releases on apricot in 2002
CD / LP
(apricd031/aprivin031 - EFA 27388-2/-1)
Debsey told us about the extremely hot summer they had
experienced in london and it was paul who said "please
rain fall". we all laughed and were remembered of the classic
track by the sea urchins. stories about sarah records were
shared and when it was time for the both to leave we all agreed
that this wonderful song simply needed to be covered. That's
what birdie did - a few weeks after their tour with saint etienne
they recorded a very personal and lovely version of please
rain fall. together with other previously unreleased songs and
long deleted b-sides this masterpiece appears on an album
exclusively released via apricot records. it's a collection of warm
and tender moments - songs you can put on in the middle of
the night, a soundtrack for stepping outside to watch the stars.
the song natural star feels like a shy hug by someone you've
fancied for years, the melody of lift up the sun glows and shim-
mers like a bracelet with diamonds. it's a wonderful record.
and when the first days of autumn appear we'll take the songs
as a remembrance of summer.
7" single
(aprivin028 - EFA 27389-7)
The Hamburg beat-Dandies are back, and this time they got
even more swing and soul. The "Freundin auf Latein EP"
(the title is supposed to mean "Girlfriend In Latin", no allusions
to Latina girlfriends intended...) introduces LES GARCONS
one by one: Garcon Martin tells us, she's called "Freundin auf
Latein", and she's your enemy. The titletrack of the EP, a soul
stomper if there ever was one, links sex to politics, gender to swing.
The "Freundin auf Latein EP" is mouth-watering with respect to
the coming long-player. It's sure to be as charming and playful as
the debut, but I gather there will be even more all time faves on
it. Allez LES GARCONS!
- children laughing and reading kerouac
CD
(apricd028 - EFA 27385-2)
next to axel's flat lives a young family and the two 10-year old
twin-boys come to visit axel quite often. they always ask him to
hand them on the road by jack kerouac.in the beginning axel was
surprised by their choice but now he sits down with them,pots of
lemonade on the table, P!O!P!-music on the record-player,and
together they start reading the book. an atmosphere of innocence,
full of sweetness and laughter. a scenery axel had in mind when he
recorded the album children laughing and reading kerouac with
his band c.l.a.r.k.. what you'll discover while hearing the record is
an unique assortment of components reminding you of the
housemartins, kinks, lovin' spoonful and prefab sprout. it will bring
back long lost moments of naiveté, an impression of P!O!P!-
music like it was back in 1965 or 1966.
CD
(apricd032 - EFA 27387-2)
i guess it was three or four o'clock in the morning when the telephone
rang. on the other end of the line i heard the gentle voice of our
friend christian kracht. christian's voice suddenly disappeared and was
substituted by the sweetest melody one could imagine. poppy and
cool, light and exotic, dreamy and clubby. i was breathless, christian
played me various tunes over the phone and my curiosity was rising
to extremes. finally he told me the whole story rung who runs the stylish
record-label small room had released the most beautiful P!O!P!-music.
bands with wonderful names like groovy airline, fashion show or penguin
villa. close to P!O!P!-perfection but somehow mysterious and nouveau.
something new, something exciting, something fantastic is beginning.
apricot records is proud and happy to offer the world the sweets of siam.
come and have a look around in the world of P!O!P!-music from thai-
land. taste and enjoy: P!O!P! has not felt this wonderful and new in a
long time!
CD
(apricd032 - FST 044)
compilation with apricot + firestation tower records artists !
only available in japan HMV shops & apricot & firestation mailorder
Brausepulver - a substance so special and exciting as P!O!P!-
music can be.Imagine yourself lying in park on a sunny day.
You're watching children play, ducks in a pond are swimming
lazily and silently. Then you open a small package of Brause-
pulver. Pour the powder on the skin of your palm and lick it.
Feel the frizzling sensation on you tongue. It will put a smile
on your face and the world is a tiny bit better for a few
seconds. That's what we think P!O!P!-music is about and that's
why started apricot records. It was 1995 when we released the
first record on apricot records. A lot of things have happened in
the years between then and now. We have met and worked
with many wonderful bands - fantastic artists who share our
ideal of how P!O!P! music should be. On this collection you'll
find a small selection of apricot flavoured moments - sparkling
and light, fresh and sweet, young and lighthearted. We like
P!O!P! when we feel the effervescent beauty. Open your package
of Brausepulver and enjoy!
