Various Artists
"I tried a thousand times, a thousand times to change your mind" 

FST 027
Sensation - Never say Forever
Yeah, another unreleased tune by one of our favourite artists ever. This one was recorded at the same time they did their first master piece "Burger Habit" back in 1992 and should have been definitely on their first LP, but unfortunately the track was never really finished until now.

Avocadoclub - Too much space to walk away
Very new band from our hometown Berlin who’s debut 7"/CDS (FST 026) hits the dancefloors all over the world. Perfect pop music with great vocals and brilliant guitars that will remind you of the early works by The Cardigans or the current outputs from Cherry Orchard.

Novillero - On canvas stained
Novillero are a Winnipeg sextet with some familiar established Canadian musicians. Featuring members of Duotang (Mint Records), Transonic (Permafrost Records) and Bullet Proof Nothing (Sister Records), the band blends infectious pop with aggressive rock structures, mod themes with spacier elements, art rock with a touch of retro pop.
The band's debut album "The Brindleford follies" is a clever and diverse work featuring songs written by 5 of the 6 band members. Recorded at Winnipeg's Private Ear Studios by Weakerthans and Duotang Soundperson Cam Loeppky, the record is a soulful, melodic affair with enough cerebral trippiness to satisfy both fans of psychedelia and straight-forward pop.
A dynamic and impressive live band whose members have toured across Canada, The United States and Europe with their previous groups. Novillero will be playing in selected western Canadian cities and festival dates across the nation until the snow melts. This spring will see the tour accross the Midwestern United States and Central Canada with label mates Projektor in support of their new album. Keep your eyes peeled for the band to appear on an upcoming compilation from Germany's Firestation Tower Records.
Advance copies of the album are currently available for stores, distro and print media.

Novillero is:
Dana "Rusty" Matyas - trumpets, keyboards, vocals
Roberta Dempster - keyboards, glockenspiel, vocals
Dave Berthiaume - percussion, vocals
Rod Slaughter - bass, vocals
Scott Hildebrandt - guitar, vocals
Sean Stevens - guitars, no vocals

"The Brindleford follies" was supported by Manitoba film and sound. Endearing and Novillero gratefully acknowledge their support and all government funding for the arts.

Vermont Sugar House - I only ever
Brilliant new recording by ex-Desert Wolves members, whose complete works were released last year on FST under the title "Pointification" (FST 018). For sure the best new band from Manchester since a very long time. Jingle Jangle guitars for your hearts!

Fever Hut - Jean Paul Satre
These guys used to be in a band called The Passmore Sisters who should have become as big as the Housemartins at their time. After a lot of John Peel Sessions, various singles and just one LP the band decided to call it a day. Now they are back in action under a new name. "Jean Paul Satre" is a re-recorded version of a track feat. on their debut album "The warmth of vinyl", which is an absolute must for everyone who is in love with pop music.

Kristallin - Flashback

Re-recorded version of a track which can be found on the bands debut album "Station", out now on Marsh Marigold Records. This time feat. the lovely vocals from guest singer Michele Bernard. If you have the chance to see the band live, don’t miss it !

Amber Smith - In the park

Hail from Budapest and should break your heart in a hurry. This is a taster from their forthcoming FST-release. If this band would come from the UK they would go straight to number one with their songs. Forget Travis and the rest, this is the one you should listen to.

Holm - Afterglow

The titletrack from his mighty "Music for Astronauts" EP (FST 024). The future of Popmusic starts here! After a very successful German tour, Holm and his band are back in the studio to record the first album which will be out later this year.

