We can’t say for sure whether it’s a slow or a fast train coming, but we’re sure it’s gonna be a super-sonic event any way you look at it when The Loch Ness Mouse play two sets at Fossum train station on the old Urskog-Høland railway line on midsummer’s eve, June 23. The first set will start at 7 p.m., the second at 9. We at Perfect Pop promise nice weather, and we always keep our promises. Promise! We ought to mention that this narrow gauge railway has been occuring in several LNM songs from the indiepop days way back when, so the LNM playing live at this train station is something more than a far-fetched notion.

Back on the farm, you may have noticed that one of the founders of the LNM, Jørn Åleskjær, has released a solo album on VME/Tune-J, produced by his brother Ole, and with contributions from both Ole, Emil Nikolaisen and several other former and/or current members of The LNM. I’m So Glad I Spent This Day With You is the heart-warming title, and the press has reciprocated with a bunch of very heart-warming reviews. The album will also be released on the American indielabel Sounds Familyre. Meanwhile, back in China, or rather Ireland, a new 7” EP by The LNM has seen the light of day on the Irish Arkhanglesk Recordings (limited edition of 300 copies), with two tracks: Ask Him (a soulful tune from New Graffiti) and the unreleased Kunming, a groovy jazz/fusion impro piece – “dedicated to the city of Kunming, China, and the people we met there” – it says on the cover. Horizons are made to expand. You will find both releases in our Pop Shop.

There will be a small release party on Sunday February 26 to celebrate the debut album of the The Vacuum Dreamers. Since the band is a studio act only there will be no concert, but DJ Syrstad will play records all night long, and Robert Birdeye of The Vacuum Dreamers will also have some sessions behind the turn tables.

Venue: Café Mir
Time: February 26 at 8 PM
Admission: Free

The debut album of The Vacuum Dreamers has finally arrived our premises, and are now available in our web shop. We hope you will enjoy this release as much as we do. There will be a small celebration of this release in a few weeks, but no date is set yet. But we will for sure inform you in due time.

To celebrate their self-titled debut album released December 24th, The Southern Alps will have a couple of release concerts around the turn of the months:

Tuesday January 31 at Cafe Mono in Oslo
Wednesday February 1 at Buddy in Drammen

The trio is now a quartet, so you will find Jørgen Greiner on bass and Preben Kristensen on drums in addition to our three original boys. And as icing on the cake Cecilie Heramb Herlofson will grab her fiddle as a guest musician.

The Loch Ness Mouse will be taking the trip from the countryside to play at Parkteateret in Oslo on Friday January 20. They say that this will be their last show in Oslo for a while, so you’d better listen up! Support: Thea Stapnes.

The S/T (Same Title) debut album by The Southern Alps has swepped through the door from the pressing plant, and is from this nanosecond on available in the Perfect Pop webshop. If you don’t wanna get physical with The Southern Alps, you can avail yourself of the availability of the available downloading or streaming options from your local purveyor of digital goods. On the occasion of the appearance of the physical edition on our premises, some photos were snatched by Frode Bjørnstad as documentary evidence, proving to the world that all the talk about a record in the making was something more than just hot air.

The old friends of Perfect Pop Records, Astroburger, are playing at the hole in the wall we know as Last Train on December 28th. Be there!

Perfect Pop is proudly launching a digital only subsidiary label called Perfect Pop Digital (PPD), from which you can download whole albums or other units of music. We’re starting off with a compilation by the legendary Robert Birdeye, called Octopus In A Goldfish Bowl – The Complete Solo Recordings 1995 – 2000. This album, with cover art by Bartleby, consists of all the songs from Birdeye’s two 7” EPs, plus one song from the first Perfect Pop compilation CD. The sound quality is excellent, since these are true masters, not vinyl rips or culled from other disreputable sources (like the shoddy bootleg album released in Tasmania…) FYI: Robert Birdeye is a founding member of The Tables, and has also played with many other bands – Sister Rain, The Time Lodgers, The Soft Rebels – and nowadays he can be found behind the drumkit in The Vacuum Dreamers (if he can be found at all.) We’re sure you’ll be pleased by these 12 slices of intriguing psychedelic garage pop with purple flashes from the mind of a true artist of the aberrant kind! You can buy or stream it from your local digital music dealer.

Those of you who were following our old home pages some years ago will remember that we, for several years, brought you news about The Southern Alps. Primarily about upcoming concerts, but also about the album they were making, which was annually announced to come out “later this year”. On our new home pages The Southern Alps have been boringly absent, but they have continued to play gigs now and then, and have avoided saying anything about when the record would materialize. But now (drum roll) it’s finally (fanfare) finished! And what’s more, it has actually been sent to the pressing plant. The Southern Alps release will be a classic 12″ vinyl, and you’ll be able to get it by the end of the year. While waiting to get your hand on the record, you can shorten the wait by buying Ten Tons of Snow from your local digital music dealer.

Luna Kafé has a nice review of Tweest And Shout in the latest edition of their e-zine. As usual, you’ll find the review in our Reviews Section.

We have created a playlist on Soundcloud where you can listen to old and new songs (in no particular order) from the releases in our catalogue. There will be more in the coming weeks.

Our friends in Astroburger will play a show at Revolver here in Oslo, on Friday November 25th. Roll up! Roll up! Pop up! Pop Up! A splendid time is guaranteed for all! You are also allowed to take a look at their not-too-ancient home page and let yourself be entertained.