to cherish.

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART, "Everything With You"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service and emusic, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

They have released a handful of singles on such classy labels Slumberland, Fortuna Pop!, Atomic Beat, and Cloudberry, each one issued to greater anticipation and even wilder reception. Critical acclaim has come from such varied quarters as Stereogum, Fader, Big Takeover, Indie Pages, Skatterbrain, Drowned In Sound, Indie-MP3, Clash Magazine, and countless others.

Following the band's ace "Everything With You" single and whirlwind Swedish tour, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart is an instant classic, packed with brilliantly executed pop gems that blend the rush of youthful enthusiasm with crafty arrangements, well-honed tunes and buckets of guitar racket. One instantly identifiable thing about a Pains record is the essential "rightness" of their tunes. They have captured the attention of pop fans around the world and raised anticipation levels for this album to a near-fever pitch.

Smashing tunes like "Come Saturday" and "Young Adult Friction" are classic, three-minute masterpieces that simply beg to be played on repeat. "Stay Alive" and "Gentle Sons" show the band can slow it down and still rock it, and "Hey Paul" is a brash a slice of noise-blast guitar pop. Handily transcending easy pigeonholes like "indie pop" and "indie rock," The Pains of Being Pure At Heart is just a great album that shows a smart young band fulfilling their potential and crafting a very convincing statement of purpose.

... pitch-perfect noise pop, sounding like it's 1991 all over again. Impenetrable fuzz and fey mannerisms? Check. Superchunk-like melody? You got it. Can't miss.
--Dusted

... just screams for continuous replay, as the catchy boy/girl harmonies wonderfully gel with the jangly, distorted guitars that echoes early My Bloody Valentine and Black Tambourine."
--Yellow Stereo

Scored an 8.4 on Pitchfork's "Best New Music" page last week!

Watch the "Everything With You" video at Pitchfork.tv

30-second MP3 excerpts:

Contender
Come Saturday
Young Adult Friction
This Love Is Fucking Right!
The Tenure Itch
Stay Alive
Everything With You
A Teenager In Love
Hey Paul
Gentle Sons

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART s/t

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service and emusic, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

"I think it's safe to say that even if POBPAH split tomorrow, people would still be talking about them and listening to their records for years to come. They're not an ordinary band, they're something special, something exciting, something to celebrate."
--Indie-MP3

"...addictive pop gold that locates a place beyond the band's well-chosen influences."
--Stereogum

30-second MP3 excerpts:

Young Adult Friction
Ramona

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART "Young Adult Friction"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service and emusic, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the iTunes button immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to the iTunes Music Service page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music service, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

A 2005 BBC session for Rob Da Bank's ONEmusic show was quickly followed by a fourth 7 track ep, "The June Bride," featuring guest appearances from Phil Wilson (The June Brides) and Alan Brown (Big Flame, Great Leap Forward, A Witness). Production work was once again handled with aplomb by Ant Chapman, noted for work with Bis, Spearmint and The Klaxxons.

In late 2006 all four EPs were collected onto a single album entitled The Completist's Library (Wrath Records, UK / HHBTM, USA) and the good reviews and radio play kept coming. And for good reason-- Sarandon offer a perfect picture of how to make relevant post-punk in the 21st century. Short, sharp tunes are pared down to their most essential elements-- a riff, a melody, a smart lyric. Never overstaying their welcome, Sarandon dispense with the unnecessary to focus on communication, bringing to mind the concision of groups like Wire, Big Flame, The Wolfhounds and Josef K. Yes, it's pop, but a biting and restless brand that recalls the diverse musical re-imaginings that were a signal feature of the first wave of post-punk DIY experimentalists.

Now its 2007. The group now consists of Crayola, Stephen Gilchrist (Graham Coxon, Charlotte Hatherley, The Fuses) on drums and Alan Brown on bass. This new ep, "Joe's Record" is a tribute to ex bass player Joe and features a guest appearance on Hammond Organ from Scritti Politti's Rhodri Marsden. It is Sarandon's first release on Slumberland. Could this label be Sarandon's natural home? The band certainly think so, and we do too.

