Swervedriver - Mezcal Head [12", LP]

Being a big SWERVEDRIVER fan, i've been looking for an affordable copy of MEZCAL HEAD for years, but never with any luck. Until recently, when Music On Vinyl reissued the album from 1993 and thus making it finally available again for fans who like their daily dose of shoegaze on vinyl. They've done so in the past with Slowdive (even before the band reunited), and will soon be releasing for example Ferment by Catherine Wheel! Excellent choices. More of that, please!
The first pressing of this reissue consists of 1500 copies on mezcal coloured (clear cloudy) vinyl, and it plays like a charm. Finally i can spin classic tunes like Duel, Blowin'Cool, Last Train To Satansville and You Find It Everywhere on my record player. Hope the albums Raise (although i own an original copy) and especially Ejector Seat Reservation will be reissued as well.

Label: Music On Vinyl
Cat.nr.: MOVLP1851
Year of release: 2017

SIDE A:
01. For Seeking Heat
02. Duel
03. Blowin' Cool
04. MM Abduction
05. Last Train To Satansville

SIDE B:
01. Harry & Maggie
02. A Change Is Gonna Come
03. Girl On A Motorbike
04. Duress
05. You Find It Everywhere

Slowdive - Slowdive [12", LP]

Wow. They did it.
Three years ago, when SLOWDIVE reunited and i flew to London to see their first ever show since 1994 (read more about that here), i didn't even dare to wish for some brand new recordings. But over the past year or so, you could see updates on social media of the band members being in the studio, jamming and having fun. And this amazing self-titled fourth studio album, the first one in 22 years, is the result of that. It totally captures where the band is now. The album breathes the ambiance of their live shows of the past years. Of course there are songs on this album that will remind you of Just For A Day and Souvlaki, but if you saw/heard for example how they revamped Crazy For You into a danceable tune in their set, you'll understand a song like Star Roving.
Also - funnily enough the album exactly demonstrates how the band has influenced other acts over the past decades. Don't Know Why is the Slowdive that inspired Pinkshinyultrablast; Everyone Knows is the Slowdive that inspired M83. And i could go on and on.
Closing song Falling Ashes deserves some special attention. It is simply the most beautiful song i've heard in many years, in all its vulnerability, that balances between David Sylvian's Forbidden Colours and Nils Frahm.

Today the band announced a club tour in autumn. So after two London shows in May 2014, a festival show at Best Kept Secret in June the same year, and an amazing show at Rewire Fest in Den Haag earlier this year, i can't wait to see them for the fifth time - this time at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Save the date; October 6th!

Label: Dead Oceans
Cat.nr.: DOC132
Year of release: 2017

SIDE A:
01. Slomo
02. Star Roving
03. Don't Know Why
04. Sugar For The Pill

SIDE B:
01. Everyone Knows
02. No Longer Making Time
03. Go Get It
04. Falling Ashes

Flyying Colours - Mindfullness [12", LP]

Right. So i've got some serious, serious catching up to do with this little blog of mine. Didn't feel like writing anything for the past 4 months (except for the obligatory but fun Finest Vinyl of 2016) and the good thing is when you're not getting any income from ads or sponsors, there's no pressure whatsoever anyway - so why bother? But tonight i decided it would be good to make a new start, and what album would be better to write something about than the debut full length by FLYYING COLOURS that came out last year. MINDFULLNESS is amazing album. Exactly like i hoped for, after being completely blown away previously by their two awesome EP's (s/t and Roygbiv). And this album is even better. It's not without reason that it ended up on #2 in my yearlist, after Bowie (who was impossible to beat; let's be honest). First of all i'm really happy that it doesn't contain a song from any of the EP's, even though one of the songs is called ROYGBIV like their 2nd EP. It's all brand new stuff; so that's always a good sign that they're still full of inspiration. And they've perfectioned their sound. It's epic, it's intense, it's almost like a live show. If you've never heard of this band but you're into bands like Swervedriver, Catherine Wheel or Slowdive, you really should check out Flyying Colours. Modern shoegaze at its best.


