Andy Pastalaniec of Chime School doesn’t care if you think his music is derivative. It’s supposed to sound like that. It’s why he named his project Chime School—because it’s the result of lessons learned from “formative jangle,” as Pastalaniec calls it, that bright and youthful style of guitar music made by all the classic indie pop groups he’d been listening to for decades before his partner gifted him the four-track cassette recorder with which he would make the first Chime School record. “I don’t really expect any artists to do something totally original every time out,” he says. “Because I wish my favorite artists from the past made 10 more records, so if you’re gonna make a record in that style, go for it. If it’s a good sound, I think it’s worth doing.”
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
Chime School’s self-titled debut, a charming collection of scrappy jangle pop distinguished by the joyfully programmed pittering of a drum machine, was something of a surprise hit in 2021, positioning Pastalaniec (also the drummer for Seablite) as part of a new class of Bay Area indie pop acts alongside Slumberland Records labelmates like The Umbrellas and The Reds, Pinks, and Purples, whom Pastalaniec knows and plays shows with (and, as evidenced below, gets music recommendations from). Follow-up The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel doesn’t deviate from the established formula (the album title is a Biff Bang Pow! reference) but feels more intentional, even serious. From start to finish, there’s a noticeable effort dedicated to making every track as hook-filled and great-sounding as possible—Pastalaniec names Teenage Fanclub’s sparkling, self-assured 1997 record Songs From Northern Britain as a touchstone for Paisley Hotel. “I’ve been into pop music for so long and I think there’s a sort of cumulative effect of what a perfect pop song should be,” he says of his developing confidence as a songwriter. “Like, it shouldn’t be longer than this amount of time. It shouldn’t have the same thing more than three times. Here’s where the bridge goes. Do you have a bridge, or do you just do an instrumental break?”
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
A music fan as much as a musician, Pastalaniec makes a point of shouting out many of the small, local labels working in various genres who keep San Francisco’s music scene creatively moving beyond the current vogue for shambling guitars. “There’s all these little scenes here,” he says enthusiastically. “You’ve got your Smoking Room scene and the Cherub Dream Records scene and the indie stuff with Paisley Shirt. I go to as many of those other shows as possible, I appreciate what everybody’s doing.”
Below, Pastalaniec makes some Bandcamp listening recommendations, from underheard indie pop nuggets to contemporary bands you can support right now by pre-ordering their records and going to their shows.
Sharp Pins
Radio DDR
“This isn’t the first album from Sharp Pins—the jangly, “lo-fi” pop solo project of Hallogallo zinemaker and Lifeguard singer/guitarist Kai Slater—but it’s the first I’ve heard, via Jen Matson’s Cycler’s Per Second radio show. Kai released this record in May, straight to Bandcamp with no lead-up or physical release (with all money going to Palestine Children’s Relief Fund), and it grabbed me right away. The songs have a ton of depth, they’re catchy as hell, and expertly recorded in a way that reminds me how it can be a lot more challenging to make a record with an artfully “lo-fi” analog character than one that’s super clean and “professional” sounding. This is a serious contender for AOTY for me personally, which is saying a lot in a stacked year like 2024.”
All Fall Down
My Brand New Wallpaper Coat
“It’s probably pretty neat to be a walking encyclopedia who’s studiously mined every nook and cranny of obscure DIY music history, but I’m pretty happy I can still stumble upon amazing records I never knew existed. All Fall Down (A+ name) were a Flying Nun band who apparently made one 6-song EP in 1987, and quickly dissolved. I can’t tell you about their relation to the scene or the reverberations they cast, but this EP was recently remastered and is now available for digital purchase on Bandcamp. Essential listening.”
