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Chime School

The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel

    Guided by San Francisco musician Andy Pastalaniec, Chime School pays homage to the formative jangle of The Byrds by way of early Primal Scream and The Springfields; the production and pop sensibility of Biff Bang Pow! and The Razorcuts; and the spirit of great singles labels like Creation, Postcard and Sarah - Although it would have fit with any of those labels, Chime School found a natural home with Bay Area indie stalwart Slumberland Records, releasing a self-titled debut in 2021, and a follow-up 7" single in 2023, to broad acclaim.

    The anticipated follow-up LP "The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel" is as stellar as we could have hoped for -- deeper, richer and evolved in every way. While still joyfully packed with janglepop gems, "Paisley Hotel" takes a turn toward the winsome melancholy of groups like East Village, The Go-Betweens, and The Loft, and represents a leap forward in production, composition and arrangement. "The first record was a bit manic. I was trying to stuff so many years of influences into thirty brisk minutes. With 'Paisley Hotel' I chose a more condensed

    TRACK LISTING

    The End
    Why Don't You Come Out Tonight?
    Give Your Heart Away
    Another Way Home
    Words You Say
    Wandering Song
    Say Hello
    Desperate Days
    (I Hate) The Summer Sun 
    Negative Monday
    Points Of Light

    Peel Dream Magazine

    Modern Meta Physic

      Joe Stevens' Peel Dream Magazine project has been turning heads and catching ears since late 2017 - Stevens is a brilliant writer and arranger and something of a pop scholar; steeped in the history of everything from 60s sunshine pop to 70s kosmische groove to 90s shoegaze and beyond, every Peel Dream album explores new territory and illuminates new corners of Stevens' roving interest

      The story began with Peel Dream Magazine's debut album Modern Meta Physic, which immediately garnered intense interest from music heads attuned to the sounds of artists like Broadcast, Neu!, Steve Reich & Grouper. 2020 brought Agitprop Alterna and its companion EP Moral Panics, records that assimilated shoegaze textures, but put them in service of sharp tunes and a Stereolab- like attention to space age detail. Most recently the band has struck out in new directions with Pad - an album that looks back affectionately at 60s baroque pop, full of sunshine, swing and sophistication.After some time spent out- of- print thanks to ongoing vinyl production delays, we're very happy to bring you this fresh new pressing of Modern Meta Physic, this time on beautiful yellow & black splatter vinyl. With the recent release of Pad it's a perfect time to reassess this terrific record and restock the Peel Dream catalog.

      TRACK LISTING

      Qi Velocity
      Shenandoah
      Art Today
      Wood Paneling
      Anorak
      Living Room
      Levitating Between 2 Chords
      Deetjen's
      Fires
      Due To Advances In Modern Tourism
      Interiors
      Upper Body Calaesthetics
      Don't Pick Up Slackers

      East Village

      Hotrod Hotel

        East Village are one of the great lost bands. Along with other legendary bands like Big Star and The Action, who also failed to fully stamp their mark whilst active, East Village made pop music that was timeless, but out-of-step with the musical environment around them. From their mid-80s roots as Episode Four to their late-80s heyday with a string of now highly sought-after singles and EPs on labels like Sub Aqua, Heavenly and Summershine, East Village forged a brilliant, classic sound that resonated with contemporaries like the Flying Nun and Creation label bands, but also hearkened back to 60s influences like The Byrds, Dylan and Velvet Underground. Just as their star was rising they dissolved on-stage in the spring of 1991, but their legend has only grown. A posthumous album, "Drop Out," is now hailed as a classic of its genre, and a compilation, "Hotrod Hotel," was released to great acclaim by Summershine in 1994, finally now seeing its first, long overdue, vinyl release.

        Papercuts

        Parallel Universe Blues

          Over the course of five stellar albums, Papercuts’ Jason Quever has shown himself to be a top-notch song-writer and producer, equally at home with lush, baroque textures and more stripped-down arrangements.

          His skill in the studio has helped him build-up an enviable resume recording, producing and playing with artists including Luna, Beach House, Cass McCombs, Dean Wareham/Dean & Britta and Slumberland’s own The Mantles. Papercuts’ new album “Parallel Universe Blues” reflects Quever’s recent move from long-time musical home San Francisco to Los Angeles and all of the searching and self-exploration that accompanies leaving your home, your friends and your scene.

