Credits:

Various Artists

Description:

The Sun Shines Here: Roots of Indie Pop 1980-1984 is a sequel of sorts to Cherry Reds 2013 release Scared to Get Happy: A Story of Indie Pop. The three-disc set delves a little deeper into the early years of the sound, showing how post-punk evolved into something that could be a little brighter or more melodic, while still staking out tonal and rhythmic territory outside of the norm. While there are quite a few groups that appear on both collections, the extra space here gives the compilers more room to tell the story and uncover a wider range of bands this time that ranges from important (the Teardrop Explodes) to totally forgotten (the Cinematics). There are a variety of sounds and styles represented, enough that one gets a clear picture of just how fragmented the music scene became the further away it got from punk. Contrast the slick jazz-pop of Weekend with the hard-charging mod pop of the Laughing Apple, the lo-fi frug of the Mo-Dettes with the rollicking cabaret punk of Ludus, or the dubby new wave of the Lines with the sophisticated pop of Pale Fountains to see how very different the bands could be. They are drawn together by an abiding love of a good melody and the desire to make music that didnt follow trends, but rather seemed dead set on starting them. At least thats the case on the first two discs of the collection, which conclude in early 1983. After that point, there seems to be a slight codification of the scene into more straightforward, 60s-inspired pop of the kind made famous by labels like Creation. Of course, there are exceptions (like Swallow Tongues amazing avant-funk take on the Jackson 5s Got to Be There), but all the groups here are guided by the twin deities of jangle and fuzz, knocking out brilliant songs that burst out of the speakers like glimmering rays of the sun (Hurrah!s Hip Hip, the Suede Crocodiles Paint Yourself a Rainbow) or leak out like bitter tears (Revolving Paint Dreams In the Afternoon, the Pastels A Million Tears). It makes a compelling case that 1984 was one of the great years for indie pop and brings the set to a thrilling, if less adventurous, conclusion. As with Scared, there are a few big bands missing, but its hard to bark too much about that when what is actually here is so enjoyable. The one complaint that might stick is that each year covered here could have been expanded to three discs each; the music taken from each year is so good and so much fun to discover and/or revisit that one is left wanting more to hear and discover. ~ Tim Sendra

Tracklisting:

1.WAH HEAT! / Better Scream
2.THE TEARDROP EXPLODES / Read It In Books
3.LORI & THE CHAMELEONS / The Lonely Spy
4.SCARS / Love Song
5.THE DISCO ZOMBIES / Mary Millington
6.MO-DETTES / Twist And Shout
7.IT'S IMMATERIAL / Young Man (Seeks Interesting Job)
8.MANICURED NOISE / Freetime
9.THE CHEFS / Sweetie
10.JOSEF K / It's Kinda Funny
11.AU PAIRS / It's Obvious
12.DOLLY MIXTURE / Step Close Now
13.VIC GODARD & THE SUBWAY SECT / Stop That Girl
14.FAMILY FODDER / Debbie Harrry
15.LUDUS / Mutilate
16.GIRLS AT OUR BEST! / Go For Gold!
17.ESSENTIAL LOGIC / Fanfare In The Garden
18.THE MONOCHROME SET / Ten Don'ts For Honeymooners
19.ART OBJECTS / 20th Century Composites
20.THE LINES / Transit
21.JOWE HEAD / Cake Shop Girl
22.THE WILD SWANS / God Forbid
23.ALTERED IMAGES / Insects
24.THE BLUEBELLS / Everybody's Somebody's Fool (Demo)
25.THE JAZZATEERS / Don't Let Your Son Grow Up To Be A Cowboy