February 2012
30 posts
2012.02.29 Quicksand - Divorce/Voice Killer
Color: Black
Released: 1994
Label: Island Records
I acquired this little gem after the release of Quicksand’s second album, Manic Compression, but it was initially released as a promotional item prior to that album. Curiously, it began a streak of discovering songs that were left on the cutting room floor for album number two that shouldn’t have been. The B-side of this seven...
2012.02.28 Disappears - Guider
Color: Black
Released: 2011, January 17
Label: Kranky
Thank you Disappears and Kranky for making me love Mr. Herb Lubalin all over again. I had 26 reasons to love him before, and now I’ve got 27. There is something exquisitely beautiful about the very minimal packaging of this record that sets Avant Garde Gothic Extra Light in a large point size to where it fills up the entire front...
2012.02.27 Mogwai - Rock Action
Color: Black
Released: 2001, April 30
Label: Matador
I’d heard of Mogwai for some time, but rock action was my entry point. It made sense that I would find them eventually, given my increasing interest in instrumental music and my admiration for bands like Slint and My Bloody Valentine - who were a huge influence on them. Technically Mogwai aren’t a completely instrumental band,...
2012.02.26 Cave - Neverendless
Color: Black
Released: 2011, September 20
Label: Drag City
I you haven’t figured it by now, you should know that this blog exists not only as a chronicle of one person’s record collection, but it also functions as a love letter to the very experience of discovering music - in this case the very important service that a record store can provide. I went in to Criminal Records a few...
2012.02.25 Max Richter - 24 Postcards In Full...
Color: Black
Released: 2008, December 3
Label: 130701/Fat Cat
Ah, the conventions/conundrums of our modern world. The cell phone age has brought about the all-important task of choosing a ringtone. Which few seconds of music to select to perfectly reflect that unique personality of yours? In all seriousness, modern composer Max Richter turned the concept on its head. Instead of whittling...
2012.02.24 The Appleseed Cast - Low Level Owl
Color: Light Blue / Green / Brown
Released: Volume 1 - 2001, August 21 / Volume 2 - 2001, October 23 (2007 Reissue)
Label: Deep Elm / Graveface
This is a big one for me. I associate it with several specific things at different points in my life. Most notably driving from the Chicago suburbs to downtown, daily, for work (this was prior to living in the city proper) and , like the American...
2012.02.23 Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime
Color: Black
Released: 1994, April 26
Label: Interscope / Headhunter / Cargo
During my senior year of high school I was the art editor for our school newspaper. Mostly I wanted that position so I could design the ads for Jeric’s, a local skate shop who usually gave whatever artist fairly creative reign over what the ad looked like. During one visit to the shop I noticed this stack of...
2012.02.22 June of 44 - Four Great Points
Color: Black
Released: 1998, January
Label: Quarterstick
This is not the first June of 44 full length nor is it necessarily their best (although it certainly contends for that position), but this is the album where I started to really pay attention to this Louisville quartet. And then, as usual started kicking myself once I revisited their previous output. Four Great Points found the band...
2012.02.21 Broken Social Scene - Feel Good Lost
Color: Black
Released: 2001, March 6 (Reissued in 2003 by Arts & Craft)
Label: Noise Factory / Arts & Crafts
Like a handful of American listeners, I first heard of Broken Social Scene when they released their second full length You Forgot It In People. When I reach a certain level of admiration for a band I like to do a little digging and see what came before what I currently know. I...
2012.02.20 Torche - Meanderthal
Color: Cherry Burst
Released: 2008, April 8
Label: Robotic Empire / Hydra Head
Torche were recommended to me by former Chicago roommate Grant Craig (who now plays in the excellent War Brides). He said he thought I would dig them because some of the vocal stuff on the record reminded him a little of Jawbox. I can maybe hear that a little bit, but most importantly Torche play their own brand...
