If you are unaware, Record Store Day is just a couple days more than a week away! Exclusive releases are starting to show up and things are looking awesome! Remember, we will be opening at 10am on the 19th. There will be a line (I believe it started forming around 9 last year). Dress for the weather! We will do our best to expedite people into and out of the store, but you should expect to spend some time waiting outside.
And if you haven’t heard this year we’ve drummed up something extra special this year… on RSD, April 19th, someone will be going home with a FREE REGA RP1! To enter the contest, you have to come down on RSD, you will receive one entry for every $25 that you spend, the more you buy the more chance you have of winning, OR you also can receive one entry by purchasing any RSD exclusive item. That’s right, come down, buy some swag and have a chance to win a $500 turntable. Not a bad deal right? We also have some other items to give away as other prizes as well, we’ll announce some of those as we confirm them.
…..picks of the week…..
Coil/Nine Inch Nails: Recoiled (Cold Sweat) LP
Recoiled is a rambunctious alchemy of magikal Coil sensibilities and hi-tech home circa ’90s mixing technique, all fused in the cave-like early studios of Danny Hyde/Peter Christopherson. These were the unrestrained PRE-BIG studio-mix-downs of four songs which long-time Coil admirer/collaborator Trent Reznor requested Coil to remix. Reznor sent over the original multi-tracks and DATs to Hyde/Christopherson, who independently mixed versions and then met to synch both creations, molding them into these master versions. Recoiled includes a fuller, more opulent version of the track “Closer,” which eventually made it onto the opening credits of the movie SE7EN. These five lengthy compositions (just under 40 minutes) are pre-Ableton/laptop generation-type priest-song creations, with the use of baby alarms and numerous wires to create bespoke effects. These legendary tracks were always rumored to exist and, only the due diligence of a dedicated NIN forum who hunted them down, are released/unleashed for your listening pleasure. Four of the tracks were released on the download-only Uncoiled. A bonus, previously-unheard track from the same sessions closes the album. Jhonn Balance is also manifest on this gilded constellation. Beautifully remastered.
File Under: Ambient, Electronic, Remix, NIN, Coil
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Slates: Taiga (New Damage) LP/CD
Full disclosure, the singer of this band has worked here forever, but you already knew that, and this truly is their best outing yet and you totally should buy this record. “Edmonton’s Slates are perhaps one of the hardest working punk outfits in Canada, seemingly always on the go, recording, taking care of their Jamz Club and touring. They’re indefatigable and that’s reflected in their unflinching, honest post-hardcore. With raw throats, open hearts and cranked amps, Slates release their third full-length, Taiga, on their new label, New Damage Records. Taiga was recorded in Chicago, at Electrical Audio Studios with Steve Albini. Albini, of course, renowned for his work in the studio since the ‘90s, proves to be a perfect match for Slates: the Edmonton quartet have never sounded clearer nor rawer on tape (analog, natch). Albini’s use of space, not only in the physical studio, but between the notes and instruments, coupled with his delicate handling of sheer volume elevates Slates to new heights. Thankfully, the foursome are more than match for this pressure and, on Taiga, they perform better than ever, taking their Hüsker Dü-inspired, bittersweet songwriting to a new level. The album’s emotional centrepiece is the delicate “Minarets.” Starting with a hushed, finger-picked melody and pained vocals, Slates frontman, James Stewart, takes the lead, making a noisy, distorted mess of his demons before the release — empty and incompatible, Slates have to fight for their voice. At their core, Slates are a way of dealing with an inherently unfair world, finding your own place in a crowd with no room. There’s a reason they’ve been accepted with open arms across Canada: there’s real emotion behind the performance and legions of disaffected kids are flocking to these underground oases that provide a respite from a plastic world. Do yourself a favour: pick up Taiga and join your new tribe.” – Beat Route
File Under: Punk, Local, CanCon
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…..new arrivals…..
5,6,7,8’s: Bomb the Rocks: Early Days Singles (Sweet Nothing) LP
Finally back in print!! “The 5.6.7.8’s are an all-female Japanese rock trio, whose music is reminiscent of American surf music, rockabilly and garage rock. They frequently cover songs from American rock and roll. All members are from Tokyo, Japan. The 5.6.7.8’s first started performing as a quartet in Tokyo, and recruited guest performers during their Australian tour, once even utilizing a male member, “Eddie”. They first officially became a trio in 1992, before touring Australia. The 5.6.7.8’s made a brief appearance in the 2003 Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill Volume 1, where they were shown playing in an izakaya.” – Wikipedia
File Under: Garage, Punk, Girl Bands
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EMA: Future’s Void (Matador) LP/CD
Erika M. Anderson first graced the limelight under the guise of EMA in May 2011, when the brilliantly scuffed debut album “Past Life Martyred Saints” was released to a multitude of acclaim. After fronting the genre-defying cult duo Gowns, Past Life Martyred Saints offered a deeper glimpse into the world of EMA. The highly anticipated follow-up release, The Future’s Void is available through Matador Records as a limited edition lilac coloured vinyl release with poster. If “Past Life Martyred Saints” was an inward exploration of human relationships and their toll, “The Future’s Void” catapults them out into space, both thematically and musically. Drawing from references as diverse as The Neuromancer, NIN & riot grrl, the album meditates on universal themes of how we interact with the wider world and how that interaction is increasingly modified by technology.
