Our good friend and Pure Pop compatriot Herb has left the building -- and though he is gone, the emotional trauma he inflicted his memory lives on, namely in the music he played instore -- and a faint mildewy odor that still lingers on around the bathroom. Below is a list of songs that that have that watery smack of herb we’ve all come to love, albeit in that way you love a retarded child.

Richard Harris -- McArthur Park

This is a great example of herb’s ability to look past schmaltzy production staight to the emotional sentiment of a song. Where a lesser music appreciator would only see an obscure reference to mid 20th century poet W. H. Auden’s musings on a long life irrevocably lived -- Herb looked deeper stating “Dude, it’s not about a cake. It’s about a girl. Who left his cake out in the rain.”

Sparks -- Equator

Herb loved his joke bands. If you wore a hitler mustache and used puns in your album titles Herb’s probably commented on your youtube videos.

Husker Du -- Eight Miles High

Any time we’ve ever done lists here on Pure Pop Online herb will inevitably sneak in a Husker Du song. Don’t ask me why. I think he had his first kiss while listening to Zen Arcade, when he was 25.

Guided By Voices -- My Valuable Hunting Knife

Herb may be alot of things, but one thing he is not not is a Rob Pollard apologist… Give it a second.

Prefab Sprout -- When Love Breaks down

As i said previously, herb has an uncanny knack for seeing right through the trappings of a particular period or genre and right to it’s frosted tip’ed, tear stained, incredibly self indulgently over-emotional core. And his introduction of Prefab Sprout to my life finally allowed me to listen to something other than Kate Bush, for about a week.

Pulp -- Common People

Herb: “See lecherous, bitter misanthropes CAN make great music!”

Daft Punk -- One More Time

There’s this dance that herb does -- it’s sort of like the Carlton Banks but whiter. Sorta like this:

New Order -- The Perfect Kiss

Though i may never forgive herb for making me listen to ol’ Berny’s side project Bad Lieutenant, i can never thank him enough to for finally opening my eyes back in the mid aughts to this band. These guys changed my perspective on what “Electronic” and “Punk” and “Dance” meant and much like Herb, introduced me to a whole world of excellent and under appreciated artists.

Thanks buddy, you’ll be missed.

So this is what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna give em to you. Two tickets to see Of Montreal at Higherground on July 31st, to one lucky person, cause we love our fans and we know our fans love Of Montreal. We’ll be choosing the winner at random from our Facebook Fans, so if you’re a fan, thank you – all you need to do is comment on our facebook wall that you want the tickets to be eligible! – if you’re not a facebook fan you might want to be!

The Winner will be decided early next week!

We had a chance to pick the brain of local weird pop mastermind Joseph D. Pizza van der Slice. Mr. Slice to his friends and fans, is responsible for numerous limited issue projects including this years “Opposite Hitler Mustache” recorded under his Nosebleed Island Moniker. 

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Pure Pop: What are you shopping for today?

Joseph D. Pizza-Slice: Records -- looking around for records, R Stevie Moore, but i know im not gonna find it. ELO, Electric Light Orchestra -- see if i can find some more.

PP: What genre’s do you prefer?

JDPS: Pop & Soul -  Motown, The good ol’ R&B i don’t know what you call it, R&B or Soul, but the Motown sound and period is what i like, that and weird Pop, Like Ariel Pink, R Steve -- Not so into Wavves, and that stuff -- I like that new Girls Album -- “Album”.

PP: Where do you find out about new music?

JDPS: Friends -- that’s where i find out about 90% of my music, I have one friend who does all the looking in the world and he just turns me on to the good stuff.

PP: Where do you shop for new music generally?

JDPS: Pure Pop & Downtown Discs -- No online shopping for me -- No Computer, I’m about to get one for the first time though i’m excited.

PP: What formats do you prefer?

JDPS: Vinyl and CD and Tape -- The big three, i prefer tapes -- i guess for listening it’s not the best…. I’m getting a pixel vision camera that records video -- onto an audio tape, it’s so crazy i can’t wait to get it.

PP: What was the last album you purchased?

JDPS: ELO -- A New World Record, I think Jeff Lynn is quite possibly the greatest post-Beatles, Beatlesesque music maker out there, if that’s even a thing.

PP: Any early suggestions for Album of the Year?

JDPS: I couldn’t call an album of the year -- i havn’t heard enough new stuff -- I like Yacht’s new one, at least my girlfriend does.

PP: What was the most recent live show you attended?

