Monthly Archives: February 2018

TVD’s Press Play

Press Play is our Monday recap of the new and FREE tracks received last week to inform the next trip to your local indie record store.

The Fretless – Jenny Bear (Live)
Brandon Grafius – Things Get Right
Madam West – Strongest Son
Noble Son – Problem Daughter
Fawns of Love – Zine Days
Lowpines – Parasite
Oberon Rose – No Stranger
Echo Bloom – Song For Steven
The Incredible Vickers Brothers – Mirrors
Red Black Red – The Scientist
Chris Rivers – Run Dem Thangs
Exale – To The Stars

TVD SINGLE OF THE WEEK:
Ellie Occleston – Splinters

Chiller – Agony
Modern Pets – Berlin Beach
Komplikations – My Hood
When There is None – Have Love, Will Stay for Coffee
Chip Hanna – The Long Black Veil
Casanovas Schwule Seite – Was du sagst ist wast du wählst
Miscalculations – Metamorphosis
Toys That Kill – The Nervous Rock
Janelle – Syncopation
Nightmen – Ahahahah (Oh No)
Quader – Hurt
Bad Luck Charms – I Didn’t Mean to Kill You
Don’t – ’89
Mexican Wolfboys – Past Forward
Trainwreck – Apnea
Pretty Hurts – Hostility
Ruby – Time
The Lost Tapes – Out of Sync
P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. – Rough and Tumble
No More Art – The Empty Well

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Graded on a Curve: Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band

So yeah, before we go any further–about the band name, which is unfortunate. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band evokes images of earth tones, earth shoes, earthworms, Middle Earth, the Mother Earth Catalog and turnips, and all of these things horrify me.

I know, I know, poor Manfred got caught up in the whole big “ecology thing” that had every hippie not killed at Altamont waving cardboard signs on wooden sticks (did they even give a thought to where that piece of wood came from? Or the cardboard?) reading “Save the Planet.” Hell, even Charles Manson jumped on the ecology bandwagon, so who am I to judge?

But let’s just write it off to hazy hippie idealism (those poor longhairs really thought they could save the world, har!) and get on to the important stuff, which is that while most sentient beings (and turnips) only remember Manfred Mann’s Earth Band for the coupla Bruce Springsteen covers they sent to the top of the charts, they also got around to putting out some pretty great albums in the early seventies starting with this eponymous 1972 debut, which may just be the best of ‘em.

Like many of his more musically savvy rock cohorts, Manfred Mann had a pop heart and an art head, which is to say that at the same time he was singing “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” he was also playing jazz piano, and would later (much to the consternation of yours truly) even go the dubious classical/rock hybrid route, thus placing himself squarely in the progressive rock camp alongside such blackguards as Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

But on Manfred Mann’s Earth Band everybody’s favorite South African auteur sticks to the pop/hard rock knitting with a slew of great tunes featuring lots of state-of-the-art synthesizer (which he never allows to dominate the proceedings) and at least one very impressive jazz piano flourish, to say nothing of some really mean guitar playing by the very underrated Mick Rogers.

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In rotation: 2/26/18

10 Top Vinyl Record Stores in Stockholm: Vinyl records have become a real topic of discussion in recent years. The old format has gone through an impressive and noticeable revival, with many new albums being put on vinyl—as well as a number of reissues of classic ones. For some people this is fantastic—this is how music is meant to be heard. For others, it is a pretentious waste of money for music snobs, who pretend to hear an imaginary difference between vinyl and CD. Whichever side you are on, Stockholm has embraced the trend and has a number of fantastic vinyl shops. These are ten of the very best Sweden’s capital has to offer.