CD / LP
(apricd020 / aprivin020 - EFA 27374-2/-1)
sebastian and charles were lying under this wonderful tree
in their white suits and the golden summer sun is glittering
through the leafage. the two oxford students are drinking
champagne and eating strawberries. This is a scene from
the classical novel brideshead revisited. it describes one
of these rare and special moments that should last forever.
Brideshead are combining the best of special moments in
P!O!P! e. g. the summer of 82' (with bands like orange juice),
the class of 86' (mighty mighty, mc carthy or bodines) and
the freshness of swedish P!O!P! in the 90' (eggstone, cardigans)
Their new album contains completely new tracks, unreleased
songs and tracks for the first time on cd from their vinyl singles
(released on the us label shelflife records, the german marsh
marigold and apricot records). this record gives you an overview
over the last 7 years of brideshead's music - till today:
brideshead in and out love. let us invite you to a bath of jangly
guitars, timeless melodies and a gentle voice by a band someone
once called the best english-vocal-band currently around in germany.
- postcards from home
CD
(apricd018 - EFA 27370-2)
when i opened the mailbox i found a postcard inside.
it was from mark; we had not seen each other in a
long time and i was curious about his life and his experien-
ces in the past year. he was writing about the wintertime
in england. about days spent inside, listening to music and
reading books. on the next day i was surprised to receive
a postcard from mark again; it contained a short story about
a girl he had met in a small grocery-store. this went on for
another 10 days; i obtained 12 postcards in total - and when
I took the 12th card out of the mailbox i discovered a small
parcel with a cd in it. in the accompanying letter mark explained
that he had recorded 12 songs - songs about love and loneli-
ness, about hope and despair, about faithfulness and tears. 12
songs about his winter in worthing, england, Jangling guitars, soft
vocals, tunes so soft as a piece of chocolate-cake. mark is one
of the these british songwriters being dedicated to music and music
only. think of nick drake, ben watt or bill pritchard. his music is
strongly influenced by the spirit of c86; bands like mccarthy, the
june brides and the railway children will come to mind.
7" single, limited edition col. vinyl
(aprivin030 - EFA 27383-7)
"Caroline Now" by THE BEACH BOYS is one of the most beautiful
love-songs ever written. BRIAN WILSON put all his passion in it
and it was the central part of the album "Pet Sounds". MODESTY
BLAISE's very own JONNY COLLINS shares the same dedication
for music and last years album "Melancholia" was regarded as an
excellent record in the vein of classic beach boys harmonies, an
album that could not be be imagined without pet sounds or sgt pepper
by THE BEATLES; instrumentation and arrangements inspired by
VAN DYKE PARKS, full of complexity but always being P!O!P!-music
in it¹s classic meaning. "I do not know what constitutes hits these
days but that must be close to being one" said mike alway founder
of él-records when he heard "Melancholia". With "Carol Mountain"
the most ambitious track is now released as a single. The tune that
the british music-magazine record collector called "full-on summer
P!O!P! fun" was recorded with a whole armada of musicians. This song
demonstrates jonny's obsession with perfection and P!O!P!
uprightness.
7" single, limited edition col. vinyl
(aprivin024 - EFA 27384-7)
I love scottish P!O!P! SPEARMINT's SHIRLEY LEE names
many good reasons why it's easy to be in love with music
from Scotland. So many great bands, artists and labels have
come from the north of the UK in the past decades and it
seems like there is an endless supply of songwriting talents.
Apricot records is proud and happy to introduce you to the
latest Scottish sensation: THE STARLETS. This band was
formed by the young lad BIFF SMITH and eight friends
in his hometown Glasgow. A record filled with three tracks
of bittersweet beauty. Fragility and tenderness. Some
might be remembered of BELLE & SEBASTIAN, some of
AZTEC CAMERA, some of the TRASH CAN SINATRAS.
Simply great scottish P!O!P! this 7", which is another demon-
stration of the excellence of the scottish youth, a demon-
stration of the desire to seek out and celebrate life's small
joys in the face of sadness.
CD
(apricd024 - EFA 27379-2)
It was 1995. Some of us were in love, some out of love; some
were happy, some suffered from a broken heart. All of a
sudden an ep by a band called BUSCH appeared - it was the
most sensitive and touching music we've heard in a long time.
