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

Flyying Colours - Roygbiv [12"]

Absolutely great to hear some new tunes by FLYYING COLOURS not too long after their debut EP saw the light of day. And to be honest i love this second EP even better than the first one. "Not Today" is actually one of my favourite songs of this year so far! I don't know how many times i've been playing the youtube video for it already, but since this ruby pink gem arrived today for me, i can finally spin it now on my record player as well. Yay! Only 300 were made of this colour on Club AC30, while another 300 on purple were released on Shelflife. ROYGBIV may sound like a funny word for non-native English speakers, but it stands for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet - the colours of the rainbow. Yeah, i admit i had to look it up too ;)

Label: Club AC30 / Shelflife
Cat.nr.: AC30 12074 / LIFE126
Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:
01. I Don't Want To Let You Down
02. Running Late

SIDE B:
01. Not Today
02. In The End
03. Leaks

A Place To Bury Strangers - Transfixiation [12", LP]

After a few spins i've come to the conclusion that TRANSFIXIATION, the new album by A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS is a "grower". First time i heard it, i was slightly disappointed to be honest. Secretly i was hoping for a return to the sound of the first two albums (their 3rd, Worship, already having a cleaner sound) but instead they've taken it to a next level. There's loads of noise and distortion still, but it's crystal clear. I'm slowly getting into it though. The sound comes closest to 80's post-punk, goth and noise. The album was recorded in Norway with Emil Nikolaisen of Serena-Maneesh, who also co-produced it. Having read that in the liner notes, the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together. If there's one man who knows how to create an organic brew of sounds and noise, it's him. Job well done. I think i need a few more spins to be really convinced, but i already know for a fact now that i'm liking it better than the previous album. The version i have is the limited coloured edition (apparently of 2000 worldwide) and as you can see it looks really good.

Label: Dead Oceans
Cat.nr.: DOC099
Year of release: 2105

SIDE A:
01. Supermaster
02. Straight
03. Love High
04. What We Don't See
05. Deeper
06. Lower Zone

SIDE B:
01. We've Come So Far
02. Now It's Over
03. I'm So Clean
04. Fill The Void
05. I Will Die

The Raveonettes - Pretty In Black [12", LP]

PRETTY IN BLACK is the second album by THE RAVEONETTES, released in 2005. Heavily influenced by 50's rock 'n roll and with some really great tunes on it, such as Love In A Trashcan and Sleepwalking. Also Twilight is a personal favourite, perhaps because it's the odd track of the album with a very danceable (almost disco) beat. It shouldn't be left unmentioned that The Velvet Underground's Moe Tucker plays drums on a few tracks, and Ronnie Spector joins in on Ode To L.A.
All in all a great album, and never released on vinyl until Music On Vinyl did that in 2013. The first pressing consisted of 1000 numbered copies on pink/black marbled vinyl, and my copy is one of those as you can see.

Label: Music On Vinyl
Cat.nr.: MOVLP 721
Year of release: 2013 (originally 2005)

SIDE A:
01. The Heavens
02. Seductress Of Bums
03. Love In A Trashcan
04. Sleepwalking
05. Uncertain Times
06. My Boyfriend's Back
07. Here Comes Mary

SIDE B:
01. Red Tan
02. Twilight
03. Somewhere In Texas
04. You Say You Lie
05. Ode To L.A.
06. If I Was Wrong

Newmoon - Invitation To Hold [7"]

A couple of weeks ago i came across this band called NEWMOON. I can't remember where exactly but it was at some blog or online zine. There was a link to the song 'Aria' on Youtube and it just blew me away. So i did some further research, found their Bandcamp page where i saw that they had an EP out called INVITATION TO HOLD, and then i found out that it was released on 7" vinyl as well. Needless to say i had to have that! So i ordered it and today it arrived for me. By now i know the three songs by heart, but still i've been playing them over and over this evening. So good! Especially 'Dwell' on side B is a favourite. It's shoegaze-influenced post-punk, somewhat comparable with bands like Whirr or Nothing. And the good thing is: they're from Belgium! Means i'll hopefully have a chance to see them live on stage somewhere in the near future here in Holland. The artwork of this little gem is really cool by the way, and is done by Nick Steinhardt who also did Deafheaven's 'Sunbather'. As you can see on the picture, my copy is pink. There were 1000 copies made of that colour, and another 1000 on yellow.

Label: Secret Voice
Cat.nr.: SV08
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. Mask
02. Aria

SIDE B:
01. Dwell

The Fauns - Fragile (Clint Mansell Remix) [12"]

This special 12" was released (in the UK only) for Record Store Day 2013. Been trying to get my hands on one, but without any success. Until recently when THE FAUNS launched a Kickstarter fundraiser for their tour with Alcest, which is currently taking place. They were selling a few of these 12" remix singles and also signed them, for this occasion. So i ordered one to help them out a bit and got this long-desired piece of vinyl in return. That's what i call a win-win situation ;)
The song FRAGILE is my favourite of their debut album, and this remix by film music composer (and former lead singer for Pop Will Eat Itself) Clint Mansell is a really good one. So is actually the re-worked version of The Sun Is Cruising by Invada label manager Redg Weeks.

