Griff says; Welcome to Liechtenstein.

The Streetlamp team were having a discussion recently at our sumptuous lochside Summer retreat and as the evening drew on and the servants silently whisked away our dinner dishes and refilled our port glasses, we mused on future trends in pop music. I put it to grizzled Garage music authority Gordon that with the Tories back in power and the country braced for a period of severe austerity we could expect a blossoming of left-field, indie-music artists. My argument was that right-wing government, social inequality and poverty have always provided the conditions that foster the passions for art. That's why I believe we're on the cusp of a golden period in the near future the like of which we've not seen since the magical post-punk years which came in with the appalling and infamous Thatcher administration. Consider it the silver lining to this particular political storm cloud gathering overhead.
While we're waiting for the newly politicized boys and girls of Britain to organise and eventually storm the barricades with spiky agitprop I want to give a little mention tonight to a young band from Göteborg in Sweden whose sound to these ears is reminiscent of some of the great post-punk pop of the past such as Delta 5 and, most especially, another of my own long-time favourites Girls At Our Best. Renée, Naemi and Teresa started playing together as Liechtenstein (pictured) in 2005. They released their debut 7” single “Stalking Skills” on Fraction Discs in 2007. In May 2009 their album "Survival Strategies In A Modern World" was released on Fraction Discs and Slumberland (US) on CD and 10". Bass player Naemi left the band in the summer 2009, and Ulrika took her place shortly after. Their latest single Passion For Water was released this month and the A-side is available as a free download from the Fraction discs website. It's a wonderful piece of bass-driven, girl-powered, punky pop and I urge you all to check it out.
It also gives me an excuse to give Girls At Our Best the Streetlamp video treatment for those of you too young to remember the heady days of the early 80s. Enjoy!





Griff
xx