pop*eye...The Pale Fountains

A leading proponent of the "quiet pop" movement of the early 1980s, the Pale Fountains formed in Liverpool, England in 1981

Great reformed Liverpool band The Pale Fountains re-united in Liverpool (2008)
by Christian Petersen

Michael Head

The Pale Fountains were an English band formed in Liverpool in 1980. Comprised of members Michael Head (vocals/guitar), Chris McCaffery (bass), Thomas Whelan (drums) and Andy Diagram (horns).

Inspired by 60’s music such as Love, Burt Bacharach and The Beatles they failed to make any commercial headway despite garnering much critical praise for the two albums they released on Virgin, 1984’s Pacific Street and 1985’s …From Across The Kitchen Table. Their sole top 50 single was Thank You which reached #48 in 1982.

They split up shortly after with Michael Head forming Shack and Andy Diagram joining James.

Pacific Street (February 1984)

...From Across the Kitchen Table (February 1985)

Longshot for Your Love (June 1998)

wanted to use these pics to accompany Teds piece, "The Magical World Of..." but only just found them.

I guess they are from their first press shoot, from, 1982. They really were a cool band. Early days, musically, it was via Love's take on Bacharach, a bit of Bossa and lyrics from the lineage of the English "kitchen sink" writers. The look, copped straight from a French, existential art film.

This album of their earliest material is worth a listen;
Marina

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pop*eye...The Hit Parade

London's No.1 Pop Group

left-right Cath Carroll and Julian Henry.

The Hit Parade are an indie pop group based in London, UK. Named after the NBC US TV show Your Hit Parade which was broadcast across America in the 1950s as a showcase of the best of chart music, The Hit Parade were formed in 1984 by three British schoolfriends Raymond Watts, Matthew Moffatt and Julian Henry. The group have released five CDs and nine singles to date.

The Hit Parade live

Originally hailing from Little Chalfont and Gerrards Cross in the London suburbs, the band recorded their first three singles using a primitive recording studio located in the garage of Watt’s family house. Their early records “My Favourite Girl” and “The Sun Shines In Gerrards Cross” became Singles Of The Week in Melody Maker, Record Mirror and other 1980s music publications, and were played on Radio1 by DJs including John Peel, David ‘Kid’ Jenson, Janice Long and others.

The Hit Parade circa '92

Cath Carroll and Julian Henry

Julian Henry

The Hit Parade have never been commercially successful but they have earned the respect of post punk critics, fans and label owners for their determined pursuit of pop purity, and have proved to be more durable than many of their peers. The group have refused to deviate from the format of the three minute pop single and proclaimed the latin motto “Semper Eadem” (always the same) on their early records. Critics have compared them to a wide range of British pop acts including The Jam, Postcard Records,a-Ha, Wham, Everything But The Girl, Pulp and Aztec Camera.

With Love From The Hit Parade (1988)

More Pop Songs (1991)

Light Music (1992)

The Sound Of The Hit Parade (1994)

Sixteen Weeks (1995)

Return Of The Hit Parade (2006)

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Sarah
vinyl japan
JSH Records

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)

FINALLY!!

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)

(PR) Paris, France's Phoenix are set to release their eagerly-anticipated new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, on May 26th, 2009. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is the follow-up to 2006's critically acclaimed It's Never Been Like That, and a release between Glassnote Records and the band's own newly-formed imprint Loyaute.

Born out of restlessness and a steady hunt for inspiration, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is a career-defining album, filled with the band's signature melding of synthetics and organics, sharp, danceable rhythms, infectious choruses with a considerable dose of aural panache, and candy-colored pop sensibilities. These songs are some of their most exuberantly playful, yet also some of the most complex they've recorded, more layered and intensely propulsive than previous efforts. Indeed, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is nothing short of elative, creating what is sure to be the soundtrack to late-night summer adventures all over the globe. Staying true to what makes Phoenix so special, a sense of whimsical breeziness envelopes these songs, as if they've sprung fully-formed from the band's collective creative hands in a state of utter pop perfection.

While starting to make Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, however, perfection eluded them, as the band – comprised of Thomas Mars (vocals), Laurent "Branco" Brancowitz (guitars), Christian Mazzalai (guitars) and Deck D'Arcy (keyboards) – seemed initially unable to find an environment to provide them with sufficient inspiration. After a triumphant worldwide tour behind It's Never Been Like That, Phoenix came back to Paris and tried to figure out where to go next - literally. From attempting to work on a houseboat in the River Seine, to camping out at New York City's Bowery Hotel, to eventually retreating to the Montmartre house of friend Philip Zdar of Cassius to record in his studio, the band constantly challenged themselves to write the album they knew they had in them, but couldn't seem to find, no matter where they went. With Zdar, who co-produced the album (a first for the band, who previously worked with little help from others, hence the undisturbed precision of Phoenix's universe), they focused on the idea of greatness, determined to create something that would be exciting not only to their rabid fanbase, but to themselves. And thus, after a solid year and a half of tedious reworkings and endless going-back-to-the-starts, the record clicked. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, a tongue-in-cheek title meditating on the idea of "classic and upstart," was born.

