Spectres - Dying [12", LP]

The good thing about playing music from vinyl, is that you normally play albums from start to finish, like they are meant to be. Not just single tracks, and certainly no shuffle play. DYING by SPECTRES is one of those albums that you definitely need to hear, or actually experience is a better word, from the beginning to the end. It's a captivating trip through melody and sheer noise. One of the most intriguing albums i've heard in a long time. Another benefit that you have when you play it from vinyl, is that you'll be getting at least some time to breathe while flipping the record from side A to B. At the same time you want to put on that B-side as quickly as possible, because it's calling for you like a Siren. And once you've done it, you're sucked into it right again. Everything culminates in the last song, the grand finale Sea Of Trees, with a noise intermezzo that comes closest to the so-called "holocaust" part of the live version of You Made Me Realise by My Bloody Valentine, if you've ever seen that band on stage. Where MBV can extend that to 15+ minutes, Spectres (at least on record) knows exactly when they should return to the melody. And even though the artwork might look disturbing at first sight -certainly in combination with the title- it's really not much more than a hairy unshaved guy with his mouth open in a swimming pool, when you look closer. Very smart. The first pressing fits really well to the cover art by the way, with its smoke coloured (clear/black swirl) vinyl. An amazing album and i'd be very surprised if it would not end up in my yearlist of 2015 by the end of this year.

Label: Sonic Cathedral

Cat.nr.: SCR090LP

Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:

01. Drag

02. Where Flies Sleep

03. The Sky Of All Places

04. Family

05. This Purgatory

06. Mirror

SIDE B:

01. Blood In The Cups

02. Sink

03. Lump

04. Sea Of Trees

Venera 4 - Seabed Terror [7"]

This SEABED TERROR 7" is the debut release by VENERA 4, a band from Paris. It came out in 2013, a few months before they released their Deaf Hearts EP. Only 250 numbered copies were made. I must confess i only discovered this band a few weeks ago when i saw a video of a song of their upcoming album Eidôlon, which immediately got me hooked.
The A-side of this single is an uptempo catchy song which reminds me a bit of bands like The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and Crocodiles, while Sun on the B-side is a slow one that comes closer to My Bloody Valentine, but also especially Curve. It's been ages since i heard a new band sounding (slightly) like the great stuff that Dean Garcia and Toni Halliday made in the early nineties, so i've got a weak spot now for this French quartet. I can't wait until Eidôlon gets released.
The video of that new album that got me hooked, in case you wonder, was Black Paws. Check it out if you've got some time. Not only is it an amazing tune, but also the video itself is great. Morgane and Annabelle are as charming as Miki and Emma were in the Lush videos back in the days. Hope they'll do some international touring to promote the album, because i'd love to see them on stage some day over here in the Netherlands.

Label: Requiem Pour Un Twister
Cat.nr.: RPUT4
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Seabed Terror

SIDE B:
01. Sun

The December Sound - Silver Album [12", 2LP]

By coincidence i stumbled upon the vinyl edition of SILVER ALBUM by THE DECEMBER SOUND recently. I had this album digitally already for quite some years (it came out in 2007) and i've been playing it regularly ever since. But apparently in the meantime it has been released on vinyl by French indie label Cranes Records, back in 2012 already. Why didn't i know that earlier?? If i'd known i would have instantly bought it. I consider myself lucky because it's only been pressed in a small quantity of 500 copies, and Cranes' webstore still had it available.
The album is a great mix of shoegaze, noise and psychedelic music. Definitely recommended if you like not only the obvious My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus And Mary Chain, but also The Brian Jonestown Massacre and A Place To Bury Strangers. It's hard to say which tracks i like best, because they differ so much from eachother, but Never, Drone Refusenik, Painkiller and especially Truth Hurts are definitely among my favourites of this album. And compared to the CD, the vinyl edition has an untitled bonus track as well. Really happy that i have this great album on vinyl now!

