Sunday 29 March 2015

The Twilight Sad - Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did


This EP was my introduction to The Twilight Sad. My housemate Nicky had been telling me about them and shortly later I found this record in Spillers during the Tuesday-Record-From-Spillers year. I figured it was certainly worth chancing £8 on it. I'd always assumed the EP came first and the songs were re-worked for the debut LP,  Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters, but it turns out it was the other way around (evidently in the 7 years since I bought it I've never once read their Wikipedia page). I've never consciously listened out for the differences, but there's certainly a different feel to the songs - somehow quieter and moodier.

The two new songs are both pretty nice. The second is a cover of Some Things Last a Long Time by Daniel Johnston, an artist I'm yet to write about on here. I have a couple of his albums and they rarely get played - it doesn't make for very easy listening (so it's appropriate that The Twilight Sad would cover him). Some Things Last a Long Time was one of the Daniel Johnston songs I always enjoyed more, mostly for the simple play on words around "Your picture is still / Still on my wall"; everyone talks about the simple naivety in his songs and that's great example. The cover here is particularly nice.

I became a fan of the band from hearing this EP (partly thanks to Nicky, partly thanks to Spillers for stocking it around the time he mentioned it) and it's been pretty rewarding; their albums are dense and dark and I feel like I have to make a real effort to get into them, but I like that and it's always a rewarding process. I've also seen them live a bunch of times since, which is always a great experience. A good introduction to a great band.

Format: 12"
Tracks: 6
Cost: £8 new
Bought: Spillers, Cardiff
When: 05/08/08
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no



Saturday 28 March 2015

Tall Ships - EPs


I've written about how I got into Tall Ships before, but it's relevant here too. The short version is that we saw them playing their second set of the day at Banquet's Big Day Out where they were exploding out of what was basically a gazebo at the back of the field. People were going mad for it and everyone was having a great time. This reached a climax when they played Vessels and I swear my friend and I were the only ones who didn't know the words to the chorus. I have never been so jealous to not be able to join in on a sing-along. It probably rates in my top three sing-alongs (behind Chuck Ragan playing California Burritos in Le Pub and ONSIND playing Heterosexuality is a Construct in the Fighting Cocks; those were most incredible so you can appreciate the significance of this inclusion, especially given that I was both enjoying it and annoyed that I didn't know the words). 

So I'm pretty pleased I do finally have a copy of Vessels in my collection. By the time I saw Tall Ships their EPs were hard to come by and it seemed I'd missed the boat (no pun) on getting them. Luckily, Big Scary Monsters repressed them both onto one orange LP with a lovely screen-printed sleeve. Two of the songs made it onto the LP, Everything Touching, and I remember people saying they preferred the originals. Maybe it's because I heard the LP versions first, but I love the changes made to Books and Ode to Ancestors. The latter in particular is without the repeat of the first verse towards the end of the song here, which is one of my favourite things about it; when I hear the original I keep waiting for the verse to kick in again and it never does.

I probably play this record as often as I do the LP these days. Between the two are so many incredible songs and Vessels, Plate Tectonics (which starts the second EP in a huge style) and Chemistry are all as strong as some of the finest moments on the LP. I'm very glad these songs didn't disappear into the past.

Format: 12"
Tracks: 9
Cost: £17 new
Bought: Big Scary Monsters website
When: 13/04/14
Colour: Orange
Etching: none
mp3s: no



Monday 23 March 2015

65daysofstatic - We Were Exploding Anyway


I don't think I'd consciously heard 65daysofstatic when I bought this album; I'd heard the name mentioned often, seen them on bills full of other bands I like and good friends were into them. In a lot of ways, I have no idea why I hadn't checked them out sooner. Last summer I was strolling around the Independent Label Market (finding surprisingly little I was into) and found the Monotreme Records stall. The year before I'd picked up This Will Destroy You's Tunnel Blanket LP and a free sampler of some interesting math/post-rock bands. They always seem to be one of the few stalls there with anything heavy.

Anyway, for an amazingly-cheap £8 they had We Were Exploding Anyway on 180 gram white vinyl and I figured at that price it'd be rude to not finally check 65dos out. I knew they skirted closer to electronic music than a lot of math/post-rock bands do and there's certainly a large element of that on the record (take Go Complex for example), but it's definitely a rock album and hits pretty hard when it chooses to. Weak4 is a perfect example - the electronic blips and beeps are there, but the song ramps up and explodes in true post-rock style. It's pretty awesome.

On very first listen I wasn't entirely convinced, but a bunch of plays later and it's definitely converted me into a fan. Other highlights include Come to Me with it's unexpected use of vocals and the sprawling Tiger Girl. I've been meaning to check their other albums out since (although I've not done a great job of actually seeking them out; something I should work on).