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The Boys Least Likely to - The Best B-Sides Ever [Bonus CD] (2009)

The Boys Least Likely to

The Best B-Sides Ever [Bonus CD] (2009)

our new album is released on march 9th, but if you preorder it now from the rough trade shop it comes with a limited edition bonus cd of the best b sides ever, a collection of b sides and rarities from the last album, including rock upon a porch with you and our cover version of faith by george michael along with five other songs only previously available in the uk on b sides. rough trade has a wonderful mail order department who will happily send your cds anywhere in the world, so wherever you are you can be a part of the fun.

Funnnn!!!

Hot and Covered...Ally Capellino ‘Jeremy’ Satchel

If you’re looking to hope on the pastels this summer, this bag would make a worthy addition to your collection. Like the rest of Ally Capellino’s waxed cotton bags, this satchel is built to age incredibly gracefully. Unlike other pastel colours, this looks to be a bag you’d want to wear all year round. Get it from ASOS.

Ally Capellino ‘Jeremy’ Satchel

Porta's Eyes...Monocle To Open 2nd Store in Los Angeles

Monocle to open second store in Los Angeles this April; outposts in New York and Tokyo to follow

FWD is reporting that Monocle Magazine has procured new digs in Los Angeles for their second storefront with two more on the way. “The Brentwood location of The Monocle Shop at 225 26th Street, Suite 19b, will feature new collaborations between the brand and designers, like the Comme des Garçons’ Hinoki candle, a unique sweatshirt from Tomorrowland, and a high-tech running kit created with John Smedley…the brand is due to open two more stores in New York City and Tokyo in 2009.” (photo via flickr)

Porta's Listen...The Monocle Weekly - Edition 11

This week Tyler Brûlé heads to Geneva to take a spin around the International Motor show.

Edition 11

He's joined by John Reed, motoring correspondent for the Financial Times, to compare notes and to discuss what lies ahead for the automotive industry. Pierre Chappuis, urban planner for the City of Geneva, is in the studio to talk about the city's masterplan for urban renewal, unveiled this week. We also hear from luxury goods analyst Lisa Rachal, who gives us an update on the luxury watch market in the run-up to Baselworld, the world's biggest watch fair. Finally, culture editor Rob Bound is in London with his weekly dose of music and media.

Color Cassette - Forever Sparrow (2009)

GREAATT!!

Color Cassette - Forever Sparrow (2009)

Color Cassette was initially the project of a single musician, Jason Corder (aka OffTheSky) : an old guitar and one fourtrack recorder went head to head in their home studio of Lexington, Kentucky. But this solitary project quickly evolved into a collaborative one, in the course of casual meetings which became veritable musical interventions. In the course of four years, 14 musicians worked at the home studio. Today, Color Cassette is Jason Corder and Lendin Hopes (aka Set In Sand), with various guests such as Clint Colburn (vocals), Colin Campbell (drums, vibes), Anna Hess (violin) and Jordan Munson (textures, field recordings).

After Small Town Smoker, the first EP in 2008 (’single of the week’ at Boomkat, reference for online mail orders), Color Cassette is now releasing their first concept album, Forever Sparrow. It tells the story of a little boy who gets lost in a magic forest, and when he is transformed into a sparrow, he chooses to stay in this extraordinary world forever. This musical journey, which evokes the themes found in Peter Pan and Alice In Wonderland, takes the shape of an acoustic collection in outlines deformed through an electronic prism.

Sketched during the sunny summer afternoons of 2007, this handful of ideas metamorphosed into song-format fragments, which put forth the best part of a sound digression. They form a record that is a miniature, moving, and sometimes disturbing, odyssey.

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Pomegranates - Everybody Come Outside (2009)

NEW ALBUM YAYY!!

Pomegranates - Everybody Come Outside (2009)

Everybody, Come Outside! is the shimmering and dreamy new album from Cincinnati art-pop denizens, Pomegranates. This Cincinnati quartet broke on the scene last year with their debut full length, Everything Is Alive--an album that garnered immediate attention and support from music lovers and taste-makers alike. KEXP and WOXY, among others, fell for the band's quirky and charming blend of pop rock, and listeners followed suit, blogging the band up to 11 on Elbo.ws blog aggregate. The band also caught the attention of their peers. Artists such as French Kicks and Islands responded to Pomegranates' dynamic live set by inviting them out on the road. Everybody, Come Outside! shows a marked improvement both creatively and sonically from its predecessor, channeling influences that range from Talking Heads and Brian Eno, to French Kicks and Fela Kuti. It's a conceptual album of sorts, weaving an interesting tale of a man who leaves home, only to be abducted by a time traveler. Each of the 11 tracks of ECO! add to the mystique, as well as reveal a bit more about this unusual tale.