Label: Cranes Records
Cat.nr.: 04
Year of release:2012 (album originally released in 2007)

SIDE A:
01. Never
02. No Heaven Like Hell
03. Drone Refusenik
04. Do You In

SIDE B:
01.Painkiller
02. Reminder
03. 月 の 音 12

SIDE C:
01. Maker
02. Il Forte
03. Kill Me (Before I Kill You)

SIDE D:
01. Truth Hurts
02. Tape Tape
03. Not If It's On Your Time
04. untitled bonus track

Cheatahs - Sunne EP [12"]

Last year, CHEATAHS released one hell of a debut album. It ended up at #3 in my yearlist and i'm happy they release something new now. This SUNNE EP is yet another excellent release by these world citizens (the quartet is based in London but originally they come from Canada, Germany, the USA and the UK). Musically it's in the same vein as the full length, and for comparisons with other bands i suggest you read the piece that i wrote about the debut. Actually; after having made an album like that, there's no need for comparing them with other bands anymore. They just sound like Cheatahs, and i really like that sound. These 4 new tracks will keep me going for a while but i sure hope they'll release a new full length anytime soon.

Label: Wichita
Cat.nr.: WEBB 432EP
Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:
01. Sunne
02. Campus

SIDE B:
01. Controller
02. No Drones

Nadja - Sky Burial [12"]

This SKY BURIAL EP by NADJA is not my favourite release by this band, but nevertheless an interesting EP. Jaguar on the A-side is a quiet drone track that slowly builds into a varied soundscape. Not really my cup of tea. The title track however with its slow-paced drum and dominant lead guitar is great. If you listen to this, you'll understand why people call Nadja a shoegaze band. Both songs clock in over 19 minutes. The EP was recorded in the studios of Southern Records for a series they have, called Latitudes. Only 1000 copies were made of this.

Label: Southern Records/Latitudes
Cat.nr.: GMT 0:22V
Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:
01. Jaguar

SIDE B:
01. Sky Burial

Primal Scream - Kill All Hippies [7"]

This KILL ALL HIPPIES single by PRIMAL SCREAM came from the XTRMNTR album. I bought it because of the non-album track on the B-side. The Revenge Of The Hammond Connection is a funky soul track with trumpets and (obviously) a hammond organ, that sounds as if it was composed for a blaxploitation movie. The single is dedicated to Curtis Mayfield by the way, who died December 26th 1999.

Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CRE 332
Year of release: 2000

SIDE A:
01. Kill All Hippies

SIDE B:
01. The Revenge Of The Hammond Connection

Toy - Heart Skips A Beat [12"]

HEART SKIPS A BEAT is a song lifted off the self-titled debut album by TOY. Besides the album version of that song, there are two non-album tracks on this 12" EP and a pretty decent BBC session of the song Kopter. She's Over My Head is a nice song that would not have been misplaced on the album, while Layered Electronics is almost as redundant as Live Electronics was on the Make It Mine EP.

Label: Heavenly
Cat.nr.: HVN255
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Heart Skips A Beat (Album Version)
02. She's Over My Head

SIDE B:
01. Layered Electronics
02. Kopter (BBC Session)

Lovesliescrushing - Shiny Tiny Stars [12", LP]

LOVESLIESCRUSHING is a project by Scott Cortez and Melissa Arpin-Duimstra. Scott's other band is Astrobrite. I'm not too familiar with this band, but as far as i could see on Discogs, this SHINY TINY STARS album is their only vinyl release, except for a 7" single released in 1994; the rest they ever released is all CD or digital. The recordings for this album were done way back, between 1991 and 1997. No idea why they waited another 15 years before releasing this album, but i'm happy they did because it's an amazing piece of work. The album contains 7 tracks of pure ethereal ambient dreampop bliss. Soft layered guitars, loops and patterns with distant vocals, sounding like unrecognisable lullabies. If it needs to be compared to a better known band, i'd say it comes closest to the more ambient sounding songs by Slowdive like Erik's Song, Losing Today and Albatross. Great stuff.

Label: Handmade Birds
Cat.nr.: HB-DIS028
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. Shiny Tiny Stars
02. Blurbrightblued
03. Gloxina
04. Luminareal

SIDE B:
01. Snowfell Husher
02. A Color Gone
03. Overdose

A Place To Bury Strangers - Transfixiation [12", LP]

After a few spins i've come to the conclusion that TRANSFIXIATION, the new album by A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS is a "grower". First time i heard it, i was slightly disappointed to be honest. Secretly i was hoping for a return to the sound of the first two albums (their 3rd, Worship, already having a cleaner sound) but instead they've taken it to a next level. There's loads of noise and distortion still, but it's crystal clear. I'm slowly getting into it though. The sound comes closest to 80's post-punk, goth and noise. The album was recorded in Norway with Emil Nikolaisen of Serena-Maneesh, who also co-produced it. Having read that in the liner notes, the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together. If there's one man who knows how to create an organic brew of sounds and noise, it's him. Job well done. I think i need a few more spins to be really convinced, but i already know for a fact now that i'm liking it better than the previous album. The version i have is the limited coloured edition (apparently of 2000 worldwide) and as you can see it looks really good.

Label: Dead Oceans
Cat.nr.: DOC099
Year of release: 2105

SIDE A:
01. Supermaster
02. Straight
03. Love High
04. What We Don't See
05. Deeper
06. Lower Zone

SIDE B:
01. We've Come So Far
02. Now It's Over
03. I'm So Clean
04. Fill The Void
05. I Will Die

Red Sparowes ‎– Every Red Heart Shines Toward The Red Sun [12", 2LP]

EVERY RED HEART SHINES TOWARD THE RED SUN is the second album by RED SPAROWES, a post-metal band with members of (a.o.) Isis. I only have a few albums of them, but this is definitely my favourite. It's not as heavy as Isis or Neurosis, but just as epic. And completely instrumental. Judging from the (extremely lengthy) song titles, the album is themed around the Great Leap Forward during Mao's reign over China, during which there was a campaign to kill all sparowes in the country because they were considered a pest. But this disturbance of the ecological balance was resulting in locust eating the harvest, and causing a major famine in which at least 20 million people died. Impressive story. The album was released in 2006 and pressed in various colours. My copy is from the second pressing in 2007, when there were 500 made in "clear with gold smoke". It looks great. And sounds great too!

Label: Robotic Empire
Cat.nr.: RBE-065
Year of release: 2006

SIDE A:
01. The Great Leap Forward Poured Down Upon Us One Day Like A Mighty Storm, Suddenly And Furiously Blinding Our Senses
02. We Stood Transfixed In Blank Devotion As Our Leader Spoke To Us, Looking Down On Our Mute Faces With A Great, Raging, And Unseeing Eye

SIDE B:
01. Like The Howling Glory Of The Darkest Winds, This Voice Was Thunderous And The Words Holy, Tangling Their Way Around Our Hearts And Clutching Our Innocent Awe
02. A Message Of Avarice Rained Down And Carried Us Away Into False Dreams Of Endless Riches

SIDE C:
01. "Annihilate The Sparrow, That Stealer Of Seed, And Our Harvests Will Abound; We Will Watch Our Wealth Flood In."
02. And By Our Own Hand Did Every Last Bird Lie Silent In Their Puddles, The Air Barren Of Song As The Clouds Drifted Away. For Killing Their Greatest Enemy, The Locusts Noisily Thanked Us And Turned Their Jaws Toward Our Crops, Swallowing Our Greed Whole

SIDE D:
01. Millions Starved And We Became Skinnier And Skinnier, While Our Leaders Became Fatter And Fatter
02. Finally, As That Blazing Sun Shone Down Upon Us, Did We Know That True Enemy Was The Voice Of Blind Idolatry; And Only Then Did We Begin To Think For Ourselves   

The Raveonettes - Pretty In Black [12", LP]

PRETTY IN BLACK is the second album by THE RAVEONETTES, released in 2005. Heavily influenced by 50's rock 'n roll and with some really great tunes on it, such as Love In A Trashcan and Sleepwalking. Also Twilight is a personal favourite, perhaps because it's the odd track of the album with a very danceable (almost disco) beat. It shouldn't be left unmentioned that The Velvet Underground's Moe Tucker plays drums on a few tracks, and Ronnie Spector joins in on Ode To L.A.
All in all a great album, and never released on vinyl until Music On Vinyl did that in 2013. The first pressing consisted of 1000 numbered copies on pink/black marbled vinyl, and my copy is one of those as you can see.