          The sound is intimate and close, nicely balancing the sonic concerns of the last few Papercuts records. The opening pair of songs “Mattress On The Floor” and Laughing Man” superbly sets the table for the rest of the album: perfect Spectorian pop songs echoed down through The Velvet Underground, LA’s Paisley Underground, Spiritualized and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Never sacrificing song-writing for atmospherics, “Parallel Universe Blues” is a superb addition to the Papercuts catalogue.

          Its themes of self-examination are as a timeless as the tunes themselves, the dreamy autumnal mood perfectly captured in the pastoral cover art. The album is a triumph and points to more great things in the future from Quever and Papercuts.

          TRACK LISTING

          Mattress On The Floor
          Laughing Man
          How To Quit Smoking
          Sing To Me
          Clean Living
          Kathleen Says 
          Walk Backwards All Along St. Mary’s 
          Waking Up
          Looking Through Heather

          Smokescreens

          Used To Yesterday

            LA’s Smokescreens began as a couple of pals (Chris Rosi from Plateaus, Corey Cunningham from Terry Malts) paying tribute to the seminal 80s sounds of New Zealand’s Flying Nun label and has grown to be so much more.

            Since their self-titled 2017 the band has expanded to a four piece and honed their tunes with constant SoCal gigging. Their new album “Used To Yesterday” continues Smokescreen’s zeal for New Zealand pop but also incorporates influences from the more melodic side of Messthetics-era DIY pop and expands into classic indie pop territory, a natural fit for the Slumberland Records roster.

            From the NZ-meets-Athens GA first single “The Lost Song” through the 12-string driven “Waiting For The Summer” to the Paisley Underground-tinged closer “Falling Down,” Smokescreens really excel in the quality of their songwriting and their ability to incorporate a disparate set of influences while still forging their own sound and identity.

            TRACK LISTING

            Someone New
            Used To Yesterday
            The Lost Song
            Jolly Jane 
            Buddy
            Waiting For Summer
            Steel Blue Skies
            Fool Me
            It’s Not Right
            Falling Down

            After spending years as a major presence in Brooklyn’s thriving music scene, Frankie Rose relocated to her familial home of Los Angeles for 18 months with the intention of establishing yet another moment in her storied indie rock métier. Gradually, she found herself short on sleep, funds and optimism.

            Towards the end of her time spent in Los Angeles, Frankie reached out to Jorge Elbrecht (Tamaryn, Gang Gang Dance, Violens) and began sketching what became the basic outline of what felt like a new album. Then, rather fortuitously, Frankie ended up back in Brooklyn with the realization that "in the end, I’m on my own. I have to do these things on my own." The months that ensued meant basically working with no budget and finding ways to record in-between days. This time enabled Frankie to experiment musically with a variety of people that ultimately changed the way she worked.

            The result of this existential odyssey is Cage Tropical, Frankie’s 4th album. It is awash with vintage synths, painterly effects pedals, upside down atmosphere and reverberating vocals. It evokes a new wave paranormality of sorts that drifts beyond the songs themselves. "My references aren’t just music," says Frankie, "I love old sci-fi. They Live is one of my favorite movies ever, same with Suspiria. 80’s sci-fi movies with a John Carpenter soundtrack, with silly synths – that makes it into my file, to the point that I’ll write lyrics incorporating that kind of stuff. It’s in there."

            Beginning with the shimmery, cinematic and percussive sparkling of the album’s opening track "Love in Rockets," the song’s refrain of "a wheel, a wheel of wasting my life: a wheel, a wheel of wasting my time" immediately alludes to those darker circumstances that led to the creative origins of Cage Tropical. "It’s all essentially based on what happened to me in Los Angeles and then a return to Brooklyn," says Frankie. "Misery turned into something good. The whole record to me is a redemption record and it is the most positive one I’ve made"

            "I feel like I am finally free from worrying about an outcome. I don’t care. I already lost everything. I already had the worst- case scenario. When that happens, you do become free. In the end, it’s about me rescuing myself via having this record."

            TRACK LISTING

            1. Love In Rockets
            2. Dyson Sphere
            3. Trouble
            4. Art Bell
            5. Dancing Down The Hall
            6. Cage Tropical
            7. Game To Play
            8. Red Museum
            9. Epic Slack
            10. Decontrol

            Devon started recording Gilding The Lily with long-time associate Jorge Elbrecht (Lansing-Dreiden, Violens, Ariel Pink) immediately after completing Euphoria, and over the intervening two years the songs steadily evolved, mirroring changes in Williams’ life that include marriage and multiple intercontinental relocations!

