Autotelia, i (2020)

Where bought? Norman Records, online. They had a sale announcement that dropped into my inbox and I scrolled through to see what was on offer - and this, a record from my Best of 2020, was. It arrived the next day. Can't beat it.

Quite a sad story behind this, but let's get to the facts. Autotelia are a duo formed of Demian Castellanos of kosmiche-indie rock group The Oscillation (very good! I put them on once) and Tom Relleen of percussive experimental group Tomaga (also very good!). This is their only album, I would expect, as Tom passed away recently. He was young and wonderful and talented and also a friend of some friends of mine, all of whom mourn his passing long after his death.

The Dead Milkmen, Beelzebubba (1988)

Where bought? I mean it must have been Action in Preston. Where else could I have got this? Completely baffled here.

Two years on from Eat Your Paisley! is the same essentially humorous punk-centred group, but they're far more proficient at writing songs in different genres. The humour hits a little more squarely (though I wonder if it is a bit of a dig at the rural south) than the bratty stuff from the previous records, and there's a pre-occupation with death and futility that wasn't really there before except as jokes.

The Dead Milkmen, Eat Your Paisley! (1986)

Where bought? I have no idea. I can't even countenance the idea that I came across a Dead Milkmen record in the UK (I haven't seen any since picking up the two I have). I remember playing at my old house in Preston back in 2006, so I've had this one a long old time.

The sunny uplands where hardcore becomes college rock is probably more of a complex story than 'people sold out and the intensity died out': sometimes misfits have smiles on their faces too. The Dead Milkmen wrote ostensibly 'nice' songs that are melodic and approachable - like REM being covered by Meat Puppets or something? - but you'd not mistake them for a commercial band.

Dazzling Killmen, Face of Collapse (1994)

Where bought? From the Alans Records pop-up in 2012 for about £4. It's worth about £40 now (slightly down from 2015 highs before the re-issue).

I saw the words 'Skin Graft Records' on the side and picked this up without really knowing what it was. Put it on in 2012 and clearly didn't think much of it, as it has gone entirely unplayed ever since. 

Dawn of Midi, Dysnomia (2013)

Where bought? Sound Records in Stroud. I feel sad that I discovered Stroud so late in my journey through Middle England, as it has two very good record shops and a lot of nice things about the town to recommend it. If I could have my time again I'd probably have moved there! Anyway, yeah, definitely from Sound in Stroud.

On a forum I have posted on for 22 years now, which was ostensibly once about music but has become a social spot with high premium on obscure in-jokes, there is a 'Now Listening' thread where about once a week someone will drop something in. Most of the time I'll know it or not like it, but that's cool because we've all grown into certain avenues and tastes.

SINGLES A-C

Here are all the singles I own from A-C in the alphabet and a few words on each.

ABBA, 'The Name of the Game' b/w 'I Wonder (Departure)'
ABBA, 'Dancing Queen' b/w 'That's Me'
ABBA, 'I Have A Dream' b/w 'Take A Chance On Me'
ABBA, 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' b/w 'Happy Hawaii'
ABBA, 'Take A Chance on Me' b/w 'I'm A Marionette'
ABBA, 'SOS' b/w 'Man In The Middle'

My mum owned a lot of ABBA singles (I suspect these are not all the ones she had) and passed them on to me when CDs came to our home town (mid-2000s). At the time I kind of hated the group in all their Eurokitsch and simply thought I might be able to turn a profit on them one day. Now I just like them and they remind me that my mum had a life prior to motherhood. 

 

Cut, Annihilation Road (2013)

Where bought? Undoubtedly off the band at one of their numerous UK shows this century.

Cut, from Bologna, used to hit up our towns every year, sometimes twice a year, nearly every year in the 21st century. They're absolute lifers in the punk world, giving and loving and they don't care if there's 20 or 2000 people to play in front of - they'll give you the same high-energy rock and roll show no matter what.

The Cure, Standing on a Beach: The Singles (1986)

Where bought? Still got the £5 sticker on which indicates a second (maybe third, given its age) hand purchase, but not sure. Could be anywhere really. Proper record shops would have jacked this up to a tenner because it's a name band, which makes me think probably off some market stall or something.

One of the more confusing releases - there's Staring at the Sea and Standing on a Beach (both lyrics from 'Killing an Arab') - as they are both compilations of early Cure singles. I think ...Beach is the name given to the LP version, which has a few songs missing owing to considerations of space. So if you're a big fan of '10.15 Saturday Night', 'Play for Today' (I quite like this one actually), 'Other Voices', or 'A Night Like This' then you should probably go to the CD or digital or just buy the singles themselves.