Vinyl Vednesday 4/20/2011

[Vinyl Vednesday is a weekly feature about three favorite vinyl finds. It’s not meant to be a dick measuring contest, but it usually turns out that way. Here’s a recap from Record Store Day 2011, and be sure to e-mail pelonej1@gmail.com with your own big finds!]

Records: Wild Flag’s “Glass Tambourine” b/w “Future Crimes” single (2011) on black, Death Cab for Cutie’s preview seven-inch for their upcoming album Codes and Keys (2011) on black, and The Bouncing Souls’ Complete Control Recording Sessions 10-inch (2011) on black.

Place of Purchase: My favorite record store, Repo Records in Philadelphia.

Thoughts: Record Store Day, the annual national event designed to get music fans away from their computers and actually into stores, was met with a metric shit-ton of rain here in Philadelphia. My fiancée and I packed two umbrellas and went out anyway, because we wanted vinyl exclusives, clam flammit. I reserved a lot of stuff through Repo, and I went in with the understanding that I probably wouldn’t be able to get everything due to limited pressings. But one release I absolutely hoped would be available was Wild Flag’s debut. I’m a huge Sleater-Kinney fan and this is the first recorded output from the new band featuring SK’s Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss. I’m going to write ‘n’ post a review later today, but the short answer is: Good, yay, surprising, and good.

Another seven-inch I desired was by Death Cab for Cutie. I played through their complete discography a few weeks ago and was amazed at how consistently they delivered great indie rock songs while gradually tweaking their sound. I couldn’t find a tracklisting for the seven-inch, but I figured it would be either a preview for Codes and Keys or a couple of B-sides. I was right, but not in a way that I wanted. The seven-inch contains a two-and-a-half-minute commercial for the new record on both sides. It’s very retro, right down to the label, and cute the first time through. Then I remembered that I paid $3.99 plus tax to get this release and got angry. SELL.

I was unable to get The Bouncing Souls’ Live at Generation Records RSD exclusive, but as far as I can tell, the limited release didn’t make it to Repo or a.k.a.. Kind of a bummer, but I still picked up the Souls’ other live release from that week, a joint release between SideOneDummy and Chunksaah called Complete Control. It’s a six-song live EP featuring that cover of The Misfits’ “Hybrid Moments” that the band started playing during their 20th anniversary tour. And it’s got Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba on vox! Being yet another live release from the Souls, it’s kind of a diehard-fans-only sort of thing, but it’s still pretty cool.

RSD 2011 was a little disappointing for me. I couldn’t get Live at Generation Records, some of the stuff I did get sucked (I also picked up a Jimi Hendrix single of unreleased jams that adds nothing to his discography), and it rained all day. I’m afraid that the holiday is nearing a breaking point in terms of quality control, but it’s hard to tell without plunking down cash first. On the plus side, my friends and I got crepes afterwards. GIVE IT UP FOR CREPES.

regarding Record Store Day.

RECORD STORE DAY IS COMING. MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS.

Vinyl Vednesday 12/1/2010

[Vinyl Vednesday is a weekly feature about three favorite vinyl finds. It’s not meant to be a dick-measuring contest, but it usually turns out that way. This week’s installment is an epic yarn about Record Store Day, which came twice this year with the inclusion of a Black Friday celebration. Here are three vinyl finds from RSD 2010, Part Deux. Viva la vinyl and, as always, e-mail pelonej1@gmail.com with your own big finds!]

Records: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s Higher Than the Stars Remixes (2009) on black, Jimi Hendrix’s Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (2010) on clear green, and Bruce Springsteen’s “Save My Love” b/w “Because the Night” on black.

Place of Purchase: Higher Than the Stars came from a.k.a. music. Hendrix and Bruuuuuuuuuuce came from Repo Records.