JDPS: I was gonna go to Happy Birthday but i missed it -- but i went to Lawrence Welks & Our Bear to Cross, they’re like Power House Passion Pre-programmed Playing Purple Pussies, I don’t know … *laughs*

PP: If you could recommend one album to anyone, what would it be?

JDPS: I Really like the soundtrack to the Movie “The harder they come” I think that even people that arn’t even into reggae would dig it -- Jimi Cliff, really good stuff…

PP: Shower singer or car singer? If so, which songs.

JDPS: Oh man, i have a good answer for that -- What was i just singing for like 3 days….  “Yesterday Once More” By The Carpenters! And i’m a shower singer.

LCD Soundsystem – Bye Bye Bayou (12″ Single)

Like a strong, expertly crafted cocktail downed right before what is sure to be one hell of a dinner (new album, hint hint!), LCD Soundsystem’s single “Bye Bye Bayou” (an Alan Vega cover recorded for November’s Record Store Day spinoff Vinyl Saturday) is a slippery buzz-opener that sneaks up on you in the weirdest of ways. While LCD would seem to be unconcerned with racking up any more cool-kid tokens (they have enough by now to cash in for a lifetime supply of plastic spider rings and vampire teeth), “Bayou” simply lifts Vega’s already very cool original out of the swamps, swapping the Cajun paranoia for dead-eyed heavy funk. (Read Full Track Review)

Jerry Garcia – Let It Rock

For Jerry Garcia, 1975 was a seminal year that found him splitting time between recording Blues for Allah with the Dead, directing The Grateful Dead Movie, and forming the Jerry Garcia Band–his long-running side project.

The Jerry Garcia Band — Garcia, his constant collaborator bassist John Kahn and drummer Ron Tutt — played its first show with Nicky Hopkins on piano in August 1975. The ultimate session player, Hopkins’ credits include work with The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, and Jefferson Airplane to name a very few. While Hopkins residency was brief with the Jerry Garcia Band, it played an important role in the group’s shift away from big jams toward song-oriented material. (Read the Full Review)

Starline Rhythm Boys – Masquerade for Heartache

Dust off those shitkickers, Burlington. Your blue-collar heroes ride again. Rooted in rockabilly, the Starline Rhythm Boys have been shaking honky-tonks for a decade, evoking an era of checkerboard floors and poodle skirts. Their latest, Masquerade For Heartache, finds the trio plugged into Charlie O’s — that Capital City citadel of sin — where guitarists Al Lemery and Danny Coane lead a jukebox jubilee. All that’s missing is the chicken wire, as the Boys resurrect salty anthems (“Red’s Place”) and 10-gallon covers (“Trucker from Tennessee”) to rowdy effect.

Anchored by Billy Bratcher’s strolling bass, Heartache is a vintage buffet. Western boogie? Check. Hillbilly blues? Yep, it’s all here. And if Coane’s lyrical twang sounds just a bit south of his native Montpelier, blame it on the Narragansett — beer sweetens the masquerade. (Read the Full Review)

Doom – Unexpected Guests

The early news of DOOM compilation Unexpected Guests positioned it as a field report from the indie MC’s late-decade wilderness period, spanning a half-committed star turn (2005′s Danger Doom collaboration with Danger Mouse) to this year’s bullish return to form on Born Like This. And it is… except when it isn’t– “Rock Co.Kane Flow”, taken from De La Soul’s The Grind Date, actually finds DOOM doing something of a victory lap in 2004 after his essential triad of Take Me to Your Leader (released under the name King Geedorah), Vaudeville Villain (Viktor Vaughn), and Madvillainy (Madvillain). “Rock Co.Kane Flow” is a fantastic symbiosis of DOOM’s many playful styles, but the beat itself feels weightier than what we’re used to from De La and the stakes higher (ahem) than what we’re used to from DOOM when he guests on a track. The other high(er)-profile collaborations on Unexpected don’t always fare as well– while “Da Supafriendz” spotlights a nerdy side of Vast Aire that often goes overlooked amidst Cannibal Ox’s doomsayer image, “Fly That Knot” is the second hopelessly corny track DOOM’s done with Talib Kweli (see also: “Old School” from The Mouse and the Mask) and most of the blame lies with Kweli’s increasing ineptitude at hook-writing, it’s clear these two share more camaraderie than chemistry. (Read The Full Review)

Pete Chiacchieri has been a regular pure pop buyer and more than a little big of a rarities collector – even once doing a short stint back in the mid 90′s at our venereal venerable establishment. We cornered him in the back for a brief discussion on music, and he willingly submitted his answers.

Pure Pop: What are you shopping for today?

