Idolator

I'd like to give a shout-out to our commenter Futurehorse for suggesting that I throw some Heavenly into my "atoning for the sins of the Nuge" post because a) I've never posted about my love for this band and b) their YouTube treasure trove is a bit larger than those available for the two other bands I thought about posting. (Ah, the pre-cameraphone era—we were all so innocent then, with our swapped VHS tapes!) So here are a few videos from the indiepop stalwarts, who formed in Oxford in 1989 and churned out some of the wryest, sharpest examples of the genre before breaking up in 1996. Up first: The clip for "Our Love Is Heavenly," a chiming track that appeared on a 1991 7-inch of theirs.

"Space Manatee"
This is from the band's final full-length, 1996's Operation Heavenly, which came out shortly after drummer/songwriter Matthew Fletcher committed suicide.

"Trophy Girlfriend"
Also from Operation Heavenly, this track appeared on a split seven-inch Heavenly put out with Bis. I still have it somewhere. (It's volume LXVI of the International Pop Underground series, for those of you who are interested in that sort of thing.)

OK, so that's actually it as far as Heavenly videos on YouTube go. (Surely there was a clip for one of the songs off The Decline And Fall Of Heavenly, which includes the stunning "Three Star Compartment"? C'mon, Internet!) But I did also manage to find "Talulah Gosh" by Talulah Gosh, a.k.a. the band that would eventually go on to become Heavenly. TG was a bit more shambolic than Heavenly, and I really love the big plucked-reverb guitar chords on this song's verses:

Also, did I mention that lead singer Amelia Fletcher is actually the chief economist at the UK's Office Of Fair Trading now? It's kind of inspiring in a "I can eventually get out of music, maybe" way. I mean, she still plays, but she is also something of a grownup! There's hope!

Anyway, most of Heavenly's back catalog is available for instant gratification digital download at K Records' site, and I highly recommend that you head on over there. (Get The Decline And Fall... first. Also: The Halo Benders albums on that page are actually pretty ace as well, but that's another post for another day.)