Label: Music On Vinyl
Cat.nr.: MOVLP 721
Year of release: 2013 (originally 2005)

SIDE A:
01. The Heavens
02. Seductress Of Bums
03. Love In A Trashcan
04. Sleepwalking
05. Uncertain Times
06. My Boyfriend's Back
07. Here Comes Mary

SIDE B:
01. Red Tan
02. Twilight
03. Somewhere In Texas
04. You Say You Lie
05. Ode To L.A.
06. If I Was Wrong

We Need Secrets - Melancholy And The Archive [12", LP]

By coincidence i came across some songs by WE NEED SECRETS on the internet recently, and i liked them so much that i decided to order the MELANCHOLY AND THE ARCHIVE album. I wasn't familiar with this band from Canada at all; or actually it's not really a band but rather a one-man project by Chad Peck who plays in a band called Kestrels. Fuzzy guitars dominate the album (in a good way), reminding me of My Bloody Valentine, Swirlies, Fleeting Joys and Ringo Deathstarr. Talking about Ringo Deathstarr... Elliott Frazier of that band plays guitar on the song The Archive and has also mixed the album. It's only been pressed in a very small quantity: 50 copies on clear/glitter and 300 copies on black, of which i have one, as you can see. Always nice to discover new acts like this. And Saint Marie Records is definitely a label to watch closely, since they are putting out a lot of great stuff recently.

Label: Saint Marie Records
Cat.nr.: SMR039
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. How You Remember
02. Months Like Years
03. I Would Take You Over Me
04. Melancholy
05. Uncommitted Crimes
06. The Archive

SIDE B:
01. Pain Lines
02. Auster
03. Sleeper
04. Interiors
05. Cycles

Lorelle Meets The Obsolete - What's Holding You? [7"]

This fine 7" is one of the things i bought last year when i was in London at the 10th anniversary party of Sonic Cathedral, one of the best and most sympathetic indie labels of our time. WHAT'S HOLDING YOU? is a single off the Chambers album by LORELLE MEETS THE OBSOLETE, a psych band from Mexico. The A-side has a groovy and furiously pounding riff that really sticks to your head after only a few seconds, while the non-album track on the B-side is a bit more of a raw but gentle psychedelic tune. Definitely a nice little blue coloured gem, this single! And for me personally a treasured souvenir from an amazing weekend in the UK last year.

Label: Sonic Cathedral
Cat.nr.: SCR063
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A: 
01. What's Holding You?

SIDE B:
01. Medicine To Cure Medicine Sickness

The Stone Roses - She Bangs The Drums [12"]

This 12" EP of SHE BANGS THE DRUMS by THE STONE ROSES is obviously not from the original year of release, 1989. This particular version was released in 2005 and features besides the original version also the Elephant Remix. Not really my cup of tea to be honest, but hey, i picked it up cheap in a record store in London last year. They had at least 20 more standing of this, and i'm not surprised of that actually because of the poor quality of the remix. But what a great tune, the original version!

Label: S12
Year of release: 2005
Cat.nr.: S12DJ-194

SIDE A
01. She Bangs The Drums (Original Mix)

SIDE B:
01. She Bangs The Drums (Elephant Remix)

Cocteau Twins - Love's Easy Tears [7"]

This LOVE'S EASY TEARS single by COCTEAU TWINS has been released a few months after the Victorialand album, in 1986. The A-side is really good, but the B-side is simply gorgeous Those Eyes, That Mouth is probably one of my favourite Cocteau Twins songs ever. Although like usually i don't understand a word of what Liz is singing here, i just love it. Heavenly.

