William Elliott Whitmore + P.O.S. - Split

I bought this one last Record Store Day. I was confused by it then, and still am a bit now. Will Whitmore and P.O.S. (who I know from Doomtree) seem like an odd combination. I assume they just happen to be on the same record label or something. It was also the only 7" I got that day as RSD 7"s are crazy expensive.

Will's song is great - just vocal and a kick drum, but his voice carries itself so it's no wonder it works so well. I'm a big fan as I've said before and will say again. The first time I heard of Doomtree and of any of the artists in the collective was on their Daytrotter Session, which I enjoyed greatly. This song is really good and builds up in a nice subtle way. They all seem to be making a lot of great music.

So an odd 7", but two great, if very different, songs.


Format: 7"
Tracks: 2
Cost: £7 new
Bought: Banquet
When: 16/04/11
Colour: Black
Etching: no
mp3s: no

The Walkmen - In the New Year

Another from the first ever trip to Banquet. I'd heard lots about The Walkmen, but never actually listened to them so I picked up this 7". The a-side is a nice, uplifting song. The song on the other side is a bit more subdued and not quite so interesting.

They're not at all how I imagined them to sound from what I'd heard about them. However, it works and it's nice. Not nice enough to make me buy any other of their record though - despite buying this two and a half years ago, I've not bought any of their albums since. I'm sure if I saw one cheap I'd buy it, and probably enjoy it.


Format: 7"
Tracks: 2
Cost: £3 new
Bought: Banquet
When: 18/01/10
Colour: Black
Etching: no
mp3s: no

A Thousand Arrows + Battle of Santiago - Split

This is a split between Cardiff's A Thousand Arrows and Battle of Santiago from Sweden. Whilst I pretty much had to buy it (the singer of ATA is a friend) I would have anyway. They're a lot heavier than a lot of the other bands in South Wales (Death of Her Money and Shaped By Fate being exceptions) and often draw comparisons to Quicksand and Helmet. Personally I can't help but hear Earthtone9, but that's no bad thing at all. They're touring as we speak and it'll be good to see them later this week.

The first thing I thought about Battle of Santiago when I heard this was that they reminded me of Snapcase. I think it was the vocal style mostly, but I'm a big Snapcase fan so I enjoyed it. All four songs are really good, although on both sides I prefer the first of the two.


Format: 7"
Tracks: 4
Cost: £5.90 new
Bought: Seven Inch Records
When: 09/04/11
Colour: Yellow
Etching: no
mp3s: no

Talons - The Pearl

I bought this the first (and only so far) time I saw Talons. They were supporting This Will Destroy You in the Underworld and I quite enjoyed them. My criticism of the show was that they over-used the violins a bit, or it at least came across that way. However on the record I didn't think that at all. Maybe it was the mixing on the night.

Anyway, I checked out the merch at the end of the night and they had this awesome t-shirt with a peacock on it. Feeling guilty that I didn't own any of their music, I bought the 7" too. It came with the art print in the pictures below. Both songs are really good, although everytime I play it I'm never quite sure I've put it on the right speed. Both start out a bit messy but find their way nicely; good technical post-rock. I enjoyed it so much I later bought the album, which I'll write about on here in due time.


Format: 7", numbered art print
Tracks: 2
Cost: £2 new
Bought: Gig
When: 30/09/10
Colour: Black
Etching: no
mp3s: no

Static Radio NJ + The Arteries - Banana Split

I picked this one up at Fest last year after seeing The Arteries. It was nice seeing them play in another country and they seemed to go down really well. I hadn't listened to Static Radio NJ at the time so didn't see them, but their two songs here are pretty enjoyable. Both bands offer one song of their own, and a cover. In both cases I don't know the cover (and I imagine The Gallows are different to Gallows). The Arteries song is on their second album, but the cover makes it worth buying.

Anyway, a nice record and I'm pleased I checked out Static Radio NJ eventually. Another run of this record has just appeared on pink and white vinyl, which is good because 40 copies was probably not quite enough.