Also included in the package was the full album on cd (in a printed sleeve, unlike the plastic wallet you usually find) and a download code for the Heavy Sky EP which I must admit I haven't listened to nearly enough. I have vague memories of it being even heavier on the electronica side, but I could be mistaken. The problem with it being a download is that it isn't real, so it's easy to forget about. A nice inclusion though.

Format: 12", picture sleeve, poster, cd
Tracks: 9
Cost: £8 new
Bought: Independent Label Market, London
When: 12/07/14
Colour: White
Etching: None
mp3s: cd



Sunday 22 March 2015

Straylight Run - Straylight Run


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



Saturday 21 March 2015

Small Brown Bike - Fell & Found


When the new Small Brown Bike album came out I was excitied to get it, but with a slight fear it might not live up to my expectations. For the first three quarters of Onwards & Overboard I was worried I was going to be underwhelmed, then the huge outro of "You are the ocean / I am the sea / What drowns in you / Will float in me" came in and I knew it was going to be a great record. When those lines get sung I always smile; it's one of the highlights of the album for me.

I'd got into Small Brown Bike long after they'd split up, but before they'd announced their reunion and new album. I'd bought a copy of Dead Reckoning and thought it was incredible, which it is, however I'd not got any of their other albums before Fell & Found came out. It wasn't for want of trying, but their records aren't readily found in British record shops. Fell & Found is less heavy than Dead Reckoning, but I've since learned that so was a lot of their other material; Dead Reckoning was the odd-one-out.

Either way, I was pretty pleased with Fell & Found. Songs like Onwards & OverboardAs We Go and All of Us (another song with a huge outro) are amongst some of my favourite Small Brown Bike songs. Not a great deal to say really, but a very enjoyable record. This the white vinyl from the first pressing (/500) with the amusing "Brown load code" sticker on the sleeve.

Format: 12", two a5 inserts
Tracks: 11
Cost: £8.25 new
Bought: Banquet Records, Kingston
When: 21/06/11
Colour: White
Etching: Side A: "You are the ocean and I am the sea" Side B: "What drowns in you will float in mw"
mp3s: Download



Monday 9 March 2015

Mudhoney - Live at Third Man Records


I own more live Mudhoney albums than I do regular Mudhoney albums. The main reason for this is that Mudhoney are so good live that you know a live album will be enjoyable. For years all I had was March to Fuzz, the Mudhoney best-of, and Live Mud, an incredible live LP. The best-of was good, but Live Mud just sounded incredible. I've since seen Mudhoney live twice and I adore them as a live band. Of the regular Mudhoney albums I've heard, I've enjoyed them, but not in the same way.

I picked up this copy of Live at Third Man Records from Rapture Records in Witney. I'd not long moved to Oxford at this point and we were exploring the nearby areas. I knew Witney had a record shop so it was at the top of surrounding villages to visit. There wasn't a huge amount there I wanted that day, but I knew I'd enjoy this one. I've seen a lot of Live at Third Man records and Mudhoney are one of the few bands that I actually care about to have released one. There's not a whole lot to say about the record itself, but I do like the Live at Third Man sleeves.

Side 1 is where the hits are for me, but the second side isn't bad by any stretch. The songs on side 2 aren't ones I'm familiar with (except I'm Now) but work nicely. I don't think anyone can get tired of hearing songs like Here Comes the Sickness, When Tomorrow Hits and In 'n Out of Grace though. Worth a listen if you enjoy live Mudhoney (and why wouldn't you?).

Format: 12", diecut sleeve
Tracks: 10
Cost: £13 new
Bought: Rapture Records, Witney
When: 10/05/15
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no



Friday 6 March 2015

Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine


I'm ever-increasingly pleased that I was introduced to Magnolia Electric Co. when I was; they could have very easily passed me by and I would live the rest of my life having never seen Jason Molina play live. His music is the gift that keeps on giving and we should all count ourselves lucky that he wrote quite so many songs in his too-short life.

On a slightly-hungover morning on the 6th of September 2009 I was woken by a phone call from my friend Jon. There was a folk festival happening in Porthcawl Pavilion that day but it had massively undersold so the organisers were basically handing out tickets to people who they knew just to help fill up the room. Jon knew one of the organisers and was getting together a car-load of people. Three things made me go: I had nothing else to do that day; Adem was playing (who was pretty much the only name I knew on the bill) and I'd been enjoying his covers album, Takes; and finally, because I was leaving Cardiff soon to move to London so thought it'd be nice to spend the day on the beach with some of the friends I'd made there.

So I met up with Jon, Stubbs and another friend of Jon's and we drove to Porthcawl (which I'd never been to before). The Pavilion was a lovely setting for the bands playing that day - they'd laid out tables like a 1900's ballroom and there was a huge chandelier hanging overhead. We watched some nice bands (including Aidan Moffat and Adem) and had ice cream on the beach (which seemed particularly odd given that these were guys I'd gotten to know by going to sweaty punk shows). Magnolia Electric Co. were second to last that day and Stubbs was very excited; I remember him passionately telling me about the singer's old band Songs:Ohia and how the bands had transitioned with an album called Magnolia Electric Co. You know when someone is that excited about seeing a band that it'll be at least half decent.

