#guy blackman

[bandcampsnoop]

5/3/26.

The only time Mr. and Mrs. Muffins has been mentioned on this blog was in late November 2024 in connection with their label's release of the Hotel Artesia LP. I loved that record, but I never took the time to listen to Mr. and Mrs. Muffins (Seattle, Washington). To the couple, I sincerely apologize, and today I righted that wrong.

"The Quiet Moon and Other Midnight Memories" is a jazz/pop/orchestral release that fits nicely alongside the music of Ryan Power, Tredici Bacci, Scritti Politti, and The High Llamas. The vocals recall, at times, the smooth sound of Guy Blackman.

Like Hotel Artesia, this was released on Mr. and Mrs. Muffins label, Honey Muffin Records.

[bandcampsnoop]

4/2/25.

What is it about super nice Australian musicians/label tycoons. Lachlan Denton (Osborne Again), Mark Monnone (Lost & Lonesome Recording Co.) and Guy Blackman (Chapter Music) are all salt-of-the-earth type folk. There are more, but yesterday, I proclaimed a two-day Chapter Music rage, so let's get to it.

Guy Blackman's 2008 "Adult Baby" was reissued to acclaim last year. Now, 17 years later come his follow up LP, "Out of Sight". It's not like Guy was a hermit - he's run one of the most diverse and respected indie labels since the early 1990s. But, according to Guy:

“I got a bit scarred singing my little open-hearted queer songs in the late 2000s, it was a different time back then...So I clammed up for a while, and threw myself into releasing other people’s music instead. Then a few years ago I poked my head out and realised things were changing. I got emboldened to start putting my music into the world again. Of course now things are getting much worse, but this time I’m like ‘f**k ‘em!’”

"Out of Sight" was made with the assistance of Liam Parsons and Steven Blair (Good Morning) and Liam Halliwell (Snowy). There's a duet with Julien Gasc too. Guy Blackman and Chapter Music are based in Melbourne, Australia.

[bandcampsnoop]

4/21/24.

When I saw that Chapter Music (Melbourne, Australia) was splitting a vinyl reissue of Guy Blackman (co-founder of Chapter Music and member of Minimum Chips), I was anticipating a good album.

I wasn't really expecting a great one. "Adult Baby" was originally released in 2007 and now is being reiussued by both Chapter Music and Pop Superette (Pierre, the label owner, is just amazing), a French label responsible for one of my favorite Bandcamp releases, Irmão Victor.

As usual, the Bandcamp write-up contains some gems I need to pass on. First, Guy Blackman is a "nerdy fan of Syd Barrett". His voice reminds me of the melancholy voices associated with Nick Drake, Belle and Sebastian, and Jens Lekman (who appears on the 3rd song!) And finally, the Bandcamp page hypothesizes how the Guy Blackman CD made it to France in the first place. The blame is laid at the feet of Maxwell Farrington - an Aussie living in France who says of Guy Blackman:

“Guy Blackman is one of Australia’s finest singer/songwriters. There are very, very few artists who can make me cry like he does. Normally I don’t give a damn about the lyrics, but with him it’s genius. After his moving (unpretentious) words come his graceful and sticky melodies and arrangements. ‘Adult Baby’ - this is a very important album for me, it’s the Mount Everest of Australian pop.”

[bandcampsnoop]

9/5/20.

Chapter Music, to me, is a fabled label.  It’s not quite on par with Flying Nun for me, but it’s close.  They’ve released such diverse and amazing sounds for close to 30 years.

Guy Blackman is the founder of Chapter Music and was a key cog in Minimum Chips.  Now he is releasing Thibault, the work of former bandmate Nicole Thibault.  

This is an amazing “comeback” (Nicole had taken time off to raise a family) album.  You can also buy this from Captured Tracks, but the price and shipping are definitely reasonable directly from Chapter Music. I’m going to let the Chapter Music write up tell you the rest:

“Thibault is like if two of my favourite bands, Stereolab and Electrelane, merged together and were made brand new by Nicole’s originality.” - Kathleen Hanna

“Hey turn that up. It’s really good!” - Adam ‘Ad-Rock’ Horovitz

Nicole’s former band Minimum Chips were a cornerstone of Chapter Music’s fabled 90s roster. For a decade or so, Minimum Chips played Moog-driven motorik pop that made them support band of choice for touring artists like Stereolab, Pavement, Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. Nicole’s vocals, trombone, keyboards and songwriting helped grow a cult mystique around Min Chips that persists to this day.

...Or Not Thibault includes contributions from Zak Olsen (Orb, Traffik Island), Rebecca Liston (Parsnip), Lachlan Denton (The Ocean Party)...

[bandcampsnoop]

5/1/25.

When I first started listening to "Love Can Make You" from Tully's third and final album, "Loving Is Hard", I had no idea that this was a reissue on the venerable Chapter Music label. But, the vocals and sound of the song sound like Guy Blackman's (the head honcho at Chapter) solo work.

But this isn't an indie pop album. This was originally released in the early 1970s and it marked Tully's move to a fully realized psych folk sound reminiscent of bands like Tudor Lodge or Fairport Convention. I'm also reminded of Norma Tanega, Penny Carson Nichols, and to some degree the music of Ray Davies/The Kinks.

Chapter Music reissued all the Tully albums back in the early 2010s.

[bandcampsnoop]

4/1/25.

We're ragin' full on Chapter Music for the next couple of days. We've got to start with the more incendiary release - "Can't Stop It! Australian Post-Punk 1978-1982". Guy Blackman and David Nichols compiled and released this back in 2001, but now it gets a vinyl reissue.

I didn't know this release existed, but clearly I've been shilling for this over the years. The Apartments, The Pits, Ron Rude, The Particles, Slugfuckers, and Voigt/465 are all bands that have been mentioned before here. For me, that means 20 other songs I've never heard, by bands I've never heard of. I always trust Guy Blackman, so this is a no-brainer. And according to the Bandcamp page, U.S. buyers can find an exclusive Amoeba Records only release (there's also a Rough Trade version for Europe).

[myearspleasure]

MARDI 03 DECEMBRE 2024

GUY BLACKMAN - ADULT BABY

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