What's been said:

"Britain's finest scratchy, abrasive indie-pop trio (circa C86, and not the Bob Stanley/Alan McGee twee/jangly/crap side of that comp either): formed in late 2003, listen to Wolfhounds, Bogshed, June Brides, Josef K, Big Flame, Shrubs, A Witness... "and they sound like none of the above," boasts the press release. Ridiculous! They sound exactly like all the above, and that's why I fucking love them so." - Everett True, Plan B

"More songs than any individual band deserves, Sarandon seem to chuck 'em out for fun." - Maps

"These boys are up there with the best. Top brit indie perfection." - Norman Records

"Sarandon aren't interested in the crap that surrounds a good song, but the key ingredients behind it. That's why each one of these songs is an irresistible blast of jangling, clattering post-punk. No waiting around for the chorus here. Thee whole song is a chorus." - Sandman

"If you prefer your rock & roll with a high IQ - then Sarandon may just be the eclectic combo for you." - Trakmarx

"An undeniable low-key genius." - The Wire

"Sarandon make Arctic Monkeys and Bromheads Jacket and their like sound positively radio fodder." - Artrocker

"Sarandon are awesome, like Big Flame fronted by Billy Childish." - Go Magazine

"The ultimate listen for those with drastically small attention spans, catchy as the flu, incredibly listenable and very, very short." - The Fly

"Pretty much essential." - Unpopular

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for Sarandon "Joe's Record"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service and emusic, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

Some points of comparison include Big Flame, The Minutemen, Bogshed, Fire Engines, and The Fall, and though Sarandon share musical DNA with those groups, they've forged their own path and unique sound. Crayola marries naggingly catchy tunes to corruscating blasts of guitar mayhem, combining the punchy, driving tunes with surprisingly memorable melodies and smart lyrics. It's pop, but possibly the angriest and most aggressive pop ever heard.

Kill Twee Pop! is the first fruit of a line-up consisting of Crayola, Tom Greenhalgh on drums, and ex-Big Flame/Great Leap Forward legend Alan Brown on bass. Brown and Greenhalgh are an incredibly tight and powerful rhythm section, providing Crayola with such a sure foundation that he's now letting the songs stretch out a bit-- one tune even breaking the three-minute barrier-- which is fitting as this is the first proper Sarandon album, and it shows them at their itchy, spiky, angular, aggressive, enthusiastic best.

From the chugging "Welcome" to the blues-by-way-of-The Birthday Party "The Completist's Library" to the insanely catchy "Mike's Dollar" and the croon-tastic "The Discotheque Is My Lover," this album is packed with great tunes, recalling the best of '80s post-punk and bringing it bang up-to-date with passion, humor and wit. Kill Twee Pop! is a call-to-arms for those tired of paint-by-the-numbers indie, a ration of passion in these cynical times, an antidote to your massive haircut, a soundtrack for your next dance party, an updated cubist pop manifesto.

"... an undeniable low-key genius." --The Wire

"These boys are up there with the best. Top brit indie perfection." --Norman Records

30-second MP3 excerpts:

Kill Twee Pop!
Welcome
Lippy
Remember Mavis?
The Completist's Library
Joe's Record
Very Flexible
Good Working Practice
Mike's Dollar
The Discotheque Is My Lover
Mark
Massive Haircut

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for Sarandon "Kill Twee Pop!"

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Featuring an impeccable pedigree with members of Velocity Girl, The Ropers, Tree Fort Angst and The Castaway Stones, the 'People effortlessly combine '60s folk-pop and soft-rock with power-pop and '80s jangle. Fan of such groups as Biff Bang Pow, Orange Juice, The Grass Roots and The Weather Prophets should feel right at home with the 'People's sweet sounds. The guitars clang and strum, Dan Searing's drums pop along and the stellar tunes put you in orbit. The song-writing is a particular high-point, fuelled by the complementary styles of frontmen Greg Pavlovcak and Terry Banks. The arrangements are full and effective, supplementing the standard band line-up with added percussion and piano. Bassist Archie Moore's production talents are in full evidence - this record sounds magnificent.

The Saturday People have developed a solid following over the last few years, releasing two great seven-inches and gigging up and down the East Coast with groups like The Clientele, Ladybug Transistor, and Aden and the Lucksmiths. The recent release of a split seven-inch with The Clientele has locked the 'People firmly within the hearts of the record-buying pop public.

