The House Of Love - I Don't Know Why I Love You [7"]

Found this single at the Utrecht record fair last April. The regular I DON'T KNOW WHY I LOVE YOU 7"single (which would appear on their s/t album on Fontana) was released  in a black sleeve, with the song Secrets on the B-side. There was also a numbered limited edition however, in a white sleeve, with another B-side. No idea how many were made of this; my number is # 0255. The cover is a gatefold but there's only one disc inside. Not really the best song by THE HOUSE OF LOVE, but still a nice and catchy tune and definitely one of the better ones on the Fontana album.

Label: Fontana
Cat.nr.: HOLG 2
Year of release: 1989

SIDE A:
01. I Don't Know Why I Love You

SIDE B:
01. Love II

Still Corners - Strange Pleasures [12", LP]

When i heard that STILL CORNERS were releasing a new album, i didn't really need to listen to it first before buying it. Creatures Of An Hour, their previous one, is an album that i totally love and that i still spin quite often. So i just assumed that this new one, STRANGE PLEASURES, was in the same vein. And it is. It reminds me a bit of Chromatics, M83, Lana del Rey and Hundred In The Hands, but still more dreampop than electro. There's a great bit of Cocteau Twins influences and ever since i first heard their debut album, because of the way Tessa Murray sings, i can't help thinking of the Julee Cruise song Falling (from the Twin Peaks series). And there are definitely a few of those "David Lynch-moments" on this album once again. Brilliant stuff.

Label: Sub Pop
Cat.nr.: SP1035
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. The Trip
02. Beginning To Blue
03. I Can't Sleep
04. All I Know
05. Fireflies
06. Berlin Lovers

SIDE B:
01. Future Age
02. Going Back To Strange
03. Beatcity
04. Midnight Drive
05. We Killed The Moonlight
06. Strange Pleasures

Mad Season - Above [12", 2LP]

The Music On Vinyl label released more than a dozen very nice Record Store Day releases this year, but their reissue of ABOVE by MAD SEASON was definitely the must-buy for any grunge-appreciating vinyl freak this time around. A one-off pressing of only 5000 copies, and good timing because only a little earlier, the Deluxe CD reissue had seen the light of day. The previously unreleased bonus tracks on that edition are also featured on this double LP. Three of them would have originally appeared on the band's second album, which never got off the ground because of Layne Staley's condition that got worse and worse. So these finished versions on this album are now sung by Mark Lanegan. Totally fits with the band's status as grunge supergroup, of course. And like we're used from MOV, everything sounds just fantastic. A true classic!
Funny detail: while other current MOV releases have catalogue numbers in the 800's, this one has the low number 169. That's because a reissue of this album was already scheduled years ago, but it got postponed and postponed, and eventually withdrawn. The catalogue number however was never used. Now it's here after all, and even in an expanded edition. So definitely worth the wait, looking back at it.

Label: Music On Vinyl
Cat.nr.: MOVLP 169
Year of release: 2013 (originally: 1995)

SIDE A:
01. Wake Up
02. X-Ray Mind
03. River Of Deceit

SIDE B:
01. I'm Above
02. Artificial Red
03. Lifeless Dead
04. I Don't Know Anything

SIDE C:
01. Long Gone Day
02. November Hotel
03. All Alone
04. Interlude
05. Locomotive

SIDE D:
01. Black Book Of Fear
02.Slip Away
03. I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier (remix)

Sigur Rós - Kveikur [12", 2LP, Bonus 10"]

The latest SIGUR RÓS album, KVEIKUR, is definitely going to end up in my Album Top 10 list  of 2013. Beautiful melodies once again; a bit darker than their previous stuff, and that's exactly how i like it. The version i have is the limited edition with a bonus 10". The bonus EP has 2 songs ons side A that are not featured on the album. They are instrumental ambient pieces that wouldn't have been out of place on David Bowie's Low album (Hryggjarsúla at some points even sounds a bit like Subterraneans). On side B there's a remix of Brennistein - well, it's that it says so, but it's hardly recognizable with no vocals and in a very different tempo. Not bad, but not really special either.

Label: XL Recordings
Cat.nr.: XLLP606X
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Brennisteinn
02. Hraftntinna

SIDE B:
01. Ísjaki
02. Yfirborð

SIDE C:
01. Stormur
02. Kveikur

SIDE D:
01. Rafstraumur
02. Bláþráður
03. Var

Bonus 10"

SIDE A:
01. Hryggjarsúla
02. Ofbirta

SIDE B:
01. Brennisteinn (Blanck Mass Remix)                                                                         

Various Artists - The History Of Rock, Volume Thirty One [12", 2LP]

