The Breakfast Club stuck in a VCR at the cabin or Yukon Blonde – On Blonde

June 15, 2015 / ds barrett / 2 Comments

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.

Following That Bouncing Ball or The Breeders – Last Splash

June 14, 2015June 15, 2015 / ds barrett / 1 Comment

It’s amusing that the greatest criticism handed Kim Deal and The Breeders is that Last Splash wasn’t something slightly bigger than it was. It wasn’t Pixies enough; it wasn’t grunge enough; it wasn’t polished enough; it wasn’t poppy enough, or it didn’t have the right producer. Yet the album went on to sell more than a million copies and was an alt-rock staple of 1993 and ’94. The single “Cannonball” was so damn infectious just the thought of the opening can get your head nodding and body moving in that familiar 90’s pogo.

For all the complaints, Last Splash remains an eclectic journey that has moments of pure pop joy (“Cannonball”), acoustic head turners (Drivin’ On 9”) and outright experimentation (“Do You Love Me Now”). Twenty-two years since its release and it still finds its way onto my stereo when I need a musical boost.

So , what about vinyl?

Well, by 1993 vinyl was just about taking its final bow and some records on smaller labels weren’t printing wax releases at all. The Breeders’ Last Splash fell into a weird spot. Here was a Chicago based band that North American fans had to import if they wanted the record on vinyl. The wax edition was only available to shoppers in Brazil, Spain and the UK. From that original release, only one country, the UK, was offered a bonus 7” to go with the vinyl. Not surprisingly, the reseller market for the initial release is all based out of the UK and people are asking for anywhere between $75 and $200. If you are looking for a newer option, there are only two. In 2009, Plain Recording released a 180 gram edition with no frills. It is still available if you look in the right places and can usually be had for around $30. The next version is a lot more complicated. In 2013, The Breeders released a special 20^th anniversary edition of Last Splash that was a full blown vinyl box set containing three 12” records and four 10” records. The first 12” was the re-mastered Last Splash with the other two containing a live show (called Stockholm Syndrome) and demos and rarities. The ten inches are re-masters of the bands EP’s – Safari, Cannonball, Divine Hammer and Head to Toe.

Considering just how much is in the box a price tag that can range from $110 to $140 new isn’t surprising. However the reseller market has gone tragically insane at times with one e-bay vendor asking over $300. You can still find new copies if you do a bit of searching and used copies go for under $100 on discogs.

Would You Believe I Just Bought A Cassette! Or Metric – The Shade EP

June 12, 2015 / ds barrett / 1 Comment

The last time I bought a cassette, well… I’m not sure I remember. It was definitely in the late 80’s or maybe 1990, but it’s all rather fuzzy. To some extent vinyl had always kept a small touch of cool, but cassettes were popular only because they were portable. When CD’s took over that market, they became obsolete. Still, there is that touch of nostalgia and I fully admit to having a tape deck hooked into the stereo as I was making ‘mixed tapes’ into the late 1990’s.

So imagine my surprise when the latest Metric release came in two formats only: digital download and limited cassette. (Actually, I’ll be honest, I find it pretty awesome!) Over to the old AIWA deck I go and watch two wheels turn a thin strip of plastic. There it is, that new single (“The Shade”), introduced to The Edge just a day or two before their Sugar Beach performance, starts pumping out the speakers. The green and red lights are bouncing a storm on the cassette players level reader. It’s all so… mesmerizing. Fortunately, so is the music.

Heavy on the synthesizer, The Shade takes the exploration of those sounds found on Metric’s 2012 release Synthetica an extra step away from 80’s synth-pop and 90’s alternative only to mix it up with a slight industrial tinge. The result is a band that has managed to show growth and range with every new release and an ep that is catchy without being crass.

The title track with its repeated chorus “I want it all” speaks to living in the moment. “Cascades” finds tenderness in electronica, “Too Bad, So Sad” comes off as a post apocalyptic self-help manual, and the final cut “Office Towers Escalate” builds a heavy drum &keyboard jam into a Matrix like dance revue.

As if the music wasn’t incentive enough, Metric adds to the ‘collectibility’ of the cassette by signing autographs on the inside of the cover. Not that I think ‘the cassette’ is coming back in style, but I wonder if I need to get a head cleaner?

You can find The Shade ep at ilovemetric.com

Youth Anthem Gets Reissue or Supergrass – I Should Coco Twentieth Anniversary Edition (coming soon)

June 11, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

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 20^th Anniversary Edition of I Should Coco will be released on Sept 4.