End of an era at Bert McCormick’s Ballyclare music shop: After more than four decades selling records from around the world, on Saturday Bert McCormick brings the shutters down on his eponymous Ballyclare store for the final time. Now 78, music man Mr McCormick started in the business when he was just 16 years old. He was a jazz keyboard player before going to work for a record label and then touring with showbands around Northern Ireland, playing with the likes of Chubby Checker and The Kinks. But it was in 1976 that he spotted an empty unit in Ballyclare’s Main Street, and fulfilled his lifelong ambition of opening his own record store. He has worked there ever since, with his wife, daughter and grandchildren all helping out…

Strictly Business: Back-A-Round Records opens downtown: Finally, Fayetteville has a new record shop, and all is good in life again. Music lovers — especially the young vinyl-buying crowd and the older folks who have never quite embraced the world of digital music — may want to check out Back-A-Round Records, which opened in the downtown district Friday morning. The store celebrated its grand opening in conjunction with Fourth Friday activities. “We were excited about the store,” said 48-year-old Chris Creech, who was perusing the compact discs with her daughter, Erin, on Friday afternoon. “I think there’s a great selection. Not just records but tapes, CDs, vintage concert shirts, record players and stuff.” The Creeches are from Hope Mills. Mom was wearing a David Bowie T-shirt; her 19-year-old daughter, Erin, had on a shirt featuring English post-punk band Bauhaus…“This is who I am. This is what I am,” said Adkins, who is 37.

Nostalgia, novelty drive vinyl’s comeback: Rochester resident Curt Queensland was nine when he bought his first vinyl record. It was a 45 record of Seals & Croft’s 1972 hit “Summer Breeze,” and it marked the beginning of a lifetime love affair with vinyl. Today, with a record collection at 3,000 to 4,000 albums, nearly every inch of shelf space in Queensland’s Northwest Rochester apartment is covered with vinyl records. Many bring back memories. One of the first LPs he bought was Billy Squire’s triple Platinum album “Don’t Say No.” “That had Stroke It on it. ‘Stroke Man, Stroke Man,” Queensland said…Though vinyl sales dipped to extinction levels in 2006, Queensland just kept on buying and selling records. When vinyl began its comeback, no one was less surprised than Queensland, because, in his mind, it never went away.

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The Best of The Idelic Hour with Jon Sidel

Greetings from Miami Beach!

Out of the tree of life I just picked me a plum / You came along and everything started’in to hum / Still it’s a real good bet / The best is yet to come…

This city has never been my scene. It’s here that my dad Kenny has decided to retire, so knowing I’d been down south last weekend, we cashed in some “miles” and pulled together a last-minute trip to bring young Jonah down to see his Granddad.

Traveling to Florida during spring break is something I haven’t done since I was a boy Jonah’s age. At times all of us have gotten a touch cranky. I had actually planned on taking a week off the show fearing a wonky internet and family distractions, but last night’s dinner in Little Havana was inspiring and I wanted to send heartfelt and grateful vibes into the universe.

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TVD Live Shots: G3 featuring Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, and Phil Collen at the Warner Theatre, 2/14

My introduction to guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani would be his 1987 album, Surfing with the Alien. One could never forget that vivid album art featuring Marvel Comics’ Silver Surfer on the front against that stunning red background. Inside, the record’s sleeve was adorned with the artwork of yet another Marvel character, Galactus—a Silver Surfer foe and planet devourer—also from the Fantastic Four comics series. 

Obviously, Surfing with the Alien was not just about the artwork. The album marked the second and then most notable studio effort by Satriani and helped cement his position as one of the greatest guitar soloists of our time. The album is ranked #4 in Ultimate Guitar’s “Top Rated Instrumental Albums of All Time” and it’s one of the best-selling instrumental works to date, boasting two of Satriani’s fifteen Grammy award nominations over his career. The album is truly masterful and it’s nearly impossible to speak of Joe Satriani without bringing it into the conversation.

On tour with his annual G3 guitar excursion, Joe Satriani enlisted the help of two larger than life names in rock and metal for his 2018 lineup, Phil Collen (of Def Leppard) and John Petrucci (of Dream Theater). For this year’s DC stop, the host was the beautiful Warner Theatre.

