Oval 'Photograph' (Icerink, 1992) (mp3)

More Saint Etienne-sponsored pop from the Icerink label, the short-lived experiment in A&R that probably dug a big hole in Messrs. Stanley and Wiggs' pension pot in the early 90s.

Icerink delivered some top quality pop in the shape of singles by Golden, Earl Brutus, Melody Dog, Shampoo and the peculiar vocoder pop of Supermarket amongst others.

Bizarrely, 'Photograph' is a Def Leppard cover. It throbs along on sequenced bass and puttering percussion, the breathless female vocal barely keeping up with the song. Rudimentary but thrilling guitar riffing gives way to an Italo House piano breakdown at the bridge before then giving way to a thrilling, ascending chorus.

An utter treat.

Download Oval 'Photograph' (mp3) (Mediafire)

Golden 'Don't Destroy Me' (Icerink, 1992)

The first of what I suspect will be many posts about the work of Messrs. Stanley and Wiggs aka Saint Etienne aka Cola Boy aka...

'Don't Destroy Me' is one of the stand-out tunes (for me, anyway) of their short-lived Icerink label and features on one of their beautifully-designed 12"s. It's a dubby, divine slightly melancholy plea for romantic clemency, fronted by the mysterious Canny Golden, Celina Golden and Lucy Golden, who may or may not have actually existed.

It drifts in with a patter of drums - played by Joe Dilworth, otherwise known for his alternative music photography and for being the drummer in Th' Faith Healers, Too Pure band of no little note.

A gorgeous dubby bass weaves in, before a sonorous vocal picks up the melody. It also features an awesome flute solo. That's not something I find myself saying very often.

Bearing the catalogue number DAVO112, this was the first release on Icerink. There was another single, Wishful Thinking, but this is just perfection.

Download Golden 'Don't Destroy Me' (Stanley/Wiggs, dub pop mp3) (Mediafire)