Label: Club AC30
Cat.nr.: AC3013061
Year of release: 2016

SIDE A:
01. It's Tomorrow Now
02. Long Holiday
03. This Is What You Wanted
04. 1987
05. Morning Stoner

SIDE B:
01. Mellow
02. ROYGBIV
03. Sun, Hail And Rain
04. Mindfullness
05. When

Bleach - Killing Time [12", LP]

This KILLING TIME LP by the band BLEACH was a pleasant (and cheap) find at last year's spring record fair in Utrecht. Until then, i only had their Snag EP in my collection. And just like that 12", this LP was something i came across by coincidence. This time i was a bit more aware of course that Bleach was actually a pretty cool band, so i was curious how this LP would sound. And i must say i wasn't disappointed at all. Ten amazing songs, of which Trip & Slide and especially Surround have become my favourites. If you don't know Bleach, but do like bands such as Sugar, Adorable or Swervedriver and could imagine them with female vocals, you should definitely check them out. You won't be let down.

By the way, where the Snag EP had a side 3 and 4, this album has a side 7 and 8. Probably they continued counting the side numbers with every new release. Funny.

Label: Musidisc

Cat.nr.: 109011

Year of release: 1992

SIDE A:

01. First

02. Headless

03. Push

04. Paint My Face

05. Friends

SIDE B:

01. Fall

02. Trip & Slide

03. Shotgun

04. Surround

05. Tangle

Bowery Electric - Beat [12", 2LP]

BEAT by BOWERY ELECTRIC has been on the top of my wantlist for quite a long time. I never managed to find a copy in good condition for a decent price online, and in stores or at record fairs i never even came across a single copy for some strange reason. I already had the self-titled debut in my collection for some time, but Beat seemed impossible to find. Recently i got lucky on Discogs though: except for a seam split on top of the sleeve, the artwork is fine - and most importantly the discs themselves are in perfect condition. And all of that for a very fair price.

I just love this album. From the opening title track, with its loops of crispy vinyl ticks, to the ambient drone tunes that close the album, it's one big trip. Trip hop / hip hop beats and shoegaze guitars, with soothing vocals that say things like "Words are just noise, words are only noise", "Close your eyes, we're coming down" and "We all get used to dreams that used to please". The album was released in 1997, quite a few years after the heydays of shoegaze, but has been clearly influenced by some of the genre's biggest names. One of my favourite tracks is Black Light, that reminds me a lot of Slowdive. Empty Words and Fear Of Flying have borrowed more of My Bloody Valentine. Anyway i'm extremely happy i could add this gem to my collection recently. One less title on my vinyl bucket-list ;)

Label: Beggar's Banquet

Cat.nr.: BBQLP 188

Year of release: 1997

SIDE A:

01. Beat

02. Without Stopping

03. Under The Sun

04. Fear Of Flying

05. Looped

SIDE B:

01. Empty Words

02. Black Light

03. Inside Out

04. Coming Down

SIDE C:

01. Postscript

SIDE D:

01. Low Density

Lush - Origami [12", Boxset]

The best Record Store Day release this year was without doubt the ORIGAMI 5LP boxset by LUSH. It combines their 3 albums (Spooky, Split and Lovelife) with Gala, their early EP compilation, and Topolino, which was a Japan/Canada-only compilation that had only been released on CD so far. I've been waiting for reissues of their albums for a long time, so this is more or less a little dream come true :)

The artwork looks great. It's pretty similar to the artwork of Chorus, a 5CD box that came out some months ago and that features these same 5 releases with extra tracks on each disc.

The box is packed in a white cardboard protective box:

The first LP, Gala, is a compilation of their earliest EP's. From the 3 out of 5 of these LP's in the boxset that i have an original version of, this one comes closest to the original. The labels are identical and so is the outer artwork plus the inner sleeve. The only difference is that the 1990 version had two inner sleeves, and this reissue is on clear vinyl.

The second one, Spooky, i can't really compare with the original 12" edition since i don't own a copy of that version. I just have the 2x10" version (which i think is much cooler actually), and that looks quite different. But from what i know, the standard 12" edition looks pretty similar to this reissue. Except for that this one's on grey vinyl.