            From album opener “Deep In The Back of Your Mind” through first single “Flowers” and the lushly romantic “Will You Let Go Of My Heart?” Williams has honed his trademark blend of power-pop, orchestrated soft-rock and layered, melodic jangle-pop to a perfect edge. The elegant “Games” is a great example of what Devon does best — complex emotions played against a driving pop tune. It’s these contrasts that enliven Gilding The Lily and the consummate skill with which Williams arranges and executes his beautiful songs that mark him as a truly unique talent.

            TRACK LISTING

            1: Deep In The Back Of Your Mind
            2: Games
            3: All I Gave To Do
            4: Pendulum
            5: Flowers
            6: Around In A Maze
            7: Puzzle
            8: Rabbit Hole
            9: Will You Let Go Of My Heart?
            10: Lost My Concentration
            11: Gilding The Lily

            Brooklyn’s Violens was formed in 2007 by Jorge Elbrecht (a producer, multi-instrumentalist and founding member of the art company Lansing-Dreiden). The band eludes classification, blending percussive guitar work and silky harmonies with a wash of ’90s sonic pop via artists like Pale Saints, Cocteau Twins and McCarthy. Their 2010 self-recorded debut album Amoral is best understood as digital collage; a dark, guitar-and-synth-pop voyage of melodic and rhythmic collision.

            Violens’ sophomore effort True shifts course toward a more subtle and desaturated sonic landscape. The writing process began while traveling together on tour, and showcases a more collaborative effort. Band members Iddo Arad (backing vocals, synths, guitar) and Myles Matheny (backing vocals bass, guitar) had a much larger influence on the songwriting and the album’s sonic direction. Framed by Will Berman’s distinctive drumming, True shows the band interacting and reflecting in ways both promising and exciting.

            The album’s first single, “Totally True,” sports a stone-washed, semi-improvised feel, celebrating bands like The Chameleons and Martin Newell’s Cleaners From Venus. Elsewhere, “Unfolding Black Wings” (the band’s aural approximation of a Goya etching) nods to Daydream Nation-era Sonic Youth and Thinking Fellers Union Local 282. While the song’s lyrics reflect upon a sort of unimaginable winged beast, the music conveys its attack with a forward-marching rhythm as unorthodox guitar tunings provide manic chord changes and blistering single-note melodies. “When to Let Go” delivers a classic mélange of guitar pop (not unlike Sonic Flower Groove-era Primal Scream) and ’60s harmony groups (Zombies, Beach Boys, The Millennium), while “Watch the Streams” features ’60s ghost organs and a Brill Building pop beat that coalesces with stacked vocal harmonies.

            San Francisco's Terry Malts follow up their smash 'I'm Neurotic' single with another blazing three-song EP. Their ecstatic live shows and immaculate power pop songwriting have transformed this irreverent punk trio into one of the most talked about SF bands in ages. Mashing up the best bits from stellar forebears like The Undertones, Buzzcocks and Descendents, Terry Malts haven't forgotten that one of the key elements of punk has always been fun. All three songs on 'Something About You' are full of fuzzy / crunchy riffs, galloping drums and sing-along vocal hooks. The title tune speeds by at a brisk clip, full of "ooh ooh" backing vocals and classic SoCal punk vibes. "No Sir, I'm Not a Christian" might be the catchiest statement of atheism one will ever hear. "Fun Night" is a current live favorite, always sure to get the kids in the crowd jumping around; fast and furious, its feedback-laden guitars are the exclamation at the end of the excellent single. Another future classic from Terry Malts!

            Inspired by post-punk fervour and the spiky pop of C86 and early Flying Nun / Creation label output, San Francisco’s Brilliant Colors stake out a unique spot in the indie music landscape. Their 2009 album, Introducing, is one of the finest debuts in recent memory, and they followed it with 7-inches on Slumberland and Make a Mess, and a European tour with La La Vasquez that led to the release of another great single on Germs of Youth. Most recently, they teamed up with Belfast’s brilliant Girls Names to release a split 7-inch in Fall 2010. All of these singles were recorded with Oakland garage phenom Ty Segall, who spiked the ladies’ punk-pop swirl with his own special grit.

            Now Brilliant Colors team up again with The Pool’s Alex Yusimov (who recorded their first album as well as Grass Widow and many of Portland’s finest indie bands) to create 'Again and Again', a great step forward for the band. The songwriting is still as infectious as ever, but the tunes are now more carefully arranged, pushing the band far beyond their punk roots to something as elemental as pop gets. Songs like opener “Hey Dan,” the sprightly “Value Lines” and “Hitting Traffic” combine guitarist / singer Jess Scott’s catchy-as-hell riffs with Diane Anastasio’s steady, rolling beats and Michelle Hill’s dense basslines. Their well fashioned songs are deceptively simple—straightforwardly rocking but also richly layered, revealing new twists on each listen.

