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Dec 07, 2015 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

With Popkiss, journalist Michael White details the history of British indie record label Sarah Records. With its roster of indie pop bands such as The Field Mice, Heavenly, The Orchids, and The Sea Urchins, Sarah, which ran from 1987-1995, has taken on great cult importance since its demise. White’s history is a much-needed document, fleshing out details and explanation for a label and “scene” that has meant so much to so many yet not received the literary attention it deserves.

Acknowledging himself that a chronological history would be impossible given all the disparate players in the Sarah story, White constructed his book as a series of chapters detailing different Sarah bands or components of the Sarah experience and history. Read cover to cover, this construction can tend to bog down the reading process, especially when individual band histories tend to echo similar themes or when, for Sarah Records neophytes, some of the bands chronicled may not be well known.

That said, Popkiss is immensely readable and incredibly successful in uncovering the secrets of a record label that was timeless in its output, limited in its lifespan, and for the most part known to only a select few record-philes during its duration. If you were in the know, Popkiss will help you discover Sarah anew. If you weren’t, you will find endless rabbit holes down which to venture. Either way, you’ll come away pleased.

(www.bloomsbury.com)

Author rating: 7/10