Birdie
Some Dusty
Vinyl LP
“Sometimes I wonder if I’m only signed to Slumberland because I can’t seem to shut up about the great archival reissues they’ve done, like Springfields, East Village, and now Birdie: the late 90s/early 2000s project from indie icons Debsey Wykes of Dolly Mixture and Paul Kelly of East Village (when they were both in the Saint Etienne live band). The arrangements are beautiful and sparse, with Debsey’s layered vocal harmonies subtly enveloping the record. Some songs sound almost like lost East Village tracks, like “The Folk Singer” and “Linus,” which I’ve listened to on repeat more times than is probably healthy to admit. My partner first played this record for me some years ago, and it became a fast favorite. It’s impossible to find on vinyl so you should grab the Slumberland reissue before that’s out of print as well.”
Wayne Faler
Wayne Faler
Vinyl LP
“This self-titled solo debut from Los Angeles’ Wayne Faler (founding member of Dream Boys) is one of my favorite records from the last few years: a drum-machine propelled, darkly-sparkling jangly gem, steeped in 80s synths, moody and mesmerizing. Wayne is part of a community of musicians in Los Angeles that I have some real admiration for. His live super-group consists of renowned guitarist Nic Hessler, underground legend Jessica Espeleta (Witchypoo, Love as Laughter, Neverever, etc.), multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dorsett (Lake), and drummer Derek James (Entrance Band, Bonnie Prince Billy, Girls). Somehow this limited vinyl release is not yet sold out, so check it out.”
Pleasant Mob
Pleasant Mob
Vinyl LP
“Umbrella Morgan [Stanley] turned me onto this group from Chicago, who just released this self-titled debut on a new St. Louis label called Inscrutable Records. Breezy, upbeat yet understated pop with boy/girl harmonies and a bit of an antipodean rattle. Another AOTY candidate for me and great cover art too.”
Various Artists
Two Two Seven – A Prefect Records Compilation
Vinyl LP, 2 x Vinyl LP
“The second sampling of the international pop underground from the UK’s Prefect Records label, run by Mark Dobson (Field Mice, Northern Picture Library), might be even more stacked than the first. Featuring tracks from Mt. Misery, Autocamper, Laughing Chimes, Real Numbers, Tony Jay, April Magazine, Mr Baby, and a ton of other bands, it’s pretty impossible to pick a favorite. It’s a great listen from start to finish.”
Sad Eyed Beatniks
Ten Brocades
Vinyl LP
“Ten Brocades is the latest from ever-prolific Kevin Linn’s Sad Eyed Beatniks project, and I think it might be my favorite to date, featuring a strong collection of songs with thoughtful arrangements and sincere performances from a monumental ensemble that includes frequent collaborators Mike Ramos (Tony Jay, Flowertown) and Karina Gill (Cindy, Flowertown) who also did the painting on the cover. It’s hard to understate the impact Kevin has had on the Bay Area creative scene via his Paisley Shirt Records imprint. I really admire his approach to art, curation, releasing music, and the outdoors.”
The Shapiros
Gone By Fall: The Collected Works of the Shapiros
Vinyl LP
“‘Berry-heads’ who may be reading this are surely familiar with The Shapiros, the short-lived collaboration between Pam Berry (Black Tambourine, Glo-worm, etc.) and Bart Cummings (The Cat’s Miaow, Hydroplane, etc.). World of Echo released this archival compilation a couple years ago and it’s been on regular rotation for me ever since. I’d really like to try my hand at a quieter, more sparse project like this someday.”
Mo Dotti
Opaque
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD), Cassette
“I was a huge fan of Mo Dotti’s Blurring EP, so I was pretty floored when I learned they were fans of the first Chime School record. I reached out, and we ended up playing a show together on our first trip to Los Angeles in 2022, where I bopped along like a total nerd as they played “Glow in the Dark,” easily one of my favorite songs from the past decade or so. I appreciate how Mo Dotti so adeptly jump between bouncy, jangly pop, and mesmerizing noise. I’ve gotten a sneak peek at the new LP, and I think people are really going to flip for this record (major props on releasing it themselves). At first the name Mo Dotti made me think of The Mo-Dettes, but then I learned about Tina Modotti, and seriously, could this band get any cooler?”