2012.02.19 Hum - Comin' Home/Puppets
Color: Black
Released: 1997
Label: RCA
This, very sadly, is currently the only HUM release that I own on vinyl. Something I certainly hope to rectify. I’ve lost many an eBay bidding war for the random copies of their albums that occasionally pop up. I’m also waiting (not very) patiently for Matt Talbot to release the stash of HUM vinyls he’s supposedly sitting on. And then...
2012.02.18 Cursive - Domestica
Color: Transparent Red
Released: 2000, June 19 (Reissued in 2010)
Label: Saddle Creek
The early 2000’s seemed to yield a lot of great indie rock and post-punk type bands. Cursive is no exception. I miss music being this exciting. This is one of those CDs I know I bought at Clubhouse in Chicago. Back when this was released, I couldn’t quite relate to the pain and agony on display...
2012.02.17 Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III
Color: Black
Released: 1970, October 5 (This copy appears to be a reissue from 1977)
Label: Atlantic
So, I talked about the Beatles and Coltrane being “sacred” music before and I would probably consider a lot of Zeppelin to be in that category as well. To me they were maybe to the 70s what the Beatles were to the 60s. That sounds kinda generic, but a lot of good heavy rock seems...
State of the Union
Hello! We’re two and a half months in! I just wanted to take a quick second to say hey and to thank everyone who’s stopped by and read every post or just barely glanced at one. I really just started this project for myself and to maybe share with a friend or two or anyone who cares at all about music and more specifically the vinyl format. From time to time, I’ve asked myself, ...
2012.02.16 Pelican - Australasia
Color: A/B - Gray w/marbling, C/D - Tan w/marbling
Released: 2003, November 4 (Limited edition repress: 2008)
Label: Hydra Head/Interloper
True story: I met Pelican guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec in 1996 at a Quicksand show at the Vic Theater in Chicago. We never hung out after that night but for some reason he left and impression on me. Fast forward a few years and my friend Danielle is...
2012.02.15 My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Color: Black
Released: 1991, November December (Reissued: 2003)
Label: Creation/ Sire/ Warner Brothers/ Plain Recordings, blah blah
I know, I know… ‘should have posted this yesterday. But here at P&R we don’t do gimmicks. Ok, that might not be entirely true. Anyways… I hope I don’t have to explain how important this record is and that you’re all...
2012.02.14 Eric & Magill - All Those I Know
Color: Black
Released: 2010, December (Vinyl Release: 2011, April)
Label: Ten Atoms
This should have been on my best of 2011 list. It kind of slipped under the radar and I guess technically it was released in 2010 (and missed that list because I had composed most of it before hearing this in late December of that year)? Indeed, I was doing some casual surfing of various music blogs and came...
2012.02.13 Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Color: Black (Dammit, Mine’s black and it’s a pre-order and my friend Tyler’s copy is red??!)
Released: 2011, June 21
Label: Jagjaguwar
I’m going to attempt to write something timely/relevant. Let me first state that I like this record. It’s good. Real good. But I have to be honest, I shied away from it shortly after it’s release. It’s not one of...
2012.02.12 American Football - American Football
Color: Black
Released: 1999, September 14 (Reissued on vinyl in 2004)
Label: Polyvinyl
It’s interesting how certain records can create new memories given the environment or context which they are played in. Allow me to get sentimental for a bit. The turntable that I now listen to all my records on was given to me by girlfriend approximately two years ago. And after scrambling to find a...
2012.02.11 Fugazi - 3 Songs 7"
Color: Black
Released: 1990 (Reissued in 2009)
Label: Dischord
It’s nice to officially complete my Fugazi vinyl collection. With the purchase of this here seven inch, I now,as of last week, own every Fugazi studio release on wax (I make this distinction between studio and live recordings as the band has recently unleashed their excellent live archive). I’d like to thank the good...