Format: 7", numbered
Tracks: 4
Cost: £3.10 new
Bought: Fest
When: 29/10/11
Colour: Red
Etching: Side A: "A team yemom production", Side B: "Down with mothman"
mp3s: no

Walter Schreifels - Distance

I ended up with an mp3 of the song Open Letter to the Scene by Walter a few years back with a download card that came with an Attack in Black record and got very excited for his solo album. I'd been a fan of Rival Schools since United by Fate came out, and then became a Quicksand fan and a Gorilla Biscuits fan (more on this another time). I found this on my first ever trip to Banquet and added it to the many records I was already buying.

The two songs here are both lovely. The b-side reappeared on the solo album, but as a slightly different recording. Distance is a great song and a shame it didn't make it onto the album. It's a bit more full-on than a lot of his other solo songs, but it's no secret that Walter likes to turn it up from time to time. This is a very nice 7".

On a related note, I've just seen that Quicksand have announced another US show after they reformed for the Revelation Records anniversary show. Needless to say, I'm very excited. There have been some exciting reunions lately but the possibility of seeing Landmine Spring live outweighs New Noise and Napoleon Solo put together. I can't make it to America again for another few years, so please, please play London!


Format: 7"
Tracks: 2
Cost: £4 new
Bought: Banquet
When: 18/01/10
Colour: Black
Etching: no
mp3s: no

Chuck Ragan - Break Our Bread

The two songs on the b-side of this record both appeared in the same form on the split with Anderson Family Bluegrass so the only song I'll write about here is Will the Circle Be Unbroken. It's an old-ish bluegrass song that Chuck has covered live from time to time. It's a nice tune and Chuck's gravely vocals work nicely with it. He does sad songs like this just as well as uplifting ones like California Burritos.

The other two are pretty nice, but I've said that before. Since the chances of me ever completing my Chuck Ragan collection get smaller with each obscure 7" that appears, records like this seem a bit redundant, but it is a very nice 7". Interestingly (for record geeks), the labels are on the wrong sides here: side A in the picture below has two tracks and plays side B and vice versa.


Format: 7"
Tracks: 3
Cost: £5 new
Bought: Gig
When: 23/03/10
Colour: Black
Etching: no
mp3s: no

ONSIND + Short Term Effect - Split

Speaking of ONSIND, here is a split they did some time back with Short Term Effect. I'll save my praise for ONSIND in general for when I come to write about their other records, but it goes without saying that they're the reason I excitedly bought this 7" when I saw it in Punker Bunker recently. I hadn't been in there in years (I don't often end up in Brighton) but knew I'd find something good in there. I was low on cash (both in the sense that I think they only take cash, and that there wasn't much in my account) but luckily I did have the £3.50 for this. The paper sleeve has "23/219" written on it in pencil, which might be the print run, although 219 seems like a very odd number.

The ONSIND song is up to their usual standard. A great song with a rousing trumpet outro. I feel like I've played their two albums to death a bit so I really enjoyed hearing a song I hadn't heard before. Short Term Effect were completely new to me, but also enjoyable. Definitely less punk rock in style, the vocals and guitar playing are a lot softer on the ears, but still pretty nice.


Format: 7", gatefold
Tracks: 2
Cost: £3.50 new
Bought: Punker Bunker
When: 11/05/12
Colour: Black
Etching: no
mp3s: no

Magnus Magnusson - Magnus Magnusson

I got this record free, and listened to it with the trepidation everyone has when listening to a freebie. I think I would have been pleasantly surprised even without my lowered expectations. I really like it, and it probably ended up being the most frequently spun of the records I got in my large Specialist Subject order in August.

The record is four songs by the band/duo the guy who runs Specialist Subject used to play in (took me while to get the connection in the names - slow day) and for a while it came free with any order of vinyl from them. The description I found somewhere said something along the lines of "a more naive, shitty ONSIND". The ONSIND comparison is clear, but I wouldn't say shitty. These songs are catchy acoustic punk rock songs (a genre I love) and I'm a huge fan of multiple vocals. The lyrics are often bitter (An Eye For An Eye And Then Some, particularly so), but that just makes it all the more heart-felt.

