The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Methodrone [12", 2LP]

Still one of my favourite albums by THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE: their debut full length METHODRONE. It was originally released in 1995, but back then it only came out on CD. In 2009 this excellent 180gram double vinyl edition was released, which i bought a few years ago. It's 70+ minutes of pure psychedelic shoegaze bliss, combining the best of what until then bands like Spacemen 3, Loop, My Bloody Valentine and the Velvet Underground had to offer. Nevertheless it has an own distinctive sound; a sound that 20 years later still characterises Anton Newcombe's music. And which i really like :)

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: AUK008LP
Year of release: 2009 (album originally released in 1995)

SIDE A:
01. Evergreen
02. Wisdom
03. Crushed
04. That Girl Suicide

SIDE B:
01. Wasted
02. Everyone Says
03. Short Wave
04. She Made Me

SIDE C:
01. Hyperventilation
02. Records
03. I love You
04. End Of The Day

SIDE D:
01. Outback
02. She's Gone

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than The Stars [12"]

This is the 12" version of the HIGHER THAN THE STARS single by THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART. While the 7" edition has a remix of the song on the B-side, the 12" has 3 songs that are not on any of their albums. The song Falling Over isn't really my cup of tea, but 103 and Twins are more like it. I wonder if they'll finally release something new this year, because it's been a while. Their latest album Belong was from 2011...

Label: Fortuna Pop
Cat.nr.: FPOP87T
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Higher Than The Stars
02. 103

SIDE B:
01. Falling Over
02. Twins

Fever Ray - Seven [12"]

SEVEN is presented here in 4 remixes, of which only the remix by CSS is one that i enjoy playing, to be honest. Especially the one by Crookers really gets to my nerves, with those irritating phone rings. Seven is actually one of the best songs on the FEVER RAY album as far as i'm concerned, so these remixes were quite a letdown when i bought this 12" some years ago. Haven't played it very often ever since. Ah well.


Label: Rabid Records
Cat.nr.: RABID043T
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Seven (Crookers Remix)
02. Seven (Marcel Dettmann's Voice In My Head)

SIDE B:
01. Seven (Martyn's Seventh Remix)
02. Seven (CSS Remix)

Fever Ray - Triangle Walks [12"]

I really hope that Karin Dreijer Andersson decides to make another album as FEVER RAY. Not that i don't like The Knife (on the contrary!), but what she did as Fever Ray was just fabulous. It won't be soon obviously, as The Knife are about to release a new album and will go on tour as well. Anyway, the Fever Ray album is so full of cool songs that almost any track would've made a great single. Only four did, and TRIANGLE WALKS is one of them. This 12" features remixes by Rex The Dog, James Rutledge and Tora Vinter. The last one is my favourite version. A great danceable club tune that could go on and on and on.

Label: Rabid Records
Cat.nr.: RABID041T
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Triangle Walks [Rex The Dog Remix]

SIDE B:
01. Triangle Walks [James Rutledge Remix]
02. Triangle Walks [Tora Vinter Remix]

Brian Jonestown Massacre - One [12"]

ONE is a 4-track EP by the BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE. To be honest, not everything that this band did (especially their older stuff) is really my cup of tea, but i do like this EP quite a lot. The title track The "One" is an uptempo psychedelic rock song with a dominating beat and distorted guitars. Then there are two versions of the song This Is The First Of Your Last Warning (an Icelandic version and an English version). A very danceable tune that wouldn't have been out of place during an early nineties' indie dance rave. It's got that Madchester vibe, you know. The highlight for me however is Bruttermania. Again an uptempo tune, with a wall of guitars (MBV/Jesus And Mary Chain-style) and some Russian (?) lyrics. Awesome song.

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: Auk017LP
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. The One
02. This Is The First Of Your Last Warning (Icelandic Version)

SIDE B:
01. Bruttermania
02. This Is The First Of Your Last Warning (English Version)

The Flaming Lips - Embryonic [12", 2LP]

EMBRYONIC was the first record i bought on vinyl by THE FLAMING LIPS. It's not their best album (i would say either Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots or The Soft Bulletin would qualify for that status) but nevertheless a very good one, with songs like The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine, Silver Trembling Hands, Watching the Planets and the amazing Worm Mountain. And besides that, their albums always look amazing. Weird artwork and beautiful coloured vinyl. This one had the album on CD included as well. Groovy.

