I always keep my ears open and try to discover new fresh sounds. This compilation is kind of perfect: it’s variegated and full of good material. It’s not called HPSTR GEMS for no reason! Responsible for this and other great releases is the DIY label Spirit Goth from Los Angeles. There’s lots of great stuff worth checking out. What are you waiting for?
Autor: SZ
Auteurs & Amateurs
In der heutigen Ausgabe geht es um zwei künstlerische Ansätze, die auf den ersten Blick wenig gemein haben und sich doch sehr ähnlich sind: Ein Auteur, wie man ihn aus der französischen Filmtheorie kennt, leistet nicht weniger als ein visionäres Gesamtkunstwerk. Die verschiedenen Produktionsschritte liegen idealerweise in einer Hand, von der Musik über die Aufnahmeleitung bis hin zum Plattencover. Dahingegen fühlt sich der Amateur vor allem dem DIY-Ethos verpflichtet. Doch auch er kann in Eigenregie für ein möglichst originelles Endprodukt sorgen, aus dem die persönliche künstlerische Handschrift spricht. Was sie unterscheidet: vor allem das Selbstbild.
| Artist | Track | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Lord Youth | Plastic Bombs | BB*Island |
| The Vernes | Fcking Drones | thevernes.bandcamp.com |
| Tim Cohen | John Hughes | Sinderlyn |
| Andrew Morgan | Please Kid, Remember | Pretty Olivia |
| Emily Millard | Hourglass | Greywood Records |
| Laetitia Sadier | Love Captive | Drag City |
| Happy Sadness | Rolling My Eyes Again | happysadness.bandcamp.com |
| Hood | You Show No Emotion At All | Domino |
| Amateur | Virgin Hymn | LootBag |
| Girl Ray | Stupid Things | Moshi Moshi |
| Dazy Crown | Peanut Butter Dreaming | Hazy Dog Records |
| The Courtneys | Silver Velvet | Flying Nun |
| The Man From Managra | Because of You | Inner Ear Records |
| The Fisherman | Girl With The Blue Eyes | thefisherman.bandcamp.com |
| Le SuperHomard | Mister Corn | Jigsaw Records |
| The Cake | Under The Tree Of Love & Laughter | Rev-Ola |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Everywheres | Dignity Fever | theeverywheres.bandcamp.com |
| Eric Matthews | Next Ghost | Lo-Fidelity Records |
| Swooning | Love Song for a Friend | swooning.bandcamp.com |
| GRNDMS | Observation Satellites | Fox Food Records |
| Snails | Jennifer Jones | snails.bandcamp.com |
| State Broadcasters | Break My Fall | Olive Grove |
| Beach Beach | Scrolling Down | La Castanya |
| The Auteurs | Show Girl | Virgin |
| Francois & The Atlas Mountains | Tendre Est l'Ame | Domino |
| Lilys | Claire Hates Me | Frontier |
| Shelf Life | Speed Trap | shelflifemusic.bandcamp.com |
| Manuela | Cracks In The Concrete | Lost Map / Schamoni Musik |
| Lusterlit | Flight (inspired by Jonathan Lethem) | lusterlit.bandcamp.com |
| Odessey & Oracle | The Cat with Lipstick | Folkwit Records |
| Modern Studies | Dive Bombing | Song, by Toad |
| Bendith | Dan Glo (Fersiwn) | bendith.bandcamp.com |
Lipstick Traces
Am Anfang stand ein Mix-Tape, das sich meine kleine Nichte gewünscht hatte, mit tanzbarer Musik und weiblichen Stimmen. Daraus resultierte der Plan für eine Golden Glades-Ausgabe, die sich mit Frauen in der Musik befassen sollte, aber bitte abseits der altbekannten Lady-Pop und Riot Grrrl-Pfade. Trotzdem gibt es in dieser Sendung mitunter schwere Gitarren und eindeutige Statements zu hören, denn ganz egal, wie man es dreht: das Musikbusiness ist nach wie vor in männlicher Hand – und folglich werden Künstlerinnen nicht müde, sich mit Genderfragen zu beschäftigen, auf eigene und clevere Art, darunter Sally Seltman, Tennis und Ghost Thoughts.
