SEATTLE, WA | There’s something extraordinary about the band Big Wreck. They’re one of the few rock bands on the planet that has managed to create a unique sound that is all their own. I’m still struggling to describe exactly what that sound is, but when I hear it, I know immediately.
If I had a gun to my head, I guess I would say it’s riff-heavy hard rock layered with deep blues, massive grooves, and soaring vocals. There’s no denying that frontman Ian Thornley sounds a bit like Chris Cornell in his prime, but there’s much more than that. Hell, this is the guy who turned down vocal duties for Velvet Revolver because he didn’t feel comfortable singing without playing guitar. This begs the question, what does he do better? The answer isn’t very straightforward.
You see, Ian Thornley is the kind of songwriter that other songwriters aspire to be. He’s the whole package: a unique and incredible voice, guitar god, and most importantly, he can write a fucking song that makes you stop and think how one human being could possibly be able to write such majestic choruses.
Take, for example, their breakthrough “hit” if you will from 1996 “The Oaf.” Of course, it’s got a catchy intro and verse, but when the chorus kicks in, it’s what separates Big Wreck from the rest of the pack. Then take a listen to “That Song” from the same record. Holy shit, this one takes it up another notch by adding storytelling and incredibly smart lyrics. (My friends and I in college spent weeks debating what the fuck a “pocketbook Brando” is.) Furthermore, “That Song” is a story told in song that makes you feel something, it transports you to a specific moment in your life—it’s familiar—yet it’s something that doesn’t happen very often in a modern song.
NEW RELEASE PICKS: Swans, Leaving Meaning (Young God / Mute) It can seem a bit unfair to other promising and thriving acts to so regularly spotlight the work of Michael Gira in this column (and in year end best lists), but after consideration, Leaving Meaning fully deserves the attention, as it’s something distinctly more than just another great Swans release. That’s because it documents a new phase of Gira’s band; much attention was paid to the winding down of the prior lineup, arguably the best in the outfit’s long history, after the release of the masterful The Glowing Man. There was promise of more to come under the moniker with the understanding that the results would constitute a break with what had commenced at the beginning of the decade and solidified Gira as one of our most important artists.
REISSUE/ARCHIVAL PICK: The Pop Group, Y (Definitive Edition) (Mute) This expanded edition of the first LP from these essential UK post-punkers completes a reissue program that commenced on the band’s own Freaks R Us label back in 2016 with the rerelease of their second LP from 1980, For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? There was also a fresh pressing of the “We Are All Prostitutes” 45, Cabinet of Curiosities, which collected the debut single and unreleased stuff including a session for John Peel, and The Boys Whose Head Exploded, which was a collection of live songs documenting various locations on a 1980 tour. This stream of fanbase-funded material overlapped with two new records from the group that to my ear did a pretty okay job of not sullying their significant legacy.
Brooklyn, NY | Safe to Say This Is Williamsburg’s Only Record Shop/Cafe With a Bathtub? Most coffee shops don’t have a usable bed in them, or allow entire motor vehicles inside, but it’s safe to say Etiquette isn’t your ordinary coffee shop. Vincent Marino, part of Four Happy Men Hospitality and one of Etiquette’s owners, is hesitant to even call the south Williamsburg space a coffee shop. Though the room was filled with laptops on the afternoon we met, he also doesn’t call it a coworking space. In the back, there are drawers of vinyl courtesy of Halcyon, a long-running shop formerly at the nightclub Output, but Etiquette isn’t mainly a record store, either. The best way Vincent can describe the curious, multifaceted space is a “place where people hang out.” Etiquette, which opened in late July on Broadway near the East River, is from the same team as nearby bar Loosie Rouge. As per Vincent, Etiquette should feel like “an extension of your living room,” and 
UAE | Check out The Flip Side, UAE’s only independent record store: Tucked away inside the bustling lanes of Dubai’s art district Alserkal Avenue, record shop The Flip Side is its owner Shadi Megallaa’s way of paying homage to the glorious medium of record music. The 40-year-old professional DJ’s love for vinyl dates back to his time working at a record shop in New York. Noticing the lack of any record stores in the UAE, he decided to fill the void by establishing his own in the year 2017. “I loved it and other than that I wanted to buy records as a customer and it didn’t exist here,” explains the music aficionado. Although a commercial enterprise, Shadi, who is of Egyptian origin, refuses to view it solely as a business set up. “The way I see it is that we deal with music. I am a DJ and musician. My colleague Jedd is part of a band. We are not just business people, this is what we do, it’s our life. This is just 
Los Angeles, CA | Supervinyl sets the record straight in Los Angeles: All signs might show that the digital age has taken over, but in Los Angeles, there is hope for traditionalists yet. upervinyl is a newly-opened record store, located in Hollywood, that not only stocks a curated collection of classic and rare albums, but also a selection of turntables, speakers and audio equipment as well. Founded by Barry Perlman, the co-founder of Lucky Brand jeans, the boutique has been designed by the locally based architecture and design studio, Standard, who’ve created homes for retail brands such as Blu Dot, Helmut Lang and Intelligentsia coffee in the past. Rather than appearing like a throwback to music’s golden era, Superviny LA’s 
Swindon, UK | The Sex Pistols’ first single to sell for thousands in Chippenham: One of the world’s rarest vinyl records is to be auctioned in Chippenham on Friday. Wessex Auction Rooms, at Westbrook Farm, will have The Sex Pistol’s God Save The Queen record on sale, an item which has been valued between £12,000 – £15,000. The British punk band produced one of the most famous PR stunts in history on March 10 1977 when they penned a new contract with A&M records outside of Buckingham Palace, ahead of the release of their first single. This stunt was too controversial for A&M to handle, so they cancelled the contract six days later and ordered all of the copies of the single to be destroyed. Only 10 records of the song were left in the vault at the company, meaning this vinyl has become a much-wanted item for fans of the genre across the world. Auctioneer and vinyl expert Martin Hughes said: “I have had the privilege of selling many rare records but this is certainly the 