If you see something like this in the sales bin dirt cheap, you can't let it lie there. Such was the case with this HISTORY OF ROCK VOL. 31 compilation album that i ran into at record store Örat in Uppsala, Sweden. Actually they had a whole bunch of these series in the sales bin (everything more or less ranging from Otis Redding to Motörhead), and i ran into a couple more at other stores throughout the country a few days later. It seems like these compilation LP's from UK origin were well-distributed in Sweden, when they came out. I've never seen them in record stores over here in the Netherlands though. Discogs says that there are 40 volumes, and after i did some research i found out that they belonged to a weekly magazine that came out in the early '80s. There were 120 of these magazines, all 20 pages thick, and altogether they would form 10 volumes in some kind of Rock Encyclopaedia. A pretty nice project if you ask me, especially because there were LP's that belonged to it as well. Except for The Stranglers, Sex Pistols and Wire i didn't have any of these bands on vinyl so far. So i couldn't go wrong for just 10 SEK (less than 1.20 euro).

Label: Orbis
Cat.nr.: HRL 031
Year of release: 1985

SIDE A: The Stranglers
01. Get A Grip On Yourself
02. Peaches
03. No More Heroes
04. Nice 'n' Sleazy
05. Walk On By
06. Golden Brown

SIDE B: Punk
01. The Sex Pistols - Anarchy In The UK
02. The Damned - Smash It Up
03. The Buzzcocks - Have You Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't Have)
04. Generation X - Your Generation
05. Stiff Little Fingers - Alternative Ulster
06. Wire - 12 X U
07. The Banned - Little Girl

SIDE C: Squeeze
01. Take Me I'm Yours
02. Cool For Cats
03. Up The Junction
04. Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)
05. Tempted
06. Labelled With Love

SIDE D: 2-Tone
01. The Specials - Gangsters
02. The Beat - The Tears Of A Clown
03. The Specials - Too Much Too Young
04. Madness - The Prince
05. The Selecter - On My Radio
06. The Specials - Do Nothing
07. The Bodysnatchers - Let's Do Rock Steady

The Verve - The Verve E.P. [12"]

Not really a fan of latter-day THE VERVE, but their first album A Storm In Heaven and the EP's around that are pretty cool. This clear red 12" was released for Record Store Day 2013 and is a first-time-on-vinyl reproduction of what was previously a US-only compilation CD from 1992, simply called THE VERVE E.P. It combines tracks from their early singles All In The Mind, Gravity Grave and She's A Superstar. Nice and trippy psychedelic stuff! I particularly like the mellow Gravity Grave that has a flow like it could go on forever, and She's A Superstar, with guitars that remind me of Felt's "Primitive Painters". Couldn't find any info on how limited this release is, but it's a one-off pressing anyway.

Label: Hut Recordings
Cat.nr.: HUTLPUS 1
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Gravity Grave (Edit)
02. A Man Called Sun
03. She's A Superstar (Edit)

SIDE B:
01. Endless Life
02. Feel

David Bowie - Человек Со Звезд (Starman) [12", LP]

I won't be putting much of DAVID BOWIE's regular albums on this blog (at least not while i still have a 3-digit number of vinyls yet to be put in the spotlight; pictures taken and all), but every now and then i come across something special worthwhile putting up here. Such as this rather strange compilation album called STARMAN, released in the USSR on the Μелодия (Melodiya) label. I found it at the excellent Delicious Goldfish store in Solna, a suburb of Stockholm. The tracks on this album are from the Space Oddity (A 01 & 02), The Man Who Sold The World (A 03 & 04), David Live (B 01-03), and Ziggy Stardust album (B 04 & 05). It has a lengthy Bowie biography on the back cover. Pity i can't read Russian though. My copy's sleeve is not in the best condition, with sticker marks etc., but nevertheless it's a welcome addition to my Bowie vinyl collection. Albums in foreign languages are always fun; see my Spanish The Man Who Sold The World LP for example.

Label: Μелодия
Cat.nr.: C60 26469 001
Year of release: 1990

SIDE A:
01. Странное Космическое Путешествие (Space Oddity)
02. Я Хорошая Женщина (God Knows I'm Good)
03. Все Эти Безумцы (All The Madmen)
04. Черная Скала (Black Country Rock)

SIDE B:
01. Пять Лет (Five Years)
02. Возвышенная Любовь (Soul Love)
03. Сон Наяву В Лунный Век (Moonage Daydream)
04. Человек Со Звезд (Starman)
05. Леди «Звездная Пыль» (Lady Stardust)

Primal Scream - More Light [12", 2LP]

I'm not such a big fan of PRIMAL SCREAM's previous two albums (Riot City Blues from 2006 and Beautiful Future from 2008) however i love their older ones. So i was a bit precautious and it wasn't a "blind purchase", this MORE LIGHT album. But after i'd heard the album a few times i was convinced: this is the Scream back in their old shape. There are plenty of cool tracks on this album, but if i'd had to choose, i'd say that Hit Void is my favourite one. A great noisy garage/shoegaze track with cacophonous saxophones at the end, that sounds better the louder you play it. Although opening track 2013 with Kevin Shields on guitar isn't bad either. Or the track River Of Pain. And i could go on and on, because like said earlier there are plenty of cool tracks here. Definitely a contestant for this year's Top 10 list.