Songs based on a jangling guitar and a beautiful and shyish voice -
and the lyrics were in German - and that they were the mere
opposite of the UK rockers with a similar name (in English spelling
though). A debut-album called Entsetzlich lead to euphoric
reviews in magazines like Der Spiegel or Rolling Stone. Busch was
described as an equivalent to The Smiths - a comparison that
might be somewhat true, with music reminding everyone of a classic
C86 style.And then we heard the new recordings by BUSCH - and it
hit us like the first time. 1986 in the 22nd century, the style of British
P!O!P!- bands and the sensitivity of German authors. We're shivering
again now - Bossa Nova is a timid beauty conquering the hearts of P!O!P!-
friends all over the world.
CD
(shot004 - EFA 27382-2)
Pop music from Japan? A red-and-white drawer instantly pops
open in your head, and what?s inside sounds weird and funny
and always a bit hyped-up. Have fun.
Those who are satisfied with this actually miss a lot. Those bands
that won't fit into the drawer - like Sugar Plant. Shin'chi Ogawa
(guitar & programming) and Chinatsu Shoyama (bass & vocals) met
at the university in 1993 and formed their band shortly afterwards.
The name really refers to a sugar plant in Kawasaki City - and
not an exotic japanese fruit. "Dryfruit" ist Sugar Plant's third '
album, and it's a little aural gem that far too few people had
You're instantly captured by the quiet beauty and the drea-
my voice of Chinatsu Shoyama. Pure ambient sound, a piece
of time, enclosed like a fly in amber. Once you've submerged
into Sugar Plant's zero-gravity trance pop and you have surrendered
yourself to the magic of Chinatsu Shoyama's voice, everyday life
steps back for a moment. Just let yourself go - Sugar Plant will catch
you. And then the CD is over. The heartbeat that has slowed down
is quickening again. The world is taking breath. But doesn't it look
brighter and much more beautiful now?
- Here come the days of ...
CD / LP
(apricd025 / aprivin025 - EFA 27380-2 / -1)
here come the days of style, the days of elegance. cosmo-
politan lifestyle, gentlemen taking polaroids of the cote
d'azure and the italian riviera - or in other words: here come
the days of bazooka cain. their new recording here come
the days is a collection of 15 soul-inspired tunes, every single
one with a charming 60s touch, a surpreme remembrance
of the 80s, and witty and amusing lyrics in german, english
or french. sophistication and metropolitan glamour - the
songs of bazooka cain capture humour and melancholy. a
grand production with a string and brass orchestra creates
moments of euphoria, while other songs appear like gloomy
chansons by serge gainsbourg. here come the days of bazooka
cain - days of laughter, days of sorrow, days of passion. we're
talking about soul! real soul, ladies and gentlemen.
CD
(apricd017 - EFA 27369-2)
i know a girl who keeps a scrap-book about her favourite places.
whenever she had been to a capricious shop, a fancy café or
an elegant street she writes it down in the evening. on a
bench in a park she once sat down next to two bashful young
men. the conversation between the two was interrupted by shyish
giggling and kind-hearted looks. unexpectedly they gave her a
small package, wrapped into the cover of an italian vogue-magazine
from 1986. The two fellows smiled and departed without any
comment. ahe opened the bundle and found a music-tape tape
inside; listening to it at home she was reminded of her childhood:
spending days in sandboxes, driving around town on bikes, eating
sweets. the songs somewhat appeared to be a mixture of depeche
mode and the beach boys, embodying the charm of the style
council and terry hall. my friend often went back to the park, walking
around and seeking for the two mysterious guys – she never met
them again. but the bench became one of her favourite places and
the tape with the music is in her handbag wherever she goes.
- Das hättest Du früher haben können
CD Digipack / LP
(apricd023 / aprivin023 - EFA 27377-2 / -1)
love at first sight - there are these rare and precious
moments when you meet someone and you know
from the first second on that this is the soul you have
been looking for. it might be a shy smile, the way a
cup of juice is held or a movement when a slide is put
back in the hair - your heart fills with warmth instantly
and you know that the both of you belong together. when
we heard panamaformat`s debut-album das hättest du
früher haben können we looked at each, shining with
happiness - and we all knew: this is love at first sight.
for *NEW* releases click *HERE*
for 2002 releases click *HERE*
for 2001 releases click *HERE*