Since its inception in 1995, the G3 tour has featured some of the most well-respected guitarists in the business and has taken to the road almost annually. While one could assume that the G3 tour would be an evening of all out guitar shredding and a complete solo-speed fest, they’d only be half correct. It is true that showing off their various talents as axe-men is certainly the fun part of the show, but when performing their own songs, it’s exceptional to me to hear the tone of their amps, the sustain of their instruments, and the pure craftsmanship of their songwriting. The G3 tour allows guitarists to do this—and it’s an experience all its own.

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TVD Radar: George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead OST by Goblin, 2 LP in stores now

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Waxwork Records is beyond thrilled to announce the highly anticipated deluxe soundtrack release of George A. Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead. Scored by Italian progressive rock group Goblin, and available for the very first time on vinyl in its entirety, George A. Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead marks the latest installment in Waxwork’s “Living Dead” soundtrack trilogy.

Dawn Of The Dead (also known as internationally as Zombi) is a 1978 independent zombie horror film directed by George A. Romero. It was written by Romero in collaboration with Italian filmmaker, Dario Argento. It is the second film of Romero’s Living Dead Trilogy, and shows in a larger scale the apocalyptic effects of the dead returning to life, and seeking human victims. The original soundtrack for the film was composed and performed by long-time Dario Argento musical collaborators, Goblin.

For Argento’s international cut of the film, the Italian director used the band extensively. Waxwork Records is excited to finally bring the complete 1978 Goblin soundtrack to vinyl for the very first time spanning two 180 gram vinyl records.

George A. Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead is considered to be one of the greatest and most compelling zombie films ever made by blending horror, gore, and social commentary on material society. Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars and called it “one of the best horror films ever made.” The film was selected as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time by Empire magazine in 2008. It was also named as one of The Best 1000 Movies Ever Made, a list published by The New York Times.

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Soul Project celebrates release of The Long Hustle at D.B.A., 2/25

Soul Project, one of the hardest working bands in New Orleans, will make their first appearance at D.B.A., though hardly their first show on Frenchmen Street, on Sunday to celebrate the release of their sophomore effort, The Long Hustle. Show time is 10 PM and the band expects numerous special guests including several of the musicians who have cycled through New Orleans’ own self-proclaimed ambassadors of funk over the years.

Led by guitarist and vocalist Cristian Duque, Soul Project has been grinding it out in the clubs of New Orleans since 2001. The Long Hustle is the follow-up album to their 2013 Offbeat magazine’s “Best Of The Beat” nominated debut album, Music For Movers & Shakers.

I have seen the band numerous times over the years and a recent set at the Louisiana Music Factory found the group on top of their game. Though they proclaim themselves to be funksters, and they are definitely funky, old school New Orleans R&B runs through their music like blood runs through veins.

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Graded on a Curve:
Frank Zappa,
Sheik Yerbouti

So I was sittin’ and I was wonderin’ why it is I used to love Frank Zappa so much and now he just makes me want to puke from my ear holes when suddenly the answer hit me like a Zen Bullet straight to the third eye–Drug Abuse!

I mean, we all know drugs are great and pretty much a “must do” on just about every social occasion including weddings, bar mitzvahs, and Black Oak Arkansas concerts but I would add an item to the list–when listening to Frank Zappa albums. Cuz if my experience holds true for anybody else drugs (it don’t matter which ones–better to take ‘em all!) do not only enhance the “Frank Zappa experience”; they are necessary to enjoy the “Frank Zappa experience” in the first place.

Take 1979’s Sheik Yerbouti. Very shortly after it come out my pig farmer buddy Billy and I were busy drinking and doing drugs in my upstairs room in the decaying hovel (the ceiling collapsed in the room next to mine, dropping a one-ton wooden beam on my roomie’s bed–did I move? No!) where I lived at 16 North Washington Street in sunny Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

And because it was such a fine and beautiful day we thought why not crank up Sheik Yerbouti and place the speakers on my window sill pointing out just to, you know, educate the neighbors on the subject of righteous music. Because such is what passes for rational thought when you’re burning holes in frontal lobe with every drug you can get your clammy teengenerate hands on. Which in our case came down to pot, Placidyl–and I’m talking the big green 750s, the ones they use to treat insomnia in prize hogs–beer, Wild Turkey, and a several gallon jug of fake Quaaludes Bill was selling to 10th graders (god knows what was in ‘em), which he insisted upon crumbling into the bowl of the pot pipe we were passing on the theory they would probably fuck us up in some way if we could just find the proper delivery mechanism.