• Classic tunes, great playing and infectious enthusiasm--The Saturday People have it all in spades
  
• Features members of Slumberland plushies Velocity Girl and The Ropers
  
• The Slumberland Commitment™ is your assurance of quality

  30-second RealAudio excerpts:

  No Matter Where You Are
  Find Out
  Upside-Down Girl
  Grace (Kinky On Your Leg Mix)
  Working for the Weekend
  That Settles That
  Slipping Through Your Fingertips
  The Man Without Qualities, Part II
  California Girls
  Sound of Yesterday
  Lullabye in the Rain
  Twilight Story
  The Man Without Qualities, Part I
  The Castle
  Ghost of a Chance

  If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the iTunes button immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to the iTunes Music Service page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

  

  For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music service, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

Someone once wrote this: "I don't know. Everything is kind of grossing me out right now but then there's one thing I've found that doesn't. They are friends. They are 3 guitars and one drum kit. They play songs that are fun and poppy but sad too. I heard they play naked but they wear shoes. I know they met in Glasgow but god knows where they are now. Together but apart. This is their first record. Sexy Kids."

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for SEXY KIDS "Sisters Are Forever"

Summer Cats play upbeat pop songs in a Stereolab-meets-Go-Betweens style, replete with distorted keyboards, feedback guitars, and hook-laden basslines, all accompanied by Scott Stephens' distinctive vocals. They are best played loud, in your bedroom, while your parents are out. The Melbourne five-piece not only writes addictive pop songs with just a hint of '60s garage edge--catchy numbers like "Super" and "Lonely Planet"--they also know their indie pop history. Nowhere is this more evident than on stand-out mid-album tracks like the boy-girl duet "In June," which could easily be the best Velocity Girl or Earthmen song of 2009, and the jangle-pop of "Wild Rice," which recalls the folky early-'90s Rhode Island indie scene of Slumberland faves Small Factory and Honeybunch. This side of Songs for Tuesdays brings back the feeling of the Just a Taste compilation, the label's classic collaboration with another Australian indie powerhouse, Summershine Records.

None of which, of course, is to suggest that Summer Cats are looking backward. They have already shared sides of wax with similar modern-day pop groups like Eux Autres and labelmates The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and are set to keep the momentum going with the upbeat, danceable 33 minutes of fun that is Songs for Tuesdays. It's sure to be another bumper year for the band.

30-second MP3 excerpts:

Let's Go
Hey You, It's Me (Oh My)
Super
Fulton Girls
In June
Wild Rice
Christopher Wren
Maybe Pile
Lonely Planet
Camel Cords
Waking Up
St. Tropez
Paperweight

Summer Cats play upbeat pop songs in a Stereolab-meets-Go-Betweens style, replete with distorted keyboards, feedback guitars, and hook-laden basslines, all accompanied by Scott Stephens' distinctive vocals. They are best played loud, in your bedroom, while your parents are out. The Melbourne five-piece not only writes addictive pop songs with just a hint of '60s garage edge--catchy numbers like "Super" and "Lonely Planet"--they also know their indie pop history. Nowhere is this more evident than on stand-out mid-album tracks like the boy-girl duet "In June," which could easily be the best Velocity Girl or Earthmen song of 2009, and the jangle-pop of "Wild Rice," which recalls the folky early-'90s Rhode Island indie scene of Slumberland faves Small Factory and Honeybunch. This side of Songs for Tuesdays brings back the feeling of the Just a Taste compilation, the label's classic collaboration with another Australian indie powerhouse, Summershine Records.

None of which, of course, is to suggest that Summer Cats are looking backward. They have already shared sides of wax with similar modern-day pop groups like Eux Autres and labelmates The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and are set to keep the momentum going with the upbeat, danceable 33 minutes of fun that is Songs for Tuesdays. It's sure to be another bumper year for the band.

