THE WOWZ Go Figure CD (Acuarela)
4 song EP from this 60s influenced band. Love Is is based on early 60s-ish pop music with vocal harmonies, but adds a slightly ramshackle, undergroundy touch to the sound, along with quirky lyrics like "colourful and slippy as a rainbow trout". Three Women Blues mixes blues and 60s pop with added quirk factor. I Go Wild is laid-back 60s-ish pop balladry. Bubbles in a Bath is happy-go-lucky, catchy retro pop with wacky, nonsense-rhyme lyrics. The 60s pop sound has been done time and time again, but The WoWz manage to put their own stamp on it with their off-centre sense of humour. Available from www.acuareladiscos.com

THE BEVIS FROND The Bevis Frond Estate 7" (Respect Vinyl)
Great to see the return of The Bevis Frond! This 4 track 7" EP on brand new label Respect Vinyl is cleverly packaged in a sleeve that copies the style of 60s record sleeves down to the tiniest detail; even the age-related grime is reproduced here. The songs were recorded in mono for a similarly authentic 60s sound. I Think It's Time features suitably retro harmony vocals, tambourine and vintage organ. She Got Me Good is crunchy garage rock. Life Support is the heavier end of mod, with more of that swirly organ sound, whilst they opt for a 60s rock sound on Tell Me When I'm Gone. A fantastic set of songs that Bevis Frond fans, and fans of authentically-produced retro music in general, cannot afford to miss. Available from www.respectvinyl.co.uk

THE MORRISONS Southern Soul 3" CDR (Susy)
THE MORRISONS Looking for Jeanie 3" CDR (Cloudberry)
The Morrisons are an old-school indiepop band, originally around in the 80s, who reformed in more recent years playing music in much the same spirit as the original 80s form of indiepop. Southern Soul is brilliant old-style indiepop with that classic jangly guitar sound. Down to the River is reminiscent of Mighty Mighty or early Orange Juice. Burning Light is another slice of classic indiepop that sounds authentically mid 80s.
The next CD includes Looking for Jeanie, which nods towards American folk-rock whilst still being rooted within the mid 80s UK indiepop scene. Slow Dawning is 80s jangly indiepop meets 60s pop. Cranberry Street is more subdued and melancholic than much of The Morrisons' other stuff, dealing with such grim realities as debt, ageing, dereliction and death. The tune still manages to be very catchy, despite the song's pessimistic outlook.
The Morrisons show that authentic-sounding indiepop is still very much alive. The songs genuinely sound like they were recorded at the time when indiepop was at its prime. The music is just as exciting to listen to now as back in the early 90s when I first had my life changed by this genre. I wholeheartedly recommend The Morrisons to anyone with an interest in old-style indiepop. Info at www.myspace.com/themorrisons, www.susyrecords.com, and www.cloudberryrecords.com

THE MORRISONS Rainy Day EP CD (Pastime)
Just in, this latest release from The Morrisons. Here, backing vocalist Elaine Churchward plays a bigger role than on much of their other material, providing vocals on all four tracks. Rainy Day is a well-crafted indiepop number with twin male/female vocals and mega-jangly guitar. Do I Care is another prime slice of old-school indiepop. Mystery Girl combines influences from 80s indiepop, 60s pop and 60s American folk-rock. Brighter Days also draws from 60s US folk, whilst also adding clattering drums and tambourine for maximum DIY indiepop effect. The Morrisons are a continually impressive band, perhaps THE most exciting indiepop band I've heard in recent years. Visit their site at www.freewebs.com/themorrisonsband

NATIONAL PASTIME Coma EP CD (Pastime)
Pastime Records looks to be a promising source for old-school indiepop. Here we have four tracks from Pastime label owner Andy Botterill's own band National Pastime, covering various flavours of 80s/early 90s-influenced indiepop. Coma and Read Your Mind are jangly retro indiepop, whilst Goldsworthy Gurney juxtaposes crunchy, noisy guitars and plinky-plonky piano for a raw and slightly off-centre brand of noisepop, and Judge a Book By Its Cover is a bouncy janglepop number with added lo-tech retro synth. They are selling this EP for just £1 - more info on the label at www.myspace.com/pastimerecordings

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