Danish indie label is reinventing themselves as a pop label after a long break: http://www.bsbta.com/
New CDr releases are planned for Paper Sessions and The Original Beekeepers plus more in the future from artists such as The Dear Elaines, Shaw and more.
Danish DIY indie label Workaholics on Holiday has two new releases from The Up Set and The Dear Elaines available for pre-order: http://www.bsbta.com/workaholics/
The Dear ElainesThe fact that one has to strain to even half-hear whatever is happening on "Whatsoever-never" doesn't help one in siding favorably with the EP. I can't really pass proper judgment on a recording that sounds like it is being relayed to me from a live show via a friend's mobile... though, any band who would allow their songs to be released with this type of production have to understand that some critics are going to shrink away from it (and this goes doubly for the label). Lo-fi doesn't even really do the sound justice. That said, "Whatever happened to Jesamine?", a Beatles-like composition, would be a damned fine summer song if it could only be shared with friends without feeling slightly embarrassed for doing so (especially when you could be listening to the Beatles themselves or any other band that took the time to be properly produced). I would encourage the Dear Elaines to rerecord some of their songs in a proper studio, even a basement set up that a hopeful engineer has crafted, anything so that we can actually hear the songs. I feel I would really like the results.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Modern recording technology is so cheap and easy nowadays that there's absolutely no reason to adopt a lofi sound unless it is an intentional aesthetic choice. Which makes it so much more frustrating because I can tell that The Dear Elaines are fine musicians, but they obscure it behind layer of fuzz. I admire and respect everyone at BSBTA and their affiliates for staying true to their well-intentioned DIY values, but c'mon - this could be so much better. They profess an admiration for Guided By Voices, but understand that GbV's early dirty sound was the best they could do at the time. Get a couple SM57s and a copy of GarageBand and you're already miles ahead. "No use for words" is a great powerpop ballad and I think that The Dear Elaines' talent shines through the muck, but it will never get much play in my house because, simply put, it sounds like crap. Sorry guys.
The Dear Elaines - No use for words
