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Saturday, February 05, 2005Song Of the Day: February 6, 2005The Donuts-She May Be Your Girl 45, 1980 Great power pop 45 of unknown origin, no information on the sleeve, internet research proved fruitless. The only lead is the phrase "produced by Tchad Blake." Could this have been a Pacific Northwest band? 
Friday, February 04, 2005Song Of the Day: February 5, 2005One of the weird blips on the indie radar in the early 90s was the brief re-emergence of the Postcard label. The Scottish indie, famous for releasing the works of Orange Juice, Josef K, Aztec Camera, and the Go-Betweens and generally spoken about in hushed, reverent tones started re-issuing some of the Orange Juice material. There was a singles comp called The Heather's On Fire, a re-issue of the "Blueboy" 45, and something called Ostrich Churchyard, recordings which would have made up the band's first LP had they not left for Polydor. Recorded live at the Hellfire Club in Glasgow, this take with it's brilliantly snotty guitar break, is to me preferable to the glossier version on their Rip It Up LP. Postcard then seemed to disappear as quickly as it had surfaced. Maybe we'll get that complete Postcard singles CD/double LP at some point... 
Thursday, February 03, 2005Song Of the Day: February 4, 2005The Late Show-I Won't Play the Clown From the LP Portable Pop Rave Records, 1982 Apparently a reissue of this LP is coming, hardly surprising given the amount of interest it receives on eBay. (Here is a good link for keeping up to date on such matters.) Good thing too, as my vinyl is a little noisy. Most of the Midwestern power-pop bands of the era were caught in the whipsaw between wanting to play Beatles/Byrds/Costello-derived "new wave" and having to have a Journey/REO Speedwagon AOR bent in order to find work. Obviously the records that work best are the ones that avoid the latter as much as possible, and that's why power pop fans like The Late Show so much. Plenty of Rickenbacker jangle and harmonies, but the guitar player does not take long solos, and the lead singer does not sound like a cokehead studio hack recording a jingle for shock absorbers. One of the best US indie power pop LPs, along with the Heats, the Scruffs, the Wind, the Toms...what am I missing?  Wednesday, February 02, 2005Song Of the Day: February 3, 2005British teens who released four singles between 1979-81. We like 'em all, but "Scab," the kitty who lives across the street and wears a leather jacket and fishes through our recycling for not-quite-empty beer bottles says that this one is the best. Okay then. The Stiffs' stuff is rounded up nicely on a compilation CD on Captain Oi Records. According to their website, they're still active as of 2004. 
Tuesday, February 01, 2005Song Of the Day: February 2, 2005More state-of-the-art guitar pop from Australia, Adelaide division. The band's name was later shortened to The Mad Turks, and then later lengthened again to The Icecream Hands, under which name they still function.  Monday, January 31, 2005Song Of the Day: February 1, 2005The Dead C-Bad Politics From the Xpressway Records EP "The Sun Stabbed," 1988. The last weeks as brinkmanship. The last argument as Mutual Assured Destruction. The aftermath as nuclear winter. Now step out into the cold grey world and look at the ruins. One of the best breakup songs ever. 
Sunday, January 30, 2005Song of the Day: January 31, 2005From Sight and Sound, Heyday records CD, 1993 A look at Chris Von Sneidern's website will give you an idea of exactly how much material this dedicated craftsman has released over the years, and he has always demonstrated an enviable consistency and timelessness. This track from his first album remains a favorite. CVS' wistful pop daydreams often seem more influenced by 70s lite-rockers like Bread than by punk, but he does crank up the volume frequently. The sleeve shown was an advance item released to promote the LP. 
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About Me
The editorial staff of Little Hits: From left to right, that's Shamrock J. Cat, Casey, and Mickey. Little Hits does not intend to deprive artists and labels of revenue; it is instead hoped that the music presented on this site will contribute to interest that will eventually lead to legitimate re-issue of the works of the artists represented, or wider recognition of already available releases. If you have legal rights to any of the songs presented here, and wish to have them removed, I will attempt to dazzle you with the speed and abject humility of my compliance. Previous Posts
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