Pets - Light hearted love song
Great new fourpiece from Canada whose new album was released earlier this year by our friends from Endearing. "Light hearted love song" brings you pure 60s blue eyed pop which crosses the today genius of The Divine Comedy.
The Pets "Love and War" is an album that inspires ecstatic musings. 72 minutes of brilliantly crafted melodic pop bliss, the album is simply one of the best pop albums you're likely to hear. The band's story is simple yet brief.
Completely unheralded, this 72 minute CD-R landed at two campus radio stations in the city of Winnipeg. Stumbled upon by unsuspecting DJs, the CD-R soon spread from show to show, day to day, DJ to DJ, soon landing number 1 spots at both campus stations, including 5 straight weeks at UMFM.
From Steinbach, Manitoba, The Pets are Mryon, Matt, Chris and Steve. They specialize in pop epics and collage. 4 vocalists, 4 songwriters, layers upon layers of vocals, guitars and organ and piano and samples, the band burst upon the Winnipeg music scene after spending 7 months frying their hard drives creating the diverse pop opus which is "Love and War". The band would play 5 shows before Chris would leave the continent to teach English in Japan.

Little band, what now ? - My Life is too short
This band was called The Cardigans long before Nina and her boys had recorded their first songs. All over the years the band members teamed up in various groups. This one is a re-recorded version of an old classic which never made it on vinyl unfortunatly. So check out one of German best kept secrets. For contact please check: http://www.starcorp.de

Tompaulin - It’s a girls world
Simply one of the best new acts from England. I hate people who compare them with Belle & Sebastian because Tompaulin are so much more. This band has definitely the real feeling for how to write hit after hit. Believe me, this band will be big very soon, that’s for sure.

Celest - Time of your life

This four piece band has its homebase in Munich where they have built a strong following. This midtempo song has a strong melody with a noisy break leading to the great sing-a-long refrain reminding of bands such as Wedding Present, Gene, Blur, Prisoners and Small Faces.
check their homepage over here.

my coffee moment - Spring
Fantastic new guitar pop band from Japan which will let you think of the good old days, when acts as The Jazz Butcher, The Chesterfields or Mighty Mighty were on top of the indie charts all over the world. Hear more from them very soon on FST. Canossa - Glossa
The days are for sleeping; the nights for singing. Living as privatiers. In a land close to Liguria, Canossa was founded back in 00. They are connected with Peace, Somu and Parfuem benelux. More and more is yet to come, so start crying. The future is bright.

Salteens - Nice Day
Perfect summer pop with great trumpets and perfect vocals. Don’t miss their first longplayer which was released on Drive/Endearing in last year.
The Salteens
"Short Term Memories" CD
"Spiffy and cute Vancouver quartet take bah-bah-bah pop music and amplify it to delightful absurdity. Employing a Rhodes piano, perfect group harmonies, guitar antics, propulsive drumming and a few tastefully-placed kicks from the bassist, their set was a refreshing ocean blast." - Exclaim!, July 1999
"Right now, I’m flabbergasted by the pure pop brilliance of The Salteens. Every song is a hit" - Velocity, June, 1999
The Salteens are bringing their five-part harmonies, clean-cut instrumentation and their debut CD "Short Term Memories" to a city near you this spring and summer. Described as "an indy rock Partridge Family, but not a family and with no cool bus", the Salteens live show is not to be missed, unless, of course, you don’t like an outpouring of energy, laughter, and plenty of rock kicks. "Short Term Memories" the much-anticipated follow-up to their independent releases, is the Salteens’ first full-length album.
About The Salteens
The Salteens were formed in Vancouver during the spring of 1997 by Scott Walker (singer/songwriter/guitars), Megan Bradfield (bass guitar/vocals) and Dion Willis (drums/vocals). The band played only two live shows before winning the local campus radio station’s, CiTR, Shindig battle of the bands. Over the next few years the band would go on to tour across Canada and the United States including festival stops at North by North East and New Music West.
The band is now joined onstage and in the studio by Patrick Brealey (keyboards/vocals) and Erin Jane (keyboards/vocals), the Salteens are busy planning their third tour across North America. Look for dates across Canada, the midwest and western USA in April and May with Endearing label mates Plumtree.

