Manic Pop Dreams Become Manic Pop Thrills

I have this recurring dream where I walk into a record shop and go over to their 7-inch singles section and discover 20 brand new records that I had never heard of. Each of them is lovingly designed with eye catching sleeves. I gaze at the display and each one is  like glistening piece of candy that the pop kid in me cannot ignore and must have. Resistance is futile. Restraint and logic flies out the door and I grab all of them. I dig in and each one I pick up I cannot put down. Eventually my arms are overflowing with records as I head to the cash register to quickly purchase my new finds and take them home and listen to them.

I feel like that dream came into being when Minnesota label Manic Pop! Records came on line at the end of last year. The inaugural release was the Candy Strypers.  It was jangling Byrds-ian harmonic love at first sight. After that first release the records seemed to come fast and furiously. The Mini Dresses from Austin levitated me with their Sunday’s inspired pop. Blooper’s bone-rattling garage pop single was a constant on the turntable for weeks. The fragile and simply beautiful pop of London’s Choo Choo Trains made me swoon.  The fractured and sparse pop of Manchester’s Gorgeous Bully hit me right where it hurts.  The nocturnal dreampop courtesy of Minneapolis band Gloss put me in state of bliss.  The blippy-synth pop from Greece’s Plastic Flowers had me reaching for my Flowchart and Holland records. In short it has all been pop and it has all been good. I left a few out mostly because I can’t keep up with the pace, and there are more great singles on the way from the likes of Zebra Hunt, Males, Forest, Death of Pop and who knows who else this young exciting new label have planned. Head on over to their store and fill you’re sweaty pop parched hands with a swill of manic pop singles…and sweet dreams.

stream: Males – So High

stream: Gloss – Front Porch

stream: Choo Choo Trains – The Most Beautiful Boy

stream: Mini Dresses – Post Office Girl

stream: Gorgeous Bully – M.A.W

stream: Death of Pop – Don’t Hang Around