Pomegranates is Jacob Merritt (drums, percussion), Joey Cook (vocals, guitar, keys, bass), Josh Kufeldt (bass, electric guitar) and Isaac Karns (guitar, bass, sampling, vocals, keys). Everybody, Come Outside! was recorded by Pomegranates and mixed and mastered by TJ Lipple of Aloha (MGMT, Headlights, Minus Story). Everybody, Come Outside! drops worldwide April 14, 2009 on Lujo Records.

Porta's Eyes...'Lowboy'

It's clear from word one that Lowboy was written by a musician.

This virtuosic novel about a 16-year-old paranoid schizophrenic on the loose in the New York City subway system is a masterpiece of aural description—the city's heartbeat expressed in the clicking and cross-switching of the underground rails, the hiss of a breaking train. But it's more than just a score for subterranean living. John Wray, the former frontman of indie-rock outfit Marmalade (among others), has written a fast-paced thriller (will they find the boy before he hurts someone?) that holds a fun-house mirror up to the culture, producing an off-kilter meditation on urban malaise, climate change, and pharmacology. This is Holden Caulfield cast adrift in the seamier reaches of Bloomberg's metropolis.—laurence lowe

Porta's Look!...Hunter S. Thompson Last Hero...

Hunter S. Thompson, photographer

Gonzo Portfolio 2008

Self Portrait, Big Sur 1961

Self Portrait, Puerto Rico c. 1960s

Self Portrait, Plumas County Fair
c. 1960s

Fishing with Guns
c. 1960s

Self Portrait, Louisville
c. 1950s

Self Portrait, On the Road to Tijuana
c.1960s

Self Portrait, In White Whale, Las Vegas
c. 1970s

Fear and Loathing Still Life
c. 1970s

“History is hard to know, because of all the hired bullshit, but being even without being sure of 'history' it seems entirely reasonable to think that every now and then the energy of a whole generation comes to a head in a long fine flash, for reasons that nobody really understands at the time-- and which never explain, in retrospect, what actually happened....”

Hunter S. Thompson
Great writer, Great American, Literary idol

Johnny Depp, 1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Last night i watched: Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Written and directed by Alex Gibney; narrated by Johnny Depp; director of photography, Maryse Alberti; edited by Alison Ellwood; music by David Schwartz; produced by Mr. Gibney, Graydon Carter, Jason Kliot, Joana Vicente, Ms. Ellwood and Eva Orner; released by Magnolia Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 58 minutes.

New Modern Classic...Jim Jarmusch

"Conception of my work Life"

Porta's Listen...The Monocle Weekly EDITION 10

-01 March

The team regroups in London for this week's edition of The Monocle Weekly and welcomes our Beirut correspondent Carole Corm to catch up on the latest happenings in the Middle East. Joshua Cooper Ramo, managing director at Kissinger Associates and former foreign editor of TIME magazine, is also in the studio to talk about his new book, The Age of the Unthinkable, which reveals a radical new model for looking at the world. On the line from Abu Dhabi is Nick Brown, editor of Jane's International Defence Review, to share his findings from the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX). Culture Editor Rob Bound reveals an interesting musical find from Taiwan and British menswear designer Oliver Spencer is in the studio to give us his views on the fashion and retail industry following London fashion week.

Tyler Brûlé
Editor-in-chief

Andrew Tuck
Editor

Robert Bound
Culture editor

Carole Corm
Beirut correspondent

Joshua Ramo
Managing director, Kissinger Associates

Oliver Spencer
British menswear designer

I have become addicted to The Monocle Weekly editions in the past month. Every Sunday, Tyler Brule, Robert Bound and the gang bring on a couple interesting people and talk about what’s going on in the world. The show runs about 35-45 minutes long and touches on topics such as Tokyo’s mission for the 2012 Olympic games, the development of cultures from Korea to Africa, and the state of retail for independents and large companies. This edition Olivier Spencer was a guest as they spoke about how well established and important the online retail scene is in the UK. It’s interesting to hear the differences between North America and the UK in these aspects and to hear a designers take on it is kind of fresh. There is so much going on in the world these days, often too much to read and cover yourself, so I find the Monocle Weekly gives a nice little insight into some of the positives around the globe. Of course having a little sense of humor and nice taste in music doesn’t hurt either. The editions are fresh, quick moving and really easy to digest, definitely a recommended at-work listen.

Catch up with previous editions of The Monocle Weekly