You think it’s easy, but you’re wrong; I am not one half of the problem. Zurich is stained and it’s not my fault; just hold me back or let me run.

It was the spring of 1994 when I discovered Pavement. I had yet to turn sixteen, but I was digging into ‘alternative’ music with an urgency as if I had two months left to live. The band, who had just released Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, was regularly played during the evening shows on national radio. I think I liked them from the beginning and I prefer to think that was because, unlike almost any other ‘alternative’ band I knew, they songs ren’t loud, aggressive, depressive and heavy on drugs. Pavement seemed to be normal lads like me, who wrote simple yet slightly edgy pop songs with somewhat nonsensical lyrics. The 1994 version of me was really into nonsensical lyrics.

So I got all nostalgic when Orlando showed us the poster for the next Exeter Goes Pop!, which is based on the band’s 1991 debut Slanted & Enchanted. It was that album that I first discovered —they had a copy at the local library— and played hundreds of times; that I bought on CD when my financial circumstances didn’t really afford me to buy CDs that I had on tape already; that I bought the unnecessary double-CD reissue of almost a decade later.

I’m not sure if we’ll play Pavement during the next club night. Orlando might, but I will make sure to take my copy of the record. Do expect to hear some Pocketbooks and something of the new Lucksmiths from the decks though. That night, by the way, is tomorrow, from 8pm to 11pm at Tigga’s Bar. It is free as usual and we’ll even have a band play some songs.

If you happen to be in Exeter on Saturday, which unfortunately we won’t be, make sure you’ll go to Tigga’s Bar again for Phil Wilson and his band will play some songs. Phil, as you may know, used to be in the June Brides several presidents ago and now lives kind of round the corner in Devon. It starts at 8pm and it’s free. If you aren’t in Exeter because you are in, say, Nottingham, which unfortunately we won’t be, make sure you’ll attend the Indiepop all-dayer on Sunday, where Phil will play with the likes of Pocketbooks, MJ Hibbett, Milky Wimpshake and Pete Green.

YouTube ‘still’ of Pavement’s Zurich is Stained.

It was 29 months ago when I put my CDs into boxes. I didn’t really know when I would take them out again —I didn’t really know much at that time— but I didn’t think it would take 29 months. I can’t say I missed them very much though. After all, it is very easy to find the actual music online and those aluminium discs, well, weren’t they mostly relics of a sad life once led, when I didn’t do much but buying records?

The boxes with CDs, those that I had decided to keep, finally arrived this week. It meant more to me than I would have thought. Much as they are just aluminium discs, some of these discs actually contain really good music. And more importantly, they contain quite a few memories too.

So I rediscovered B’ehl. They were from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and released two records in 1997 and 2001, the first of which (Only a Paper Moon) was among the first things I ever ordered from the US. It was before my record buying got really out of hand so I did have the time to listen to it. Memories of feeling that I was the only one on earth who liked this kind of thing come back; of spending long Sundays on my own and putting bands like B’ehl on mixtapes that I then only listened to myself. It didn’t seem to matter very much back then: the realisation of my sadness did not come until much later. I was happy that bands like B’ehl were there to brighten up my days and make me feel different than anyone else. And if it wasn’t for their music, I’d have loved them for their cute little name.

B’ehl went on to release a second album, the almost equally good Bright Eyes, after which they split up and some members went on in the band Paper Moon, but I never really got into them. It doesn’t really matter; it is good to think of B’ehl again, to listen to their albums again, and to be happy for the mere fact bands like B’ehl existed.

B’ehl have put all their songs on last.fm to listen to in their entirity. Like all bands should do, really. If you’re into the softer side of indiepop and the likes of Heavenly, Gaze and Glo-Worm I’m sure you’ll enjoy them too. Start with Tag, for that has always been my favourite song.