releases on apricot in 2003
7" single
(aprivin032 - EFA 27393-7)
The album 'My Missing Days' (# 27392-2/-1) was surely the P!O!P!-
highlight this summer. Now SPEARMINT release 'Left Alone
Among The Living' as the first single. This song is guaranteed to
fill all indie-P!O!P! dancefloors instantly. A hit-single having
more soul than James Brown, with wittier lyrics than anything Jarvis
Cocker (Pulp) has written in his life, a melody as catchy as a song
by The Kinks - and a production that would leave Phil Spector speech-
less. Contains two unreleased tracks from the "My Missing Days"-Session.
Colored vinyl and strictly limited to 800 copies worldwide!
CD
(shot005 - EFA 27390-2)
What is the Japanese word for party? QYPTHONE. What do
the B52's on speed sound like? QYPTHONE. Mondo,
Beat, Funk, Bossa, D.I.S.C.O., pulsating hi-speed Technopop, ...
way too many different styles and musical quotations to list
up, arranged in the form of seemingly endless variation and r
einvention. Eventually the catchy positive vibes will get
hold of you. Enjoy! - ...for that is what QYPTHONE stands for.
That is what music from Shibuya, Tokyo's eccentric center
and heart of the musical scene, has got to sound like: The Q-sound
incorporates a smooth transition from breathtaking Disco
hits to Uptempo-Bossa with a funky accentuated staccato horn
section and daring choir. Catching choruses and sweet Pop
melodies mediate the taste of the rising sun. QYPTHONE draw
on all different kinds of musical styles to engender a
musical intensity that is yet to be matched.
- dabei auf den billigen plätzen
CD / LP
(apricd027/aprivin027 - EFA 27391-2/-1)
this is hamburg! the home of the most exciting and coolest
bands in germany. you have listened to tomte, kettcar and
die sterne. but now it's time to welcome the latest graduates
of the "hamburg beat-school": les garcons! les garcons are a
four-piece with a strong love for the best of the 60s: beat, soul,
modpunk! just look at them when they cruise through the
streets of hamburg on their vespa-scooters and you will realize
instantly why les garcons attract so many girls to their concerts.
hear them play live and you will understand why so many boys
adore the unique mixture of beatles, beach boys, die
regierung and die antwort. this new album is the perfect sound-
track for having a summer-picnic: feel the warmth of the sun
on your skin, taste the sweet strawberries and listen to hits like
"freundin auf latein" or "tut mir leid" (featuring vocals by
bernd begemann). the world of les garcons is a world of sunshine
and beer. imagine a weekend together with your beloved girl
or boy, nothing to care about, hours of laughter and fun. enjoy
the hottest in mod-P!O!P! this is the sound of hamburg!
Bon jour, les garcons!
CD Digipack / LP
(apricd034/aprivin034 - EFA 27392-2/-1)
the last time i met shirley lee, singer and songwriter of englands
finest band spearmint, the rain was pouring heavily in london.
we met in a small italian restaurant called presto! near soho. when
we left the restaurant it was still raining so we took the taxi to
shirley's flat. later this evening shirley played the new spearmint
album "my missing days" to me. it's an album where the songs
take you through a backward narra- tive - starting at the end and
ending at the beginning. songs about values, possesions,
figuring out what matters in this world, songs about what you'd do
in a given situation. "my missing days" is packed full of girl / boy
duets, northern soul energy, brilliant tunes, haunting intrumentals,
spoken pieces and splendid guitars. this album by "the best live
band in britain" (melody maker) has the vital P!O!P! of their debut
"a week away" (which included the track "sweeping the nation" - a
song that was voted one of best singles of all time in two seperate
polls in the uk) and the lyrical depth of "a different lifetime"
(spearmint's love-story album which was reviewed as "a flowering,
a joy to behold" by uncut magazine).
persona non grata #58
7" single (aprivin029, png004)
this fantastic limited edition 7" single usually is available
only with #58 edition of the vital fanzine Persona Non
Grata (PNG), along with other 6 singles by other labels and
the fine itself (obviously) in a fold box.
The fanzine box is limited to 700 copies and available
from PNG. However, we do have a limited amount of
apricot 7" single contributions to this fantastic issue of PNG.
Featuring: Les Garcons - "am ende", C.l.a.r.k. - "time to think",
Birdie - "natural star", Modesty Blaise - "the architect of my
own downfall". As you can see - a must have!
And *only* in our *aprishop*!
DoCD Digipack
(apricd029 - EFA 27386-2)
There used to be a famous german tv-commercial with a lady
travelling through southern europe and searching for the
most delicate cherries she could find. she was working for a
company producing sweets. this company was well known
for using the best tasting cherries for their chocolates only. well,
apricot is not literally producing chocolates with cherries in it,
but we're a small but sweet company with a love for sweet music –
so we felt intrigued. we travelled the world in order to find the
most delicious P!O!P!-bands as ingredients for a totally new drink –
a daft wild sparkling strawberry soda!
what you're holding in your hands right now is the
result: highly concentrated P!O!P! probably it?s more like molasses,
not a soda which you drink in one big gulp. just one sip after the other.
daft wild sparkling strawberry soda could be too sweet and poppy if
you listen to it in one session. be prepared! so, off we go - searching
for new ingredients for a soda with another exciting flavour.
Featuring: tiger baby, superheroes labrador, the perishers ,
trembling blue stars, would-be-goods, birdie, belasco, lloyd cole,
bart davenport, orwell, tahiti 80, panamaformat, riviera.
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!
for *NEW* releases click *HERE*
for 2002 releases click *HERE*
for 2001 releases click *HERE*