Sleep - Dopesmoker [12", 2LP]

This recent reissue of SLEEP's DOPESMOKER is the ultimate version of this stoner classic, they say. It sounds cleaner and heavier than previous versions. My copy is one of the clear pressing (2000 made) that was distributed in Europe.

Label: Southern Lord
Cat.nr.: LORD158
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. Dopesmoker

SIDE B:
01. Dopesmoker

SIDE C:
01.Dopesmoker

SIDE D:
01. Holy Mountain (May 1994 I-Beam, San Francisco, CA)
02. Sonic Titan (April 1992 Gilman Street, Berkeley, CA)

Austra - Sparkle [12"]

The SPARKLE EP by AUSTRA features 6 remixes from songs from the band's debut album Feel It Break. Nice stuff for the dancefloor; especially the Still Going and Steffi Bass-Break Dub remixes of Beat And The Pulse are really good. There's a download card included for these 6 tracks + 4 other remixes, all of the song Lose It.


Label: Domino
Cat.nr.: DNO938
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Spellwork (MNDR Nighttime Remix)                                                   
02. Lose It (Mark Pistel Dub Remix) 
03. Lose It (PlanningToRock Remix)

SIDE B:
01. Beat And The Pulse (Still Going Remix)                                                   
02. Beat And The Pulse (Steffi Bass-Break Dub Remix)                                                   
03. Beat And The Pulse (Kool Thing Remix)                                                   

                                                 

Blur - Leisure [12", LP]

Recently, EMI reissued all the BLUR albums on both CD and vinyl (plus a boxset on both formats with loads of extras as well). Nice for the real fans and collectors of course -which i do not consider myself- but also an opportunity for people like me who'd like to have one of their favourite albums from the early '90s on vinyl finally. I might buy a few more of these titles later on, but LEISURE is just of of those albums that i've been looking for for quite a while now. It contains the hits that i got to know Blur from; and for some reason to me those are still heir best songs. Even though for example Girls & Boys, Song 2 and The Universal from later albums are excellent tunes, She's So High and There's No Other Way are still my Blur favourites. Classic indie stuff and definitely in the same league as The Only One I Know by The Charlatans and Dragging Me Down by Inspiral Carpets, to name but a few.

The album comes with a download card for loads of material: the remastered album itself, the 16 songs that are featured on the CD version's bonus disc, plus pdf versions of editions of old fanclub zines. Nice!

Label: EMI
Cat.nr.: FOODLPX6
Year of release: 2012 (originally 1991)

SIDE A:
01. She's So High
02. Bang
03. Slow Down
04. Repetition
05. Bad Day
06. Sing

SIDE B:
01. There's No Other Way
02. Fool
03. Come Together
04. High Cool
05. Birthday
06. Wear Me Down

Medicine - Time Baby 2 [7"]

MEDICINE is a band that i have always overlooked for some reason. I knew of their existence, saw the vids every now and then on programs like MTV's 120 Minutes, but it just didn't click. But very recently i came across them again, and now i'm totally hooked. It turned out that they've recently reissued their Shot Forth Self Living and The Buried Life albums on vinyl, plus this TIME BABY 2 single was released. Originally from 1993, the song was re-recorded a year later as Time Baby 3 (used for the movie The Crow), but this version is way cooler to my personal opinion. It had originally only come out briefly in the UK as a single (the 5ive EP, on Creation) but that "suffered from poor, out of phase mastering" apparently, as Captured Tracks describes it on their homepage. This version definitely sounds great.


Label: Captured Tracks
Cat.nr.: CT-132
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Time Baby 2

SIDE B:
01. Miss Drugstore (Alternate Mix)

Airiel - Kid Games [12"]

AIRIEL from Chicago has been around for something like 15 years already, but as far as i know, this KID GAMES EP from earlier this year is their first ever vinyl release. It contains 4 beautiful shoegaze/dreampop tracks in the vein of Ride and Slowdive. Awesome stuff, and hopefully they'll release some of their older works like The Battle Of Sealand on vinyl as well some day.


Label: Shelflife
Cat.nr.: LIFE083
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. Funerals
02. You Against The Rest Of Us

SIDE B:
01. Flashlight Tag
02. Daydreamer

Crocodiles - Sunday [7"]

Bought this maroon-coloured 7" by CROCODILES at their show in the basement of the Amsterdam Paradiso a few months ago. It's the first single off their latest Endless Flowers album.
SUNDAY (Psychic Conversation #9) is a typical Crocodiles song: fuzzy and rocking. B-side Fascist Cops is a cover, originally by Belgian punk band The Kids, and totally fits their (Ramones/Jesus & Mary Chain-influenced) sound.


Label: Souterrain Transmissions
Cat.nr.: SOU032
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. Sunday (Psychic Conversation #9)

SIDE B:
01. Fascist Cops

Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will [12", 2LP]

To me, one of the best albums of 2011 was HARDCORE WILL NEVER DIE, BUT YOU WILL by MOGWAI. I saw them live that year as well (for the first time, can you believe it) and it was just awesome. This band just never fails to impress me with their albums.


Label: Rock Action
Cat.nr.: ROCKACT55LP
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. White Noise
02. Mexican Grand Prix
03. Rano Pano

SIDE B:
01. Death Rays
02. San Pedro
03. Letters To The Metro

SIDE C:
01. George Square Thatcher Death Party
02. How To Be A Werewolf

SIDE D:
01. Too Raging To Cheers
02. You're Lionel Richie