#peter momtchiloff

[yourfavealbumisgender]

The Decline and Fall of Heavenly by Heavenly is Transmasc!

requested by @curtorama

[spilladabalia]

Talulah Gosh - Steaming Train

[bandcampsnoop]

7/11/23.

We first posted about Would-Be-Goods (London, England) back in 2021, and at that time Jessica Griffin had been challenged by her partner Peter Momtchiloff to write and record a song per day. "The Night Life" is a CD which compiles 20 tracks from that project.

Griffin's voice is sweet - reminiscent of Vashti Bunyan. But the music isn't really folk. It has more of a baroque pop feel - in some ways it reminds me of Belle and Sebastian or Tele Novella. The earlier post mentioned Momus and The Happy Family.

While this CD seems to be self-released, I would like to issue a quick reminder - Matinee Recordings has released many Would-Be-Goods releases over the years. Check them out to see the myriad of artists Griffin has worked with on each release.

[daggerzine]

Heavenly- Heavenly Vs Satan (Skep Wax)

Heavenly were originally a 4-piece band from Oxford England, that created unique pop music for the time. Amelia Fletcher was on vocals, while on guitar was Peter Momtchiloff and the rhythm section was Rob Pursey on bass and Matthew Fletcher on drums (the band then added Cathy Rogers on vocals/keyboards on their next album). To longtime fans, this band was really something special.

Amelia and Rob started up a label a few years ago, Skep Wax Records, and have been releasing all kinds of excellent records. Then it was announced earlier in the year that the Heavenly albums would be reissued on vinyl so this was, of course, great news.

The band released this debut back in 1991 on the Sarah Records label. The Sarah label, known for releasing that wimpy, twee music, was both loved by a small army of fans and not-so-loved in the UK music press (remember, this was during the grunge era).  Honestly, what did the UK press know anyway? Heavenly were a terrific band and it's high time these records are getting reissued.

Oh sure, Heavenly had a light sound at times, sometimes due to Amelia Fletcher's fluttery voice (which I happen to love) but could also rock/pop with the best of 'em and the songwriting was absolutely fantastic!

A few of my favorites on here include the great, strummy opener "Cool Guitar Boy," "Lemonhead Boy," "Wish Me Gone" (which I believe they rewrote a few years with a song called "Escort Crash on Marston Street"). It also adds the first two Sarah singles by the band, "I Fell in Love Last Night" and "Over and Over" both ace tunes and among the band's best.

The world eventually caught up with Heavenly, as in the past decade or two plenty of bands have copped their sound, but they were among the first. Hear it here in all of its airy, marvelous glory.

www.skepwax.bandcamp.com

www.heavenlyindie.bandcamp.com 

[sistermorph1ne]

Talulah Gosh

[daggerzine]

Heavenly- Le Jardin de Heavenly (Skep Wax reissue)

You want some good news? It’s that Amelia and Rob (from Heavenly, of course) are reissuing all of the Heavenly albums on vinyl on their Skep Wax imprint. Not only that, but they are playing some shows these days, too (only in the UK at this point, but hey, we USA folks can hope and dream, right?)

Again, this reissue of Heavenly’s 2nd album is good (ok great) news!  This band was one of the staples of the Sarah Records roster (they released their records on K in the USA) and they were a very influential band on many fronts. Yeah, they got tagged as being “twee,” but I think that was mostly for Amelia Fletcher and Cathy’ Rogers’ vocals (plus to me twee is not a bad word).  Peter Momtchiloff is a master guitarist and the rhythm section of Rob Pursey on bass and the late Matthew Fletcher on drums keep everything grounded. In other words, some of these songs rock. At least rock as hard as anything that, say, Teenage Fanclub did.

“Starshy” is a great opener, but the next cut, the start/stop “Tool,” is even better. Elsewhere “Orange Corduroy Dress” is a smooth, jangly pop song and the marvelous (and just plain fun) “C Is the Heavenly Option” sounds as good today as it did when the record was first released (with vocals from K Records’ Calvin…...also check out the brand new video the band did for this song).

A few other gems on here include the melodically delicious “Sort of Mine” plus the bouncy “Our Love is Heavenly” and the driving, fist-pumping “Wrap My Arms Around Him.”

It’s as evident now as it was then that this band could really write a terrific pop song. I’m glad they’re back, even if it’s just for a short time, and very happy these classics are back in print.

www.skepwax.bandcamp.com

www.heavenlyindie.bandcamp.com