Happy New Year to you all! Best wishes for 2009. Now it's time to treat my TPB friends who are more into Paisley Underground and alternative 80s than into new wave. Now what have we got here:

*Close Lobsters - Foxheads Stalk This Land [1987]

produced the reverb-happy john a. rivers [who also brought us great albums by love and rockets, dead can dance, felt & swell maps, among others], foxheads is a happy treat from beginning to end. that is, if you tend to like jangly, so-called c86 bands from the 80s. this scottish pop group is far too obscure lyrically for most listeners, or simply too of its time, musically or production-wise, for today's music fans who pride themselves on modern sounds only. why bother? 


*Dumptruck - D is for Dumptruck [1983]

Slightly sinister, gothic even at times but always sliding towards rootsy power pop hooks. Having two songwriters also helps keeping it diverse and often compelling.

*Rain Parade - Crashing Dream (1985)

A tremendous album, which has sadly been allowed to disappear.  More towards Americana than psychedelic, it captures that sort of mystic heartland feel. Though mostly pretty mellow, it's never dull.

*The Weather Prophets - Diesel River [1986]

The oustanding song: Worm In My Brain but a cool record overall.