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In rotation: 2/23/18

Free bands to play for Record Store Day in Newport: Gwent will be filled with music in April as Record Store Day is set to arrive. Record Store Day is an annual event which was started up in 2007and held to “celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store” on April 21. It will be the 11th year of the event which aims to bring together artists, independent stores and fans. This year, Newport store Diverse Records will be bringing the day to life with a variety of musicians playing in six venues across the city on Saturday, April 21. More than 20 acts will play at Le Pub, the Murenger, Newport Market, Slipping Jimmy’s Bar and Grill, Tiny Rebel and McCann’s Rock and Ale Bar. Newport Now BID will also be hosting the event with the music store.

Vinyl once more: Moloy Ghosh, a Delhi based music restorer, says that the basic sound quality of vinyl is unmatchable. “The depth of sound of a vinyl record can beat the likes of a cassette or a CD player any day.” Add to that the longevity of a record, one has the perfect combination. The only thing that comes close to records in terms of longevity is a cassette. While a cassette with proper handling can last nearly 40 years, a vinyl record on an average lasts about 60 years, if not more. Experts believe that the vinyl has roared back to popularity as more and more people want to possess a piece of music that they can feel and touch. Having your own records also gives a feeling of ownership. Teenagers are the most impulsive among the age groups. With little or moderate experience, teenagers are more susceptible to falling for a particular trend. For vinyl, it has done wonders.

Independent Label Market London: King’s Cross this weekend: Following the huge success of our Winter market in November, Independent Label Market have teamed up with Canopy Market, Kings Cross for our first market of 2018, on Saturday 24th – Sunday 25th February. We are pleased to see the return of market favourites including Bella Union, Erased Tapes and Late Night Tales, alongside new labels Pirotecnia, Polite and Everything Sucks. Not only will labels be selling their fresh vinyl produce, but we will also be joined by some of the capital’s finest independent designers, fresh artisanal goods, delicious street food and original live music, as part of Canopy Market, a monthly market at King’s Cross. Since launching in London in May 2011, Independent Label Market has brought together the founders of some the World’s greatest Independent Record Labels on both sides of the Atlantic to sell their fresh vinyl produce directly to the public at that traditional goods exchange – a market stall.

The Charlatans are putting on their own ten-day festival: The Charlatans have announced they’re putting on a festival in their hometown, Northwich. The ten-day event will include four headline shows of their own, on Monday 14th, Wednesday 16th, Thursday 17th and Friday 18th May, at Northwich Memorial Court. They’ll also be hosting an exhibition of rare Charlatans memorabilia, a week of live bands at The Salty Dog pub, plenty of aftershow parties, a vinyl record fair, film screenings and podcasts. “We’re really excited about our four shows in Northwich,” the band explain. “We rehearsed at The Memorial Court for our last tour and we all pretty much said at the same time that we had to play there.

Ornette Coleman’s Albums Getting Vinyl Reissue, The 10xLP set features Coleman’s six studio albums from 1959 to 1961: Ornette Coleman’s albums are getting a vinyl reissue. Ornette Coleman: the Atlantic Years includes Coleman’s six studio albums released on Atlantic from 1959 to 1961, as well as session outtakes. The 10xLP box set arrives May 11 via Rhino. The collection includes The Shape Of Jazz To Come (1959), Change Of The Century (1959), This Is Our Music (1960), Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation (1960), Ornette! (1961), and Ornette On Tenor (1961). It also features three compilations released in the ’70s—The Art Of Improvisers (1970), Twins (1971), and To Whom Who Keeps A Record (1975)—which include outtakes from all six studio albums. The Ornette Coleman Legacy, composed of six songs released for the first time in 1993, is receiving its debut vinyl release within the set. Finally, the collection features new liner notes written by Ben Ratliff, plus rare pictures taken by legendary jazz photographer Lee Friedlander.

