Lilys - In The Presence Of Nothing [12", LP]

IN THE PRESENCE OF NOTHING is an album i have been looking for on vinyl for an extremely long time already. It gets rarely offered online at sites like eBay and Discogs, and when it does it's usually gone in no time - and sold for crazy prices as well. To be honest: my purchase was no exception to this. I got outbid on eBay a couple of times and when it got offered again a few months later, i was determined to not let go anymore. I got lucky with some things i sold on eBay earlier, so i see it more or less as a trade for that. As long as it's still on PayPal and not in your wallet, it's not that hard to look at it like that, right?
Well anyway, i finally own a copy now. Not of the first press from 1992 with the hand-screened sleeves on Slumberland, but of the reissue from 1998 on SpinART. No idea how many were made of this edition; the first press consisted of 500 copies. Too bad actually that LILYS only made one good shoegaze album (and a few singles in the same vein). After this, they went more and more Britpop. Not necessarily bad, but just not really my taste. Archie Moore of Velocity Girl is playing guitar on this album, by the way. I got to know about this gem about 8 or 9 years ago, when i stumbled upon a video on Youtube while looking for some My Bloody Valentine songs. Without doubt that's the band to which they come closest on this album. Especially the songs on the A-side, like Collider and Tone Bender. The Way Snowflakes Fall on side B is more like a drone song, and Claire Hates Me could've been a Dinosaur Jr. tune. But even while they may sound a bit like MBV, their songs still keep an edge and have their own identity.
I'm so happy i finally managed to get a hold of a copy of this amazing album! And even though it probably devaluates a lot when it would be reissued, i truly hope that Lilys' mastermind Kurt Heasley would do that some day, so that it won't be privileged to only a few lucky shoegaze enthousiasts while everyone else has to do with bad mp3's and Youtube clips. I'm pretty sure as well that it would be much better received in 2014 than in 1992 (or let alone 1998), when shoegaze was already on its way back. I don't post many audio links on my blog, but for this wonderful LP i'll gladly make an exception. Threw A Day on the B-side is not mentioned on the sleeve, by the way. The song was previously on a single on Slumberland in 1991.

Label: SpinART
Cat.nr.: Spart2
Year of release: 1998 (originally 1992)

SIDE A:
01. There's No Such Thing As Black Orchids
02. Elizabeth Colour Wheel
03. Collider
04. Tone Bender
05. Periscope

SIDE B:
01. It Does Nothing For Me
02. Snowblinder
03. The Way Snowflakes Fall
04. Threw A Day
05. Claire Hates Me

The Raveonettes - Whip It On [10", Limited Edition]

The debut release by THE RAVEONETTES, this WHIP IT ON EP, only had a very limited release on vinyl back in 2002 on the small Crunchy Frog label. But last year, 11 years after its original release, Music On Vinyl had the brilliant idea to reissue it as a beautiful 10" record of which the first 1000 copies were on red vinyl in a numbered sleeve. I've got #668.
Some really cool garage rock tunes can be found on this EP, such as Veronica Fever, Cops On Our Tail and my favourite one: Beat City. Funny detail: as stated on the cover, nearly the whole EP is recorded in B-flat minor. I've still never seen The Raveonettes live, by the way. Hopefully that will change some day. Must be a real blast.

Label: Music On Vinyl
Cat.nr.: MOV10008
Year of release: 2013 (originally 2002)

SIDE A:
01. Attack Of The Ghost Riders
02. Veronica Fever
03. Do You Believe Her
04. Chains

SIDE B:
01. Cops On Our Tail
02. My Tornado
03. Bowels Of The Beast
04. Beat City

Hum - You'd Prefer An Astronaut [12", LP]

When i found out that Shop Radio Cast had done a reissue of YOU'D PREFER AN ASTRONAUT by HUM, i just needed to get myself a copy. If only for the absolutely brilliant track "Stars", which i had been looking for on vinyl for ages. But also the rest of the album is definitely worth the purchase. Some great post-hardcore tunes, leaning a bit towards grunge and indie rock à la early Smashing Pumpkins. Hum was never big over here in Europe but i don't think they were very big in the States either actually. "Stars" was a modest radio hit over there, but that's as far as it goes. The reissue was done in 3 colours (green, clear and white) and on black vinyl. As you can see on the picture, i have a copy of the white one.

Label: Shop Radio Cast
Cat.nr.: SRC016
Year of release: 2013 (originally: 1995)

SIDE A:
01. Little Dipper
02. The Pod
03. Stars
04. Suicide Machine
05. The Very Old Man

SIDE B:
01. Why I Like The Robins
02. I'd Like Your Hair Long
03. I Hate It Too
04. Songs Of Farewell And Departure

Nothing - Guilty Of Everything [12", LP]

Some time ago i wrote about the Downward Years To Come EP by NOTHING and here's finally their long-awaited (by me at least) full length, called GUILTY OF EVERYTHING. And i think it's absolutely great. The song Dig which was released a few months earlier was already a good taste of what was to come. It's one of the best songs of the album i think, but the others are also really good. Bent Nail is interesting in that it starts as an uptempo (almost Ramones-style) rock song but then suddenly transforms in a moody shoegaze tune. Endlessly is probably my favorite song; i can listen to that over and over, preferably as loud as possible. It's extremely intense. Emotion just bursts out of this whole album anyway. I've read a few interviews with their singer Domenic lately, in which he mentions a few hostile things about a frontman of a certain recently reunited shoegaze band which is one of my alltime favorite bands ever, and i first thought that he must be a real asshole himself. But i've come to the conclusion after reading a bit further that he's just a really emotional guy with his heart in the right place. And the thing is probably blown out of proportion by the press a whole lot anyway. I wrote it earlier about them, but the band to which i think their sound comes closest would be Starflyer 59. Pretty much unknown over here in Europe, but the whispering vocals and the loud-quiet-loud sound is just totally them. Anyway, Nothing is still pretty much unknown over here as well - but that might change since they are coming over to play here, apparently. I just read that they'll be playing Roadburn. Really hope they do some more clubshows in the Netherlands besides this long sold-out festival. Would love to see them.

Label: Relapse Records
Cat.nr.: RR 7247
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. Hymn To The Pillory
02. Dig
03. Bent Nail
04. Endlessly
05. Somersault

SIDE B:
01. Get Well
02. Beat Around The Bush
03. B&E
04. Guilty Of Everything