Garden's pretty and the patio's pretty, but the wife's out the front door, what a pity~ Today's #Bis song is Burn the Suit, originally from Bis Vs the DIY Corps. This one is special to me! While Kandy Pop was the first Bis song I heard and This Is Fake DIY was the first one I loved, it was this B-side that turned me into a fan.
#XandyPop 52
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFGr3muj6hU

Maybe he's a she, and she's a reject, she's just like me! Today's #Bis song is Poster Parent from New Transistor Heroes. The lyrics deal with celebrity crushes and the extremes of hero worship. Back when I was first listening to the album, this song didn't really stand out to me, but in retrospect I feel like it does a really good job of capturing the band's live energy, on an album that sometimes struggled to do that.
#XandyPop 51
https://youtu.be/K3MgPm7t_TA

Chaos reigning on the street! Today's #Bis song is Blow Your Mind from Music For Animations. It was recorded for the BB3B episode "Mind Bandits".
Is this the only Bis song to use a stylophone? I also think it's fun how easily the band's lyrical style lends itself to the show; if you ignore the evil alien baby stuff this could easily be a New Transistor Heroes-era song about fighting for the nation's youth and stuff
#XandyPop 50
https://youtu.be/4rytk0spoM8

I'm no communist, it's just a rumor! Today's #Bis song is Honesty Is Stupid, a demo that didn't quite make it onto Social Dancing, but did make it onto a collection of album demos that did the rounds back in the day. The song eventually got an official release on the Anthology, and I'm glad, because it's really good! It's a moody but playful tribute to the benefits of lying (and possibly also evil).
#XandyPop 49
https://youtu.be/CCwx3wXkByc

Keeps me smiling all day, and I don't care~ Today's #Bis song is Keroleen, originally released on a split single with Heavenly in 1996. While the name of the song comes from a Sanrio character, the song is actually an opportunity for Manda to fangirl over Drew Barrymore a lot. One day when I was a teenager I came home sick from school, only to discover my parents had bought me this record. Thanks, Mum and Dad!
#XandyPop 48
https://youtu.be/RF52yodwISg

I am this way 'cause my boyfriend says so... Today's #Bis song is Photo Shop from New Transistor Heroes! It's the weirdest song on the album and one of the darkest, as well as - I'm told - being fairly divisive among fans. I've been fond of it for a long time, but that may in part be due to the band's playfulness with gender roles, with Manda playing the part of the boyfriend while the guys do the girlfriend's vocals
#XandyPop 47
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo1Ln2TZS8g

Beautiful ending to a hard, hard day... Today's #Bis song is their cover of Susan Fassbender's Twilight Cafe, the B-side to Keep Your Darkness. The original has long been a favorite of the band; Susan Fassbender was a truly underappreciated artist and I feel like her influence can still be heard in the band's music.
#XandyPop 46
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiFRtXLtccc

Today's #Bis song is their Christmas single from a few years back, You Wrecked My Christmas! It's not often that I happen upon a Christmas song I like - aside from Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses, naturally (shut up, it's good). While it's clearly a subversion of the usual Christmas fare, it also fits well with a holiday that's so often a big ball of stress.
Now, will we ever get to hear that Scottish World Cup song they wanted to do?
and expectations.
#XandyPop 45
https://youtu.be/5jWGORW06z4

Maybe your idols won't like your snobbery... Today's #Bis song is Punk Rock Points, the closing track from the Music for a Stranger World mini album. It's somewhat reminiscent of early Bis, and the song is about not judging other people based on the music they like. I was a vile, judgmental little indie kid back then, so it's probably a message I needed to hear
#XandyPop 44
https://youtu.be/ezjiNjELK64

This is dead stock and reduced to clear... Today's #Bis song is Sale or Return from Social Dancing. The band's frustrations with navigating the music industry were evident as far back as Diska on the Secret Vampire Soundtrack, but this song might be their most cynical on the topic. Maybe their most cynical, full stop. Still, for all the gloom and bitterness it's consistently one of my most-liked songs on the album
#XandyPop 43
https://youtu.be/_2NYP0gctlg

