Music Box 14th June 2025

Circus was a British psychedelic and jazz rock band. The group's history reaches back to 1961 in Guildford where singer songwriter Phillip Goodhand-Tait formed the pop rock band The Stormsville Shakers. By 1967 the line-up and group name changed to Circus and has tried a more experimental approach to music. Their only album released in 1969 is a combination of songs penned by Mel Collins and diverse array of covers from Beatles, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, and The Mamas & The Papas. Here is the 1967 recorded but originally unreleased Something To Write About, which is brilliant.

The Innocence Mission are an American indie rock band formed in 1985 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, current line-up Karen Peris (née McCullough), her husband (and fellow guitarist) Don Peris, and Mike Bitts (on bass guitar). This is the gorgeous John Williams, from their fifteenth LP Midwinter Swimmers (Thérèse Records/Bella Union 2024)  Buy here

Soccer Mommy is an indie rock-pop project of New York & Nashville based singer-songwriter Sophie Allison (guitar / vocals).This is the official video for the scabrous and vitriolic Your Dog, from her third LP Clean (Fat Possum 2018)

Next up, English post-punk and electronic experimenters Ultravox formed in London in 1973 as Tiger Lily. This is the haunting Hiroshima Mon Amour, from their second LP Ha!-Ha!-Ha! (Virgin 1977). Most of the B&W film clips come from Alain Resnais film of the same name (France/Japan 1959) which influenced the song. The film is an all-time classic which you must check out.

We conclude with one of my favourite artists of all time, Glendale and Gilmore Girl Sam Phillips. First, the official video for Holding Onto The Earth, and then What Do I Do, a fan video featuring clips form TV show Gilmore girls, that Sam wrote the music for. Both from her classic debut LP The Indescribable Wow (Virgin America 1988). Until next week ...