2012.02.10 Tortoise - It's All Around You
Color: Black
Released: 2004, March 3
Label: Thrill Jockey
From the beginning of this project I’ve decried the use of glossy paper on record sleeves. Here’s an exception. I’m pretty sure Tortoise intentionally went with a glossy sleeve here. The artwork just kinda begs for it. See, up to this point Tortoise album covers were letterpressed on chipboard or minimal works hit...
2012.02.09 The Besnard Lakes - Are The Roaring...
Color: Black
Released: 2010, March 9
Label: Jagjaguwar
This is the record where I really started paying attention to The Besnard Lakes. When I lived in Nashville, Josh at Grimey’s was always going on and on about this band and I probably should have paid closer attention then. Now I love everything this band has done. Funny how many bands I seem to get into backwards. Anyway,...
2012.02.08 Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts
Color: Transparent Blue
Released: 2011, May 24
Label: Matador
Thurston Moore’s latest solo album barely missed making an appearance on my list of favorite albums from 2011. I’d wager that if I were to make that list again, it would. Anyway, Mr. Moore turns in a more subdued performance than usual for this solo album but it’s probably his most gorgeous collection of songs....
2012.02.07 Early Day Miners - Offshore
Color: Black
Released: 2006, August 22
Label: Secretly Canadian
When Early Day Miners first came into my musical consciousness, I’ll admit, I’d have rather been listening to frontman Dan Burton’s other musical project, Ativin. But EDM was decent enough, so no major gripes really. Sometime later I heard about this release and tags like “kinda shoegaze” or...
2012.02.06 The Mercury Program - A Data Learn The...
Color: Black
Released: 2002, September 10 (Released on vinyl: 2003)
Label: Tigerstyle / Counterflow Recordings
As mentioned earlier, in 2003 I was obsessed with The Mercury Program. This was due mainly to two factors. One, I was exploring more deeply bands of the instrumental/”math rock” nature and two, I was turned on to bands using vibraphone and marimba in a “rock”...
2012.02.05 Mazzy Star - Common Burn 7"
Color: Transparent Ice Blue
Released: 2011, October 31 (digitally) and 2012, January 24 (vinyl)
Label: Rhymes Of An Hour
Band break-ups are becoming the new comic book deaths. As in, no end is permanent. This reunion has been in the works for some time though. Over two years after confirming that the band was indeed still active, this seven inch finally saw the light of day. The two tracks...
2012.02.04 Maserati - Inventions For New The...
Color: Side A&B - Red with White Splatter / Side C&D - White with Red Splatter
Released: 2007, June 19
Label: Temporary Residence Limited
I first discovered Maserati on their split with The Mercury Program (whom, upon the time around the release of this split, I was obsessed with). I thought Maserati were pretty good but beyond that I didn’t give them a whole lot of thought....
2012.02.03 Baroness - Red Album
Color: 180G Black
Released: 2007, September
Label: Relapse
My good friend Brian Manley introduced me to this record and I think I’m very jealous of his white-with-rainbow-splatter copy of Red Album (which is a later pressing… weird). Anyway don’t you dare write Baroness off as “just another metal band.” The music of Baroness is just as musical and elegant as it...
2012.02.02 Pomegranates - Everything Is Alive
Color: Opaque Green w/ marbling
Released: 2008, May 13 (Re-released on vinyl 2010. March)
Label: Lujo/Broken Circles
I first heard Pomegranates open up for Aloha at the Drunken Unicorn in Atlanta. I am rarely impressed by opening bands that I don’t already know of these days. But this band was a pleasant surprise and perhaps that’s why I took to them so quickly. Aside from being...
2012.02.01 Sonic Youth - SYR 1 Anagrama
Color: Black
Released: 1997, May
Label: Sonic Youth Records
Of all the “experimental” releases on Sonic Youth’s own SYR label, the first probably remains my favorite. That might be based solely on the fact that opening track “Anagrama” is one of the most epically gorgeous tracks they have written. It might be due to the fact that these recordings (on the heels of...