Magnolia Electric Co. blew me away that day. I have three main memories of their set: a general feeling of amazement; Jason's incredible voice; and the drums. I can't imagine many people think of drums when they think of Magnolia Electric Co., but that day they sounded so incredible and were being pounded, all the while set to these beautiful songs. Maybe it was the acoustics of the room, but it worked for me. Map of the Fallen Skies on Josephine has some pretty heavy drums and always reminds me of that day. I have no idea whether they played it (or the names of any of the songs I heard that day) but it always makes me think back to that day late-summer Sunday in Porthcawl. I doubt Jon knows how grateful I am that he called me that morning and paved the way for me to discover Molina's music. I should probably say something to him.

After Magnolia finished we all sat there a little bewildered and agreed that they were incredible. Vetiver were still due to play, but we decided that nothing was going to top the last band and went home. I set about hearing more Magnolia Electric Co. and got Josephine on cd from my sister for my birthday that year. I knew from the opening minutes of O! Grace that I hadn't misremembered how good they were. Six years later and I'm still digging through the huge number of albums Jason Molina recorded and each one is incredible - I get so excited when I find another album of his because I can't wait to hear the music within. It's not been entirely trivial to find all his albums (Truck Records and a few trips to the states have helped) but I'm enjoying the cadence at which I get to hear them.

I discovered shortly afterwards that two of my friends had become huge Jason Molina fans (after seeing him on the same tour but at End of the Road Festival) and we were all equally excited when it was announced that he'd be playing a show in The Railway Inn in Winchester with Will Johnson from Centromatic. Just to spell that out entirely, The Railway was the only venue we had growing up, where most of our friends had played, where we had our first drinks and where Friday nights would frequently end up. Very rarely did anyone famous ever play The Railway so we all decided it was well-worth the trip back home. On top of that, I was really keen to see Will Johnson having first heard him on a split with another of my favourite bands, The Paper Chase

But Jason got ill and the tour got cancelled. Gradually over the next couple of years it emerged he'd been an alcoholic and was in rehab. Things were starting to look promising but then he died on March 16th, 2013. My heart sank when I heard the news because I felt like I'd only just discovered his music; I wanted to see him play again so I could have the same feeling of amazement I'd had before and I wanted to know the songs he played so I could appreciate them even more. I still have the ticket from that Railway show that never happened. It's sad that he died so early, but I can take some comfort in knowing that he wrote a lot of great songs whilst he was here and that I can keep discovering them for years yet. Fittingly enough, Josephine ends with An Arrow in the Gale, a song that feels like an opener; his last album was to be my first and opened me up to a wealth of incredible music.

Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 14
Cost: £15 new
Bought: Truck Store, Oxford
When: 08/01/15
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: Download code




Sunday 1 March 2015

The Computers - Elvis vs. Elvis


A few years ago I acquired an Elvis Costello best-of LP in a small stack of second-hand, free LPs. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but not to the extent I bought any of his actual albums. There's certainly a number of artists and bands who I enjoy on a best-of but have no desire to dig through their back-catalogues and Elvis Costello fits squarely in that group (along with David Bowie, Bad Brains, and Bob Dylan).

Elvis Presley, on the other hand, I have little to no interest in at all. A lot of people my age had parents who listened to Elvis a lot in their youth and so grew up on it t a certain extent. My parents are a bit too young for Elvis, so I grew up on Pink Floyd, Led Zepp and Sabbath instead.

When The Computers announced they'd be releasing a 10" of Elvis Costello and Elvis Presley covers I figured I'd enjoy it regardless of my opinions towards Elvis P. The similar EP they'd done of Misfits covers was excellent so it seemed like an obvious choice. Getting hold of a copy wasn't entirely trivial because it was released as a Black Friday Record Store Day exclusive (an event I still don't believe in). I tried to pick up a copy in Banquet the same day they'd sold their last copy and forgot about it for a bit. A short time later The Computers opened for Rocket From the Crypt in London (an excellent choice) and they had a few copies on the merch table. At £12 I figured it was a bit pricey, but also decided that I might not get many other chances to pick one up (not to mention that I'd already paid £5 for a one-song 7" that night). Turns out Banquet got some more in and still have them now.

The record works well (as I suspected it might); the band take on both Elvis' well but are actually more suited to Presley it turns out. They haven't converted me into a fan, but the covers here are great. The Computers have been gradually evolving into a 50's greaser band for a while now, so it's no wonder they do these songs so well. The choice of Elvis C songs is good but I wonder if it's his voice that makes them so special normally? Either way, it's a fun record and I'm glad I eventually found a copy.

Format: 10" picture disc
Tracks: 6
Cost: £12 new
Bought: gig
When: 06/12/13
Colour: Picture disc
Etching: none
mp3s: no