Rare material from Television Personalities coming soon!

 

2025 is shaping up to be a special year for indie music lovers. One upcoming release that has multiple stars next to it on our wish list is Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out - Radio Sessions 1980-1993. And just does one get in a recording with that mouthful of a title, you ask? One gets a double LP of radio sessions by indie pop legends Television Personalities. The material includes to BBC session and a WMBR session, as well as a bonus download of a WFMU session. The material is taken from the masters, and as this is a Fire Records release we can be sure that the LPs will reflect high standards. We look at this release as an unexpected and rare opportunity to fill out our TP collection with rare gems. To whet everyone's appetite, here is two of the tracks - "Silly Girl" from the John Peel BBC session and "Salvador Dali's Garden Party from the Andy Kershaw BBC session. Enjoy, and note that the release date for Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out - Radio Sessions 1980-1993 is January 17.

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Fire Records (UK) page for release

Fire Records (USA) page for release

Various relevant links including pre-order links

Hanemoon - Easy on the Wildlife EP

 

Last month brought us a new EP from Hanemoon, which is the name that German musician Hans Forster uses for some of his recordings (he also is a member of Seaside Stars and Man Behind Tree). the EP is titled Easy on the Wildlife and consists of six tracks. Hans' previous Rain or Shine album was a hit with us, so we were quite eager to cue up this new treat. We assure you that the pleasure was all ours. Hans has the golden touch with a guitar pop tune as evidenced by the seemingly effortless but memorable melodies on offer. And since he plays all of the instruments except for drums on track, he proves himself an ace arranger as well. Overall the EP has an early The Bats vibe, although Hans' vocal are closer to Neil Halstead than to Robert Scott. This record may be flying under the radar, but count yourself lucky if it lands in your collection.

Easy on the Wildlife is out in CD and digital formats via Subjangle.

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Get ready for Prism Shores

 

While we continue to work through good 2024 releases, we also look ahead to the musical joys 2025 will bring us. So prepare yourself for an album from Montreal band Prism Shores that straddles jangle, shoegaze and power pop. If they were a dessert, they might be a Napoleon. But they aren't a dessert, so you will have to content yourself with an aural taste via singles "Holding Pattern" and "Tourniquet". In our opinion, they both are quite delicious.

The album is Out From Underneath and it will be released on January 17 via Meritorio Records.

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Where have we been?

 Yes, WYMA has been very quiet. Part of the reason is work pressures and holidays. And there is some concern about the ethics of continuing to use the X platform to notify the world of our posts. Frankly, we aren't fond of some of the company we are forced to keep by using X. We have a Blue Sky account now and gradually will transition when we get comfortable with using it. Meanwhile, we will commence posting again and grudgingly us X from time to time.

Azure Blue -Night of the Stars

 

In our opinion, one of the immutably timeless genres in pop music is Nordic synth pop. It always satisfies and, at its best, its soaring sounds inspires and comforts in equal measure. And when engaging with the best of Nordic synth pop, Azure Blue earns a prominent place. The project of Sweden's Tobias Isaksson, Azure Blue has just released its sixth album, Night of the Stars, and it compares favorably to his best work. The warmth of the arrangements is match by the lyrical content, creating a coherent and consistent message of human interconnectedness and interdependence. Readers not familiar with the delights of Tobias' artistry will likely find some appealing reminders of New Order. But for those of us who have been following the man, Night of the Stars is yet another highlight in his discography.

Night of the Stars is out now in vinyl, CD and digital formats via Hybris, Matinee Recordings, and Anna Logue Records.

Matinée Recordings · Azure Blue - The Night Of The Stars

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Matinee Recordings page for Night of the Stars