Pete Chiacchieri: Today i was hoping to find the re-issue of the Rolling Stone‘s Live Licks - but i couldn’t find it, i might have the release date wrong…

PP: That has to be it…what genre’s do you prefer?

PC: Right now? Progressive Rock, you know bands like Yes, Pendragon – Their new one is the second best record of the year for me. It sounds like what you’d hope Pink Floyd would have done after wish you were here; that professional melodic sound that made Dark Side and Wish You Were Here so fantastic, and lyrically on par with the best of 70′s Floyd.

PP: Where do you find out about new music?

PC: I read lots of interviews in all the various magazines - MOJO is big, Uncut, “Q“  Art Rocker – All British Mags, sometimes if you’re online you can just travel through links, Wikipedia – just following the leads where they take you. The British mags are so much more well rounded than these American mags.

PP: Where do you shop for new music generally?

PC: Locally – here, of course. (Ed – That’s Pure Pop Records, 115 North Winooski Ave. Burlington Vermont, 05401 – Open 7 days a week.) Downtown Discs, Burlington Records, and for the more obscure i use Amazon and cd uninverse and if i’m feeling lucky i go to GEMM, (global electronic music marketplace) It’s sort of like dealing with ebay people but you never know what you gonna get so you have to really want that specific item and be will to take a chance…

PP: What formats do you prefer?

PC: Vinyl. CD. then Cassette – No MP3 as of yet, i’m interested but i’m 50 so i grew up with artwork and liner notes, having this little bit of nothing doesn’t really intrigue me. So far i’ve been able to find everything i’m looking for without getting into MP3.

PP: What was the last album you purchased

PC: Jasper Wrath, American Progressive rock from around 71′ – really astounding stuff, melodic song based progressive rock. It looked like it was a dodgy, limited issue so if you’re a collector, get it fast cause it won’t last.

PP: If you could recommend one album to anyone, what would it be?

PC: Aliens: Luna – If you wanna hear something new that beyond belief, ex-Beta Band,  pure psychedelia – they use ever studio trick in the book all to great effect.

PP: Shower singer or car singer? If so, which songs.

PC: I guess both – There’s probably footage on the internet somewhere…. right now definitely belting out the Jasper Wrath, historically – Magical Mystery Tour, what if that album had been better than Sargent Peppers?

Muddy Waters has always been my favorite rainy day reading spot in town. The comfort it’s hobbit hole interior and yummy drinks provide sum up a lot of what I like so much about downtown Burlington. You can walk in there off the street any day and feel immediately like you belong. I had been aware of their live music experiment for some time, but never none of the acts had peaked my interest until I saw the bill for the Burlington return of the keyboard and drums duo Slingshot Dakota. I had caught them this past summer at The Monkey Bar and was blown away by their infectious positivity and songs about the importance of take care of those around you. This time, they were set to be playing with the locals Spirit Animal (members of In Memory of Pluto) and Plattsburgh’s Yo! Adrian.

As the chilly drizzle persisted outside, I settled myself into a booth with a pot of tea and my companions to kick back and enjoy the music. The Muddy’s folks had cleared out the sunken area near the window to serve as the stage. There was room to stand in front of the band in the lower level, while those in the back had the comfort of a raised level so they could still see. No only did this work out efficiently, but performing in front of a Main St. window proved to provide an unexpected extra element of entertainment.

Yo! Adrian brought the same fun as the last time they opened for Slingshot, and Spirit Animal gave us more of that Don Cabellero meets American Football that those Jandl brothers deliver so well.

As Carly, the keyboardist of Slingshot Dakota, waited for her partner on drums to set up his kit, she started playing theme songs for each group of people to pass by the window, hoping that they would stop and listen. Everyone walking down Main Street in Burlington seemed to be well amused by this game. As I remember, the most people  stopped while Carly played the windmill theme from Super Mario 64. But despite the recognizable ditties Carly warmed up with, it was Slingshot’s original songs that drew the biggest crowds to the window. They blasted through their set with such joy and energy, that they turned everyone’s rainy day frown upside down, even the fire marshall’s! Their debut album “Their Dreams are Dead But Ours is the Golden Ghost” was out last time they were in town, so there were a healthy number of sing-alongs this time around. The infamous cover of Fugazi’s “In the Waiting Room” was requested at the peak of the fervor to everyone’s delight. Throughout this spectacle, our fishbowl was tapped on, stared through blankly, waved at, and breathed upon.

