Another case of Welsh tunes capturing me and holding me hostage, tunes that lift this above the overpopulated mire of indie-pop.
I heard them on John Peel, of course, in 1999. I then tracked down this CD, which was the only release I could find of theirs, at the now-defunct Cheap or What webstore.
The Peel archive records that they did three sessions for the programme between 1997 and 2000:
A psychedelic pop trio from Penygroes in North Wales, Topper were one of a number of Welsh bands that arrived in the mid-90s in the wake of the success of the Manic Street Preachers, appearing on local labels like Ankst and Crai and recording exclusively in the Welsh language. Topper's 'Arch Noa EP' was released in 1997, and was swiftly followed by the mildly-acclaimed mini album 'Something To Tell Her' and another, single 'Cwpan Mewn Dwr'. An appearance with their peers Big Leaves, Derrero and Melys on the 1999 Fierce Panda compilation 'Dial M For Merthyr' gave them some exposure, but the band were last heard of the 'Dolur Gwddw' album in October 2000.
It should be noted that most of the songs on this CD are not in the Welsh language, but in English, albeit with a distinctive Welsh twang — so it sounds as though the man at the centre of Tuneless Man has "got no malady". I just asked Medwyn — my gracious Datblygu benefactor — if he knew Topper, since I believe he did a bit of photography for Ankst. He didn't answer directly in his response, but maybe he'll spill the beans if he reads this…
MusicBrainz entry for this album Rate Your Music entry for this album Some metadata about this album at Last.fm |
That was one that slipped me by I'm afraid, but on the strength of your review, I've just ordered a copy (few left on vinyl apparently) from ankst.
BTW - there was an article about ankst in the Guardian last week in their "label of love" series - http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/may/05/label-ankst - up there with the greats like 4AD, Mute, Dandelion, Blue Note 2Tone etc - damn fine company they keep.
I had the great pleasure of hearing their latest signing, Klaus Kinski, play a few weeks back - debut album out in summer apparently - though a single is out already. Here's a taste of thing to come: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvcsQn2CWLM
“They make the most unhinged and primal racket that I have ever heard. It’s mercurial and surreal: the Birthday Party fronted by a psychotic Spike Milligan. If you like your music unstable, bust into a thousand unexpected shapes and ultimately thrilling, this band are for you.” - Adam Walton (BBC Radio Wales)
Posted by: Medwyn Jones | 17 May 2010 at 09:13 PM
Thanks for the pointer to the Ankst piece -- very interesting.
Klaus Kinski, phew! Inevitably I did a double-take at the name, but of course it's as Welsh as the hills... In your video it looks like it was just you and the drunk semi-naked bloke in the audience. Whose idea was it to give him a microphone
Posted by: David | 17 May 2010 at 11:26 PM