Monthly Archives: July 2016

Earlier this year Fire Records released Josephine Foster’s No More Lamps in the Morning, a fine LP further detailing her prowess of song and voice in fruitful collaboration with the band led by her guitarist husband Victor Herrero. Choosing not to dally in following it up, More Amor hits the racks on July 29; credited not to Foster but to Mendrugo, the 11 tracks present a richly casual Spanish folk-imbued collective framework that’s simultaneously deep in roots and deliciously non-trad in constitution. It’s available on vinyl, compact disc, and digital.

One of the immediate qualities arising from More Amor is a ’60s feel, though that shouldn’t be construed as a deliberate attempt to tap into the essence of the decade. No, the similarity basically comes down to a sustained pursuit of expanded possibilities stemming from a folk milieu, a type of non-labored ambience that extends to Foster’s solo work.

To be fair, the same could be said for many in the New Weird America/ freak-folk realm. That’s the scene from whence Foster established her name; first surfacing in 2000, she rose to higher prominence mid-decade through a handful of discs on Locust Music and Bo’Weavil before hooking up with Fire in ’09 with Graphic as a Star.

Through a combination of tastefulness and verve Foster’s work is a cut above the Weird/ freaky norm, and in turn she’s thrived where numerous ’00s cohorts have fallen by the wayside. And if pegging her as channeling the ’60s rubs one the wrong way, she can alternately be described as a bohemian soul more interested in the work of great poets from prior centuries than what’s currently trending on social media.

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Look, it’s hard to tell people how you feel, what’s going on, the tides pushing and pulling. 

Time was when a mixtape was that bridge, or the spin of a well-intentioned record eliciting its own waltz about a candlelit room with the object of one’s adoration.

It’s an emotional world, it is. Thus TVD HQ’s recurring fuel for your fires and mixtapes. Reading between the lines—encouraged.

The Vinyl Guide is a weekly podcast for fans and collectors of vinyl records. Each week is an audio-documentary on your favourite records, often including interviews with band members and people who were part of the project.

It’s hosted by Nate Goyer, a self-described vinyl maniac who enjoys listening to records and sharing the stories behind them. Despite his Yankee accent, Nate lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife, 2 kids, and about 1,500 records. (But only about 1,000 of them his wife knows about.)

The Vinyl Guide takes records one by one, telling the tale of how they came to be, why the work is important, and then shares how collectors can tell one pressing from another. Learn more at the TheVinylGuide.com or simply subscribe via iTunes or RSS feed.

We’re on the road, this time to Japan which is a cratedigger’s version of heaven without all that annoying harp music. We visit Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima for an unprecedented record roadtrip extravaganza, give tips for those of you planning to make the excursion one day, plus we speak to two great shops, Best Sound Records in Shimokitazawa in Tokyo and Hitozoku Records in Kyoto!

Although performance recordings have a tendency to be of primary interest to heavy-duty converts of the acts in the grooves, there are certainly exceptions, and a new edition to the list captures a December 1, 1983 show by the Athens, GA band Pylon. As the group’s highly regarded discography has yet to maximize its audience, this lengthy set representing their final gig at the Mad Hatter club serves a useful purpose, spotlighting the band in front of a sizeable and appreciative hometown crowd. Live is out on double vinyl now via Chunklet Industries.

Forming in 1978 and playing their first gig the following year, Pylon eventually received national prominence and widespread acclaim, achievements reaped through perseverance and an output of substantial quality. The band has remained relevant, with their first two albums reissued in expanded editions by DFA in the latter half of last decade; the dominant aspect of this enduring significance pegs them as one of the great regional bands of the 1980s.

Indeed, any retrospective article or review devoted to the outfit will allot space to recount their impact on the Athens, GA scene. If the B-52’s and R.E.M. are the highest profile byproducts of the locale’s surge in productivity, Pylon are arguably the epitome of what Athens represented as a distinct geographical phenomenon, and like a lot of folks coming of age as the ’80s neared its close, this writer discovered the group through the soundtrack to the documentary film Athens, GA – Inside/Out.

The song was “Stop It,” borrowed from ’80’s Gyrate, which alongside ’83’s Chomp gets roughly equal representation on Live, a totally logical maneuver given that the crowd assembled would be more familiar with the first album than its follow-up. The set kicks into high gear with Gyrate’s “Working is no Problem” into “Driving School” and then whips off two from Chomp, “No Clocks” and “Altitude.”

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New Jersey based quartet bring morbid garage vibes to surf rock.

YJY don’t mind misdirecting listeners with their newest single “Summer Lifeguard.” Golden tremolo guitar lines collide with crash pad guitars and morbid punk lyrics to create a potpourri of summertime nostalgia.

The track is one part Beach Boys and one part Real Estate with a dash of Pixies—a distinct and subversive sound that is already cultivating a diehard fan base. The single drop comes paired with the announcement of the forthcoming release of their sophomore EP, “The Same Noise.” out August 19th via Sniffling Indie Kids.