Label: First International
Cat.nr.: SCRMLP003
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. 2013
02. River Of Pain

SIDE B:
01. Culturecide
02. Hot Void
03. Tenement Kid
04. Invisible City

SIDE C:
01. Goodbye Johnny
02. Sideman
03. Elimination Blues
04. Turn Each Other Inside Out

SIDE D:
01. Relativity
02. Walking With The Beast
03. It's Alright, It's OK

My Bloody Valentine - Glider [12"]

A couple of weeks ago i was in Athens, Greece for a few days. And actually where you'd least expect it, in a second hand store at the local flea market, i ran into this missing piece in my MY BLOODY VALENTINE collection. Of course i already have that weird counterfeit that combines this GLIDER EP with the Tremolo EP, but i still needed the original. Well, here it is. Finally.

Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CRE 073T
Year of release: 1990

SIDE A:
01. Soon
02. Glider

SIDE B:
01. Don't Ask Why
02. Off Your Face

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Acid Reflex [12"]

Last year on Record Store Day i tried really hard to find this 12" at the participating stores, but for some reason none had it. So i kinda gave up and expected i'd never get my hands on a copy anymore, but a few weeks ago at Pet Sounds in Stockholm i saw one standing in the racks to my big surprise. On this ACID REFLEX EP there are 4 different songs, all from the Belong album, in a remixed version. One thing about remixes is that it either hits exactly the right spot, or it goes terribly wrong. It doesn't happen very often that i actually like all the remixes on a 12", but in this case i do. THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART definitely chose the right artists to remix their songs, and they're not the least names either: Twin Shadow, Saint Etienne, Violens and Washed Out. Pretty cool stuff!

Label: Play It Again Sam/Slumberland Records
Cat.nr.: PIASR532T
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. Heart In Your Heartbreak (Twin Shadow remix)
02. Too Tough (Saint Etienne remix)

SIDE B:
01. The Body (Violens remix)
02. My Terrible Friend (Washed Out remix)

Team Ghost - Terre Brûlée [12"]

This TERRE BRÛLÉE EP by TEAM GHOST was released for Record Store Day 2013. It features the singles that were taken so far from the Rituals album (Dead Film Star and Curtains), a slow song called Tonight Is Magic and the title track, which fills the whole B-side with its 25 minutes. It's an instrumental track which consists of various soundscapes and almost ambient themes. Only 300 copies were made and i'm happy that i could get my hands on one.

Label: wSphere
Cat.nr.: 3271466           
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Dead Film Star
02. Curtains
03. Tonight Is Magic

SIDE B:
01. Terre Brûlée

Whirr - Part Time Punks Sessions [7"]

Late 2012 i discovered the band WHIRR when they released their album Pipe Dreams, which i really liked and which even ended up in my top 10 of 2012. This PART TIME PUNK SESSIONS 7" was released for Record Store Day 2013 in the USA; these recordings were previously only available on a very limited cassette tape which was made to raise money for a new engine for their van. My copy is the "black in electric blue" edition of which the label made 500 copies. There's also a "baby blue in royal blue" edition of 1500 copies. Cool stuff!

Label: Run For Cover Records
Cat.nr.: RFC:086
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Blue
02. Flashback

SIDE B:
01. Junebouvier
02. Twist

My Bloody Valentine - Feed Me With Your Kiss [12"]

Finally, I recently came across a copy of MY BLOODY VALENTINE's FEED ME WITH YOUR KISS EP. Of course i could've bought it earlier on sites like eBay or Discogs if i wanted, but besides the fact that those copies are usually way overpriced, it's the thrill of running into it while doing some good old cratedigging. I found it for a decent price at a cool little store in Stockholm called An Ideal For Living. Of course i already had these songs on vinyl, but owning an original copy is what counts, right? And this particular release was still an important missing item in my My Bloody Valentine vinyl collection.

Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CRE 061 T
Year of release: 1988

SIDE A:
01. Feed Me With Your Kiss
02. I Believe

SIDE B:
01. Emptiness Inside
02. I Need No Trust

Curve - Cherry EP [10"]

Despite already owning the 12" edition of this EP, i thought it  would be cool to have this limited 10" edition as well. It's handnumbered (my copy is #1779), limited to 2000 copies, and comes in a plain silver sleeve with a sticker. Besides, it has one extra track compared to that 12" version. So when i found it in Utrecht in April for a fair price of course i had to buy it.

Label: Anxious Records
Cat.nr.: ANX X 35
Year of release: 1991

SIDE A:
01. Clipped
02. Die Like A Dog

SIDE B:
01. Galaxy
02. Cherry
03. I Speak Your Every Word (with JC 001)