All in all, an excellent freebie, just a shame there's only four songs!

Format: 7"
Tracks: 4
Cost: free, new
Bought: Specialist Subject
When: 31/08/11
Colour: Black
Etching: no
mp3s: no

The Magnificent - 1981

I've not seen The Magnificent yet, just Jimmy Islip on his own a few times. He's always good live and his songs were arguably my highlight on the split with Chuck Ragan, Sam Russo and Helen Chambers. The last time I saw him was in The Windmill with Digger Barnes and Cynics, and I picked up this 7". I couldn't quite decide which one to get (always tricky) but opted for 1981 in the end.

The A-side is pretty good, the guitars remind me a bit of (very) early Manics and there's a nice catchy chorus too. I had no idea what to expect when I played it having not listened to them before, but I enjoyed it. I like the second song even more, the use of the different vocals is great and the acoustic strum works brilliantly.

They have an LP out now that I keep meaning to pick up. Apparently this is how is used to work "back in the day": you'd buy the 7" and it makes you want to buy the album. I can't think of many other times that's happened.


Format: 7"
Tracks: 2
Cost: £3 new
Bought: Gig
When: 24/01/12
Colour: White
Etching: no
mp3s: no

Lemuria - Varoom Allure

I won't lie, I did buy this mostly because of the etching. I like Lemuria a lot, but not quite £7-on-a-7"-record. Still, the two songs here are really good. Varoom Allure is short but has a great beat to it; two key ingredients of a good single. Cannonballs to Hurt is pretty good too, so I don't feel screwed spending £7 on it.

The etching is lovely though, although not so impressive on black vinyl (the gold vinyl looked incredible). It just about comes out in the last picture. It was a Record Store Day release that Banquet got in a few weeks later.


Format: 7", insert
Tracks: 2
Cost: £7 new
Bought: Banquet
When: 09/05/12
Colour: black
Etching: picture
mp3s: download

Kelly Kemp + Bangers + El Morgan + The Arteries - Split

I have a tendency to overly praise records on here, but I say this genuinely: this is my favourite 7" of all time. I saw it in Banquet one day and hadn't heard about it at that point. I was a big fan of The Arteries and Bangers already, but hadn't heard of Kelly or El. I thought it looked interesting and bought it along with a couple of other records. I was amazed when I took it home and played it.

It's not a normal arrangement for a split, but a great one nonetheless: four new recordings of two Kelly Kemp and two El Morgan songs with Bangers and The Arteries playing the music. Both singers have great voices and the times I've seen them live since have been really good. Given that they were written as acoustic songs (or so I assume) they all work incredibly well with a band behind them.

Bridges Over Broken Hearts is my favourite on the Kelly Kemp and Bangers side, but Still Our Dream is really good too. I've been told she used to play in No Comply, who are a name I recognise but little more. Either way, side A is great on it's own. However, its side B that I really love. The Arteries lend backing vocals to the mix, which works brilliantly. Miles only sings a few bits on Blah Blah Blah but it sounds great.

But I forget about all of this when Ballroom hits, a song I just can't get enough of. It starts off so slowly and nicely, but then builds into this incredible punk song and keeps going after that. The layered vocals at the end are perfect. I've listened to El's album on bandcamp a bunch of times (it's a go-to when I'm after streaming music on the internet) and the version there is great too. It's a great song done in an awesome way. It's become a staple of my mixtapes since I heard it.

I think the surprise added a lot to it as well. I had no idea what to expect when I took this record home, so had no idea how much I'd enjoy it. I realise I'm gushing praise once again, but the whole record is brilliant and has one of my favourite songs of last year on. I really can't recommend it enough. Banquet still have it in stock and I'm often tempted to get another copy in case I wear this one out.


