A week and a half ago, I headed to Banquet to finally catch up on 2013's new releases. I picked up most of the records I was after, but there were a few they'd run out of, so I had fewer records in my hand than I planned to splurge on. That's when I decided to pick up a copy of the re-release of Slip. I'd wanted to buy it for a while, but felt I should probably focus on new music rather than an album I've had on cd since 2005. On one hand it was pricey, but on the many other hands it's an incredible album, it looks excellent, it's hand-numbered (#922/1000) and I had spent enough to get another £10 voucher on my loyalty card. At £13, I'd be stupid not to (also, you could dubiously count it as a 2013).
So, 10 and a half years after I bought Manic Compression on vinyl, Slip finally joins my collection next to it. I'm pretty pleased to finally have both on vinyl, because they're both excellent. Someone recently passed comment that Walter Schreifels hasn't put out a bad record, and it's true; everything the man touches turns to gold. I was always more of a Manic Compression fan, but Slip was always a close call. It's a heavier album in a lot of ways. Fazer, Dine Alone (with it's comical lyrics) and Freezing Process have always been my favourites, but it's a brilliantly consistent the whole way through.
Shop Radio Cast have done an excellent job on the record because it sounds as good as it looks - subtly remastered and crisp. I've not got any of their other re-issues yet, but the Silverchair and Far records look pretty nice (as does You'd Prefer an Astronaut, but I already have that). I wasn't sure about the cover of The Smiths' How Soon is Now? tacked on the end at first, but it sounds alright (I'm not a Smiths fan at all). When I saw Rival Schools a couple of years ago Walter announced to the crowd they were going to play a song he used to play with Quicksand and my heart jumped with excitement that it might be Landmine Spring only to be instantly dashed by him saying it was a Smiths cover. I've never gone from so happy to so sad so quickly (earlier this year I saw him play it at a solo show, which has temporarily eased my desire). Anyway, this cover isn't terrible.
All this brings me to the big question of the summer: will I get to see Quicksand this year? So far they've announced two shows at Reading and Leeds Festivals but no others and, thus far, my pledging on SongKick's Detour hasn't come to anything. I'm pretty sure everyone is waiting for a London warm-up show, but it's nearly August and nothing has appeared yet. I spent a while on Sunday night discussing with a friend heading up to Leeds for the show up there (Reading is a Friday and my annual leave days are, quite literally, numbered). There's enough I'd watch on that day, but £100? It's a lot of money for a day, especially given that Quicksand are the only ones in the bands-I've-never-seen-before category. Of course, the sum of what I'd pay to see Deftones, Frightened Rabbit and Quicksand isn't far off (plus all the other bands I'd happily watch) but festival sets aren't like real sets. Furthermore, the last few times I've been to Reading and Leeds I've found myself hating absolutely everyone there; working on the bar probably didn't introduce me to the greatest festival-goers, but the 16-year-old kids starting circle pits during every fucking song are equally bad. Plus, it'll probably rain.
Format: 12", gatefold sleeve, picture sleeve
Tracks: 13
Cost: £13 new
Bought: Banquet Records
When: 18/07/13
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: Download