Thoughts: a.k.a music…you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy, at least as far as indie record obsessives go. Still, they hooked me up with that exclusive Bruce 10-inch back in April for Record Store Day proper. So I decided to stop there first, even though my loyalty lies with Repo. The clerks at a.k.a. tend to be wieners, but the selection is so good. It’s like hate-sex on black wax. I arrived right when they opened, hoping to beat the RSD crowd, only to find out that a.k.a., for whatever reason, wasn’t participating. I asked an employee if they had anything in stock. “Oh, we don’t do that,” he chortled. What a dick-bungler. Still, they had a pretty neat remix 12-inch from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart that had been discounted (T or F: The Pains sound even better with haunting dance beats? Discuss), so I bought that, went to Brave New Worlds Comics, because hell yeah I love comics, and then called up Repo.

“Hey, I was wondering if you guys still had any of the Record Store Exclusives in stock?” I asked, lips trembling.

“Hell’s yeah we do. Supplies are limited, but we actually care about customer service, so I’ll set aside whatever you need, Joe Pelone. You are one cool guy,” the voice on the other line said [NOTE: I’m paraphrasing. Capote did it!]. A quick drive to Sixth and South yielded like $70 in records and CDs, because that is how I do. Among my haul was a Christmas 10-inch from Jimi Hendrix. It’s a goofy curio to hear Hendrix play psychedelic versions of “Little Drummer Boy,” “Silent Night,” and “Auld Lang Syne.” Turns out he wanted to record some demos as reference track for a string of December shows he was playing. Ever the showman, Jimi tossed in some holiday goodies. The result is exactly what you think would be: Christmas standards mixed with Jimi’s psych-rock noodling. Dude would have hosted an awesome Christmas special. “Three Little Bears” is thrown in to, because why not? The tunes are good, but the back cover is priceless.

I also picked up a new single of old songs from Bruce Springsteen. “Save My Love” and “Because the Night” come from Springsteen’s new vault-clearing The Promise, which boasts two discs songs discarded during the recording of Darkness on the Edge of Town. I get why these songs didn’t make it on to the album, but the fact that Bruce just left “Save My Love” to rot is insane. It’s such a catchy, radio-ready anthem. At least “Because the Night” got to live on with Patti Smith (Who, let’s be honest, perfected the song). I can’t wait to hear The Promise based on these recordings, though. I mean, Springsteen basically dropped a double-album for the hell of it.

Post-script: After Repo, I ate victory falafel from Maoz on Second and South. It was delicious.

Vinyl Vednesday 4/21/2010

[Vinyl Vednesday is a weekly feature about three favorite vinyl finds. It’s not meant to be a dick-measuring contest, but it usually turns out that way. This week’s installment is part two of a two-part series on Record Store Day. Here are three vinyl finds from RSD 2010. Viva la vinyl and, as always, e-mail pelonej1@gmail.com with your own big finds!]

Records: Against Me!’s “I Was a Teenage Anarchist” seven-inch (2010) on black, Deftones’ “Rocket Skates” seven-inch (2010) on white, and Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band’s “Wrecking Ball” ten-inch (2010) on black.

Place of Purchase: You best believe AM! was pre-ordered from Repo Records, while Deftones was an impulse buy. I found out about the Springsteen exclusive too late to reserve a copy at Repo, so my girlfriend and I jetted over to a.k.a. music on 2nd street when she overheard someone saying they had a huge stack of “Wrecking Ball” records. Good thing too, since it’s going for up to $70 on eBay.

Thoughts: While I’m not too keen on Against Me!’s video for “Rapid Decompression,” I’ve been coming round on “I Was a Teenage Anarchist.” Sonically, it’s very much in keeping with New Wave’s rock leanings. I relate to the lyrics in a somewhat backwards way. The song is about frontman Tom Gabel’s attempts to reconcile his anarchist political leanings with how his life is turning out (like on “Beginning in an Ending!”), and realizing that the people he thought he was aligned with politically were actually fascists. I’ve never believed in anarchy, but I do agree with the song’s general message: If you get too consumed by your ideology of how freedom should work, you might end up becoming more oppressive and unforgiving than any of the political stances you claim to oppose. Anyway, the song is catchy and the acoustic version on the B-side is good too. I just wish the digital EP of the same name was the one getting a physical release – two tracks from upcoming album White Crosses and two non-LP B-sides sound mighty fine to me.