Heartbreak… it’s universal & sounds awesome! or Sharon Van Etten – I Don’t Want To Let You Down ep

June 9, 2015June 12, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

What is it about heartbreak that drives one to explore the depths of grief rather than run away fast? Then, as a listener, what makes us want to grapple with someone else’s despair instead of looking for a happy song? Things are intensely personal on I Don’t Want To Let You Down in a way that is both captivating and raw with open wounds. Not content to place blame, Van Etten explores relationships with empathy from both sides of the figurative divide. On the title track, Van Etten sings “When dreams grew black / I didn’t want to see the light”; her voice both pleading and determined to hold together the shards of a relationship that has already failed. Observations don’t contradict one another as much as crash and lay emotions strewn upon the road with pieces not even large enough to gather up. As the EP continues it becomes quickly apparent that the end of a love affair is the uniting theme. “Just Like Blood” explores lost communication, “I Always Fall Apart” looks at the need for a confidant, and “Pay My Debts” views the destruction caused by distance. Each song has a different perspective but conclusions are similar in their longing for circumstances to be somehow different than what they have become. I Don’t Want To Let You Down may not be happy, but sometimes it’s good to have a soundtrack for tears. After all, heartbreak is universal and it’s great to have a haunting voice remind us we are not alone. I Don’t Want To Let You Down is out on June 9^th.

Beauty Found in Desolation or Of Monsters And Men – Beneath The Skin

June 8, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

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 9^th, 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

Comes With Big Explosions or Muse – Drones

June 8, 2015 / ds barrett / 1 Comment

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.

Self Sabotage Genius or The Replacements – Pleased To Meet Me

June 7, 2015June 7, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

Pleased To Meet Me should never have worked, yet it stands tall as a masterpiece. Lead guitarist Bob Stinson was out because of substance problems and the remaining band members were stumbling at best. Paul Westerberg’s songs were all over the map, and still the album is full of such gems that you can hardly tell that they had begun to disintegrate.

Recording at Ardent Studios in Memphis with producer Jim Dickinson, it really shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone that the band sound was less their typical brilliant boozy swagger and more an awesome well practised piece of power-pop. Of course, like his hero Alex Chilton, Paul Westerberg attempts to self sabotage his own career aspirations with tunes designed to be hated. The reaction therefore is that fans and critics alike see it as a ‘sign of genius’ – ‘a change of direction’ and rightfully heap praise.

Jazz and soul undertones (“Nightclub Jitters” & “Skyway”) mixed with punk pathos (“I Don’t Know” & “Red Red Wine”) and the aforementioned power-pop gems (“Alex Chilton” & “Can’t Hardly Wait”) help to create an album that demands devotion.

So it seems strange that since its initial release in 1987, Pleased To Meet Me didn’t see a re-master and reissue until 2008. For vinyl there are only two choices, finding an original used copy, which will cost you $50 and up

the 2008 Rhino reissue on 180 gram vinyl. New and unopened copies of Pleased To Meet Me start around the $40 mark and even get some resellers asking as much as $100. While there is a new Replacements 2015 box out right now, there has been no vinyl release date set as of yet.

Your best bet is to hit your local retailers and see if you can track down the 2008 vinyl reissue while you still can.

The Hard Rock Blue Print or Aerosmith – Toys In The Attic

June 6, 2015June 6, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

Say what you want about Aerosmith, and I know that opinions vary wildly, but they were at one time the most important rock ‘n’ roll band in the U.S. of A. Too heavy to be power-pop, too light to be metal they were the popular bridge between the so-cal sounds of Fleetwood Mac and the raw power of Black Sabbath. The path that Aerosmith helped to create in the ‘70’s is what every glam-hair-metal band rode in on the 80’s. Furthermore, Toys In The Attic was the blueprint used by many of these bands trying to find mainstream success. A couple all out naughty rock tunes (“Walk This Way” & “Sweet Emotion”), a ballad (“You See Me Crying”) some quirky humour (“Big Ten Inch Record”), deep cuts to give a bit of depth (“Uncle Salty” & “No More No More”) and you have the recipe used by everyone from Faster Pussycat to Bon Jovi.

Of course Toys In The Attic sold close to 8 million records, so finding a copy isn’t a problem. The real issue is finding what is worth owning from a fidelity point of view. While original copies are plentiful, finding a great copy while crate digging can be hit and miss. Looking at discogs, you can see a virtual ton for under $5.00, but warning, buyer beware. This was about the time record companies began to release material on crappy vinyl. Standard was 120 gram, and some companies began to cut back to as low as the wobbly 80 gram. Inspect it first, or only buy from a reputable vendor. As for the reissue and re-mastered market, you got a couple really good options.

I don’t usually recommend CD’s, but in 1993, Columbia released a limited and re-mastered edition of Toys In The Attic on a super bit mapping 24k gold disc as part of their legacy collection. After buying it back in the 90’s, I sold my original CD copy and retired my old worn out vinyl edition. The sound from the gold CD blew them away. Still it can get a bit pricey finding one in great shape. Resellers have them listed anywhere from $30 to upwards of a $100.

Still, being a bit of a vinyl enthusiast I picked up a new 180 gram limited edition (5000) copy on Record Store Day 2013. This is also a newly re-mastered edition. With the two playing back to back I noted a couple of small differences. The vinyl seemed to have a much warmer sound on the bass and drums while the CD put a bit more emphasis on the vocals and guitars.

Honestly, I’m on the fence this time. I’ll take the vinyl on a great system with headphones, but the CD sounds awesome on everything that has a decent set of speakers.

Anyway, the RSD vinyl is still widely available for under $30 for anyone who is thinking of taking that route. I have no regrets with mine.

Get It While It’s Hot – Metric Pre-Order starts now!

June 4, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

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.

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