The Field Mice (and other Britpop classics)

Nice to know that for every British indie pop band that found moderate commercial success in the late 1980s there are a dozen more equally worth your attention. I first heard about The Field Mice through resident twee pop curator Matt from Skatterbrain and have been "celebrating their catalogue" ever since. A true gem hidden amongst (and in spite of) the murky C-86 British alternative movement, The Field Mice helped popularize a combination of shambolic janglepop, homespun synth fuzz and cheap drum-machine rhythms that would influence almost every Manchester/Glasgow export for the next two decades. Not bad for a band that only existed for three years (they broke up in 1991).


The Field Mice - You're Kidding Aren't You


The Field Mice - Sensitive


The Field Mice - Annoint (Peel session)

The majority of their work has recently been reissued and is available on iTunes among other spots, For Keeps + Singles is a great place to start. A few more classics from the C-86/Rough Trade era:

Josef K - Sorry For Laughing
Primal Scream - Velocity Girl
This Poison - Poised Over The Pause Button
Shop Assistants - Safety Net
The Flatmates - I Could Be In Heaven
The Soup Dragons - Whole Wide World

For a full historical overview of where all of this stuff came from, check Pitchfork's Twee as Fuck feature, and if indie pop is your steez be sure to get your regular fix at Skatterbrain.