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

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

Loop - Fade Out [12", LP]

This LOOP album is another find from the Utrecht record fair last weekend. FADE OUT was their second album (of only three, not counting the singles compilation The World In Your Eyes and a Peel Sessions LP), and the only one that was still missing in my collection. Just like Heaven's End and A Gilded Eternity this album's packed with psychedelic repetitive space rock. Great stuff. Recorded at Blackwing Studios, about which i wrote something a few months ago. The original release was in 1988 on the Chapter 22 label, but this is a 1992 reissue on the Reactor label. Limited edition, grey vinyl. Extremely happy that i bumped into this album on the last day of the fair when it was sold for less than half of the normal price.

Label: Reactor
Cat.nr.: REACTOR LP4
Year of release: 1992 (originally: 1988)

SIDE A:
01. Black Sun
02. This Is Where You End
03. Fever Knife
04. Torched

SIDE B:
01. Fade Out
02. Pulse
03. A Vision Stain
04. Got To Get It Over

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Revolution Number Zero [2x7"]

This limited double 7" by BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE was released late last year. It's a numbered gatefold edition on grey vinyl; my copy's #1457/2000. The EP is called after the song REVOLUTION NUMBER ZERO, which can be found on side B. I hear a lot of Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" in that song by the way, but not in a way that it gets annoying. Just like that title track, Don't Say A Thing on side C is unique to this EP. Viholliseni Maalla on side A is the same version as can be found on the great Aufheben album, while the version on side C is in English instead of Finnish, and also musically a bit different. Small typo on the artwork and the labels: it's spelled "Maala" here, so with only one L. All in all a pleasant release to keep the fans happy until a new album is coming out. Hopefully that won't take too long.

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: AUK024-7
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Viholliseni Maalla

SIDE B:
01. Revolution Number Zero

SIDE C:
01. Viholliseni Maalla (In The Land Of My Enemy)

SIDE D:
01. Don't Say A Thing

Monster Movie - Everyone Is A Ghost [12", LP]

Some months ago i wrote about Eternal, the band that Christian Savill was in before he joined Slowdive. Around the year 2000, Christian and Sean Hewson (who played in Eternal as well) formed the band MONSTER MOVIE. They released 5 albums since then, and this EVERYONE IS A GHOST from 2010 is their last one so far. It's pretty electronic, and contains 12 great indie pop songs. Some songs lean towards shoegaze, but it doesn't go much further than that. Can't be compared to Slowdive (nor Eternal), and of course it shouldn't be. The album comes in a high quality gatefold sleeve and is handnumbered to 500 copies; i've got #224. As you can see on the picture it's half grey/half red, splattered vinyl. Looks really cool!

Label: Graveface Records
Cat.nr.: GRAVE048
Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:
01. The World Collapsed
02. Down, Down, Down
03. How The Dead Live
04. Bored Beyond Oblivion
05. All The Hurt Inside
06. Everyone Is A Ghost

SIDE B:
01. In The Morning
02. Silver Knife
03. Look And see
04. Fall
05. Help Me Make It Right
06. A Place In The Mountains

Botch - Unifying Themes Redux [12", 2LP]

UNIFYING THEMES REDUX is a compilation of demo recordings and songs taken from 7"es and compilation albums. BOTCH was a great mathcore band  that existed until 2002, and was a clear influence to later bands such as Norma Jean. Originally the album was released on CD in 1997 on the Excursion label under the name The Unifying Themes of Sex, Death and Religion, compiling tracks from the Faction and the John Birch Conspiracy Theory EP's, but in 2002 bonus tracks were added and it was reissued on the same label with a new name: Unifying Themes Redux. In that form, Hydra Head re-released it in 2006 on CD and the awesome Garden Of Exile label did the vinyl edition a year later. So this version is like a reissue of a reissue. They did two pressings and the copy i have is from the second pressing (450 in total, of which 200 on grey vinyl). Brutal stuff. Especially their version of B-52's Rock Lobster (C3) is something worth checking out.

Label: Garden Of Exile Records
Year of release: 2007
Cat.nr.: GOE11

SIDE A:
01. God Vs. Science
02. Third Part In A Tragedy
03. Inch By Inch
04. O Fortuna (The Opera Song)
05. Closure

SIDE B:
01. Contradiction
02. Ebb
03. Stupid Me
04. In Spite Of This
05. End Of Discussion
06. Wounded

SIDE C:
01. Liquoured Up And Laid
02. Leavers Take On Genesis
03. Rock Lobster
04. Frequent Mass Transit
05. Sudam

SIDE D:
Live set from WFMU
01.Third Part In A Tragedy
02. God V.s Science
03. Ebb
04. Baseless Spine
05. Closure
06. Stupid Me
07. Dead For A Minute

School Of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire [12”, 2LP]

The second full length by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS was released in 2010. My copy is of the European pressing on grey/black marbled vinyl on Full Time Hobby; in the USA it was released on Vagrant and that edition was white/black marbled. Compared to their first album Alpinisms, DISCONNECT FROM DESIRE is more danceable and pop-orientated. More rhythmic, if you want. After SVIIB having released 3 albums at the time I’m writing this, I think it’s only fair to say that this is my least favourite one. Certainly not a bad album but for some reason the magic of Alpinisms disappeared a little with Disconnect From Desire as far as i'm concerned. I’m glad they got it back with Ghostory, which was released a few months ago.

Label: Full Time Hobby
Cat.nr.: FTH094LP
Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:
01. Windstorm
02. Heart Is Strange
03. Dust Devil

SIDE B:
01. I L U
02. Babelonia

SIDE C:
01. Joviann
02. Camarilla

SIDE D:
01. Dial
02. Bye Bye Bye
03. The Wait