Label: 4AD
Cat.nr.: AD 610
Year of release: 1986

SIDE A:
01. Love's Easy Tears

SIDE B:
01. Those Eyes, That Mouth

Smashing Orange - Not Very Much To See [7"]

Came across this 7" by SMASHING ORANGE recently for a cheap price and i decided to take my chance and buy it, because i liked the other 7" i have by this band. And just like with the other single, i wasn't disappointed. Pretty cool shoegazy guitar rock. Noisy stuff, and just like on the other single, wah pedals all over the place again on the A-side. Not in an annoying way though. While NOT VERY MUCH TO SEE has this typical early 90s groove, Collide on the B-side is more uptempo and for that matter has more in common with for example Sonic Youth, than My Bloody Valentine. A cool band that existed in the first half of the 90s, and definitely worth checking out if you never heard of them.

Label: Ringers Lactate
Cat.nr.: RL 03
Year of release: 1991

SIDE A:
01. Not Very Much To See

SIDE B:
01. Collide

Swirlies - Didn't Understand [7"]

This DIDN'T UNDERSTAND 7" is the first release by SWIRLIES, from 1992. All 3 tracks appeared later that year on their What To Do About Them EP as well. Clearly influenced by My Bloody Valentine (especially Sarah Sitting sounds a bit like a mix between Soft As Snow and Slow) but definitely not in a bad way - totally the opposite! The purple vinyl edition that i have is the second pressing from the same year and it just sounds as lovely as it looks. Quite a gem.

Label: Slumberland Records
Cat.nr.: DRYL 015
Year of release: 1992

SIDE A:
01. Didn't Understand

SIDE B:
01. Sarah Sitting
02. Chris R.

The Charlatans - Modern Nature [12", 2LP, Limited Edition]

MODERN NATURE by THE CHARLATANS is the first album from 2015 that i've bought this year. And i like it so much it wouldn't surprise me if it will eventually appear in my Top 10 list of this year - even though we've still got nearly 11 months to go for that. But what a great record it is. Mostly uplifting soulful songs with a pretty summery vibe, despite the fact that the circumstances for making this album after the tragic death of their drummer Jon Brookes were not so bright at all. It's got hammond organs, funky guitars, catchy hooks and basslines. More than once it vaguely reminded me of both New Order and Primal Scream, until i realised that this album actually simply sounds like The Charlatans, 25 years after their debut album Some Friendly. The edition i have is the double LP on heavy gold vinyl; the second disc contains 4 bonus tracks. It also includes a fold-out poster insert with lyrics on the other side. The whole package looks gorgeous.

Label: BMG Rights Management
Cat.nr.: 538014171
Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:
01. Talking In Tones
02. So Oh
03. Come Home Baby
04. Keep Enough
05. In The Tall Grass
06. Emilie

SIDE B:
01. Let The Good Times Be Never Ending
02. I Need You To Know
03. Lean In
04. Trouble Understanding
05. Lot To Say

SIDE C:
01. We Sleep On Borrowed Time
02. Walk With Me

SIDE D:
01. As Long As You Stick With Me
02. I Will Never Leave You (Demo)

Secret Shine - After Years [7"]

SECRET SHINE has been around since 1991, with a hiatus between 1996 and 2004, and this AFTER YEARS single is one of their very first releases. It's on the legendary Sarah Records. Not so much dreampop or shoegaze like they'd release later on. More like gentle indie / twee pop in the vein of House Of Love or  the quiet moments of the Stone Roses. And The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart have obviously been listening to this Bristol band as well. I was extremely happy to find out that one of our local record shops had this copy standing in the shop. It wasn't exactly cheap, but well worth the purchase.

Label: Sarah Records
Cat.nr.: Sarah 53
Year of release: 1991

SIDE A:
01. After Years
02. Snowfall Sorrow

SIDE B:
01. Grey Skies

Revolver - Venice [7"]

A cheap crate-digging find at the latest record fair in Utrecht, this blue 7" single by REVOLVER. The songs VENICE and B-side Red All Over are typical early 90's indie rock tunes. Not mindblowing for sure, but certainly not bad either. Always happy to run into stuff like this that i somehow overlooked back in the days.

Label: Hut Recordings
Cat.nr.: HUT 14
Year of release: 1992

SIDE A:
01. Venice

SIDE B:
01. Red All Over