Sweet Pop Music

Another night. Another laborious task of clipping several dozen loud pops and clicks out of cheap Duke Ellington radio check bootlegs from the late 70's.

This may be a task that requires whiskey to steady the hands and quell the annoyance.

Meanwhile, you enjoy some sweet pop music set apart by a decade.

AM (1980)

If Jonathan Richman made driving around listening to music on AM radio legit with "Roadrunner", then the Marshalls put in the final word with this bit of Bubblegum Power Pop.

It's every bit as wholesome sounding as the fresh faced youngsters gracing the sleeve.

Hold somebody's hand while you drive past the Stop n Shop.

Light of Day (1990)

I still don't really understand why this kind of stuff isn't as valued as it deserves. It's light, and catchy and enjoyable home recordings. I mean, the most pretentious overblown depressed bullshit is the stuff that the hipsters drool over (and yes, I'm looking at you, Nick Cave), but the happy pop stuff is routinely dismissed as so much fluff when it's a lot fucking harder to write a really good catchy pop tune than your fiftieth song about stabbing a woman in the head. (still looking at you, Nick)

Love Positions were yet another home recording side project by one man Australian recording industry Nic Dalton. who while probably most famous as a former member of the Lemonheads, also helps run Half a Cow records.

This one is worth your time if for no other reason than the lovely low fidelity four track cassette styling of the Purple One's "Kiss" that is a lot more enjoyable and much less creepy than the middle aged Tom Jones collaboration with Art of Noise.

Find that hand and hold it again.