It’s quite likely that there’s going to be a few posts over the coming weeks when the tracks will be sourced from various compilations. I’m not making it any sort of series…..it’ll be inane ramblings when I’ve a space needing filled.
I’ve got this absolute belter of a song from it being included on Rough Trade Indiepop 1, a 2xCD effort released and bought back in 2004.
mp3: Love Is All – Spinning and Scratching
Love Is All are from Gothenburg. The single was originally released in very limited numbers on the Swedish label Philosophy Of The World before being up by the NYC-based label, What’s Your Rupture. It was the band’s debut.
The bio over on allmusic reveals that Love Is All line-up is Josephine Olausson (vocals, keyboard), Johan Lindwall (bass), Markus Görsch (drums), Fredrik Eriksson (saxophone), and Nicholaus Sparding (guitar/vocals).
Olausson, Sparding, and Görsch had previously been members of Girlfriendo. The trio promptly regrouped after that band’s demise and added Lindwall, who had recorded in a side project with Olausson and Sparding called Cat Skills. They finally added the missing piece with saxophone player Fredrik Eriksson.
It goes on to state “While earning many rave reviews from the blogging community for its blend of art punk and indie rock, the band released several singles, one of which made single of the week in NME. The singles were collected on the debut LP Nine Times That Same Song, released by New York-based What’s Your Rupture? in late 2005. After much touring through 2006 and 2007, Eriksson left the band and Love Is All continued on as a quartet.
A Hundred Things That Keep Me Up at Night and the remix album Love Is All Mixed Up arrived in 2008, along with Eriksson’s replacement, Åke Strömer (saxophone, keyboards). The lineup stayed intact for the next record, Two Thousand and Ten Injuries, which was released on new label Polyvinyl in March of 2010.”
It would appear that the 2010 release was their last.
I’ve gone digging to find the other tracks from the debut EP.
mp3: Love Is All – Make Out. Fall Out. Make Up.
mp3: Love Is All – Ageing Had Never Been His Friend
I hope there will be much agreement that these are three damn fine, splendid cuts. On this basis, Love Is All should have been massive.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
When I stumbled upon the Nine Times That Same Song LP in 2006, I was delighted. Throughout my music buying ‘career’ I’ve always wondered why some bands cross my path while others don’t and why I can connect so strongly with some bands and less so with others.
I’d urge all to listen to the two tracks JC has offered and the band’s entire output. Why weren’t they huge – even in a indie sense? I never saw the band live but can only imagine how utterly brilliant it would have been. Just about everything I want to hear moulded into one glorious racket.
“Nine Times that same Song” received a remarkable 8.7 at Pitchfork in 2006: “The first great band of 2006”. They didn’t get that “Nine Times…” is essentially a collection of early EPs and singles (and thus the only Love Is All compilation so far). The less nervous and radio compatible “Turn the Radio off” is one of the few new songs.
I bought the first two albums from Love Is All back then (on CD). Today I would say not owning them is an equally good option. Probably I’ll say the same thing about Mandy, Indiana’s “I’ve seen a Way” in a few years (8.3 at Pichfork; this time purple swirl vinyl).
The most fascinating thing about Mandy, Indiana is that the members look exactly like the people I grill with every few weeks.
A Fine band – Nine Times That Same Song is a brilliant album
I recently revisited this album and I honestly forgot how good it is.
I only own one record – Love Is All Mixed Up – and I like the remixes of Make Out, Fall Out, Make Up so it’s good to hear the original. Great stuff.