Indie pop passed through a Spectorometer, resulting in greatness.

This is James before Sit Down made people go all weird on the dancefloor, pre-Laid, pre-Eno, and a whirling, skittering delight it is, too.

'If The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have some Field Mice LPs in their collection, then something - specifically Shimmer - tells me they might just have been listening to the odd Flatmates album...

Higher Than The Stars is up there with the very best current indie pop.

Oblivious sees the ever-brilliant Roddy Frame in his younger days.

I have a feeling I posted the New Zealand masterclass that is Heavenly Pop Hit once before (and a long time ago) but it's comfortably indie and poppy enough to deserve a repeat. Dum de...

The Smiths-esque, you might say. Also, lots of other stuff-esque. Also, wonderful-esque.

Charmingly scratchy and analogue, enough to make any hipster’s heart sing.

Proof that even if your debut is practically perfect, it can be hard to overcome that clunky band name you unaccountably saddled yourselves with. One album and then they were gone.

Deserving of so much more success is Joe Pernice. From his Scud Mountain Boys days through solo work to Pernice Brothers, he’s created stacks of beautiful pop like this.

Welsh fuzz-pop, 1988 style, from the so-called and in no way totally fabricated blonde movement.

Named after a Thelonius Monk album, doncha know.

It’s an indie pop bullseye: a track by a band on Sarah Records, the spiritual home of C86 and jangly indie pop, and which was covered a year later by Saint Etienne.

A veritable foot-tapper from the Reading beat combo.

I know I'm getting fairly loose with the whole of idea of what indie pop might include, but Shark Ridden Waters is one heck of a tune.

Like most of the 80s picks this month, you'll find this track on the excellent Scared To Get Happy - a 5CD indie pop compilation released earlier this year by Cherry Red Records.

In which the young, nervous guitarist shows a refreshing absence of media training:

Averagely brilliant early Weddoes.