Format: 7"
Tracks: 4
Cost: £4 new
Bought: Banquet
When: 17/01/11
Colour: Black
Etching: no
mp3s: no

Iron Chic + Pacer - Split

This is from the second series of All in Vinyl splits and again by two bands who I really like. I got into Iron Chic when Banquet put them on in The Peel. Luckily I bought the record in advance because that was a show where you want to be singing along to every word. I'll rave about that more when I come to write about the LP, but I will say this: their show at Fest was possibly the highlight of the weekend - I swear the entire room went crazy for the whole set. It was insane in the best possible way. These two songs are both good, but neither have the huge sing-a-long moments that appear at every turn on the LP.

Pacer are also very good and have just announced the release of their debut album, which should be excellent, especially if the 10" they put out last year is anything to go by. Throwback is a particularly good tune. I bought this after they played El Paso the other week with The Arteries, but I'd been meaning to pick it up since it came out.


Format: 7", insert
Tracks: 4
Cost: £3 new
Bought: Gig
When: 15/05/12
Colour: Yellow
Etching: no
mp3s: download

Grown Ups - Handholder

When I come to write about More Songs by Grown Ups I will definitely rant endlessly about how gutted I am that I never got to see them (a story with an obvious moral), but I will save that for then. This is the 7" that followed a while afterwards, which I picked up in the same shopping trip as the Fugazi record below.

I love their sound, and they progress that nicely in this four-song ep. The second song Wildlife is certainly more tamed than than earlier songs (a comment I say in a good way), whilst Wigwam and Couch-King sound like they would've been great live. There's less of the group vocals that I enjoyed so much before (they're there at the end of Wellwater but too quietly, and not for long enough), but the mathsy guitar and shouty choruses remain. Maybe I've not listened to it enough, but the songs here don't strike me in the same way the LP did. That said, it still is a great ep, and I would've loved to see how LP number 2 turned out. Oh well.


Format: 7", gatefold sleeve
Tracks: 4
Cost: £6 new
Bought: Banquet
When: 22/02/11
Colour: Black
Etching: no
mp3s: download

Fugazi - Furniture

My friend Sarah has often said that Furniture is her favourite Fugazi record (mine is Repeater), which given that it's only three songs long, is quite the claim. She told me this a few times before I eventually bought a copy. They always had it in Banquet and I always ended up buying other records instead. I eventually picked it up, and I agree it is pretty good.

Furniture is a great Fugazi song, and if I had to write a top ten of theirs songs, it would be up there; clever lyrics, a strong beat and a sparse but perfect guitar. They had some nice instrumentals along the way, and Number 5 follows in that vein. Hello Morning is a little more scatty but still a nice listen. All in all, I'd say this record would work as a perfect Fugazi sampler, although I'd be tempted just to encourage people to listen to Repeater or the self-titled ep. For a Fugazi fan, it's worth it for Furniture alone.


Format: 7", insert
Tracks: 3
Cost: £2.50 new
Bought: Banquet
When: 22/02/12
Colour: Black
Etching: Side A: "Reluctant pharoahs", Side B: "Ancient Fruits"
mp3s: no

Feist + Mastodon - Feistodon

Feistodon was possibly the highlight of this year's Record Store Day releases and, given that it was the only record I bought that sold out straight away, the reason I got up at some ungodly hour to stand outside Banquet. A lot of people were talking about it so I'm not surprised they all got snapped up. It is as great as you'd hope. Feist and Mastodon are too vastly different artists, yet somehow the choice to cover each other's song isn't that surprising.

Feist's latest album Metals was much better than I expected and the Mastodon cover here works very well. A Commotion wasn't my favourite song on the album, but lends itself to a heavy cover nicely; the shouting of the chorus and the riff at the end. Feist's cover is good too, although I don't know the original (even though I really should). The fuzzy guitar keeps making me think my needle is broken.

And I know it's a stupid point to make, but I really like the American 7"s with the inch hole in the middle. Clearly no one is ever going to put this record into a jukebox, but it's a nice novelty and gives the spacer my record player came with an excuse to be used.


Format: 7"
Tracks: 2
Cost: £3.65 new
Bought: Banquet
When: 21/04/12
Colour: Black
Etching: no
mp3s: no