Beat Happening - Our Secret

A band I really should have had on here before. I've actually always considered Beat Happening a bit overrated; as much as I liked what they were trying to do, I never really felt they pulled it off that well.

Nonetheless, it's impossible to deny their influence on twee/lo-fi/indiepop bands across the world. I'd be pretty confident in saying that they probably inspired some of the bands I love into existence, and I will always be grateful to them for that.

This was their first single, from 1984.

Lois - Valentine

Just messing about with the new Blogger templates... let me know what you think. Anyway here's one from the great Lois Maffeo, part of the K/Kill Rock Stars/riot grrl axis of the early 1990s. It's from her first album, Butterfly Kiss, which was produced by the Young Marble Giants' Stuart Moxham and bears more than a passing resemblance to that band. Not all her songs are as strong as this one but her angelic voice is enough to carry even the weaker material.

The closing couplet on this gets me every time.

Courtney Love - Shaniko

No, not that Courtney Love. This was a band, which for reasons I'm not entirely sure of shared her name; it should probably be noted that this was before most people outside the indie world had ever heard of her and long before she became the train wreck she is today. Anyway, Courtney Love (Band), as you often see them referred to - well, I know you don't often see them referred to at all, but if you do that's usually how it is - put out three pleasant pop singles before they split up and singer Lois Maffeo moved to DC to continue her career in a band named after ... herself. I sense a pattern here.

This is from their second single, "Highlights".