Fresh off a slew of performances at SXSW and on the heels of their Kanine Records debut release, You Are The Beat, Dream Diary frontman Jacob Sloan graces the web pages of TVD NYC today to tell us about his favorite pop records made by siblings.
The history of pop music is littered with bands comprised of siblings, who grew up together, unleashed brilliant pop singles out into the world, and quickly faded into obscurity. Did shared childhoods allow these groups to better capture memories of melting ice cream, bicycle spokes, hazy summer sunshine, and quiet boredom? These are the sibling duos/trios/octets that made some of my favorite, most magical records…
The Murmaids were a Los Angeles-based all-female vocal trio led by teens Carol and Terry Fischer, daughters of a jazz composer. They released a single album with two of the best girl-group tracks of the early 1960’s, their “Popsicles and Icicles” and the gorgeous, criminally ignored “Wild and Wonderful”. The former, which John Lennon loved so much that he copied its chords for Help’s “It’s Only Love,” captures perfectly the best things about growing up (“popsicles and icicles…bright stars and guitars”). It’s ostensibly about a dream-hunk teen boy, but, more broadly, is an ode to childhood. The sisters received no money from the song and the group was shortly finished as Sally went off to college.
Should-have-been British pop icons who weren’t, Sophie and Peter Johnston are brother-sister duo who briefly received attention in the mid-1980s due to John Peel’s championing them as the most ground-breaking new pop since Little Richard. Their original self-titled album and 7” singles sparkle with harmonies and unbeatable synth hooks and righteous lyrics about television, relationships, and believing in yourself. I’m on a long-term mission to collect all of their records, which are difficult to find: Everyone should have one band for whom they do this.
I like to imagine a parallel universe in which Minnesota Mormons, The Jets, a group made up of eight brothers and sisters, are as successful as Michael Jackson and his family in this one. Their freestyle-inspired dance
pop is probably too sugary-sweet though, and their views on romance and heartbreak too innocent and wholesome. Their records go over very well at any dance party.