In a way, the Deftones single was my favorite RSD purchase. “Rocket Skates” hearkens back to the group’s White Pony heyday, combining metal with more ethereal elements as is their trademark. M83’s remix of the song on the B-side took some time to grow on me, though. At first it sounds like Anthony Gonzalez couldn’t figure out what to do with the song, so he gives it this awkward stuttering rhythm that threatens to derail the track until he finally goes, “Fuck it; I’m just going to transform this into an M83 song.” The song’s closing section shifts towards M83’s strengths – shoegaze, synths, loud drums – which happen to overlap with Deftone’s style nicely. These guys should work together again.

I was pretty devastated by Working on a Dream last year, to the point that I questioned if Springsteen would ever make another good album. While he hasn’t dropped a new full-length to assuage my doubts, I have three mediators to talk me down from my position:

1. The record was forced out to coincide with Barack Obama’s inauguration.
   
   
2. The record was also forced out because organ player Danny Federici was dying of cancer and the whole band wanted to play with him one last time.
   
   
3. Later in the year, Springsteen debuted a live number called “Wrecking Ball” to commemorate the demolition of Giants Stadium. It’s pretty freaking awesome.

While I’m still wary of the Boss’ future artistic endeavors, I can’t deny the catchiness and intensity of “Wrecking Ball.” It’s a fitting tribute, a stellar sports anthem, and just a plain great song in the E Street tradition. Also of note is the B-side, “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” with Tom Morrello (who’s also covered the tune with Rage Against the Machine) doing a duet with Bruce. This version is pretty long at nearly nine minutes, but there’s no denying the song’s ghost story sobriety. Morrello pulls some weird sounds out of his bag of guitar tricks later on, and it gels better with The E Street Band than I would have thought.

Vinyl Vednesday 4/14/2010

[Vinyl Vednesday is a weekly feature about three favorite vinyl finds. It’s not meant to be a dick-measuring contest, but it usually turns out that way. This week’s installment celebrates my favorite holiday, Record Store Day. This year it’s going to be held Sat., April 17. I’ll be discussing three items I picked up on previous RSDs, and next week I’m gonna give big-ups to my haul from the weekend. As always, e-mail pelonej1@gmail.com with your own big finds!]

Records: Camera Obscura’s “French Navy” single (2009) on black, Flight of the Conchords’ “Pencils in the Wind” single (2009) on black, and The Strokes’ “Juicebox” single (2005) on black.

Place of Purchase: I celebrated the first annual Record Store Day at Siren Records in Doylestown, Pa., where the owner gave me a stack of seven-inches for free. My girlfriend and I hit up Repo Records in Philadelphia for the second celebration. I had to pre-order Flight of the Conchords and Camera Obscura, and it was totally worth it. Less worth it: Cursive’s picture disc EP that tied in with the shit-fest that was Mama, I’m Swollen.

Thoughts: I have never been an elitist. Sure, I prefer smaller venues for shows and hate it when assholes like the bands I like, but generally speaking, I want the art I love to endure and be appreciated by as many people as possible. To that end, I have always been OK with paying for art, even though the rise of Napster (remember Napster?) and its various clones made it easier to get music for free. My opposition to illegal downloading is simple:

1. If good music is to survive, artists need to be compensated so they can focus on their craft.
   
   
2. I believe in capitalism.
   
   
3. The idea that one day music will become divorced from its physical form frightens me.

It is because of these reasons that I still love going to record stores. Now, I am not necessarily opposed to Target, Wal-Mart, or even Best Buy anymore. I own a membership card to FYE. I am willing to shop wherever I can get deals on the records I want. It just so happens that most of the time, the records I want are located at independent record stores.

Check out the Vinyl Vednesday archives, and you’ll notice that most of the albums discussed so far were purchased at either Siren or Repo. These places give me the best service, the best prices, and best of all, the records I need to hear. Yeah, it’s great that a kid stuck in East Nowhere can download The Mountain Goats’ complete discography with a few clicks, but the thrill of hunting down TMG’s output – and knowing that I’m helping the group put out more of the music I love – will always appeal to me. Plus, whenever people tell me they pirated an album, I tend to assume they’re butt-munchers who know fuck-all about music.