It would be easy to brush Slingshot Dakota off because of the seemingly similar aesthetic of that other keys and drums pair Mates of State, but Slingshot hits a couple of my sweet spots that the Mates miss. One of these spots is musicians with a humble devotion to a message. Their songs are about sharing some serious friend love. Before playing one of their new tracks, entitled “Micheal Jordan Saved My Life,” the pair always take a moment to talk about the importance of being supportive of friends that have been subjected to sex crimes, and dedicate it to one of their pals. Plus, everything about these two is absolutely adorable and infectiously cute in a not even slightly nauseating way, and that’s rare to come by. Carly promised they’d be back in the next year, so don’t miss it.

In a new segment on Pure Pop Online we’re talking with random customers and asking them what they’re listening to, what they’re looking for and a little bit about pop culture in general. Yo know, the hard questions.

Pure Pop: Hi Josh, What brings you into Pure Pop today?
Josh F: Decided to pick up the new Jarvis Cocker album.  I’m not a fan, but I’ve heard/read some interesting things so I’ve decided to give it a shot.  He compiled a wonderful cd called “The Trip” with another fellow, and it’s a great mix of new wave, country, rock, and a little bit of wtf?  I also grabbed the Incredible String Band‘s “The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter“.

PP: What else have you been listening to lately?
JF: Phil Spector ripoffs, Paul Dutton, Judas Priest, Royal Trux, JT IV, Sun City Girls, Omar Souleyman, Def Leppard, Dr. Strangely Strange, The Frogs, Brainbombs, Too $hort, Chubby Checker‘s meltdown album from the early 70s.

PP: Been out to see any live shows lately?
JF: Sadly, no.  The last show I saw was Greg Davis/Toby Aronson, Stellar Om Source, Infinity Window, and Mark McGuire. That was a couple of months ago, killer show.

PP: What’s your favorite record store employee stereotype?
JF: I didn’t realize there was more than one.  I think I enjoy the ones that look down on me for whatever it is that I’m buying.

PP: Are you a Vinyl or CD guy? 8-track? Ipod?
JF: I’m not picky.  Anything with sound is fine by me.  I am more of an album person, and that’s something that I realize is not too popular.

PP: What other shops in town do you frequent? (music, and non-music related)
JF: Burlington Records, The Red Onion, American Flatbread, Crow Books, Great Harvest Bakery.

PP: Heard any good jokes lately?
JF: Yes, but I won’t tell it.  It’s not appropriate.  I’ll stick to a good old standard.
How do you make a tissue dance?
Put a little boogie in it.

PP: What magazines or websites do you read / requent to find out about new music?
JF: Arthurmag.com, blastitude.com, aethereverywhere.com,  weirdorecords.com, Z-Gun magazine, cosmicjams.blogspot.com, Wax Poetics, Signal to Noise, The Wire

PP: What are your feelings if any on the state of music today?
JF: Lots of cool stuff going on if you know where to look.  It’s amazing that we’re living in a time where you can actually listen to pretty much anything that was recorded in the history of music.  That’s a plus.

PP: Do you make music? Art?
JF: I make a little music with a friend under the name Black Beauty.  We’re two full grown men who should really know better, but we play a noisy mix of rock and some other things thrown in.  I also make some silly collages occasionally.

PP: If you were a ice-cream flavor what flavor would you be?
JF: Spicy Chocolate

PP: Thanks Josh!

Each week we get hundreds of pieces of used vinyl in – you name it we see it come through here. Usually it’s a ton of useless Joan Baez,  Boz Scaggs & Supertramp vinyl, but occasionally we get something in that for better or worse really stands out. This section is dedicated to these finds.

Our first “Cover of the Month” comes from one of Burlington’s not so fertile periods of local rock music, 1985.

Introducing BOYZ.

Tanner: I think i’ve seen this album circulating in the backroom for at least 3 years, it’s about time we expose it’s awesomeness. You know, it’s nice to know we’re carrying on the Burlington tradition of tight black jeans into the new Millennium.

Herb: I have absolutely no idea what these guys sound like. My guess is Huey Lewis & The News meets Billy Idol.

Tanner: Think the middle guy’s going for a Young Springsteen, pissing against a wall look.

Herb: Maybe he’s doing his version of what he thought the cover of “The River” should look like. Yuk-yuk.

Tanner: Bruce Springsteen and the “Pee” Street Band…

Herb: Wow. Anyway, I think the guy in the back is the drummer and I know where he keeps his sticks.

Tanner: Hot Dog we have a Weiner.

Herb: Is one of his arms longer than the other?

Tanner: I heard Elastic waistband pants were the keyboard neckties of mid 80′s Burlington soft rock.