| Artist | Track | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Gold Motel | Perfect In My Mind | Good As Gold |
| Rose Elinor Dougall | Colour Of Water | self-released |
| Social Studies | Time Bandit (rmx) | Antenna Farm |
| Peaness | Same Place | Odd Box |
| Sally Seltmann | I Will Not Wear Your Wedding Ring | Lojinx |
| Crying | Wool In The Wash | Run For Cover |
| Little Scream | Love As a Weapon | Merge |
| Femme | Fever Boy | Tape Music |
| Au Revoir Simone | Crazy | Moshi Moshi |
| Tennis | Ladies Don't Play Guitar | Mutually Detrimental |
| Saint Etienne | Nothing Can Stop Us | Heavenly |
| Sarah Cracknell | Underneath the Stars | Cherry Red |
| Molly Burch | Torn to Pieces | Captured Tracks |
| Novella | Change of State | Sinderlyn |
| Sacred Paws | Wet Graffiti | Rock Action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hand Habits | All The While | Woodsist |
| Steady Holiday | Under the Influence | Infinite Best |
| Stereolab | Cybele's Reverie | Elektra |
| Laetitia Sadier | Deep Background | Drag City |
| Emily Millard | As A Cloud | Greywood Records |
| Gwenno | Patriarchaeth | Heavenly |
| Alice Jemima | Electric | Sunday Best |
| Samantha Crain | Oh Dear Louis | Full Time Hobby |
| Arrah and the Ferns | Bound By Something | arrahandtheferns.bandcamp.com |
| Camera Obscura | Do It Again | 4AD |
| Girlpool | 123 | Anti-Record |
| Partner | Comfort Zone | You've Changed Rec. |
| Jay Som | The Bus Song | Double Denim Records |
| Ghost Thoughts | Everyone Dies Alone | Jigsaw |
| Binoculers | Saturate The Darkness | Insular |
| Wolf Girl | Moody | Odd Box |
Snails
This quintet from Bristol is a lovely, slightly eccentric and sincere affair with songs about people like Olivia, Masie, Jessica and Anthony. The music is playful, but not plain – some songs are melancholic, but never too sad. A broad range of instruments like trumpet, organ, cello and flute are cleverly arranged, sometimes folky with a psychedelic twist. In these moments it’s hard to deny the influence of British psych-pop. The other reference is early Belle & Sebastian in songs like the title track Safe in Silence, but the effortless and charming way of Snails makes sure to have all your pop hearts melting.
Frühjahrsputz
Es gibt Dinge, die mit passender musikalischer Begleitung um einiges leichter von der Hand gehen: Aufräumen und Putzen zum Beispiel. Wem bislang für den alljährlichen Frühjahrsputz der rechte Antrieb fehlte, erhält heute musikpsychologisch fundierte Unterstützung. Spoon und Jens Lekman laden zum fröhlichen Schrubben in mitunter hochfrequenter Taktung ein.
| Artist | Track | Label |
|---|---|---|
| The Clean | Billy Two | Flying Nun |
| Spoon | Hot Thoughts | Matador |
| Danny de la Matyr | Lines | Pretty Olivia |
| Those Pretty Wrongs | I'm For Love | Ardent Music |
| Papernut Cambridge | The Alex Chilton Song | papernutcambridge.bandcamp.com |
| Big Star | Watch The Sunrise | Ardent Music |
| Kane Strang | Oh So You're Off I See | kanestrang.bandcamp.com |
| Jons | In The Yard | jawns.bandcamp.com |
| Triptides | Clementine | Croque Macadam |
| Divisionists | Say Can You | divisionists.bandcamp.com |
| Peaness | Seafoam Islands | peanessband.bandcamp.com |
| Dan the Man | Not as Far as It Looks | Bright Antenna Records |
| One Sentence. Supervisor | Oh! What An Empire | Oh, Sister |
| Björn Magnusson | TV Lights | Specter Fix Press |
| Jon McKiel | Unknown Source | You've Changed Rec. |
| Michael Nau | Good Thing | Full Time Hobby |
| Trimdon Grange Explosion | Christians' Silver Hell | borleyrectory.bandcamp.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Missing Season | Run On | Le Disques Normal |
| Girl Ray | Trouble | girlray.bandcamp.com |
| Gentle Brent | The Lonely One | Jigsaw Records |
| The Pinecones | It's Always On Her Mind | thepinecones.bandcamp.com |
| The Feelies | Gone, Gone, Gone | Bar/None Records |
| Real Estate | Stained Glass | Domino |
| Brent Cash | Dim Light | Marina Records |
| Andrew Morgan | As Long As We're Together | Pretty Olivia |
| The Vernes | The Curious Cat's Eyes | thevernes.bandcamp.com |
| Jens Lekman | How We Met The Long Version | Secretly Canadian |
| Temples | (I Want To Be Your) Mirror | Heavenly |
| Froth | Passing Thing | Wichita |
| Spiral Stairs | Dundee Man | Domino |
| Christiane Rösinger | Eigentumswohnung | Staatsakt |
Swooning
This one’s very special: I like how every song is built around the human voice as a musical instrument. With their multi-layered harmonies and loops, Michele Finkelstein and Briana Marela aka Swooning create nothing but enchanting moments and an overall sense of warmth and creativity. Some tracks tap into the tradition of doo-wop music, but in the first place it all sounds pretty unique and dedicated.
