shelflife records

The Proctors "All The Books"

Order 7" and receive an instant MP3 download!

Shelflife is proud to present the return of The Proctors on 7" vinyl with their new single "All The Books" b/w "Morning Light." The band has been on a 15 year hiatus as they took a break in 1996 when the UK indie scene was diminishing fast. Now in 2011, they are ready to celebrate their second coming with perhaps their best songs written to date. Read More

Artwork by: Matthew Edwards • 7": 2 tracks

079

seven-inch+mp3

BUY 7" $5

Ice Choir "Two Rings"

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When The Depreciation Guild announced their amicable dissolution late last year, there may have been a feeling that DG's songwriter, Kurt Feldman, was quitting to concentrate on playing with The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, his "other" band. Instead, the Ice Choir represents a new beginning, a new sonic palette, and a new musical universe for Kurt Feldman. Read More

Artwork by: Alejandro Cardenas • 7": 2 tracks

076

compact disc

BUY CD $7

BUY MP3 $4

Balloon Magic "Mornings"

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Balloon Magic hail from Odense, Denmark and began when Jonatan Magnussen, attending a boarding school, had an idea for a song. Tired of his tape recorder, he gathered his good friends and classmates Tue Einar, Mathias Vangsøe and Jeppe Kalnæs. They listened, grabbed their instruments, and a band was formed. Balloon Magic make their Shelflife debut with a four track EP entitled "Mornings." Stay tuned for their forthcoming LP in the new year. Read More

Artwork by: Matthew Edwards • CDEP: 4 tracks

077

seven-inch+mp3

BUY 7" $5

White Wishes "Come And Say Hello"

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White Wishes are an indie-rock band from St. Petersburg, Russia. They make their 7" vinyl debut on Shelflife with the "Come And Say Hello" b/w "Jimmy" single. Two pure pop tracks with a nod to classic c86 influences. Fuzz filled and blissfully simple, "Come And Say Hello" could be a lost Golden Dawn single from a parallel Sarah Records universe. The upbeat, effortlessly catchy "Jimmy" is filled with sonic pop bliss. Nikita's brilliant Stephen Pastel-esque vocals are perfect against his punchy guitar strum. "Come And Say Hello" is shaping up to be the single of the summer. Read More

Artwork by: White Wishes • 7": 2 tracks

075

compact disc

BUY CD $7

BUY MP3 $4

Burning Hearts "Into The Wilderness"

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Burning Hearts return with a new EP entitled "Into The Wilderness." Four songs closely attached to nature and the quietness of the Finnish Östrobothnian landscape. They felt so inspired that they relocated their studio there to record these songs and the new album. The EP continues to showcase the band's intoxicating melody and captivatingly warm sound. Their manicured pop sensibilities and finely-tuned arrangements are highlighted throughout. Of course Jessika's beautiful vocals are always worth mentioning again and again. Luckily for us, the EP is just a taste of things to come as they continue preparation for their sophomore album on Shelflife. Read More

Artwork by: Johann Höglund • CDEP: 4 tracks

074

mp3

DOWNLOAD

White Wishes "Today"

Download the "Today" four track EP for free!

White Wishes will release their international debut in late summer 2011, but here's a taste of what's to come. Read More

MP3: 4 tracks

073

seven-inch+mp3

7" + MP3 $4

Soda Shop "Farewell"

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Available on white vinyl exclusively through Shelflife.com

Soda Shop is the merging of Drew Diver (Horse Shoes) and Maria Usbeck (Selebrities), a boy and a girl who met by fate at an Embassy concert in Brooklyn, NY. The Embassy, whom heavily influenced both Drew and Maria's other acts, brought together a new duo. Though this time, leaving the drum machines and synthesizers behind for a hollow-body guitar and tambourine. Read More

Artwork by: Andrew Diver • 7": 2 tracks

072

compact disc

Le Futur Pompiste "Le Futur Pompiste"

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Sheflife are proud to present Le Futur Pompiste's long-awaited self-titled second album. It's been six years since their debut for Siesta Records, yet despite their extended gestation, these songs sound fresh, spontaneous, as though they simply tumbled from the collective imagination of their creators. They also boast a fullness of sound and an assured grace that mark them as an impressive leap forward from the band's debut. Whether the quiet, slow-burning beauty of "Communication," the summer-like exuberance of "My Trophy," or the simply gorgeous closing track "Girl of Those Days," which seems to condense a lifetime of joy and melancholy into a mere four minutes, Le Futur Pompiste is a stunning introduction to the band, as well as a long-overdue reward for the patient few who know this isn't a debut. Either way, we're blessed to have them back. Read More

Artwork by: Johann Höglund • CD: 10 tracks

071

10"+mp3

BUY 10" $10

BUY MP3 $4

Brideshead "Comeback"

Order 10" and receive an instant MP3 download!