            The mood is confessional and late-night dreamy; Scott’s unadorned vocals and eloquent lyrics are personal, direct and atmospherically deployed, mixed in with the songs like another instrument. They can be heard to great effect on tougher songs like “Back to the Tricks” and “Painting Truths,” tempering those tunes’ punchy punk dynamics with their melodic sensibility. Add in classic-sounding stormers like “Cult Face” and “How Much Younger” and one has all the makings of another great Brilliant Colors album, one that shows how finely they’ve honed their own unique brand of punk-informed crash-pop.


            STAFF COMMENTS

            Darryl says: Jangly and cute C86 infused indie-pop, that'll hit the mark for fans of Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Cystal Stilts et al. On the US label Slumberland.

            TRACK LISTING

            01. Hey Dan
            02. How Much Younger
            03. Value Lines
            04. Round Your Way
            05. Back To The Tricks
            06. Cult Face
            07. Painting Truths
            08. Hitting Traffic
            09. Telephone Stories
            10. L.A.’s

            Procedure Club is a collaborative 'bedroom-pop' project founded in 2008 by Polish emigré Adam Malec and a woman known only as Andrea. Sharing musical tastes in shoegaze and pop bands of the 80s and 90s like Black Tambourine and The Jesus and Mary Chain, as well as a common admiration for baroque composers such as Purcell and Bach, the two began recording as a natural progression from the boredom of living in poverty in New Haven, Connecticut. Out of this god-forsaken alliance comes melodic song structures comprised of heavily reverbed vocals, stuttering mechanical drum beats, dirty bass,synths and alternately washed-out and jangly guitars.

            Following a well-received string of tapes and CDRs, Procedure Club’s first 'proper' album is noisy, lo-fi pop with the emphasis on noise. From the pure synth pop of "Feel Sorry For Me" to the overdriven swoon of "Dead Bird" to the blown-out "Nautical Song", carefully constructed tunes are given a fierce work-over by layers of guitar fuzz and synth scree. Songs like "Vermont" and "Artificial Light" could practically be some lost C86 gems, while "Awfully Managed Pigeons" looks back to early Velvet Underground's garage racket (check the sick Cale-esque baseline) and "Rather" fondly recalls Amy Linton's late Henry's Dress / Aislers Set classics. Throughout, Andrea's vocals are the secret weapon, neatly playing catchy melodies off the drum machine clatter and guitar haze.

            On "Doomed Forever", Procedure Club strikes just the right balance between the songs and the noise, between structure and chaos. Rather than allowing the recording methodology to stand-in for tunes and ideas, they've created a rather amazing record where those parts mesh perfectly and create a unique sound-world that challenges the ear as it coaxes the listener in with melody.

            TRACK LISTING

            1. Feel Sorry For Me
            2. Vermont
            3. Dead Bird
            4. Artificial Light
            5. Confined
            6. Slut Fossil
            7. Awfully Managed Pigeons
            8. Nautical Song
            9. Rather
            10. Jupiter
            11. Seventh Circle Of Hell

            Slumberland Records is very happy to present the first release by the San Francisco / Oakland band Manatee. Featuring Black Tambourine / Whorl alumnus Mike Schulman, Manatee was a relatively short-lived project that, on the evidence of this fine single, flamed out far too quickly. Inspired by bands as diverse as Velvet Underground, The Ramones, The
            Feelies and The Replacements, Manatee created a straight-ahead brand of power-pop that's as impassioned as it is timeless. "Indecision" is an uptempo tune driven by a naggingly catchy guitar riff and Keith Neal's ace vocals. Hearkening back to the 80s heyday of Game Theory, The Replacements and The Smithereens, the track is an effortlessly rocking pop gem that demonstrates the enduring strength of the basic guitar / bass / drums format when combined with great songwriting and a passionate delivery.

            "Fifteen Minute Drive" is a moodier affair, a minimal strum ’n’ drum that snaps along nicely until it reaches a squalling stun-guitar coda, what was once a subliminal bed of noise becoming a torrent of squeal and feedback. That combination of melody and untamed noise is a fine summation of the Manatee aesthetic, and of course makes the four-piece a natural for the Slumberland roster.


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