Darkness comes and darkness goes away now

Because every Saturday needs a strong dose of sugar, I thought I’d post something from the new Yellow Pills: Prefill compilation.
In the early ’90s, Jordan Oakes was the publisher of the power pop fanzine Yellow Pills, full of bands you’ve never heard of and a Beatles-like sound that you know very, very well. Reissue label Numero Group approached Oakes to come up with some tracks for a comp, and Prefill, just released on Numero Group, is what he came up with.
I’m gonna be honest with you – it’s great. And not great in that “these are obscure gems from a bygone era” way, but great in that “I LOVE THESE SONGS!” way. The bands and songs are, however, pretty much obscure gems from a bygone era, but it’s an era – kickstarted by bands like Big Star and Badfinger – that was bygone to begin with. Like Big Star’s “September Gurls”, all these songs sound like hits that never were.
Thanks to the people at Numero Group, who gave me permission to post a couple tracks. I had a hard time choosing from the 33 songs on the 2-CD set, but I settled on these:
The Toms – Sun
The Kids – There Goes My Heart Again
I’m especially partial to “Sun”, which, to someone born in 1979, sounds like something off Wilco’s Summer Teeth CD. How about that pre-chorus backbeat, and that Lennon-esque voice? And “There Goes My Heart Again” is just pure pop, and pure joy.
You can order Yellow Pills here, and I really recommend doing so. With two packed discs and an informative, 27-page booklet at $23, it’s a great deal. And the joy, the joy!