Various - The Sound Of Leamington Spa Volume 4

  by Tommy Gunnarsson

published: 18 / 5 / 2005

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I have said it before, and I will say it again: thank you Firestation, Clarendon and Billberry Records for this compilation series! Ever since the first volume of 'The Sound of Leamington Spa' compilations came out a few years ago, they have been a regular source of great new discoveries of the English indiepop scene of the 80’s and 90’s. And the more records they put out, the more obscure the bands are. On the first instalment, we could enjoy such brilliant bands such as the Man from Delmonte, the Pooh Sticks, the Siddeleys and Wishing Stones, but on the following three albums, there have been less and less bands known to me. Now we have reached the fourth instalment, and just like the last one, there are both ups and downs. To be frank, I am a bit fed up of the “classic British indiepop sound” of the 80’s, with everyone just trying to be as distorted as possible while not being too punky, or too monotone for their own good. But even though there are several bands like that on this CD, we have just as many very good acts that certainly deserved a better faith. Among those are 35 Summers, the Nivens (one of the few bands here that I have heard before, and I like them a lot!), the Marteens, the Apple Moths (with a charming, hammering drum machine) and the Williams (with a song that sounds like it was recorded in a closet). The weirdest contribution here must be Explained Emma’s song 'When My Heart Rings', which would be more suitable on a jazz compilation. Maybe they tried to make a cross between Curiosity Killed The Cat and Matt Bianco, and if so, they succeeded quite well, but it’s not my cup of tea, I’m afraid. All in all, this is a very good part of the ever growing Leamington Spa series, and it is great news that the fifth is already on it’s way. Exciting!

Track Listing:-

1 The Clouds - Get Out Of My Dreams;
2 The Submarines - I Saw The Children;
3 Decoy Avenue - Gone Native;
4 Candy Darlings - That's Where Caroline Lives;
5 35 Summers - Really Down;
6 The Nivens - Yesterday;
7 The Minnows - Time Flies;
8 The Marteens - First Kiss;
9 Hellfire Sermons - The Best Laugh I Ever Had;
10 The Bridge - Shame Is A Girl;
11 The Apple Moths - Everything;
12 The Williams - I Know I'm Nothing Special To You;
13 Johnny Says Yeah! - Waiting Here For Me;
14 Dislocation Dance - He's The Man;
15 The Church Grims - Plaster Saint;
16 Beethoven's Kiss - The Wonder Of You;
17 Nautical William - Love House;
18 Explained Emma - When My Heart Rings;
19 The Days - Audrey's Curtains;
20 Wake Up Afrika - Walking Blind

Label Links:-

http://www.firestation-records.de/
https://www.facebook.com/firestationrecords
https://www.youtube.com/user/FirestationRecords/videos

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Adam Coxon
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Benjamin Howarth
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