“Where do I begin to talk about vinyl? It’s the most fulfilling way you can consume music. It sounds better, it looks great proudly displayed on your mantel, and unlike a streaming subscription or a download, you can keep it forever (if you’re responsible with your things).”
“Vinyl for me has always been a real ‘treat’ to myself or a gift from someone who knew me well. I remember when I was younger I would save all I earned from my shitty part-time jobs and buy my favourite records on vinyl. So now you know I hold vinyl to the highest regard. Here are some of my all times classics plus two songs I think people should hear—I’m not 100% sure if they’re on vinyl yet, but shh—don’t tell anyone…
Radiohead, OK Computer: I don’t care if this is the most obvious Radiohead album choice—it’s obvious because it’s fucking great. I look forward to debating with you on this topic. Plus they’ve done a repackaged anniversary edition with this lovely blue vinyl.
NEW RELEASE PICKS: Alec K. Redfearn and The Eyesores, The Opposite (Cuneiform) After a short hiatus, Silver Spring’s venerable avant-prog-experimental-jazz label is back at it, and along with digitally reissuing prior material by this always interesting Providence, RI-based band, they offer the outfit’s latest on LP and CD. It’s a treat. Over their 20-year existence, Redfearn and cohorts have stood out a bit in Cuneiform’s general scheme (this is their fourth for the label), but upon listening here, they and Steve Feigenbaum’s enduring love of art-rock remain a perfect fit. Redfearn plays accordion, and his knack for keeping it in the forefront of his music while eradicating even a hint of novelty remains impressive. Those keen on ambitiousness in the rock sphere should definitely lend this one some time. A-
Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles, Love’s Middle Name (Blue Corn) Borges has been on the scene for a while, with prior efforts with the Broken Singles and solo in her discography. The sound? It’s been called Americana (she’s won an Americana Music Award, in fact), but it’s important to qualify that hers is an approach well-suited for humid, boozy weekend bars. That means it rocks, and the thrust here is maybe better tagged as country-punk. What distinguishes Borges from some with a similar inclination is the quality of her songs and the strength of her pipes, and on this new one, the smart choice of hooking up with producer Eric Ambel, who also plays lead guitar on the record (as he did in Joan Jett’s Blackhearts). The outcome is that all the elements are in fine balance, with nary a misstep. A-
REISSUE/ARCHIVAL PICKS: The Fall, I Am Kurious Orang (Beggars Arkive) If memory serves, anti-Brix-era sentiment reached something like its apex post-The Franz Experiment in early ’88; certainly, there were some who’d suggested Mark E. Smith was “over with” or had “sold out.” Emerging in the autumn of the same year, this set, created to accompany a ballet by the Michael Clark Company loosely based on the life and “psyche” of William of Orange, made it plain those negative assessments were balderdash. Having listened to this record a ridiculous number of times in the year or so after its release (returning to it intermittently ever since), I know it well, and it hasn’t lost a thing. To my ears, at least half of this is as good as post-Rough Trade Fall gets, and the rest isn’t far behind. That makes it utterly essential. A
The Groundhogs, Blues Obituary (Fire) When it comes to the ’60s wave of Brit blues-rock, I rate The Groundhogs higher than Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, and even Ten Years After (I’m guessing those nutzo for Alvin Lee will consider this heresy). In fact, I’d rank the ‘hogs as roughly equal to Fleetwood Mac (and another group of readers has just thrown up their hands in disgust). Like the Mac, guitarist Tony TS McPhee, bassist Pete Cruikshank, and drummer Ken Pustelnik moved beyond the blues, and after doing so entered their classic period. But this, the band’s second LP (and trio debut) directly led to that phase. The no-frills punch of the recording, McPhee’s smoking guitar, the air non-reverence combined with good taste, and the sharp trio interaction is a major achievement in itself. A-
Brighton, UK | Cult Hero re-opens in new location after it was forced to close. One of the longest-established “new vinyl” shops is back in action after being forced to move due to building redevelopment. Cult Hero has reopened in Brighton Place after moving from North Street, Brighton. Owner Frank Taylor, 35, moved out of his old shop at the end of April after the landlord sold the premises for the Hanningtons Lane redevelopment. Frank said he loves his new home. He said: “It’s a much nicer shop. It’s quieter and customers can listen to the music. “I was in North Street for ten years or so. There was a lot of hustle and bustle and I enjoyed that but customers also want to enjoy music while looking at vinyl, they like to 
Indulge in spooky ‘Stranger Things’ sounds at Halloween with this new pumpkin vinyl: Creepy sounds from Stranger Things are being released on special pumpkin-coloured vinyl this Halloween…While the third instalment of the hit Netflix series has been delayed until 2019, fans will be able to bring the Upside Down to their own homes this spooky season. ‘Halloween Sounds from the Upside Down’ features 14 ominous, synthy tracks on pumpkin-themed wax. ”Hide some speakers in your bushes, play this record, and scare those trick or treaters,” advise S U R V I V E, who are behind the show’s atmospheric score. Track titles include ‘Turn On The Lights’, ‘Shadow In The Tunnel’, ‘Tree Slime’ and ‘Turn Right & Run’. The pieces are taken from Season 2’s “brooding, 
Milwaukee, WI | Riverwest’s We Buy Records is new to the block, but owner Andy Noble isn’t: There’s a new record shop in Riverwest. With a red neon sign in the window announcing the store’s name—simply “We Buy Records”—owner Andy Noble opened its doors to Milwaukee in August as a continuation of years of vinyl-related business endeavors. He is the longtime traveling record collector/trader behind the vinyl-spinning vegan restaurant Strange Town and the all-vinyl DJ event The Get Down, which is celebrating its 15th year in 2018. We had a chat with Noble on opening a brick and mortar record shop for the second time and about his adventures in record buying road trips that took him into stranger’s homes around the country. Andy Noble says, “Jumping into a store, again… It’s like a second marriage; why would you do it?” It’s because 
Lennon, Dylan, Hendrix Box Sets Revealed As 2018 Reissues Set Record: The multi-million-dollar musical reissue bandwagon is having its third straight record year in 2018. This year’s total of box set titles is boosted by artists such as the Beatles; John Lennon solo; Led Zeppelin; Kate Bush; Bob Dylan; Guns N’ Roses; The Rolling Stones; Jimi Hendrix; David Bowie; and Soft Cell. This week, the number of reissues by mainstream artists so far in 2018 
