I got an email from Ryan, who runs 1928 Recordings, asking me if I was interested in the Golden Hour 7″ Box Set they put out recently. 1928 is the same label that put out the incredible bullet hole-ridden Muslims S/T, so that was a pretty dang easy decision.
Hand-made by Ryan (who runs the label, does the production and packaging and art and eeverything else), it came in a vintage cigar box with 3 awesome individually sleeved 7″s, a handwritten note, the whole thing wrapped in twine and accompanied by a custom-printed matchbox.
Plus, the songs kick ass. Check out this track from california surf-punkers Tijuana Panthers:
I literally took this out of the sleeve and yelled HOLY SHIT. So fun! Up there with the Animal Hospital white vinyl in the glorious surprises department.
One thing that has been really interesting about this whole experiment is how having a physical connection with an object means you have a connection with whoever is producing that object as well. Even little things like a record arriving with a chip in it, or getting a signed copy of a King Khan record instead of the regular one give me more memory than a download could.
I’ve had a few people contact me about sending me some physical stuff to listen to, record labels and artists alike. One of the first was a gentleman Ben Deily, of rock band Varsity Drag, who generously offered to send me their first album (a 10″ on colored vinyl) and their new album (CD only). He also threw in his previous band’s record, Where I’m Calling From by his self-decribed “way-too-earnest band” Pods on rockin’ cassette. Taking this out of the case and pressing play was such a flash back. Check it:
I’ll be writing up the Varsity Drag records in the future, but this was pretty dang awesome to get in my hands.
Max Tundra is my childhood idea of a rock star. A true musical genius, at both times chaotic and expansively ambitious, his sound is one of a bull in a music shop, if that bull was a virtuoso with every instrument. His seemingly improvised and random compositions come out like a Vic-20 off it’s Adderall, but have a precision and twisted logic to them that make them beautiful.
“If I need a trumpet or a violin sound I’ll try and learn the instruments so that I can perform the part I have written for it. If– and only if– a synthesized equivalent is appropriate, I shall use that instead. If a certain street at dawn is required to provide background ambience, I’ll go there at that time and record it.”
Which is why it’s years between his records, as he gets the mess of what’s in his brain out onto tape.
Long ago I was friends with a boy I betrayed,
I was evil, how dare I end up with the one that he craved?
But it turned out alright, ’cause she’s been by my side for an age.
I first heard this record in my days of random shattershot soulseek downloading: find a user who has some album you love dearly, browse their collection, and grab what sounds like it might be interesting. And every track on here was interesting. A frenetic love song comparing her eyes to the ones in his studio; a plea to Michel Gondry to direct a video for one of his songs; a track about the nutritional benefits of lysine (but no mention of the contingency).
More than anything, this album was and is an inspiration: do what you love, dedicate yourself, and you’ll do something beautiful. The LP also includes one of my favorite inner sleeves, with the track listing, and highlighting the six-letter limitation on song titles:
While I know there’s a deluxe “experience” edition with a DVD, and an iTunes deluxe edition, and a Japanese deluxe edition, and probably more, the experience of opening up the new Gorillaz record was disappointing to say the least. It’s not even a digipak, but just a cardboard sleeve, but with a full width spine making the covers bow, limp and cheap. The insert is a single double-sided page, no lyrics, no artwork. The CD is just loose in the rear sleeve. The whole thing feels like a promotional CD, included in a late 90s computer gaming magazine.
I know the new record has a message of material waste, so it makes sense, but offer something in return, even if you are a cartoon.
Feb was a down month, I’ll be posting more I promise. In the meantime, here’s a mix of some tracks I was enjoying this past month. I’ve already picked up some great stuff for March, so keep your eyes peeled. It’s gonna be good.
Daniel Johnston – Devil Town
Mouse on Mars – Send Me Shivers
The Thermals – A Pillar of Salt
Phoenix – Consolation Prizes
Pillow Queens – Wild Kingdom
I’m From Barcelona – Chicken Pox
The Notwist – Off the Rails
Flaming Lips – Convinced of the Hex
The Avalanches – Electricity
James Taylor – Knockin’ Round the Zoo
Gold Chains – California Nites
A Tribe Called Quest – Can I Kick It
Beans – Mutescreamer (El-P Remix)
Chemical Brothers – It Began in Afrika
Daft Punk – Too Long