30-second MP3 excerpts:

Let's Go
Hey You, It's Me (Oh My)
Super
Fulton Girls
In June
Wild Rice
Christopher Wren
Maybe Pile
Lonely Planet
Camel Cords
Waking Up
St. Tropez
Paperweight

Ranging from the baroque '60s pop of opener "Catherine Says" to the up-tempo C86-flavored indie-pop of "Languor In The Balcony" to the '79-style punk of "The Train #2" and the late-night loneliness of "Unfinished Paintings," How I Learned To Write Backwards expertly winds together so many strands of pop history with such personality, atmosphere and style that there's never any doubt that you're listening to a band with vision. Far from being a "name the reference" game, The Aislers use the past as inspiration rather than a blueprint, so the echoes you might hear of, say, Phil Spector's wall of sound or Laura Nyro's soulful lyricism are so well integrated that they're more akin to the spice in the stew rather than the stock of the soup.

The undisputed greatness of The Aislers Set has won them a rabid following, and they count as fans and tour-mates such diverse groups as Belle & Sebastian, Black Dice, The Gossip and Sleater-Kinney. Excellent press has come from all corners of media-land, from The Village Voice and Spin to Chickfactor and Big Takeover. They were very well received on their UK and Swedish tours last spring, and their session for the BBC's John Peel has been aired several times due to popular demand. Where The Last Match succeeded on all levels, How I Learned To Write Backwards is even stronger and looks set to reach even more people, more ears, more places.

• CD released by Suicide Squeeze - doh!
  
• Seductive melding of vintage US / UK indie sounds with Spectoresque production
  
• A favorite band of many who should know

  If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the iTunes button immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to the iTunes Music Service page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

  

  For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music service, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

The Last Match is even more ambitious in conception, upping the ante even farther into more orchestral areas. While the songs are still driving and catchy as a fish hook, the arrangements are far more sophisticated, with instrumentation augmented by a full-time organ player and various horns, giving the tunes the timeless feel of classic groups like the early Bee Gees, the Zombies and The Millenium.

This brilliant exercise in pop science easily skirts the retro-copyism of many '60s disciples through its sheer songwriting power and the originality of the ideas. Tracks like "The Last Match" and "Bang Bang Bang" are bold new benchmarks, their influences being completely subsumed into Amy's distinctive vision. The band's other songwriter, Wyatt, also does himself proud with his contributions, especially the plaintive "Lonely Side of Town."

Still preferring to record in the garage where they are allowed unlimited time for experimentation, the band has had no problem crafting an amazing sounding album that could have sprung fully-formed from the hallowed studios of Gold Star. This is no murky lo-fi production, but a fully rounded and rich-sounding recording with a warm, analog sound. Between the peerless songs, the clever arranging and the ingenius production, The Last Match is a golden moment for fans of pop, and should cement the band's reputation as a key pop band.

• Bold, confident synthesis of mod, pop, punk, indie and oldie

• Puncture and Chickfactor have already committed to feature articles on the band-- what are you waiting for?

  Download a free MP3 :

  The Last Match

  Streaming MP3 (high-bandwidth connections only):

  The Last Match

  30-second RealAudio excerpts:

  The Way to Market Station
  Hit the Snow
  Chicago New York
  One Half Laughing
  Been Hiding
  Balloon Song
  Lonely Side of Town
  Last Match
  Christmas Song
  The Walk
  The Red Door
  Fairnt Chairnt
  We Give Up
  Bang Bang Bang

  If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the iTunes button immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to the iTunes Music Service page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

  

  For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music service, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

Upbeat A-side "Happy Matt" will have you frugging in no time, throwing more shapes on the dancefloor than the Ace Face himself. On the flip, "I Was A Boy" Matt sings oh-so-sweetly while Stew pummels his drum kit into submission; midway through the song bursts into a complete feedback frenzy, going all red with purple flashes. Two ace tunes to end your summer, all wrapped up in colored vinyl and a hand-screened transparent sleeve.

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for THE HOW "Happy Matt"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service and emusic, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

First in a series of split singles. The Company is Roy Moller (noted Glasgow popster), Gary Thom and Stevie Jackson (Belle 7 Sebastian). "Join The Dots" foot-stomping, hand-clapping glam pop of the highest order.

The Hermit Crabs are a folk-pop band from Glasgow with a string of popular releases on Matinee.

Both songs are exclusive. Full color sleeve, color vinyl, etc.

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads forV/A "Searching For The Now Vol. 1"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service and emusic, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

Bye! is Archie Moore from Velocity Girl and Saturday People, his contribution is a great slice of Spectorian power pop. The Happy Couple were a German group who released a handful of exceptional singles. their contribution is an elegant piece of St Etienne-meets-Northern Picture Library electronic pop.