Andrew Morgan
Apparently there’s quite a lot to discover from this gifted artist, I’m just beginning with his album Please Kid, Remember. It’s a collection of heart-melting chamber-pop, reminding us of forgotten sounds and beauty. Every song is filled with clever ideas, accompanied by interludes. Some might say that it sounds old-fashioned – but only in a good way! This is an astonishing, beautiful album. Re-released by the spanish pop-connoisseurs Pretty Olivia Records.
Unsolved Mysteries
Wieso wurde die Popmusik nicht schon längst begraben? Weshalb enden manche Songs als Ohrwurm, auch wenn man sie gar nicht leiden kann? Warum gibt es keine wasserdichte Pop-Formel mit Hitgarantie? Diese und andere cold cases stehen heute bei Golden Glades zur Wiedervorlage an. Lösungen können wir keine versprechen, wohl aber einen schönen Mix, der den Pop-Mysterien auf der Spur bleibt.
| Artist | Track | Label |
|---|---|---|
| The Perfect Kiss | Broadcast (From You To Me) | Elefant |
| First Base | If I See You With That Girl Again | latidarecords.bandcamp.com |
| Gentle Brent | Never Wanna Make You Cry | Jigsaw Records |
| Julien Baer | Roi de l'underground | Le Pop Musik |
| Forever Calypso | Bungalows | Croque Macadam |
| Hong Kong In The 60s | Diaryland | hongkonginthe60s.com |
| Tennis | In The Morning I'll Be Better | Mutually Detrimental |
| King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard | Sleep Drifter | Heavenly |
| Tall Tall Trees | A Place to Call Your Own | Joyful Noise |
| Rose Elinor Dougall | Take Yourself With You | self-released |
| Magnetic Fields | '88 Ethan Frome | Nonesuch |
| Lusterlit | List of Equipment | lusterlit.bandcamp.com |
| Merk | I'm Easy | merkscoolsongs.bandcamp.com |
| Harry Mud | My Heart Wins The Race | ussb.bandcamp.com |
| Balduin | Mirror, Mirror | Sunstone |
| Starwheel | Through My Window | starwheel.bandcamp.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever | French Press | Sub Pop |
| Temples | Mystery Of Pop | Heavenly |
| The Paperhead | The True Poet | Trouble In Mind |
| CaStLeS | Ffrwydriadau o Deimladau | castlesband.bandcamp.com |
| Steady Holiday | Superstar | Infinite Best |
| Carpenters | Superstar | A&M Records |
| Greek Theatre | Still Lost Out At Sea | Sugarbush Records |
| Happy Sadness | Alone | happysadness.bandcamp.com |
| Hand Habits | In Between | Woodsist |
| Ben Reed | Maniac Man | Gare Du Nord Records |
| Andy Reed | The Criminal | You Are The Cosmos |
| The Legal Matters | The Cool Kid | Omnivore |
| Frontier Ruckus | Gerunds | Loose Music |
| Nadia Reid | Richard | Basin Rock |
Happy Sadness
Listen carefully with your headphones on, and it’s easy to get lost in these tracks. Happy Sadness knows pretty well how to create contemplative moments with his floating textures and warm compositions. Sometimes it’s like a soothing soundtrack that tells stories without words. But as well we have a few songwriter-based tracks where Jason Andrew Brown (multimedia artist and the man behind Happy Sadness) gets very close to you with his voice. In these tracks he shows his real quality as a versatile musician.
The Fisherman
All frequent listeners of Golden Glades know by now, that the world is full of talented bedroom producers. Here’s a wonderful project hailing from Nafpaktos in Greece: Tony Panou alias The Fisherman. He calls himself an amateur, but I think he’s just being modest because he obviously has a knack for timeless melodies!