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TVD Live Shots: Steel Panther at La Riviera, Madrid, 2/12

God bless Steel Panther. For those of us who grew up listening to “hair metal” and love the glory days of the Sunset Strip, we have a savior, or saviors, in the form of Michael Starr, Lexxi Foxx, Stixx Zandinia, and Satchel. ( I know, it’s like just Satchel?) Steel Panther continue their mission of keeping a lost art alive while taking excessiveness to a whole new level and reminding us all how ridiculous hair metal at times became.

Legend has it that Steel Panther were on the brink of signing the largest record deal in history back in the ’80s. All the major labels came to their showcase one night in LA, but the band never showed up. According to Dee Snider, their manager told them to be at the showcase, and they mistakenly thought he said to go out and get shit-faced. The labels ended up signing Jane’s Addiction, and the rest is history.

Fast forward 20 plus years and the band continues to celebrate a “fruitful” resurrection with their latest album Lower the Bar which “does exactly what it says on the tin.” Songs such as “Going in the Backdoor” and the insanely catchy “Poontang Boomerang” continue the insanity and political incorrectness that is the genius of this band.

But don’t let that fool you, these guys can write a great fucking song. The single “That’s When You Came In” is a remarkably well-written song led by an unfortunate chorus, but either way, this gem would stand up against any of the classic power ballads—”Every Rose Has It’s Thorn,” “Heaven”—you name it. While these guys may not take the genre too seriously—who still can for that matter?—they have some serious skills and noteworthy songwriting talents, in terms of pure unadulterated party rock ‘n’ roll, that is.

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Acclaimed jazz pianist Jason Moran to play in conjunction with Prospect.4, 2/21–2/22

PHOTO: CLAY PATRICK McBRIDE | A fascinating new piece of public artwork will premiere this weekend in New Orleans as part of the closing weekend of the art exhibition known as Prospect.4: The Lotus In Spite of the Swamp. One of the world’s most famous living artists, Kara Walker (photo below by Chuck Close), has constructed a thirty-two-note steam calliope, which will be installed and activated daily on the banks of the Mississippi in Algiers. On Friday and Saturday afternoon, Jason Moran one of the most important jazz musicians of his generation, will play the contraption.

The Katastwóf Karavan is a calliope similar to the one that is played throughout each day from the deck of the Steamboat Natchez in the French Quarter. Walker’s creation is housed in a funky looking parade wagon of her own design.

The calliope plays songs and sounds associated with the long history of African-American protest music including gospel, reggae, jazz improvisation, chants, and shouts. Moran will add his own flourishes on Friday at 4:30 PM and on Saturday at 2:30 PM.

While Moran’s appearance will surely be the highlight for jazz fans, the Katastwóf Karavan on the west bank will alternate with the Natchez’s calliope on the east bank all day Friday through Sunday beginning at 11:30 AM on Friday, creating a once-in-a-lifetime, call-and-response experience across the mighty river. Though keep in mind that the artist’s intention is juxtapose the more saccharine sounds of the Natchez with the social messages inherent in her selections.

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TVD Premiere: Russian Baths, “Penance” EP

Ambient, ethereal noise pop quartet Russian Baths release “Penance” EP.

Incorporating dissonant guitar fuzz and heavenly vocals into traditional song structures, Brooklyn’s Russian Baths paint in wildly original strokes, finding beauty in towering, looming, incendiary noise-rock. The scope of their sound is marked by a decidedly unique approach, the stripped-down infrastructure oscillating between Jack and Jill vocals, unhinged feedback, and heady lyrics which conjure the Pixies. The subject matter is dark and brooding, laced with metaphors and bubbling with weirdness in all the right places.

“Penance” was recorded at Time Castle studio in Brooklyn where the band honed their signature sound with the help of a few haunted nooks and crannies. According to guitarist Luke Koz, “There is a concrete, quasi-utility closet at Time Castle that is a magical place to put an amp.”

Russian Baths’ “Penance” EP arrives in stores tomorrow, February 23, 2018.

