Operation Heavenly is the fourth and final studio album by English indie pop

Indie pop

Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...

 band Heavenly

Heavenly (British band)

Heavenly were a 1990s twee pop band, originally forming in Oxford, England in 1989. Amelia Fletcher , Mathew Fletcher , Peter Momtchiloff and Robert Pursey had all been members of Talulah Gosh, a key member of the C86 scene.-History:Heavenly debuted with the 7" single "I Fell in Love Last...

. It was released by Wiiija

Wiiija

Wiiija was a British independent record label. It was founded in 1988 by staff from the Rough Trade Shop in Notting Hill, London. The name Wiiija is a corruption of W11 1JA, the postcode of the Rough Trade Shop in Talbot Street....

 in October 1996. In the United States it was issued by K Records

K Records

K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, co-founded, owned, and operated by Calvin Johnson, formerly of the bands Cool Rays, Beat Happening, The Go Team, The Halo Benders and presently in the bands Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Hive Dwellers...

, whose founder Calvin Johnson provided guest vocals on "Pet Monkey". The album contains ten original songs and a cover

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of Serge Gainsbourg

Serge Gainsbourg

Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...

's "Nous Ne Somme Pas Des Anges".

K released "Trophy Girlfriend" on a split 7" single with two songs by Bis

Bis (band)

Bis are a Scottish indie pop band composed of Steven Clark , John Clark , and Amanda MacKinnon . Formed in 1994, the band broke up in 2003, but reformed briefly in 2007 for a series of concerts.-History:...

. The single bore the overall title International Pop Underground Vol. 66.

"Space Manatee" was also released as a single, backed by two exclusive B-sides

A-side and B-side

A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

: covers of "You Tore Me Down" (originally by The Flamin' Groovies) and "Art School" (by The Jam

The Jam

The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...

). The two cover versions were included on a Japanese reissue of the album in 1998.

Music videos were made for both singles.

After Mathew Fletcher committed suicide in June 1996, the remaining members retired the name Heavenly. They later regrouped as Marine Research

Marine Research

Marine Research was an indie rock/twee pop band, based in Oxford/London , formed in 1997 by four of the five members of Heavenly , following the suicide of Heavenly drummer Mathew Fletcher...

for one album in 1999.

Tracklisting

1. "Trophy Girlfriend"
2. "K-Klass Kisschase"
3. "Space Manatee"
4. "Ben Sherman"
5. "By the Way"
6. "Cut Off"
7. "Nous Ne Sommes Pas Des Anges"
8. "Mark Angel"
9. "Fat Lenny"
10. "Snail Trail"
11. "Pet Monkey"