File Under: Indie Rock, Lo-Fi
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M83: You and the Night (Mute) LP
M83 is excited to announce their latest collaboration: the soundtrack to Yann Gonzalez’s first feature film, You And The Night. Mute will be releasing You And The Night via digital download on November 19th, 2013. Anthony warns that You And The Night is not a typical M83 release. “People who only like ‘Midnight City’ are going to be disappointed. Mellow and romantic, this soundtrack pays tribute to French soundtracks from the 70’s and is much more intimate than Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming and the Oblivion Soundtrack. This score is really for lovers and ghosts.” In creating this sultry and luminous soundtrack Anthony reunited with several of his previous collaborators. Joe Trapanese (Oblivion, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming) returned to assist with the orchestral arrangements, whilst long-term M83 collaborator Morgan Kibby (M83, White Sea) and Susanne Sundfør (Oblivion) performed vocals on several tracks on the album.
File Under: M83, OST, Electronic
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ScHoolboy Q: Oxymoron (Interscope) LP
For the first time in a long time, hip hop can genuinely say that a new generation of MC’s has arrived. Sure, there are those who helped birth the culture and music and people who can say they grew up with it. But now, you are witnessing perhaps the first generation that can say they were raised on hip hop almost exclusively. If you don’t agree, you’re probably not listening to enough Schoolboy Q. Although the artist born Quincy Matthew Hanley has only been rapping since 2007, his bluntly charismatic presence on wax should’ve already put him on your radar as one of rap’s emerging voices. Born in Germany to a pair of military parents, Q spent the first three years of his life in Texas before his family eventually settled in Los Angeles. Like so many before him, Schoolboy’s L.A. experience provided a lifeshaping balance of sports, school, drugs and gangs. Growing up on the corner of 51st and Figueroa, Schoolboy Q lived just 8 minutes away from the Staples Center where Kobe Bryant and the Lakers hoisted trophies every other year. For a while, Q looked to be on his way to a similar path as he played football, baseball, basketball and even joined the swimming team in high school. Unable to resist the lure of his surroundings, he soon found himself drowning in an abyss of slanging crack, shootouts and jail time. SBQ got a chance to overcome his circumstances and bad decisions with his music in 2007 when he debuted his first mixtape, ScHoolboy Turned Hustla. Oxymoron features production from the likes of The Alchemist, Pharrell, Sounwave, Nez & Rio and Digi+Phonics along with famous guest spots by Kendrick Lamar, Raekwon, 2 Chainz, ASAP Rocky, Jay Rock, Tyler The Creator and Kurupt.
File Under: Hip Hop, Rap
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…..restocks…..
Robbie Basho: The Seal of the Lotus (4 Men With Beards) LP
Darkside: Psychic (Matador) LP
Death: For The Whole World to See (Drag City) LP
Django Django: s/t (Because) LP
Future Islands: Singles (4AD) LP/CD
Francoise Hardy: Tous Les Garcons… (Vinyl Passion) LP
Nicolas Jaar: Space is Only Noise (Circus Company) LP
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks: Wig Out At Jagbags (Matador) LP/CD
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks: Mirror Traffic (Matador) LP
The Meters: Zony Mash (Sundazed) LP
The Meters: Fire on the Bayou (Music on Vinyl) 2LP
Ministry: Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste (Music on Vinyl) LP
Night Beats: s/t (Trouble in Mind) LP
Wayne Shorter: Speak No Evil (Blue Note) LP
Townes Van Zandt: High, Low, and In Between (Omni) LP
Kurt Vile & Sore Eros:
Tom Waits: Franks Wild Years (Music on Vinyl) LP
White Stripes: Elephant (Thirdman) LP
White Stripes: White Blood Cells (Thirdman) LP
Lucinda Williams: s/t (Thirty Tigers) LP
Various: Bombay Disco (Cultures of Soul) LP
Various: Champion DJs from Studio One (Studio One) LP
Various: Cosmic Machine (Because) LP