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Candi Carpenter,
The TVD First Date

“I don’t remember how old I was when I watched the needle drop on my first vinyl record, but I do remember the song. It was ‘Blowing Bubble Gum,’ by Spike Jones and His City Slickers. It’s not a traditionally ‘cool’ song, but nobody’s ever accused me of being traditionally cool anyway. My family had a collection of worn out gospel records, and I remember laughing with my cousins about the awkward vintage photos on some of the covers. (For reference, google: ‘Captain Hook and His Pirate Crew, gospel album.’)”

“I signed with my first Nashville producer when I was just a little kid. My Mom and I would load up her bright pink Geo Tracker, and we’d take off down the highway from Michigan to Tennessee, blaring my LeAnn Rimes cassette tape with the windows rolled down. In my early teens, I played the honky tonks on Lower Broadway and ran my fingertips over the album covers lining the walls in Legends Corner. I combed through the display racks at The Ernest Tubb Record Shop, dreaming of recording my own project someday.

By the time I was 16, I was touring with country music legends and memorizing their songs. Jack Greene took me on the road as his duet partner, and I had the opportunity to learn from Loretta Lynn, Porter Wagoner, Bill Anderson, Little Jimmy Dickens, and so many of my classic country heroes. Several years ago, I started collecting their records. Phonoluxe, McKay’s, Grimey’s, and The Great Escape are some of my favorite places to go treasure hunting in Nashville. It’s a weird feeling to walk into a vintage record store and see the names and the faces of the people I grew up around.

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Graded on a Curve: New
in Stores, February 2018, Part Four

Part four of the TVD Record Store Club’s look at the new and reissued wax presently in stores for February, 2018. Part one is here, part two is here, and part three is here.

NEW RELEASE PICKS: The Skull Defekts, S/T (Thrill Jockey) I’ll admit that I first got into The Skull Defekts due to the connection with Daniel Higgs, who’d been the singer and poetic fount for Baltimore’s Lungfish, a band I long loved, and who’d joined the Swedish band well after their formation. But in soaking up their pre-Higgs discography, the appeal widened, with The Skull Defekts’ work serving up another fine example of Swede u-ground rock (with connections to Anti Cimix, Cortex, Union Carbide Productions, and Kid Commando), and it continues here with Higgs’ departure and Mariam Wallentin stepping in. In a reflective explanatory piece written by member Joachim Nordwall, he observes that this is probably their most composed album, and I don’t disagree. But it’s still a superb finale. A-

Renata Zeiguer, Old Ghost (Northern Spy/Double Denim) Although this is vocalist, pianist, and violinist Zeiguer’s first full-length, she doesn’t lack experience; there was her self-released “Horizons” EP from back in 2013, and she’s spent time in the interim performing as Cantina and contributing to numerous projects, including Ava Luna, Twin Sister, Cassandra Jenkins, and Christopher Burke of Beach Fossils. But it goes back farther than that; influenced as a child by classical music and a little later by the Great American Songbook, there is a florid quality to much of her material that when combined with her vocal strengths, solidifies the mention of Kate Bush. But her love of The Beatles and tropicalia also shines through (adding welcome touches of strangeness0, and I dig the indie rock toughness throughout. A-

REISSUE PICKS: Allen Ginsberg, Howl and Other Poems (Craft) This set includes a bunch of pertinent material: there’s a booklet with writing by Beat expert Ann Charters and poet Anne Waldman, a repro of the invite to the poetry reading of ’56 held at City Lights bookstore, a photo of the man at his typewriter, and a reprint of the City Lights Pocket Poets edition of the work that impacted so many lives and challenged so many norms. It’s all certainly appropriate regarding the poetry’s import and looks cool as hell, but the main attraction is a translucent red vinyl repress of the Fantasy Records LP from ’59. Hearing “Howl” read by its creator still delivers a major charge, stripping away time’s extraneous bullshit and getting to its protest core. Before braying it’s no longer relevant, just take a look around. A+

Langley Schools Music Project, Innocence & Despair (Bar/None) When this collection of ’70s Canadian elementary schoolers doing pop-rock tunes under the aegis of a cool music teacher emerged in back in 2001, it was a bit of a sensation, and deservedly so, as it delivered an extended dose of youthful goodness that seems impossible to resist; over the years I’ve witnessed it unrankle more than a few curmudgeons, and if you need a taste of human decency to offset the drag-me-downs of existence, it’s a surefire remedy. Putting the kibosh on any twee tendencies and resonating emotionally in a way that music created for children almost always doesn’t, to swipe from Tosches, it’s really the school assembly that transcendeth all knowing. And “The Long and Winding Road” gets me every time. A

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In rotation: 2/22/18

CDs on decline as dorm rooms become studios, streaming becomes king: …With this steady decline in physical CDs, a surprising listening device from the past has made a renaissance. Durbin said vinyl has seen its 12th straight year of sales growth and more and more retailers are jumping on the trend. For Cicero, he said he thinks the nostalgic nuances CDs and vinyl bring back will stick around for awhile. “I like buying physical music from a store,” he said. “I think that physical music holds a sort of sentiment that digital music cannot match. Physically owning an album now to me means I am passionate about supporting the artist.”

Delicious Pizza carries on the Delicious Vinyl music tradition: Dough. Cheese. Sauce. All three words can double as slang for money and influence in the pop and hip-hop universe. But brothers Mike and Rick Ross have since 2015 taken a more literal approach with their music-inspired restaurant Delicious Pizza. With roots in Los Angeles hip-hop label Delicious Vinyl, their two pizzerias have gradually become communal hubs where pepperoni matters as much as beats. The brothers, who hail from Long Beach, opened the first Delicious Pizza at 5419 W. West Adams Blvd. in 2015. In the fall of 2016, the siblings, both in the early-to-mid-50s, opened a second outpost in Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard just a short stroll from another pop nerve center in Amoeba Music.

Schlafly getting retro with new limited pilsner and vinyl pairing: Beer and records. Never thought to put those two together, but perhaps that is why I’m not in marketing. But leave it the brains at Schlafly Beer to come up with a way to bring the retro cultural revival of vinyl to beer, in the form of a new promotion for a limited edition version of its Pilsner pack. The Pilsner pack made it’s return to the market back in August and thanks to all of us, the sessionable style is now part of the brewery’s 2018 portfolio. Today, the brewery announced that for a limited time, the 12-bottle pack of the golden, crisp lager will come with a record affixed to the front which will feature a voucher inside for $5 off of any vinyl at local participating record stores across Schlafly’s distribution. The special record packs will be available now through spring.

Friels Cider launches Record Store day competition, Friels First Press Vintage Cider is running an on-pack competition to support its sponsorship of Record Store Day UK (21 April). A limited edition can design on 330ml cans will promote the competition, which offers consumers the chance to win a home vinyl package, including a Friels limited edition turntable, amp, loudspeakers, £200 to spend in any participating record store and four cases of Friels. To enter, shoppers need to enter their details on the Friels website. There will also be five smaller monthly prize draws from February to June for the chance to win a limited edition turntable, £50 to spend in local record shops, or a limited edition FrieIs Record Store Day bag. Each of the monthly winners will also get a case of Friels First Press Vintage 330ml cans.

My Bloody Valentine Confirm Isn’t Anything Surprise: My Bloody Valentine recently released a pair of all analog vinyl reissues of their albums Loveless and Isn’t Anything, and they’ve now confirmed that they slipped a little something extra in with some fans’ orders. Taking to Twitter, they said that they have been giving away an alternative cut and pressing of Isn’t Anything, but the LP has now sold out directly from the band. The pressing was only available to fans who ordered the record as part of its initial run. The band are currently at work on the follow-up to their 2014 LP m b v, with Kevin Shields having said last year that he wants the album to be available in the traditional LP format running at 40 minutes with seven songs. “It could turn out to be only five tracks. I hope not, but I don’t want it to be a double album and I don’t want it to be really long,” he said.

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  • SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL INDIE SHOPS SINCE 2007


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