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Rating: Who the hell were Talulah Gosh? And I, Ludicrous? And Mary You Lord? Ever heard of Monochrome Set?
These and other names were put together by Rough Trade in a compilation called "Indiepop Vol.1". The task of the reviewer at this point becomes difficult. They must answer several, challenging questions:
What is indiepop?
Short, structurally simple songs, minimally produced, released by independent labels with a strong anti-macho attitude (some call it twee or fey pop, and the rate of femininity is higher than average but without politicization) and a preference for the inner world. There is often a good dose of (self)irony. Musically, the debt to the sixties is evident (the era of discovering the evocative power of the pop song in its pure form, the era of enthusiasm for the simple. Few chords and the ability to evoke worlds and indelible melodies). However, the seventies should also be cited as an influence: the DIY ethic of punk, the love for the underground, home productions, a certain healthy roughness in the approach.
Song '60s + DIY punk = indiepop? Yes, a schematic that could work.
What is its history?
Historically, the phenomenon arises in the post-punk period, spurred by the enterprising attitude of extraordinary men like Geoff Travis, founder of Rough Trade, or Alan McGee, patron of Creation. Many groups included here were released by a small label called Sarah Records. Indiepop reached its peak in the eighties (the famous C-86 cassette distributed by NME was something of a manifesto and peak) and then declined but never died. Rightly then the compilation includes groups of different eras and sounds: ranging from the protopunk of Monochrome Set (the self-titled Monochrome Set,1979) to the noise of The Jesus And Mary Chain (here with You Trip Me Up) up to the "Belle And Sebastian" sounds of Camera Obscura (Eighties Fan, a track from 2004).
What is the value of this record?
Immense. It is the recovery of now lost gems, songs to love obsessively. Songs like the hilarious Preposterous Tales by I, Ludicrous (where they make fun of a certain Ken MacKenzie, the one you all know, yes the one who tells you that he once took a shower "with 2 American girls, well... at the same time!" ...exactly: preposterous tales: absurd stories of the braggart of the moment), or I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well by Pooh Sticks.
But then you're moved by the bass line in Sorry To Embarrass You, you get excited with Talulah Gosh (the self-titled Talulah Gosh) and Spinning And Scratching" by Love Is All (brand new Swedish band) and all the others. Yes, because the gems are truly many and it's impossible to mention them all.
What else? Ah, the packaging is beautiful: double CD with lots of notes and the history of indiepop. It's a unique gem.
If you love indiepop, if you love England, the minor pop productions (only in terms of budget though), what are you waiting for to order your copy?
Tracklist
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