Vinyl Vednesday 12/16

[Vinyl Vednesday is a weekly feature about three favorite vinyl finds. It’s not meant to be a dick-measuring contest, but it kinda is. This week’s entry breaks with tradition to discuss the four seven-inches in the Bouncing Souls 20th anniversary series. E-mail pelonej1@gmail.com with your own big finds!]

Records: The Bouncing Souls’ 20th Anniversary Series: Volume One (2009) on black and red, Volume Two (2009) on blue, Volume Three (2009) on green with black and red swirls, and Volume Four (2009) on black and white.

Place of Purchase: Volume One and Four were ordered straight from Chunksaah, the band’s personal label. Volume Two was purchased at Shore Things from the Ocean City, N.J. boardwalk. I that place and wish it was a lot closer to Pa. Finally, Volume Three was purchased at a Souls anniversary show at the Trocadero.

Thoughts: Man oh man, I love those New Jersey mooks, the Bouncing Souls. How I Spent My Summer Vacation indoctrinated me into the world o’ punk rock, and my love for them grew greater with each full-length I picked up. This year they tried something different: digitally releasing one song a month, then collecting three of those songs on a seven-inch every third month, with an acoustic bonus track slapped onto the backend. Each of the records has their own personality, but I’d say I’m most partial to Volume Three.

Three opens with the haunting “Ghosts on the Boardwalk,” which is a catchy lil tune. The B-side is the best side of any of the seven-inches, though. First up is “Badass,” a joke song about things that are, well, badass, like kung-fu movies and your mom. “Uke Chek Girl” converts Maniacal Laughter’s “Quick Chek Girl” into a chill ukulele tune. The Souls’ tunes are great rabble rousers, but they translate surprisingly well to acoustic campfire tunes. Since I suck at guitar, maybe I can teach myself a bunch of Souls songs on ukulele?

Anyway, all four of the records are pretty good. Plus, their release schedule feels like a document of my own life in 2009. I can remember where I was at around each drop date. The Souls have defined my life for the last eight years, and they continue to do. I’m one of those “true believers” types. My only regret with this series is that I didn’t buy a second set of seven-inches for framing. Still, though, it’s cool to lay out the covers and see how they connect. Also, the vinyl comes in pretty colors. I like pretty colors.