Herb: I guess when you’re packing that kind of heat, you don’t really have to try. Everything about the dude, package aside, says “I don’t give two sultry shits”.

Tanner: And then there’s trying to hard…

Herb: Hotchy-Motchy

Tanner: You’ve gotta stand away from the wall a little more when you’re doing shadow puppets.

Herb: Here is a man who would have rather been posing for romance novel covers than rocking and rolling.

Tanner: This guy was in the band for one reason only. Dudes.

Herb: This is making me depressed. These guys were probably talking about quitting their jobs, sending the album to Warner Brothers, going on tour with Joe Jackson…

Tanner: Here’s hoping this post sees a BOYZ revival a la Death….

Herb & Tanner: … Nah.

Upon viewing any given Pure Pop employee one might not immediately think of passion or virility. Suspend your disbelief for a moment and accept that we’ve all enjoyed a tender moment or two. The following list are albums we like to set the tone, enhance the mood or stave the inevitable disappointment we inspire.

Herb: Roxy Music -- Avalon: The final album of Roxy Music’s career (provided they never release the reunion album they’ve been threatening us with for the last five years) is an interesting beast. It’s sort of the illogical successor to their previous two efforts. All three represent Roxy’s abandoning of the art-rock grandeur of their earlier albums for sheeny synth-pop. However, while Manifesto and Flesh + Blood are playful and aloof, Avalon is drenched in emotion and sincerity. To be honest, it first occurred to me to put it on during an intimate moment when I read a review that described the album as “yuppie make-out music”. The next rare chance I had to try it out for myself, something clicked and I’ve since alienated a handful of women with this sensuous sonic souflee.

Matt -- DJ Funk -- Booty House Anthems: DJ Funk is criminally written off as a novelty artist in many circles, partly because of the themes contained in his music but more so because the man is a genre unto himself. Ghetto house may be comparable to similar genre hybrids, but it is unique nonetheless. It also primal and sexually charged, the perfect companion to rapturous relations.

Brandon - Dave Matthews Band-Crash -- To be fair, I don’t really need a full-length album for making love. A thirty-second itunes song preview is sufficient, but if pressed, as I am, I’d have to go with DMB’s 1996 masterpiece Crash. Rich in moments that are both tender and exuberant, this album evokes the kind of love-making I aspire to, as opposed my irregular rituals of humiliation.

Mike Breiner — Since i never can find my “Is It All Over My Face? / Why Don’t We Do it in the Road? / Love Comes in Spurts / Too Many Creeps / Pump It Up / What Does Sex Mean To Me?” mix in time, any ambient wallpaper disc or open will do.

Amy — Lil’ Kim -- The Notorious K.I.M. Talk about one bad-azz freaky lady!  This album is full of provocative and explicit pornographic lyrics that create an attitude rather than an atmosphere.  Once those beats start bumpin’ there is no turning back, you know you’re in for a “wild” ride.   Track #2, “Custom Made”, is always a good one for getting those creative juices flowing.   Lil’ Kim truly is the “Queen Bee” of setting the mood.

Tanner -- M83 -- Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts - This is the soundtrack to really epic sex -- as a skilled and multi-faceted maker of love, i need music accompanyment that at points matches the grand, arcing crescendos of my craft, and then in a turn, plays like a quiet supporting soundtrack to my more tender, (yet fierce!) emotionally vulnerable moments.  And as an added bonus, after me and my lover have finished and returned from our trip around the sun, we can listen to this album again while watching Ladyhawke with the sound off. It sync’s up perfectly!

Mike Crandall -- Van Morrison- Late 80s albums. First, this gets you away from the classic rock hits.  Second, there is calm, warm spirituality to this period that can set the right mood but with enough jazzy pep at times that makes it not completely fade away.  No Guru, No Method, No Teacher, very laid-back, would be a good choice or you could go with Avalon Sunset, which has a few big time love songs.  Heck, go with Hymns to the Silence , that’s a double album. OR Sam Cooke “Night Beat”.  One of my favorite albums of all time.  This is his stripped down, late night album is fairly different and the most intimate outing of his career.  The simple arrangements put his fantastic voice front and center where he belts out some great tunes about love and lost.

Higher Ground and Pure Pop Records are giving away 2 free tickets to see David Byrne this summer, Monday June 1st at the Shelburne Museum. All you need to do is post a photo to the Pure Pop Records Facebook page of your homemade sidewalk chalk graffiti featuring the words David Byrne, Shelburne Museum, 6/1/09 and, for extra credit: www.highergroundmusic.com.  Be Creative!

Here are the details for all you detail lovers: