One month and sixteen days ago I wrote a little piece on the Violent Femmes eponymous debut lamenting the fact that nothing new in vinyl had been re-released since Rhino did the job back in 2003. Well, that changed today folks…. YAY!
Newbury is offering it in exclusive green marble vinyl.
It looks pretty damn sweet. Anyway, here is a link to the original review and another to Newbury if you want this prize as badly as I.
Cheers!
Shooting for the sound of Joy Division and hitting the Psychedelic Furs instead means only one thing to a fan of Yukon Blonde; the sound was overhauled in a total ‘WTF’ way. Confusion can be forgiven when a leap from R.E.M. mixed with Teenage Fanclub becomes an analog synth driven kaleidoscope of the 80’s New Wave movement. The opening track “Confusion” may not have been written as a message to fans, but the coincidence certainly matches the sound I’m hearing.
That said – I’m digging it!
Gone are guitar fronted loose ‘extenda jams’ that were present in Yukon Blonde’s eponymous 2010 debut and in is the more atmospheric layered production of a far more evolved unit. The change shouldn’t be entirely shocking as synth-pop has always been an element of the Yukon Blonde sound. “Make U Mine” with its playful flirt has a slight Prince feel and single “Saturday Night” lays out that “Safety Dance” vibe that has weird haircuts and pastel clothing running for the dance floor.
The whole Yukon Blonde experience is built around fun and On Blonde is no different from Tiger Talk in terms of lyrical themes. Still, to have so completely transformed from one record to the next makes one wonder if they had The Breakfast Club stuck in a VCR at some old woodsy locale. You know, a few friends, some odd flavoured cider and that guy who says every line a step out of cue until you all start yelling.
Good Times…
For vinyl lovers, go to the Kings Road site where they are offering On Blonde in a pretty cool looking gatefold cover with orange/black splatter wax. Only 300 are available so move quickly.
Give three teenagers a bit of cash to make a record and what do they do? If they’re Gaz Coombes, Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey they record Parlophone’s biggest selling debut record since the frickin’ Beatles released Please Please Me. Now, twenty years after that monumental moment, Parlophone and Rhino records are releasing an anniversary edition of the Supergrass debut I Should Coco.
Supergrass originally appeared in 1994, as a part of the Brit-Pop scene, with a sound that differentiated them from other acts by following a collection of influences. While Oasis and Blur were mining a vein of Beatles inspired melodies, Coombes & co. threw a concoction of ingredients into a blender that included the Buzzcocks, The Jam and Kinks. The result was a band that rocked louder and looser than their peers.
Their collective ages played a large part in the success of I Should Coco. Without even trying, the band created a great collection of songs that spoke to the teenage experience. “Caught By The Fuzz” was about Coombes’ bust for pot possession at age 15 and “Alright” with its opening “We are young, we run green” has continued to be a youth anthem long since the band were youths themselves. The album itself is a touchstone of the 90’s alt-rock movement and this reissue is definitely overdue.
With that in mind, both the CD and vinyl twentieth anniversary editions include some great things for fans.
The 12” re-master will be pressed on 180 gram black vinyl with cover art that has been re-photographed in high resolution from the original artwork created by The Moody Painters. It will also include a bonus 7” of the bands’ cover of Jimi Hendrix’s classic “Stone Free” which had initially been released only with the first 40,000 copies of I Should Coco. The 7” will be printed on red vinyl with a vintage reworking of the classic Parlophone red/yellow 45 label.
Alternatively, the 3 CD set will be jam packed with extras. The first disc will have the re-mastered I Should Coco. The second will contain all the b-sides that were released with their debut singles; while the third CD will include live material. Also included will be a 20 page booklet featuring one very enthusiastic live review from a 1995 Glasgow show, unpublished photos of the band and all the cover art from the singles.
To summarize, it is going to be one very cool set that fans will be eagerly waiting to get their hands on.
The 20th Anniversary Edition of I Should Coco will be released on Sept 4.
With metaphors of mountains and wolves threatening to turn Beneath The Skin into a lost scene from The Lord Of The Rings, a sudden heartfelt turn takes place that puts it all in context. This isn’t a record about pomposity; it’s an album about finding life affirmation. It takes time to get past the catchy single “Crystals” and its images of gold, silver and crystal eyes to find the depth and heart in Beneath The Skin.
“Organs” sees vocalist Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir lamenting “I am tired of punching in the wind / I am tired of letting it all in” as she bears witness to the changing nature of self as a relationship falls apart. That confusion continues in “We Sink” as Himarsdottir finds no solace; “It’s warm, the skin I’m living in / It creates and shapes what is within / So please look away, don’t look at me / As we sink into the open sea.” It’s her realization that sometimes things just don’t get better which makes the song that much more poignant.
Behind the words are an atmospheric blend of alt-rock guitar crunch, acoustic soul and keyboard flourishes that build drama around the lyrical images. It is a folk-rock sound that is reminiscent of Mumford and Sons and City and Color to name just a couple, but those similarities do nothing to interfere with the albums’ emotional resonance.
That said, Beneath The Skin provides a lasting and hopeful end as “Winter Sound” concludes “You and I will not be shaken by the winter sound.” Desolate perhaps, but Of Monsters And Men prove that beauty can be found in desolation.
Out on June 9th, Beneath The Skin comes out on all the usual formats and has some pretty cool special options on their website. Check it out.
By D.S. Barrett
It’s hard to gain respect when you are the world’s most bombastic band. Ask ELO or Queen about critical reception and there will always be those critics who point out the over the top nature of such artists. On top of this Muse can’t shake the fact that vocalist/guitarist Matthew Bellamy phrases his singing like The Bends era Thom Yorke and plays flashy guitar reminiscent of Brian May. Thing is, if you were to describe the ingredients of a great sounding record, you could do much worse than those guys.
The only thing that can save artists from the line of ‘artistic achievement’ and ‘unholy disaster’ is a group of songs that both the band and their fans can embrace as “really f’in cool.” So now you have Drones, an album that uses the mechanical bringers of death as a metaphor for the loss of humanity, identity and empathy. It shoots for the stars and attempts to play more like a rock opera on the movie screen than a mere record put out in 2015.
Odd as it seems, they make it work. Sure you get the impression that they listened to a few popular 80’s records along the lines of The Power Station and Foreigner to update their previous sounds, but damn, it’s fun and they sell it with conviction. You might accuse them of being pretentious; an honest criticism in their case, but the basic fact is that Drones is entertainment. Think of it this way, not every war film made is about the consequences of violence; some are released so that people can watch big explosions and stuff popcorn in their face simultaneously… and there is nothing wrong with that.
So when Bellamy sings “men in cloaks / always seem to run the show / mercy / from the powers that be” you can either roll your eyes or turn up the volume, but there is just no way you can ignore it.
Now for the purchase details.
Muse does know how to treat their fans and make a few bucks. You can buy Drones on all the usual physical mediums or you can buy this gorgeous gem.
In a tri-fold cover, the deluxe edition contains two 180 gram red vinyl discs, CD, DVD, download card and two litho art prints. It’s pricey and you’ll need to cover shipping… but damn, it looks pretty sweet.
Yesterday Metric released news of their next release and it is available for pre-order with a few extra goodies for those who like their music to look as good as it sounds. You can pre-order Pagans In Vegas here.
Also available is a “cassette” of their latest EP The Shade.
For those of you who just can’t wait to hear what it all sounds like Metric have released a video for their latest song as part of the announcement to the masses.
They should have been shattered upon the rocks of apathy and cast into the dark pit of ambiguity, but instead they released a record every bit the equal of their debut. Big Star’s #1 Record was critically a success but poorly distributed resulting in sales that didn’t even come close to the high expectations the band had of themselves. The result saw a heart broken singer /songwriter Chris Bell quit the band altogether. Yet Alex Chilton took Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel into the world of yet another perfect power-pop record.
Ranked #403 on Rolling Stones “Top 500 Albums of All Time” Radio City was filled with great bursts of electric guitar reminiscent of the Kinks, vocal harmonies inspired by the Beach Boys, and lyrical stories that captured the artistic simplicity of Lennon / McCartney through a Memphis filter.
Songs like “September Gurls” “Back Of A Car” and I’m In Love With A Girl” didn’t just capture a moment in time; they spoke the universal truth of teen longing and confusion in dream crushing detail. “Sittin’ in the back of a car / music so loud can’t tell a thing / thinkin’ ‘bout what to say / can’t find the lines” from “Back Of A Car” has Chilton’s vocals expressing multiple emotions with such knowing intimacy you would swear you were witness to an event.
It is near insanity to think that this amazing and powerful record is still not given the recognition it deserves as it easily stands beside the all time great albums. Actually, you may accuse me of hyperbole, but #1 Record and Radio City combined is one of the best one-two punches to be released in all rock music.
In terms of vinyl, Radio City has several options available to you. The obvious choice is to go back to the original 1974 release. Used copies of the stereo edition will set you back at least $150 while the mono version sells for over $370.
A 1986 reissue of the album sells for a much more reasonable $20.00 with a German reissue on white vinyl going around $30.00. They also came with an alternate cover.
There is a twelve year gap to 1998 when Stax first re-mastered Radio City. You can pick used copies in the twenty dollar range.
However, your best bets come from the five vinyl editions released since 2009. Stax released a regular vinyl edition, while Classic Records Proprietary issued a re-mastered 200 gram vinyl. These are highly coveted and sell for anywhere between $50 and $150 on the reseller market.
In 2010, a red vinyl edition was released in the UK and Europe, and has an asking price of over $30.00.
The last re-master is still the easiest to get, and sounds great. In 2014, 4 Men With Beards released Radio City on 180 gram vinyl and you can still find copies under $30.
So many choices, and yet I would advise you to just stroll over to your local independent record store and see what they have. The 2014 reissue is still widely available.
Many many many (did I say many) alt-rock luminaries have a love for Rush. So, in honour of the Canadian rock gawds 40th anniversary, Sebadoh have recorded a cover of the Rush hit “Limelight” from the 1981 album Moving Pictures. The original batch of 978 picture discs sold out.
However, the good people at Joyful Noise have done another printing on clear vinyl for those of you who feel you missed out the first time. You can order it here.
You can also check out the original recording of “Limelight” by watching the video above.
There was a point a few years ago when I was pretty well convinced that the only American ‘rock’ band left that really mattered was Spoon. Starting with 2001’s Girls Can Tell, Spoon put together a string of four back to back records on Merge, with each new brilliant album being slightly better than the last. Their sound wasn’t based on 60’s surf, 70’s classic, 80’s synth, or 90’s alt-rock… it was, just a groove that made your head nod and forced you to pay attention. You see, Britt Daniel and Co. are more subtle than to give you an obvious influence and instead channel elements of opposing song writing giants to play off of. You get a bit of Costello, a smidgen of the Clash, a hint of the “wall of sound” with a touch of Bowie and then mix in a heaping of original creepy grooves and the result is Spoon.
2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is the fourth and finest of the Merge years taking on all the elements of their previous work and then adding a kind of studio wizardry that arrives from the production of Jon Brion. Britt Daniel can be as depressing as all hell, but the vibe is so intoxicating that you feel compelled to be entertained by the misery. He sings “I want to forget how conviction fits, but can I get out from under it” on “The Underdog” but despite the hostility of the lyrical delivery it plays against type with hand claps and horns “for the Lords of Austin have returned.” (Yes that is a Lord of the Rings reference!)
So, with all this enthusiasm, you know I have to add this to my vinyl collection. Of course the choices are limited to only two. The first is a still widely available regular black vinyl that comes with a download card.
The second, released by Newbury Comics in 2014, is a very limited run of 500 in 180 gram red translucent vinyl that also includes a download card. As you can see, it is gorgeous.
While you can get the standard black for about $20.00, you can expect to pay at least $50.00 on the reseller market for the Newbury edition. Just hoping I can find a copy on a trip to the U.S. so I don’t have to pay a ton in shipping costs.
I don’t know if any of you caught the music news this week but the big announcement wasn’t a release by “fill in your favourite band” but rather that indie record stores are about to start “Vinyl Tuesday.”
In conjunction with and modeled on the example of Record Store Day, Vinyl Tuesday is set to bring you new and limited vinyl each week. As stated by the American Association of Independent Music in their press release, “there will be several types of vinyl releases.”
1) Catalog releases which can mean releases made specifically for Vinyl Tuesday or a regular release
2) Commercial and promotional vinyl releases
3) Rare cases where vinyl hits the streets before any other medium
4) Vinyl made specifically for the Record Store Day / indie shoppers
5) Vinyl that is being released after other formats
Basically, all the same stores that have been participating on RSD are going to be joining the Vinyl Tuesday craze. The only thing not mentioned in the press release (or anywhere else) is when vinyl Tuesday is set to start.
Now… where the hell do I get the cash to pay for this?
barrettbites 