Today's #Bis song is Metal Box from Return to Central and... I don't have a lot to say about this one! It's one of two brief instrumentals on the album - this one bridges between Chicago and We're Complicated - it's fast and energetic and sounds like it could, in fact, have been recorded in a metal box. It's more substantial than those super-short stings you used to get on Super Furry Animals albums, but that's about all I've got on this one :heart_sp_trans:
#XandyPop 42
https://youtu.be/w6bsdY5UBu8

Ohhhhhhh ska! Today's #Bis song is Everybody Thinks That They're Going to Get Theirs, the third single from New Transistor Heroes and their second longest song title. It's a bouncy ska tune and I've never had any clue what it's about. Like a number of NTH tracks I feel like the final version ended up sounding a bit sterile compared to the energy of the live version? There's an amazing session version but alas, I continue to no longer have that tape.
#XandyPop 41
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T80NHOb0Wi0

Eat my insurrection! Today's #Bis song is Ninja Hi-Skool, originally a Sweet Shop Avengerz B-side. Is it named after Ben Dunn's long running kinda-manga series? Maybe! The song has some references to the Teen-C phenomenon, the band's self-constructed mythology that would usually be expanded on in liner notes. These references include vampires (but like, friendly ones), who in this case are drawing on each other with felt pens?
#XandyPop 40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abCGtCf-nJM

Alien communication! Today's #Bis song is Theme Song (What Are We Gonna Do Now?) from Music for Animations. Naturally, this was the opening theme for BB3B and it's also the shortest song on the album. Lyrically, it's all about establishing the plot of the show, but... maaan, the production on these songs Is really good. Also contains the band's only use of the word "Rochdale"
#XandyPop 39
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzmzGTuSFEU

There's nothing sacred in our name! Today's #Bis song is Young Alien Types, a bona fide classic from Social Dancing. When I say Bis got me through tough times, this is the kind of stuff I'm talking about. There was this mixture of defiance and optimism: the idea that yeah, it sucks to be different, but you're going to find a community who'll love you for those differences.
#XandyPop 38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDajmRmNOjI

I never give up, and I'd like to meet you... Today's #Bis song is DJ, originally released on some international versions of Music For a Stranger World. For a long time, this was one of the most difficult tracks to get hold of: I don't think I owned an official copy until the the Anthology came out. It's notable for containing probably the most startling opening vocal in the band's history.
#XandyPop 37
https://youtu.be/nj4pvfOCTKY

I am me, you're not you, I like me, you love you! Today's #Bis song is Popstar Kill from New Transistor Heroes. I hadn't heard this song in ages, and I think it falls into the category of songs I didn't rate much back in the day but appreciate more now. I'm entertained by the bouncy, happy melody contrasted with the murderous intent of the lyrics. This was another song I avoided playing when my mum was in the room because it contains the word "fuck" 12 times
#XandyPop 36
https://youtu.be/mKLmIEsI888

Hey, I'm just another girl <3 Today's #Bis song is Kiss and Tell, originally one of the B-sides to Detour. Both of the Detour B-sides were mixed by DJ Scissorkicks (him from Collapsed Lung). I listened to this a ton when it came out! It definitely ended up foreshadowing the more experimental route the band would take over the next few years.
#XandyPop 35
https://youtu.be/SRKIQARuvr8

It's no capital crime (or is it?) Today's #Bis song is their cover of the Rolling Stones' Stray Cat Blues, originally a Eurodisco B-side. This cover is bonkers. The original version is... um... probably good if you like the Rolling Stones? I find it kinda boring? It's also pretty gross lyrics-wise, and in the liner notes for Social Dancing Deluxe the band notes the irony of one of Manda's standout vocal performances being on this misogynistic Stones song.
#XandyPop 34
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzIDEl2j6d8

It's all exploding in so many good ways! Today's #Bis song is I Want It All, originally from the Music For a Stranger World mini album, which featured a lot of great Manda-led stuff. This one sounds like it could have fit in easily on her solo album (which you should check out, it's very good)
#XandyPop 33
https://youtu.be/5wDWfZQL83Y