Brian Jonestown Massacre - Aufheben [12", 2LP]

 

Fantastic album by the BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE that came out in 2012. I only bought it quite late in the year, but if i wouldn't have done that, it probably would have ended up in my Top 10 list of last year. Anyway, AUFHEBEN only has awesome songs on it and it's still a regular on my record player. I love the artwork as well, and the two different kinds of blue vinyl that are used. Top notch product.

Label: A Records
Year of release: 2012
Cat.nr.: AUK023LP

SIDE A:
01. Panic In Babylon
02. Viholliseni Maalla
03. Gaz Hilarant

SIDE B:
01. Illuminomi
02. I Want To Hold Your Other Hand
03. Face Down On The Moon

SIDE C:
01. The Clouds Are Lies
02. Stairway To The Best Party In The Universe
03. Seven Kinds Of Wonderful

SIDE D:
01. Waking Up To Hand Grenades
02. Blue Order/New Monday

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

Fuck Buttons - The Red Wing [12"]

Most of the vinyl i own that was originally advertised by its record label as being "gold" is actualy more like transparent yellow, but this 12" by FUCK BUTTONS at least really looks like gold. It's a limited edition of 1000 copies, and the first single off their new album Slow Focus. THE RED WING is a lengthy dubby track, that like many Fuck Buttons songs takes a while to take off. But once it has, it's unfolding as a majestic tune that really sticks in your head during the nearly 8 minutes it lasts. B-side The Whip on the other hand isn't bad, but a little too monotonous to my taste. All in all, a pretty cool maxi by this electronic band with quite a distinctive sound.

Label: ATP Recordings
Cat.nr.: ATPRSP20
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. The Red Wing

SIDE B:
01. The Whip

Inspiral Carpets - She Comes In The Fall [12"]

Not really a band i've ever been particularly into, the INSPIRAL CARPETS, but they made a few nice singles. Dragging Me Down is still my favourite while Caravan and Bitches Brew come second and third, but SHE COMES IN THE FALL is not bad either. Ran into this 12" at the Utrecht recordfair last spring and it was pretty cheap so i couldn't refuse buying it. If only i'd known in advance that i would discover the album where the song comes from (Life) a few hours later at the same fair for just a few bucks more. Ah well, it's got a nice cow-cover.

Label: Mute
Cat.nr.: DUNG 10T
Year of release: 1990

SIDE A:
01. She Comes In The Fall
02. Commercial Reign

SIDE B:
01. Sackville

Field Mouse - How Do You Know [7"]

Never heard of the band FIELD MOUSE before, and i actually bought this 7" just because of the B-side. Stumbled upon their cover of Julee Cruise's Falling on Youtube and then found out it came from this single, so i ordered it. It's a great dreampop version of the Twin Peaks tune. But the song HOW DO YOU KNOW on the A-side is pretty cool as well. The single's pressed on some kind of purple/black/grey swirl mix. Until now, they released only this 7" and one other 7", plus a few download-only tracks. Really a band to watch and let's hope they'll release a full album sometime.

Label: Lefse Records
Cat.nr.: LEFSE044
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. How Do You Know

SIDE B:
01. Falling  (Twin Peaks Theme)

Medicine - To The Happy Few [12", LP]

Little over a year ago i got into the band MEDICINE and i never expected that they'd release something new. But guess what? In the same year that My Bloody Valentine finally release their long-awaited successor of Loveless, their american counterparts (as some people always considered them to be) come up with a brand new album called TO THE HAPPY FEW. You could even call it a triumphant return. Really good stuff - the more i listen to it, the better i think it is. It's got that typical Medicine-sound (mechanical noises, shrill guitars) but somewhat more organic, and certainly better produced than their earlier work. It's actually more psychedelic than shoegaze. My favourite song of the album (at this moment at least) is All You Need To Know. It's got a bit of a Flaming Lips vibe.
Oh yeah, one funny detail: the last song, Daylight, ends in an eternal groove. A loop that goes on and on and on. I only noticed it after a minute or so, when i thought that the song's end lasted just a bit too long ;)
Anyway, To The Happy Few is definitely a contestant for my Top 10 list for 2013.

Label: Captured Tracks
Cat.nr.: CT-183
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Long As The Sun
02. It's Not Enough
03. Burn It
04. Holy Crimes
05. The End Of The Line

SIDE B:
01. Butterfly's Out Tonight
02. All You Need To Know
03. Find Me Always
04. Pull The Trigger
05. Daylight

The Smiths - How Soon Is Now [7"]

Last week i paid a visit to the second-hand store again where i had bought that David Bowie single from the Dutch Top 40 archive earlier. Decided to have a closer look at the other singles from that source that they had standing there, and i really found some cool things in there this time around. I recon you can look at those singles in two ways: either you look at them as unique pieces with some historical value (being from the archive of the official Dutch Top 40 Foundation, from a time when there was only one official radio station in Holland), or consider them as mutilated releases with a stamp and a sticker on the centre label, and no original sleeve anymore. I'm still not really sure what to think of them, but at least for me personally it feels a bit special since i am aware that i might have heard this very vinyl being played on the airwaves at the time. On the other hand i really do regret that they don't have picture sleeves anymore. Especially in the case of this single by THE SMITHS. Either way, i buy them for the songs. I wasn't even aware when i picked this out of the crate that it would be a rather rare release.
When the single William, It Was Really Nothing was released in the UK it had besides the song featured on the B-side of this 7" (Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want - which was the B-side for the UK 7" as well) also the song HOW SOON IS NOW on the B-side of the 3-track 12". And when it was time to release the 7" single in Holland and How Soon Is Now had become a popular tune in the alternative clubs in the meantime, Megadisc decided that that song would actually be a much better choice to release as A-side. So they kept the same catalogue number RT166 and William was completely dropped, in favour of How Soon. And instead of the green sleeve that the (first pressing of the) UK single had, the colour was lilac for this one. Following the success of this song in Holland, How Soon was then also released as single first in America and later, the following year, also in the UK (as RT176 with Well I Wonder as B-side).
From what i've read, there were two versions made of this Dutch edition: one on Megadisc and one on Rough Trade which said "Made in EEC". The last one being the most rare, apparently. And that's exactly the one that i dug up. So in this case it would've been better i guess when this was a regular copy with the original sleeve. On the other hand, all the singles from this archive are in such good condition (NM+ at least) that as for the audio i probably would never have found one in such condition.

Label: Rough Trade
Cat.nr.: RT166
Year of release: 1984

SIDE A:
01. How Soon Is Now

SIDE B:
01. Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want