Split is an album i've had on my wantlist for years, but i never managed to score a vinyl copy. So i'm extremely happy to finally have it now, as a part of this boxset. It's on red vinyl.

Lovelife, the fourth LP in the box, was originally out on clear vinyl in a see-through sleeve. For this boxset they reproduced it on pink vinyl, and made a brand new white sleeve that has the original artwork centered on the front, and pictures from the CD booklet on the back. The original label was the same picture that's now on the back, while they used the picture from the label of the Single Girl single for this reissue. I didn't have a copy of the original until the very Sunday after RSD16, so in the same weekend i actually scored 2 versions of this album. Pretty cool.

The fifth and last LP in the box is Topolino, which never came out on vinyl before. It's on yellow vinyl, and the artwork of the sleeve is pretty similar to the boxset's version of Lovelife: a white sleeve and some pictures positioned in the same way. Which makes sense in a way, because it's of course mostly B-sides from the singles from that album. The label on the record comes from the cd-maxi version of the 500 (Shake Baby Shake) single.

The boxset is limited to 2000 copies worldwide, and i'm extremely happy i managed to score a copy.

Label: 4AD

Year of release: 2016

Cat.nr.: LUSH BOX 2

GALA: CAD 3606

SIDE A:

01. Sweetness And Light

02. Sunbathing

03. Breeze

04. De-Luxe

05. Leaves Me Cold

06. Downer

07. Thoughtforms

SIDE B:

01. Baby Talk

02. Thoughtforms

03. Scarlet

04. Bitter

05. Second Sight

06. Etheriel

07. Hey Hey Helen

08. Scarlet

SPOOKY: CAD 3607

SIDE A:

01. Stray

02. Nothing Natural

03. Tiny Smiles

04. Covert

05. Ocean

06. For Love

SIDE B:

01. Superblast

02. Untogether

03. Fantasy

04. Take

05. Laura

06. Monochrome

SPLIT: CAD 3608

SIDE A:

01. Light From A Dead Star

02. Kiss Chase

03. Blackout

04. Hypocrite

05. Lovelife

06. Desire Lines

07. The Invisible Man

SIDE B:

01. Undertow

02. Never-Never

03. Lit Up

04. Starlust

05. When I Die

LOVELIFE: CAD 3609

SIDE A:

01. Ladykillers

02. Heavenly Nobodies

03. 500

04. I've Been Here Before

05. Papasan

06. Single Girl

SIDE B:

01. Ciao!

02. Tralala

03. Last Night

04. Runaway

05. The Childcatcher

06. Olympia

TOPOLINO: CAD 3610

SIDE A:

01. 500 (Shake Baby Shake)

02. I Have The Moon

03. Ex

04. I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend

05. Matador

06. Outside World

SIDE B:

01. I'd Like To Walk Around In Your Mind

02. Carmen

03. Shut Up

04. Cul De Sac

05. Demystification

06. Tinkerbell

Lush - Lovelife [12", LP]

Last weekend wasn't just Record Store Day on Saturday, but it was also time for the spring edition of the Utrecht record fair. I went on the Sunday as usual, and came home with loads of good stuff. This LOVELIFE LP by LUSH was one of the best purchases i've done that weekend. It was on my wantlist for many years, but i never spotted one (in at least VG+ condition) under 50 euro. Since it would be rather to complete my Lush vinyl collection than wanting it because it's so amazingly good, i never bothered to buy one at that price. It's a pretty rare album though. It never got repressed on vinyl until recently for the Origami boxset for Record Store Day.
This time around at the fair i spotted three copies at various stands: two indeed in the 60+ euro regions, but one very fairly priced at 25 euro. Even in better condition than those other two copies, and i actually managed to get 20% off the price on top of that.
Lovelife, the band's third and -until now at least- last album, is clearly my least favourite Lush album. Yet still a pleasant one to listen every now and then. Especially the singles Single Girl, 500 and Ladykillers are cool. I personally find Olympia however the best song on the album. It's the album's closing song, and with its melancholic vibe and vocal harmony it comes closest to the sound of Lush in their earlier days.

Label: 4AD
Cat.nr.: CAD 6004
Year of release: 1996

SIDE A:
01. Ladykillers
02. Heavenly Nobodies
03. 500
04. I've Been Here Before
05. Papasan
06. Single Girl
07. Ciao!

SIDE B:
01. Tralala
02. Last Night
03. Runaway
04. The Childcatcher
05. Olympia

Pale Saints - Barging Into The Presence Of God [12"]

Came across this 12" EP by the PALE SAINTS recently. Sight Of You (on the A-side of this BARGING INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD EP) was a single taken from The Comforts Of Madness album. A pleasant song; a bit in the vein of The La's with a sing-along chorus. She Rides The Waves on the other side is a lot noisier, and my favourite song on this EP. Mother Might is a sad and slow song with a very irritating guitar (?) sound throughout the whole song, which kinda ruins it for me. A typical B-side song, i guess. But overall a pretty cool EP.

Label: 4AD
Year of release: 1989
Cat.nr.: BAD910

SIDE A:
01. Sight Of You

SIDE B:
01. She Rides The Waves
02. Mother Might

Blindness - Wrapped In Plastic [12", LP]

Apparently BLINDNESS was already formed way back in 2008, but it wasn't until last year when their debut album WRAPPED IN PLASTIC came out. These three ladies are indeed from London, as you might have suspected from the London Eye picture on the sleeve, and their best known member is Debbie Smith who played in Curve, Echobelly and Snowpony. Musically, their sound comes pretty close to what Curve did back in the days. It's dark and seductive electro rock, with mechanical beats and distorted guitars. But most importantly it's LOUD. Mighty fine stuff. I bought this album right after it came out late summer last year, and it says on the label's website that the initial run was limited to 250 copies - so my copy must be a part of that. Not even sure if they did a repress since then.

Label: Saint Marie Records
Cat.nr.: SMR066
Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:
01. Serves Me Right
02. Deserving
03. Last One Dies
04. No One Counts
05. Sunday Morning

SIDE B:
01. Humming Song
02. Broken
03. All In One
04. Confessions

DIIV - Is The Is Are [12", 2LP]

In 2012, DIIV debuted with the brilliant album Oshin. It even was my #1 on that year's Finest Vinyl list, leaving bands like Tame Impala, TOY and Ringo Deathstarr behind. Since then, we didn't hear much from them other than main man Zachary Cole Smith (together with his girlfriend Sky Ferreira) being arrested for drug possession, and bass player Devin Ruben Perez posting stupid sexist and racist stuff on 4Chan. But Zachary's finally back in the spotlight for his music. He left rehab and started to work on this second album as remedy instead. As expressed in interviews, IS THE IS ARE is his way to show what he and his band mates can really pull off.

It's become an ambitious lengthy double album, with 17 tracks and more than one hour of music. A very personal and vulnerable one, when you read the lyrics that deal with unrest, inner turmoil, addiction and recovery. Certainly not easy to digest. It also feels like the lyrics are much more important on this new album. Lyrics that can be found in two 12-page art booklets by the way, which make this double vinyl a really nice package. 

Musically it's a varied album as well; there are lush tunes like Under The Sun but also dense and heavy ones, like most of the others. Besides the expected krautrock and shoegaze influences, also The Cure and Sonic Youth are never too far away on this album. Sky Ferreira on Blue Boredom sounds a lot like how Kim Gordon did her thing in SY. Mire (written as Marijuana in the booklet) has lyrics that seem to come straight from Primal Scream's Movin' On Up  (or is it Can's Yoo Doo Right): "I was blind, now i see. You made a believer out of me".

All in all, i think this album is very good. If some more demons will be dealt with along the way, and there won't be accidents like between the first two albums, album number three could be an actual masterpiece. And it doesn't need to be a double or triple album for that.

DIIV will be touring Europe in March and April. Just bought a ticket for the Amsterdam show; can't wait to see them on stage again. The only time i saw them previously was at the Ekko in Utrecht (Le Guess Who 2012).   

Label: Captured Tracks

Cat.nr.: CT-231

Year of release: 2016

SIDE A:

01. Out Of Mind

02. Under The Sun

03. Bent (Roi's Song)

04. Dopamine

SIDE B:

01. Blue Boredom (Sky's Song)

02. Valentine

03. Yr Not Far

04. Take Your Time

SIDE C:

01. Is The Is Are

02. Mire (Grant's Song)

03. Incarnate Devil

04. (Fuck)

05. Healthy Moon

SIDE D:

01. Loose Ends

02. (Napa)

03. Dust

04. Waste Of Breath

Ringo Deathstarr - Pure Mood [12", LP]

PURE MOOD by RINGO DEATHSTARR is already out for some time now. Despite the fact it was listed at #13 in my Finest Vinyl of 2015 list, i hadn't had the time yet to write something about it. It's their fifth album, and i must say it's yet another awesome release by this Austin TX trio. And it's loud! Heavy Metal Suicide reminds me of the louder songs by Smashing Pumpkins (like Bullet With Butterfly Wings or Zero) while Big Bopper definitely has a Slow-vibe (one of MBV's best songs).

Show Me The Truth Of Your Love on the other hand is as gently as can be. My favourite track is Guilt. I think it's actually one of the best songs they ever did, with Alex' sweet vocals over a a really powerful groove. Also this song sounds a bit like Smashing Pumpkins, which in this case isn't all that weird because Jeff Schroeder plays some guitar on it. All in all, this album rocks. Colour Trip is still my favourite Ringo Deathstarr album, but this one comes probably right after that now. And if i'd had the time to play it more often before i made that yearlist, it would've been in the top 10 somewhere. Ah well, who cares. Club AC30 made 500 vinyl copies: 250 on "lemonade yellow" and 250 on "minty green". I've got that last version as you can see on the picture, and it looks pretty cool.

Label: Club AC30

Cat.nr.: AC3012111

Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:

01. Dream Again

02. Heavy Metal Suicide

03. Stare At The Sun

04. Show Me The Truth Of Your Love

05. Big Bopper

06. Guilt

07. California Car Collection

SIDE B:

01. Frisbee

02. Boys In Heat

03. Never

04. Old Again

05. Acid Tongue

Revolver - 45 [12"]

This 45 EP was the first release by REVOLVER, a UK shoegaze band that was around from 1990 to 1994. After this, they released two more singles (Crimson and Venice), and the songs from those three together would be on their first album (Baby's Angry; only came out on CD) which is actually a compilation for that matter. They released two more singles and a full length after that, and then they called it a day. The band's singer, guitar player and songwriter Mat Flint would become bass player for Death In Vegas. Heaven Sent An Angel, which is the first song on this EP, has always been one of my favourite songs on the Indie Top 20 Vol.13 CD (a great compilation from 1991). So i'm happy i recently came across this 12" by coincidence. The other song on the A-side, Painting Pictures, is brillant as well. With those noisy guitar eruptions it reminds me a lot of the band Ride. The B-side is unfortunately not as strong as the A-side, but it's still pretty good stuff. Especially Cherish is worth checking out.

Label: Hut Recordings

Cat.nr.: HUTT7

Year of release: 1991

SIDE A:

01. Heaven Sent An Angel

02. Painting Pictures

SIDE B:

01. Molasses

02. Cherish

Curve - Faît Accompli [12"]

Romanesco is a vegetable that you don't see that often in shops or at markets, at least not over here in Holland, so the first time i saw it somewhere i thought "hey, that's what's on the FAÎT ACCOMPLI single's cover!". Back in the days i only owned the cd-maxi of this CURVE song, and i honestly thought the artwork was a microscopic detail of some kind of sea plant or so. Funny. Anyway, only recently i got my hands on this 12". The single is one of Curve's best songs as far as i'm concerned. It's from the Doppelgänger album, and that period was definitely their heyday. Arms Out and Sigh are non-album tracks that can only be found on this maxi, and they're pretty good actually.

Label: Anxious Records

Cat.nr.: ANXT 36

Year of release: 1992

SIDE A:

01. Faît Accompli

SIDE B:

01. Arms Out

02. Sigh

Slowdive - Outside Your Room EP [12", Promo]

My SLOWDIVE vinyl collection is pretty big, but not complete yet. For example the OUTSIDE YOUR ROOM EP was missing until now. But I got my hands on the promo edition recently, so that's at least another step in the right direction. The EP has two songs from Souvlaki: the single Alison (the Outside Your Room title of this EP comes from the lyrics of this song) and the dubby track Souvlaki Space Station. Plus there are two songs that only appear on this 12": So Tired and Moussaka Chaos. The last one being more or less a remix, or alternate take, of Souvlaki Space Station. And So Tired is a beautiful dreampop song that definitely wouldn't have been out of place on the album. I did have these songs on vinyl already, on the bootleg 2LP edition of Souvlaki, but to finally own a copy of the original version of this EP is 10 times better of course. Now still looking for the regular edition with the picture sleeve. The quest continues! ;)

Label: Creation Records

Cat.nr.: CRE 119TP

Year of release: 1993

SIDE A:

01. Alison

02. So Tired

SIDE B:

01. Souvlaki Space Station

02. Moussaka Chaos

Lush - Ciao! Best Of Lush [12", 2LP]

The compilation album CIAO! BEST OF LUSH was not released on vinyl originally when it came out in 2001. But when LUSH announced this year they were getting back together, 4AD decided it would be a good idea to do so after all, and for the occasion of Black Friday they made a limited coloured edition. I really hope that in the near future they'll do reissues of the regular albums as well, or at least of Split, since that's pretty hard these days to get in good condition for a good price. Same for Lovelife, but musically that's not as appealing as the first two albums - not only to my opinion, but to many others' as well. The label also released a great 5CD box called Chorus, by the way. It contains Lush's complete studio recordings and is definitely recommended if you're not only buying stuff on vinyl. Anyway, it's great that this compilation got the vinyl treatment. In reversed chronological order you hear the best tracks (or at least, sort of) that they ever released, and both the artwork and the red vinyl itself look great. The only thing that could've been done slightly better to my opinion are the sleeve notes, by either adding something about the band getting back together by the same author, or by someone else. Now everything's written in the past tense, about a band that sadly ended when Chris Acland committed suicide. Of course, this is in a way a reissue even though it's the first time it's out on vinyl, so a straight copy of the original release including the original sleeve notes is perfectly understandable. However the reason why it came out now, and the fact that the band is seemingly not planning to let it be a bunch of one-off reunion shows, might as well have been left noticed somewhere on this release. Fact is that 2016 promises to become a great year for Lush fans. A tour, an EP, and who knows what else they'll have in store. I really hope they'll play in Holland, just like Slowdive and Ride did over the past 2 years. Possibly at the Best Kept Secret Festival, like those bands? Fingers crossed!

Label: 4AD

Cat.nr.: CAD2K22

Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:

01. Ladykillers

02. Single Girl

03. Ciao!

04. 500 (Shake Baby Shake)

05. Light From A Dead Star

SIDE B:

01. Love At First Sight

02. Hypocrite

03. Desire Lines

04. Lovelife

SIDE C:

01. When I Die

02. Nothing Natural

03. Untogether

04. For Love

SIDE D:

01. Monochrome

02. De-Luxe

03. Sweetness And Light

04. Thoughtforms

05. Etheriel

Cheatahs - Mythologies [12", 2LP]

MYTHOLOGIES, the second album by CHEATAHS, ended up in my top 10 list of the The Finest Vinyl of 2015. There are 13 great songs on this double album. All brand new, except for 紫 (Murasaki) that came out on an EP earlier this year. Like on their debut, there are influences from '90s indie rock and shoegaze, but this time also krautrock and sunshine pop clearly left their marks. Swervedriver and My Bloody Valentine meet Neu! and Beach Boys... something like that. Compared to the debut, the use of electronica is also one the differences. But they use their synths well, and it only adds more to an own distinctive sound. End of January they'll do a European tour, so that's something you don't want to miss. At least i won't, that's for sure.

