I don't particularly care for this record. In fact, that's an understatement; I'm not a fan at all and I really shouldn't have bought it. There are two lessons to be learned here:
1) Just because you had in your mind an amount of money you were going to spend on Record Store Day, doesn't mean you should spend it all on any old record. On RSD 2012 I'd gone to Banquet hoping to pick up a number of records coming out, in particular the Tomahawk boxset and the early-release of the new Explosions in the Sky album (and a bunch of other records, of course). The Tomahawk boxset was surprisingly reasonably-priced and they didn't have the EITS record, so I left feeling richer than I thought I would. I popped into Banquet a few days later and that feeling of richness led me to take a look at what RSD stock they had left.
2) Just because a record label released some very good records when I was a teenager, doesn't mean they still do. Victory Records put out End Transmission and Full Collapse, two albums I have so much time for, two staples of early-2000's post-hardcore and two of my all-time favourite albums. Why did no one tell me Victory was now peddling shit bands? I definitely feel like I should have known about this. Anyway, I'd heard two people talking about the band in the queue and figured "it's on Victory, probably worth a shot".
So I chanced £15 on Straylight Run and it has not paid off. Occasionally, there are moments that aren't terrible, but the majority of the time it's whiny, over-produced indie-emo-pop. When I was 16 I might have enjoyed it but I like to think even then I'd have been dubious. I should have looked at the song titles before I bought it - one of them is called Existentialism On Prom Night; that should have been a clue. I've always enjoyed the combination of rock music and classical instruments (these guys are heavy on the piano-use) but here it just gives the feeling of a very sterile studio recording other than something sincere and interesting.
The record is a nice colour, I'll give them that. Looks like they cheaped out on the inners by simply throwing in the cd booklet. In the three years I've owned this record I've periodically thought "I'll give it another go, maybe I'll hear something I like this time" but I never do. I don't enjoy being so negative about music and I'm sure there are people who love this album, but I'm not one of them by a long way.
Format: 12", cd booklet
Tracks: 11
Cost: £15 new
Bought: Banquet Records, Kingston
When: 24/04/12
Colour: Brown marble
Etching: none
mp3s: Download