German pop heros, Brideshead are back with a new four-song EP entitled Comeback. Although they've been out of the public eye for eight years, the members of Brideshead have been honing their whimsical pop sound. The album picks up exactly where they left off: the dream soundtrack for a serene summer day where 90's Swedish pop and 80's jangle mingle in the air. Don't call it a comeback. They've been here for years, banging out music that's both referential and reverent to the pop past mixed with their own upbeat signature vocals. Available on limited 10" vinyl and digital download. Comeback is a co-release with Apricot Records. Read More

Artwork by: Zven Keller • 10": 4 tracks

068

compact disc

Thieves Like Us "Again and Again"

Thieves Like Us continue their style of sentimental electronic music with their second long player "Again and Again." Recorded in early 2009 in a basement in Paris, the songs here reflect the mood of the band, and focus particularly on failed relationships, alcoholism, and the yearning for that perfect imaginary soul mate. Read More

Artwork by: Konst and Teknik • CD: 12 tracks

069

mp3

DOWNLOAD

Thieves Like Us "Forget Me Not"

Download the new "Forget Me Not" seven track EP for free!

Includes the album version, dance mix, Cecile's small town girl remix, Minitel Rose remix, Sundance remix, Second Date remix and special version of "Silence" featuring Ludacris. Read More

MP3: 7 tracks

065

seven-inch+mp3

7" + MP3 $4

Burning Hearts "Night Animal"

2009 was a whirlwind year for Burning Hearts. Since releasing their debut album they've toured Scandinavia and the US, headlined the NYC Popfest, and have now found a place on more top-10 lists than you can count. They start off 2010 with a new single "Night Animal." The track is backed by a remix of "A Peasant's Dream" from Finland's Jori Hulkkonen. Read More

Artwork by: Matthew Edwards • 7": 2 tracks on white vinyl

059

compact disc

Katsen "It Hertz!"

Katsen are an electronic pop duo from Brighton, England consisting of Donna Grimaldi and Chris Blackburn. Donna and Chris met back in 2001 at a craft fair, when Donna's brilliant mixtapes, with their bold collage covers, caught Chris' attention and fired his imagination. For the first time, after playing two-fingered synth in various bands, he'd met someone with the tastes and talents to compliment his own. Together with a collection of toy Casios and old monophonic synths (some held together by gaffer tape), they began crafting what would become their 12 track debut album "It Hertz!" Read More

"Alternative Album of the Week" - Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 1
"Album Of The Month" - Electronically Yours
"Pulsates with energy, completely electronic but not in the least synthetic" - Sounds XP
"Dizzily effervescent and as catchy as swine flu" - Losing Today
"Ones to watch" - Drowned in Sound
"At the top of the emerging crop of synth pop upstarts." - Oddbox

Artwork by: Katsen • CD: 12 tracks

061

twelve-inch

BUY $8

Thieves Like Us "Really Like To See You Again"

So, we're together in the studio for the first time in three years. We have been de- icing our sequencers and the first results are in. Think 1982 with more low end and less tape hiss.

First up is "Really Like To See You Again." Another Thieves Like Us ballad written about that non-existant other half -- she's out there somewhere in the world -- this is how it would feel to rendezvous for a romantic trip to Coney Island. Both Robert Smith and Peter Hook were unavailable to play that twangy romantic guitar, so we did it ourselves. Sounds authentic too. Read More

Artwork by: Konst and Teknik • 12": 4 tracks

1007

cd+seven-inch

BUY $15

Socialist Leisure Party "Tactical POP! for Coffee Cadets"

Brand new 8 track EP from Socialist Leisure Party, ex-Action Painting! (Sarah Records)

The eight songs that make up Tactical POP! brim with a relentless vigour that needs no explanation to be understood. The band's briskly strummed guitars and galloping rhythms, and Hitchcock's eternally youthful voice, combine to make some of the most effortlessly engaging pop in recent - or even long-distant - memory. From the unashamedly romantic declaration that is "Scented Crowbar" to the band's eponymous theme song (a playful echo of Orange Juice's "Moscow Olympics"), this is music to which you can dance, fall in love, plot a revolution either personal or public. But it can't be ignored. Read More

Artwork by: Andrew Holder • CD: 6 tracks, 7": 2 tracks

058

cd/lp

Thieves Like Us "Play Music"

Thieves Like Us is a musical vehicle -- an elegant starship, pointed straight to the heart of the listener. Although they encompass a variety of influences, they ultimately consider themselves to be a pop band. Yes, the production style is both disco and hip-hop, but the sheer strength of the melodies and emotional depth of the songs makes them classics (think LCD Soundsystem, New Order, Daft Punk, Digitalism, Cut Copy, Metronomy, etc). But no matter how you interpret Thieves Like Us if you have a pulse, you'll know their songs by heart already. Read More

Artwork by: Konst and Teknik • CD/LP: 11 tracks

057

compact disc