happy birthday - Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday are so keen to demonstrate their ability to fashion three-minute pop songs that their first two tracks clock in at exactly 3:00 and sound brilliantly like Big Star offcuts. 'Girls FM' is an imperious opener, launching into pop of the same order of magnitude as Fountains Of Wayne's 'Radiation Vibe' whilst packing all the cred and bubblegum potency of (and I swear this isn't just because of the name) Girls' 'Lust For Life'. "I'm always on the same frequency: Girls FM, Girls FM" sings frontman Kyle Thomas (who's also know for his work as King Tuff), leading the charge with a whole host of classy FM-friendly, '70s guitar-pop. Thomas' co-conspirators for this Alex Chilton-inspired marvel are Ruth Garbus and Chris Weisman, the latter of whom is presumably the same Chris Weisman who released the superb Tape Walk album on Greg Davis' Autumn records - another fluently realised traipse through power-pop classicism. With minimal hype Happy Birthday have released an outstanding debut here, and hopefully Sub Pop will bring the album to the widest possible audience. Highly recommended.
SUB POP
MP3 Download // £7.99
FLAC Download // £8.99
Awesome Big Star influenced power pop from this debuting Sub Pop trio
Life Is Full of Possibilities (Deluxe Edition)
SUB POP
2CD // £13.49
Deluxe edition of this classic album, with a ton of extras + new remixes from Sandwell and Regis!
Life Is Full of Possibilities (Deluxe Edition)
SUB POP
2LP // £14.99
*Deluxe edition of this classic album, with a download code to redeem extras + new remixes*
DNTEL / PEARSON SOUND / SILENT SERVANT & REGIS
Anywhere Anyone (Silent Servant & Regis / Pearson Sound Mixes)
SUB POP
MP3 Download // £1.49FLAC Download // £2.49
Regis, Silent Servant and Pearson Sound on Sub Pop?!
Life Is Full of Possibilities (Deluxe Edition)
SUB POP
MP3 Download // £7.99FLAC Download // £8.99
Deluxe edition of this classic album, with a ton of extras + new remixes from Sandwell and Regis!
Bella Union
CD // £12.99
Arcade Fire style grandstanding indie rock from the Danish quintet
Rune Grammofon
CD // £12.99
The Norwegian prog legends and Deathprod affiliates return with their fourteenth album
LTM Recordings
CD // £11.99
The Manchester band's fifth album, originally released on Factory in 1986. Now with 5 bonus tracks
ATP/Recordings
CD // £10.99
The veteran band make a solid showing on this new LP, crammed with college rock classicism
THEE SILVER MT. ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA
Constellation
CD // £13.99
More epic, genre-defining post-rock, done as only the Canadians can do it
Paw Tracks Records
CD // £11.99
A timely Paw Tracks reissue of Animal Collective's experimental al fresco album from 2003...
NONESUCH
CD // £14.99
Stephen Merritt follows the J&MC-influenced Distortion with a great Judy Colins-inspired chamber-folk album