Label: Wichita

Cat.nr.: WEBB440LP

Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:

01. Red Lakes (Sternstunden)

02. Channel View

03. In Flux

SIDE B:

01. Freak Waves

02. Signs To Lorelei

03. Hey, Sen

04. Deli Rome

SIDE C:

01. Colorado

02. Su-Pra

03. Seven Sisters

SIDE D:

01. 紫

02. Mysteci

03. Reverie Bravo

Air Formation - Were We Ever Here [12"]

AIR FORMATION released 4 albums (which sadly only came out on CD) between 2000 and 2011, and a handful of EP's. They split up in 2011, but in 2014 they got back together and this WERE WE EVER HERE EP is their first release since then. And it's definitely a return to form; great to have them back. To be honest i think this is actually the best material they ever released. The limited EP (only 250 copies were made) contains 4 tracks that are simply a joy to listen to. Especially the last song, The Wasted Days, is brilliant. It balances on the boundaries between shoegaze, noise and post-rock. Also the artwork and the vinyl itself (blue splattered on orange) look absolutely gorgeous.

Label: Club AC30

Cat.nr.: AC3012104

Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:

01. I Could Stay

02. Last Resolve

SIDE B:

01. On The Floor

02. The Wasted Days

Secret Shine - Untouched [12", LP, Test Press]

There were 5 test press copies made of Saint Marie Records' reissue of UNTOUCHED, the classic SECRET SHINE album that originally came out on Sarah Records in 1993. Thought it would be cool to own one, so i pledged for the bundle of the test press and the coloured version earlier this year. You don't get your favourite shoegaze albums much more limited than this ;)

Label: Saint Marie Records
Cat.nr.: SMR079
Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:
01. Suck Me Down
02. Temporal
03. Spellbound
04. So Close I Come

SIDE B:
01. Into The Ether
02. Toward The Sky
03. Underworld
04. Sun Warmed Water

Secret Shine - Untouched [12", LP]

UNTOUCHED was the only full length album that SECRET SHINE released during their first period of existence (during the early nineties). It originally came out on Sarah Records, and original copies of this album go for high prices on Discogs and eBay. Saint Marie Records had the brilliant idea to get it reissued, and they started a Pledgemusic project to get it financed. Because i love this album to death, and wanted to be sure to have a copy on vinyl finally, i stepped into it and pledged for a coloured copy and a test press. There were only 500 LP's made, and 300 of them are coloured (purple/white). The rest are black. Even though black is more limited for that matter, i wanted the coloured version because it's so beautiful and fits extremely well with the artwork.

What can i say about the album... some people say it was the last of the original great shoegaze albums of the early nineties. That might indeed be true. It's definitely become a classic in the genre, over the years. Songs like Spellbound, Into The Ether and So Close I Come can definitely compete with the best songs of Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine.

Label: Saint Marie Records

Cat.nr.: SMR079

Year of release: 2015 (originally released in 1993)

SIDE A:

01. Suck Me Down

02. Temporal

03. Spellbound

04. So Close I Come

SIDE B:

01. Into The Ether

02. Toward The Sky

03. Underworld

04. Sun Warmed Water

Blind Mr. Jones - Eyes Wide EP [12", Promo]

Last year was actually the first time i heard about the band BLIND MR. JONES, when Saint Marie Records were doing a reissue of their 1994 album Tattooine. I listened to a few tracks online and wasn't really impressed to be honest. It was a bit too much britpop to my taste, so i didn't bother to check out more stuff of this UK band that disbanded in 1994.

Last month however at the record fair in Utrecht i bumped into this promo 12" of their very first EP, and when i read the press sheet that was still attached, i saw that it was co-produced by Neil Halstead from Slowdive. So that made me curious again, and i decided to buy it. Glad i did! It's a great piece of shoegaze history. The four tracks on this EYES WIDE EP breathe that typical early 90's Thames Valley shoegaze atmosphere, as we know from bands as Ride, Slowdive and Chapterhouse. Wikipedia says that Neil Halstead wrote guitar parts for this EP, but since it's a white label promo in a generic sleeve i can only assume that's correct. My favourite track is "Going On Cold", but the other three are great as well. Maybe i should give their other material a second chance.

Label: Cherry Red

Cat.nr.: 12Cherry122

Year of release: 1992

SIDE A:

01. Over My Head

02. Eyes Wide

SIDE B:

01. Going On Cold

02. Henna And Swayed