As a vinyl nerd, suffice it to say that the annual Record Store Day spate of limited releases is much better than Christmas morning for me. Honestly, who can really compare slicing the shrinkwrap off gleaming discs of aural licorice and smelling the press of the ink on the sleeve to unwrapping yet another gift of socks and Old Navy gift cards while watching my nephew get all the good stuff? Yeah, sure, Christmas is about giving, not getting, but Record Store Day is about both - GETTING myself a bunch of records and GIVING them to my turntable. Magnifique.
This year, as always, I have compiled a list far longer than my wallet can support of things that get my heart ticking. Here are a few items that top the list:
1. Cults: Abducted/Go Outside (remix) 7" I recently saw Cults at a very sweaty outdoor day show at SXSW, and they lived up to and surpassed all I'd hoped to see from them based on the limited songs they have thus far released. "Go Outside" has been a mix CD staple for me for more than a year now, so it's nice to be able to snag it in some version on vinyl finally (because I don't feel like paying 6 of my fingers and an eyeball for the way out of print original version 7").
2. Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues 12" I'm not gonna lie to you, the harmony break in the middle of this song ("If I had an orchard, I'd work till I'm sore...") gives me a lump in my throat every time. It could be, as Stereogum readers seem to assert, that Fleet Foxes isn't "cool." But, personally, I am totally that person that always seeks out that whitebread American vocal harmony in my record collection (Simon & Garfunkel, CSNY) when I've had a little too much to drink and am feeling sentimental for old road trips. So, really, I think this needs to take its place in the queue.
3.Go! Team: Rolling Remixes 12" If you have read much of this blog, you probably know that I don't really love remixes. But in this case, it seems that the Go! Team is ripe for some fun ones. If I can already convince myself to do just 10 more minutes on the elliptical at the gym so I can keep listening to Rolling Blackouts I figure the remixes might get me going for another 15.
4. Growlers: Gay Thoughts 7" Now here's a fun little band that I've recently gotten wind of. I don't know much about them, but I'm game.
5. Javelin: Canyon Candy 10" Javelin crafted this EP as a tribute to a road trip across the Western USA, and all the songs have this amazing cowboy twang meets electro beat that I'm really feeling right now. I love some old time front porch music, and Javelin's spin on it is fresh and fun.
6. Joy Formidable: Whirring/Chwyrlio 7" Whirring, from what I've heard of Joy Formidable's repertoire thus far is the most sing-along-able, poppiest offering by a long shot. It has that big soaring chorus that just makes your ribs ache. I could slay dragons to this song.
7. Shuggie Otis: Inspiration Information - World Psych Classics 2 LP I've long had the cd version of this release from Luaka Bop, and the smooth soul tracks are reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield at his most laconic. Sunday afternoon music for sure, and worth the whole price of admission just for Shuggie's definitive version of "Strawberry Letter 23" made more popular by the Brothers Johnson.
8. Wild Flag: Future Crimes b/w Glass Tambourine 7" Since I missed this quasi super group (Carrie Brownstean of Sleater Kinney collaborates with Mary Timony of Helium) at SXSW, I still have no real notion of what they sound like, and full disclosure - I sort of missed the boat on the Sleater-Kinney/Carrie Brownstein fandom, but the inclusion of one of my 90s ultra-faves Mary Timony will get my money any day. I can't imagine how the relatively straightforward power-chords of Brownstein will meld with the creatively tuned string-bending of Timony, but we'll see.
9. The return of Wake to public consciousness. Since I'm being honest, I'll admit that I'd never heard of this band prior to seeking them out based on the RSD list. Wake is a female-fronted post punk band along the lines of Josef K or Orange Juice, contemporaries of that time period in the UK. Record Store Day via Captured Tracks Records is offering up a 7" combo pack that has three records and and some buttons - featured are the singles "On Our Honeymoon" and "Crush the Flowers." But that's not all - Captured Tracks is also releasing a split 7" of Wake covers by the label's prime movers, Wild Nothing and Beach Fossils.
Here's a track by Wake to whet your appetite:
So, on April 16, I'll be in Vegas seeking out the best independent record store I can find to cull some of these treasures from the shelves. Where ever you are, don't forget to support your independent record stores every day of the year.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
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