Label: Invada
Cat.nr.: INV 121 LP
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Fragile (Clint Mansell Remix)

SIDE B:
01. The Sun Is Cruising (Redg Weeks Re-work)

Anne - Dreampunx [12", LP]

This LP by the band ANNE is actually a compilation of various demo and mixtape recordings from 2010 and 2011. It's a really cool shoegaze/dreampop album, released on A389 Recordings, which is otherwise home to hardcore and metalcore bands like Ringworm and Integrity. Perhaps that's how they came to the title DREAMPUNX. Anyway, the title may be a bit silly, but the music's certainly not. I knew the band's name from a split 7" they did with Whirr (still looking for the thing, actually) and stumbled upon this LP some time ago. So after double-checking if it was the same band, i decided to take a chance buy it. Turned out to be certainly worth it! And not only is their sound great; the beautiful album artwork and coloured vinyl top it off.

Label: A389 Recordings
Cat.nr.: A389-081
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. All Your Time
02. Virginal Plight
03. Thrush
04. Lower Faiths

SIDE B:
01. Tarvantovaara
02. Get It How You Live
03. Perfect Teeth
04. Summer Babies
05. Punk Bike

Deafheaven - Sunbather [12", 2LP]

DEAFHEAVEN's album SUNBATHER was discussed a lot this summer on the internet forums and blogs. Hardcore kids considered it to be too much black metal, while black metal purists hated it because of the pink artwork and the fact that they are simply not a "true" black metal band, but more like a post-metal band with a short-haired black metal vocalist. But the printed press and webzines loved it, and the album got some really good reviews. Metacritic even came to a 92/100, which is fabulous of course. As for myself, i think it's indeed a good album. When you leave out the vocals, it's still a good album in its genre, but not something extremely special anymore. So i'm not sure if it's deserving this whole hype. Well anyway, i'm happy with my copy, which is one of 4500 of the second press on what the label calls "baby pink and piss yellow" vinyl.

Label: Deathwish
Cat.nr.: DW146
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Dream House
02. Irresistible

SIDE B:
01. Sunbather
02. Please Remember

SIDE C:
01. Vertigo

SIDE D:
01. Windows
02. The Pecan Tree

Smashing Pumpkins - Tristessa [7"]

Today's best find (see previous post) was definitely this SMASHING PUMPKINS limited pink coloured single, called TRISTESSA. It was released as a part of the Sub Pop Singles Club series. Normally very expensive these days, because it's pretty rare, but at •33|45• i ran into a fairly priced copy. Been looking for this single for a long time!

Label: Sub Pop
Cat.nr.: SP90
Year of release: 1990

SIDE A:
01. Tristessa

SIDE B:
01. La Dolly Vita

Ringo Deathstarr - Colour Trip [12", LP]

COLOUR TRIP is RINGO DEATHSTARR's debut full length. A lovely album full of shoegaze, noise and dreampop. The first pressing was on clear yellow vinyl, but i am actually happy i have a copy of the second pressing because the bubblegum pink colour fits better with the artwork. Both pressings were done in 500 copies by the way.
Like the other releases i have of them, bought at their show with the Smashing Pumpkins in Amsterdam, 2011.

Label: Club AC30
Cat.nr.: AC308021
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Imagine Hearts
02. Do It Every Time
03. So High
04. Two Girls
05. Kaleidoscope
06. Day Dreamy

SIDE B:
01. Tambourine Girl
02. Chloe
03. Never Drive
04. You Don't Listen
05. Other Things

The Big Pink - A Brief History Of Love [12", 2LP, Limited Edition]

Their new album Future This just came out, but after a few listens i can say that i like their debut 10x better. A BRIEF HISTORY OF LOVE is darker, more intense, and to my opinion therefore much more exciting. This is a great package: a 180 gram double album with a nice embossed sleeve with the band name in golden letters:


But what makes this a limited edition, is that it includes a bonus 12". A one-sided, etched, black/pink 12" in a pvc sleeve, that features a remix of Velvet by Gang Gang Dance.




Label: 4AD
Cat.nr.: CAD 2916
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. Crystal Visions
02. Too Young To Love

SIDE B:
01. Dominos
02. Love In Vain
03. At War With The Sun

SIDE C:
01. Velvet
02. Golden Pendulum
03. Frisk

SIDE D:
01. A Brief History Of Love
02. Tonight
03. Count Backwards From Ten


Bonus 12"
Cat.nr.: MIX 2916

SIDE A:
01. Velvet (Bdg Remix)

SIDE B:
etching

Ringo Deathstarr - Shadow EP [10"]

This SHADOW EP is one of the vinyls i bought at RINGO DEATHSTARR's support show for the Smashing Pumpkins, in Amsterdam last year. I knew the band already but it was the first time i saw them live, and i was pretty much blown away. Although the stage was a bit too big for them, it was a really good show.
This EP came out late 2011 and is filling the gap between their first album (Colour Trip) and the upcoming second, which is planned for later this year.
I love this band's sound. It's kind of a mixture between The Jesus And Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and A Place To Bury Strangers. The song Just You is a cover of Angelo Badalamenti's tune that was featured on the second season of Twin Peaks.

Label: Club AC30
Cat.nr.: AC308104
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Shadow
02. New Way

SIDE B:
01. Prisms
02. Just You