Cecilia Ann - Sole Mio

From the warm Spain directely in our hearts. I must honestly say that I don’t understand any word, but it is the music who speaks up for itself and this track is an real killer. It feat. one of the best trumpet sounds I ever heard and I have listen to a lot. I wish I could listen to them the whole day, eight days a week.

The Spanish Amanda - The Spanish Amanda west london ex-wives club

For sure the best song title on this compilation. After their great first album "Brave New Girl", which was released in October 2000 on FST, singer Huw and his crew are back in action and bringing you more perfect pop sounds. For more infos, please click the FST 021 button on the release page.

Liberty Ship - I guess you didn’t see her
Do you remember the fantastic group The Bulldozer Crash, whose singles as "Changing" or "What happens now ?" entered everyones turntable some years ago ? We are sure you do. Now both members formed new bands. Here you find the first output by singer Marc Elstons new project. As time stood still. Once again perfect guitar pop for all fans off the real sound. The other half of Bulldozer Crash will have their return next month. So watch out for more infos soon.

The Glidshees - Love you everyday
After their wonderful "Long Time" (FST 013) single, which sold more than 1000 copies in Japan, another example how perfect pop should sound these days. Hidalgo, beside Betty Mugler, partner Andy Necker and Bambi Davidson-member Hans-Christian Fuss combine indie music with electronic escapades, which are simple-structured and that’s why they don’t come peneranting to the fore. The soft breathed pop-pearls present the listener a comfortable pillow, where he can relax and day-dream very calmly. Portishead without sports, The Cardigans without attitude and hurry.

Here I am...sitting in my room and having the newest compilation from German indielabel Firestation Tower Records in my hand, just realising how great life can be especially when the greatness of it is performed in songs cos on this cd the label takes you to a trip around the world (from Canada to Hungary) and offering you 20 indiebands they discovered with the majority being bands that have made a release on this precious label. The cd kicks off with their biggest signing ever, Sensation, a band run by Johnny Male who penned down some songs for Saint-Etienne before he joined Republica! And there are 19 other bands to discover...most known ones are Vermont Sugar House (obligated stuff for everyone who think Zoo is the greatest label ever), Celest and that band called The spanish Amanda who are sounding like the twinbrothers from...New Order. All other bands are unknown for me but not less loved as for instance Holm, a new band from London that (again) have the touch of New Order or The pet Shop Boys. Some bands are a bit catchier than others but the honest truth is that there isn't one bad song on here and in times like now that's kind of hard to believe but the cd is still in my hands so...

Didier Becu, Original Sin

I also have three compilation albums from Firestation Tower, the first is I Tried A Thousand Times, A Thousand Times To Change Your Mind, which includes 20 tracks. Sensation is the current band of Johnny Male, St Etienne/Republica songwriter, and as you may expect, they play very poppy synth based music. The rest of the compilation is much more indiepoppy than this track. There's lots of old-school indiepop of various types on here, from trumpet-driven to jangly to fuzzy, from Novillero, Vermont Sugar House (ex-Desert Wolves), Fever Hut (ex-Passmore Sisters), Kristallin & Michele Bernard, Amber Smith, Little Band What Now?, Tompaulin, Celest, My Coffee Moment, Salteens, The Spanish Amanda, Liberty Ship (includes Marc Elston, ex-Bulldozer Crash) and The Glidshees. The excellent Too Much Space To Walk Away from Avocadoclub is also included here. Also appearing are Holm, who play synthpop, but less mainstreamish than Sensation as they combine the electronics with an 80s indiepop influence. Pets mix indiepop with 50s easy listening. Canossa do indiepop with a retro-futuristic synth sound. Cecilia Ann are trumpet-based indiepop, possibly influenced by 60s sunshine pop. Hidalgo make a kind of guitar/synth pop that's quite off-centre but also able to appeal to a wide audience.

                                   (Bliss/Aquamarine #24)