Label: Warner Bros.
Cat.nr.: 1-520857
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Convinced Of The Hex
02. The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine
03. Evil
04. Aquarius Sabotage

SIDE B:
01. See The Leaves
02. If
03. Gemini Syringes
04. Your Bats
05. Powerless

SIDE C:
01. The Ego's Last Stand
02. I Can Be A Frog
03. Sagittarius Silver Announcement
04. Worm Mountain

SIDE D:
01. Scorpio Sword
02. The Impulse
03. Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast
04. Watching The Planets

School Of Seven Bells - My Cabal [12"]

MY CABAL is a 12" by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS from a few years ago. Besides the title song that's taken from their debut album Alpinisms, there are some pretty good remixes (by Justin Broadrick a.k.a. Jesu and Mark Clifford of Seefeel fame) and an ambient instrumental track called My Camarilla on this EP.

Label: Ghostly International
Cat.nr.: GI-86
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. My Cabal
02. My Camarilla

SIDE B:
01. Chain (Seefeel Extraction)
02. Face To Face On High Places (Jesu Remix)
03. Face To Face On High Places (Jesu Remix - Instrumental Version)

Fever Ray - When I Grow Up [12"]

One of the singles taken from FEVER RAY's debut album. WHEN I GROW UP is presented here in a barely recognisable house version (A1), a laid back tropical remix (A2) and an ambient piece of over 16 minutes (B1). The D. Lissvik version is obviously my favourite one, but i had expected a little more to be honest of this maxi of my favourite track of the album.

Label: Rabid Records
Cat.nr.: RABID040T
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. When I Grow Up (Van Rivers Dark Sails On The Horizon Mix)
02. When I Grow Up (D. Lissvik)

SIDE B:
01. Memories From When I Grow Up (Remembered By The Subliminal Kid)

Sleepy Sun - Embrace [12", LP]

SLEEPY SUN's debut album EMBRACE is one of my favourite albums from 2009 (and my favourite Sleepy Sun album in general). It has a lot to do with the fact that i saw the band live at an ATP Festival that year and they were really, really good. I think White Dove is the best song on this album, with a very strong riff. Too bad that nowadays they don't have a female singer in the band, because Rachel Fannan really added something back then. Although i must say i was happily surprised when i heard this year's Spine Hits album (the first one without her), as i wrote earlier.

Label: ATP Recordings
Cat.nr.: ATPRLP33           
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. New Age
02. Lord
03. Red/Black
04. Sleepy Son

SIDE B:
01. Golden Artifact
02. White Dove
03. Snow Goddess
04. Duet With The Northern Sky

Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart [12"]

IF I HAD A HEART is one of the best tracks of FEVER RAY's debut (and only, so far) album. The 12" features two remixes. Fuck Buttons left their signature with a lengthy neurotic remix, and on the B-side there's the laidback remix by Familjen - an alias for Johan T Karlsson who did some remixes for the likes of Kent and Lykke Li.


Label: Rabid Records
Cat.nr.: RABID038T
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. If I Had A Heart (Fuck Buttons Remix)

SIDE B:
01. If I Had A Heart (Familjen Remix)

Serena-Maneesh - Montrose Cadaveric [7"]

The tracks on this 7" (33 rpm) never made it to any of their LP's. Oxygen Please is my favourite of the two, being more shoegaze, while the A-side MONTROSE CADAVERIC leans more towards garage rock. SERENA-MANEESH is a band i really would like to see perform live some day, although it's been awfully quiet from their side for the past few years - so i actually hope they do still exist.

Label: Bad Afro Records
Cat.nr.: FRO048
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Montrose Cadaveric (Revivise)

SIDE B:
01. Oxygen Please (Revisited)

Jesu - Opiate Sun [12"]

OPIATE SUN is another fine release by JESU, Justin Broadrick's metal-shoegaze outfit. The 4 tracks on this EP could've been on any other Jesu release, as their music doesn't vary much from release to release, but yet this band always manages to capture me with their massive sound. I've seen them play live twice, and it was pretty impressive. This EP was pressed only once in a quantity of 2000 copies, of which 500 were black. That's the version i have.


Label: Aural Exploits
Cat.nr.: AELP3002
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Losing Streak
02. Opiate Sun

SIDE B:
01. Deflated
02. Morning Light

School Of Seven Bells - Iamundernodisguise [7"]

The A-side IAMUNDERNODISGUISE comes from the Alpinisms album by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS. A typical SVIIB song from their earlier days; repetitive and alienating. The B-side even takes that a little further and almost sounds like a mantra. I don't know the original of the song, but apparently it comes from a compilation album called The Green Owl Comp: A Benefit For The Energy Action Coalition. The artwork is great so that's why i thought i'd also made a pic of the other side of the fold-out sleeve:

Label: Full Time Hobby

Cat.nr.: FTH070S

Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:

01. Iamundernodisguise

SIDE B:

01. Trance Figure (Nobody Remix)

Starflyer 59 - Silver [12", LP]

The SILVER album was STARFLYER 59's first full length. I still remember ordering the CD at the time when it came out in 1993, because it wasn't that easy to get and i read a review on which i based my order. Oh, those good old days when Spotify, Youtube and Soundcloud were not existing yet...

