Now that I mentioned them covering Patrik Fitzgerald's Safety pin stuck in my heart (see two posts down), I feel obliged to share this gem. The Bartlebees were basically a German clone of the Television Personalities (and in fact regularly collaborated with Dan Treacy), who (unwillingly, some cynics might say) had a distinct charme with their thick accents, tone-deaf singing, and over-the-top naive lyrics. Nevertheless, they've released some of the finest songs coming out of the Bavarian woods.

The highlight surely is the excellent Patrik Fitzgerald cover (which I had on repeat for a few days), but this record is full of pleasant surprises. Some tracks are in line with their somewhat clumsy earlier records, on others they're playfully experimenting with styles they've never touched before (stereo effects? I thought yo ... Read more »

"Oh dear Prudence!", I hear you say, "Not another Beatles tribute". Yeah, there may be almost as many Beatles tribute albums as Beatles bootlegs and most of them stink more than said bootlegs, but the artist line up on this one justifies a listen or two. Yukio Yung aka Terry Burrows of the Chrysanthemums, Alan Jenkins and the Creams (a member of the Deep Freeze Mice family), DIY icon R. Stevie Moore, Bevis Frond, Martin Newell (of the Cleaners from Venus), Todd Gillingham, and Jet Set frontman Paul Bevoir among others contribute to this carefully crafted JARmusic release with extensive liner notes and exquisite artwork.

So what do you get when you let some ... Read more »