OK, so I’m a little bit of an elitist. On to the records!

Not much to say about Camera Obscura’s “French Navy” single. It’s one of the peppier numbers from the group’s pretty great twee effort My Maudlin Career. Frontwoman Tracyanne Campbell coos about a sailor she’s fallen for – the rest of the album deals with her romantic ups and down, but “French Navy” is pure first kiss bliss. B-side “The World is Full of Strangers” can’t quite hit the same ecstasy, but what could? It still sounds like adorable Scottish people making lovely music together, which is something I like very much, thank you.

One thing about Record Store Day which is quite thoroughly awesome is all of the exclusives. I didn’t reserve too much last year – three seven-inches if I recall correctly – but this year I’ve got like $70 worth of stuff waiting for me. The second season of Flight of the Conchords was a dud, but I was stoked to score a physical copy of “Albi the Racist Dragon.” Every child should hear this story. “Pencils in the Wind” is actually solid for a late period Conchords song. At their best, the duo wrote songs that were musically entertaining while still delivering witty jokes. They eventually lost control of the formula, but for a little while there, they were one of the best indie bands out there.

Another thing that’s great about Record Store Day is scoring free shit. I was pretty much over The Strokes by the time their third album came out, but I’m not going to deny the awesome rockitude of single “Juicebox.” The muscular bassline and dissonant guitar reveals a band that could actually kick ass when it felt like it. The flipside overdoes it with a live version of the song, but at least I get B-side “Hawaii.”

My two great loves are my girlfriend and my music collection. Both require an unselfish attitude.

regarding Record Store Day

Record Store Day, easily one of my top five favorite holidays, is tomorrow. Indie stores are pulling out a bunch of awesome deals - Siren Records in Doylestown is having a massive vinyl sale, for example - and there are plenty of exclusives being issued. I'm looking forward to seven-inches from Camera Obscura and Flight of the Conchords. There have been a few bloggings about the event today, the best of which comes from Spin's Charles Aaron. Cut through the cynicism - this event is meant to take your money, make no mistake about it - and Record Store Day is a celebration of our bond with music, however tenuous and fluctuating it might be. Aaron's article taps into that joy, listing his favorite stores and memories and why in-store purchasing means connecting to people and art, something that's lost in the point-n-click approach of online shopping.

The hunt is part of the ecstasy, and while I'm a sucker for eBay as much as the next record nerd, I can't think of a better place to spend Record Store Day than at Repo Records on 538 South St. It's one of the first stores I ever fell in love with in high school, and while lesser favorites have passed on - Disc was too sketchy anyway, Spaceboy's clerks were dicks and liars, and my former employer Sam Goody was riddled with corporate tools - Repo has remained. When I moved to Philadelphia for college, Repo trips became a weekly occurrence. The clerks know who I am and what I like. They make recommendations, but don't get so uppity about it that I can't browse. I love the cozy feeling of walking past the shelves. The feel of musty vinyl in my hands. And I'm sure one day I'll even appreciate that guy who sits outside mangling Beatles, Deep Purple, and Jimi Hendrix tunes on guitar for change.

Convenience shouldn't be allowed to co-opt good aesthetics. Repo has a great Nick Hornby quote on their site:

"Yes, yes, I know. It's easier to download music, and probably cheaper. But what's playing on your favourite download store when you walk into it? Nothing, that's what. Who are you going to meet in there? Nobody. Where are the notice boards offering flatshares and vacant slots in bands destined for superstardom? Who's going to tell you to stop listening to that and start listening to this? Go ahead and save yourself a couple of quid. The saving will cost you a career, a set of cool friends, musical taste and, eventually, your soul. Record stores can't save your life. But they can give you a better one."

Repo has been my guiding light for underground music for about nine years now. They've operated in one form or another for over 20 years. Shopping there is always a pleasure, and unlike online ordering, I don't have to pay for shipping and handling or get ripped off on record quality. I like physical music over digital because it's physical; it hits all of my senses (well, minus taste. But man those Bowie covers are sexxxy...). And Repo is an extension of that.

And shopping local is American, got-dammit!