The album's a nice mix of alternative rock (à la Swervedriver and Smashing Pumpkins in their early days) and shoegaze.

This vinyl edition came out some 13 years later and i was happily surprised to run into it a few years ago. Brought back a lot of good memories, as i hadn't played this album in years. But since then it can be found regularly on my record player.



Label: Crossroads Of America

Cat.nr.: XRA-019           

Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:

01. Blue Collar Love

2. Monterey

03. Sled

04. Hazel Would

05. The Zenith

SIDE B:

01. 2nd Space Song

02. Droned

03. Happy Days Are Here Again

04. She Only Knows

05. The Dungeon

The Depreciation Guild / Ringo Deathstarr - Split [7"]

A nice split 7" on the Club AC30 label. Two members of  THE DEPRECIATION GUILD joined The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart when the first band disbanded. To my opinion, their song on this split 7" has a bit of a Cocteau Twins / The Sundays feel to it. The RINGO DEATHSTARR song is an uptempo one with some slower parts. Reminds me a bit of MBV during their early period on Creation.

Label: Club AC30
Cat.nr.: AC306087
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. THE DEPRECIATION GUILD - Dream About Me

SIDE B:
01. RINGO DEATHSTARR - Tambourine Girl

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than The Stars [7"]

HIGHER THAN THE STARS was released inbetween THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART's self-titled debut LP and the Belong album. A gentle song, that sounds a tiny bit like The Smiths to me. Which i don't see as a bad thing by the way.

Label: Slumberland Records
Cat.nr.: SLR 105
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Higher Than The Stars

SIDE B:
01. Higher Than The Stars (Others In Conversation Remix)

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart [12", LP]

This is the first, self-titled full length by THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART. A lot of people call them a shoegaze band, but to me they're much more power pop - or just plain indie rock if you want. I didn't see them staring at their pedals at their shows at least, and their songs are way too uptempo. A really great band though, and a lovely album for that matter. Arguably the best indie album of 2009.
The singles lifted from this album all have the same cover by the way, but in different colours. Nice idea.

Label: Slumberland Records
Cat.nr.: SLR 89
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Contender
02. Come Saturday
03. Young Adult Friction
04. This Love Is Fucking Right!
05. The Tenure Itch

SIDE B:
01. Stay Alive
02. Everything With You
03. A Teenager In Love
04. Hey Paul
05. Gentle Songs

Baroness - Blue Record [12", 2LP]

BARONESS likes to give their releases simple, yet logical names. Their EP's were named First and Second, and after their debut Red Album followed BLUE RECORD. Although Red Album remains my favourite, this is also a true beast of an album. A great mix of post-metal, post-stoner and sludge. And all of that combined with fantastic artwork by frontman John Dyer Baizley.
Many pressings, at least 5 or more, in various colours have been made of this release by now. But i'm very happy with my (appropriate) baby-blue edition, part of the first pressing. Only 1000 copies were made of this one.

Label: Relapse Records
Cat.nr.: RR 7053-1
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Bullhead's Psalm
02. The Sweetest Curse 
03. Jake Leg

SIDE B:
01. Steel That Sleeps The Eye
02. Swollen And Hollow
03. Ogeechee Hymnal

SIDE C:
01. A Horse Called Golgotha
02. O'er Hell And Hide

SIDE D:
01. War, Wisdom And Rhyme
02. Blackpowder Orchard
03. The Gnashing
04. Bullhead's Lament          

The Black Angels - Passover [12", 2LP]

PASSOVER by THE BLACK ANGELS; their debut full length that came out in 2006. Originally with an embossed sleeve, but this is the reissue from 2009 with a (thicker but) normal gatefold sleeve. Great album!

Label: Ligt In The Attic
Cat.nr.: LITA 0018
Year of release: 2006 (originally; this one's from 2009)


SIDE A:
01. Young Men Dead
02. The First Vietnamese War
03. The Sniper At The Gates Of Heaven

SIDE B:
01. The Prodigal Sun
02. Black Grease
03. Manipulation

SIDE C:
01. Empire
02. Better Off Alone
03. Bloodhounds On My Trail

SIDE D:
01. Call To Arms

Fever Ray - Fever Ray [12", LP]

Oh what can i say about this s/t debut album by FEVER RAY. It's one of my favourites of the '00s for sure. A true classic. Also live, one of the best acts i've ever seen.

Label: Rabid Records
Cat.nr.: RABIDT039
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. If I Had A Heart
02. When I Grow Up
03. Dry And Dusty
04. Seven
05. Triangle Walks

SIDE B:
01. Concrete Walls
02. Now's The Only Time I Know
03. I'm Not Done
04. Keep The Streets Empty For Me
05. Coconut