Headphones On: Phrase Left Unspoken, Promises Left Broken

I haven't made many musical recommendations lately. Partly it's out of fear that the second I start typing I won't stop talking about Midlake. Despite the "Head Home" addiction that has overcome me, I am refusing to let Midlake get lone attention on my ipod but here I am talking about them anyway. Stop.

Right, so new musical recommendations. I think it's high time to talk about Spearmint. They aren't young new kids, they aren't about to grace the cover of the NME¹, they aren't even getting much notice on Hype Machine. They do however have a new record coming out next Monday and I'll be picking it up by the end of next week at my fantastic neighborhood record shop. Spearmint have a unique talent amongst England's lesser known indie acts... perfection. It takes a lot for me to say that but I've never heard anything from this band that didn't shimmer and shake... (even when they stepped outside their jangly-fender-keyboard-brilliance sound and made a quiet acoustic ep). So yeah, I'll give up the goods. A few new tracks to satisfy your curiosity...

~~Spearmint - Psycho Magnet~~
~~Spearmint - Paris In A Bottle~~ I discovered Spearmint on a trip to Tokyo five years ago. I spent quite a few days wandering through the record shops of Shibuya and in came across one of the most fantastic² Apricot Records compilations Airpop Terminal 2. Thirty seconds into "Sweeping The Nation", I was sold and needed more Spearmint. Now. I slowly started to collect the (extensive) back catalog via eBay but I like to leave a few records out there for the finding. I know that when I need some proof that the world really is an alright place to be those Spearmint records I have yet to discover will bring me that hope. In the meantime, here's a bit of their history... ~~Spearmint- We're Going Out~~
~~Spearmint - A Happy Ending~~
~~Spearmint - The Beautiful Thing~~

¹ Although I think they should be gracing the cover of the NME... they always keep a good distance from whatever the hot new "scene" is in the UK.
² Strangely this comp was located in the "Scandinavian Indie" section on the third floor of the Shibuya Tower. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven right then and there but alas, I was proven wrong by the prices. When I converted the yen to dollars I knew I was being royally screwed but I wasn't about to walk out of there without those rare Eggstone records or this compilation.

Buy some: Spearmint and Midlake

Comments

That's funny because I picked up "A Week Away" in the used section of Evil Clown when I was in your town. I am also quite fond of "A Different Lifetime". I'll probably have to buy the new one online though, because I can't think of which NYC store would carry it.

Posted by: Heather | August 11, 2006 09:01 AM

Oooh, I don't have "A different lifetime"

Posted by: liz | August 11, 2006 09:54 AM