Both songs are exclusive. Full color sleeve, color vinyl, etc

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for V/A "Searching For The Now Vol. 2"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service and emusic, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

"Sometimes I Think About You" is a striking re-think of a classic tune from Scots pop legends The Pastels, and points to a very interesting 2008 for A Sunny Day In Glasgow.

The Sunny Street is a pop duo based in London, but comprised of two quite talented French folks: Remi and Delphine, both of whom are also in Electrophoenvintage. Taking their musical cues from such touchstones as New Order, Felt, Brighter and Trembling Blue Stars, they started The Sunny Street in 2006 after moving to London. Their sound is captivating and melancholic, capturing the fragile and haunting feelings that go along with love and life.

Their 2007 album They Hurt You Everyday on Sweden's Lavender label is a real treat, a gentle swoon of acoustic guitars and the most hushed of vocals, wrapped around tunes that really stick in the head. It's one of our favorites from last year and we hope only the beginning for this pair.

"Pottery & Glass" is previously unreleased and an excellent introduction to the sublime charms of The Sunny Street.

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for V/A "Searching For The Now Vol. 3"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service and emusic, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

Over the course of a self-released EP, a limited 3" cd single and one-half of a split 7", The Pains have demonstrated an absolute mastery of noise/jangle pop, their songs being a perfect distillation of classic pop melody and thrilling, rushing guitar noise that has taste-making blogs like Stereogum, Skatterbrain and Drowned In Sound tripping over themselves in search of superlatives. Now joined by drummer Kurt, The Pains proudly bring you "Come Saturday," a new tune exclusive to this single and sure to become the sound track of your summer. Keep an eye out for their album later in 2008 on Slumberland.

Summer Cats are a five piece pop band from Melbourne, Australia. Like most people from Melbourne, they spend their time either: a) enjoying summer or b) waiting for summer to arrive. Musically they are something of a cross between Stereolab and the Go-Betweens, blending driving motorik pop with catchy songcraft.

They've released a series of singles and EPs that have caused quite a buzz in the international pop underground, and with positive reviews appearing in places like Pitchfork and Popmatters and more singles coming soon it's clear that Summer Cats are going to have a big summer.

"Let's Go!" is exclusive to this single and it's giddy, distorted rush is downright infectious, the song blazing by at 100mph leaving you breathless from shouting along and jumping around the living room. Pure pop power!

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for V/A "Searching For The Now Vol. 4"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service and emusic, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

Following the dissolution of the June Brides, Phil released a handful of solo singles on Creation and Caff, then, soured on the music business, he retired. His legend has only grown though, with bands as diverse as the Manic Street Preachers, Belle and Sebastian, The Aislers Set and Franz Ferdinand citing Phil and the Brides as important influences. And now the silence is broken, and Slumberland is quite pleased to bring you Phil's Industrial Strength double-7-inch EP.

As a path to getting back into songwriting, Phil has decided to learn other people's songs, "pulling them apart, seeing how they worked and putting them back together in the wrong order." Industrial Strength is the first fruit of those experiments. Recording at home, totally solo, using acoustic guitars, mandolin and banjo, Phil has re-worked four songs from Throbbing Gristle, Kraftwerk, Faust and contemporary German band S/T.

While guitar folk/pop and experimental rock might not seem like the most obvious combination, Phil has dug deep to expose the melodic roots of these songs. The layered acoustic instruments and skeletal programmed beats lay down a mesmerizing drone-folk groove, and the result is a wonderful, hypnotic record that reveals fresh nuances on each listen. It's a very auspicious new beginning for Mr. Wilson that points to more fascinating music yet to come.

If you have a recent version of iTunes software on your computer, clicking on the link immediately below should open the iTunes application and take you to that album's iTunes page-- where you can listen to samples and buy this album, or individual tracks:

Go to iTunes to browse downloads for PHIL WILSON "Industrial Strength"

For a complete listing of Midheaven exclusive albums available for download from the iTunes Music Service, emusic and Amazon MP3, please visit the Midheaven Mailorder/Revolver USA Downloadables page.

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