Friday, March 02, 2007
the waiting is the hardest part
On one hand, I've checked out a ton of records that I wouldn't have otherwise bought, and ended up purchasing them and going to shows as a result. The only bad part about that is the effect on my bank account.
On the other hand, the whole process kind of takes the magic out of record stores. My copy of the Rapture's latest is still in its shrink rap. I snagged a nice VO rip a week before the album's release, and then picked up the actual CD the week after it came out, but haven't really felt compelled to throw it in my actual stereo. Plus, while the cover is ok looking, I doubt I'm missing out on some especially interesting artwork or liners. Ditto for the last two Sonic Youth releases. I actually did open them up to look at the liners, but they haven't seen a lot of stereo time, since my discman's been out of commission and I really prefer my SY via headphones while walking/biking around. I certainly appreciate the fact that I can avoid spending money on crap records (and instead spend that and more on good ones), but I've got a bit of nostalgia for the days when I rushed down to the record store after school/work on a Tuesday, ripped open the package and threw it blissfully into my discman.
On that note, the new Feist record leaked, and it's absolutely wonderful. While it's still soft enough for mom, some of the slick sheen's been sanded off of the production. The results are a record that sounds just a touch more ornate than the very stripped down Apostle of Hustle "UnMix" of Inside+Out, and at times shares some sonic territory with Julie Doiron's guitar/voice arrangements. If you search around, I'm sure you can sample some of it for yourself. Despite the fact that it just might be my favourite thing of the year so far, I still couldn't bring myself to shell out the $95(!) for a pair of tix for her show this morning.
Somewhat related to downloading, and coming from the opposite perspective, I want to give a shout out to Team Clermont. The publicity co. has started delivering promos via YouSendIt. While I'm sure it saves them money, the move also cuts down on padded mailers, unnecessary shipping, and perhaps most importantly, a lot of hunks of plastic that end up sitting in piles in the offices of writers and bloggers from all over. There's no way that someone's going to like every disc they get, and this definitely cuts down on a lot of waste. They're also perfectly willing to ship out a physical disc when something really turns your crank, which is nice...
Speaking of, they sent out the new Sister Vanilla record, and it's the first really great surprise I've heard all year. The news that Jim and William Reid were getting back together on record got overshadowed by their pending reunion as of late, so I'd forgotten all about this album. It's really their sister, Linda, who's taking centre stage, but the influence of her brothers is all over the 13 tracks. Her voice is a bit less dreamy and a little more forceful, but on the whole Little Pop Rock is like an album's worth of Jesus and Mary Chain and Hope Sandoval collaborations. And those were gold. On a side note, if you're a JaMC freak like me, you might be interested in noting that she did the cover of the "April Skies" 7".
PFork posted these a little while ago, but if you missed them, do yourself a favour and grab them now. The record's in stores on April 3rd (unless you're in Japan, then you can get it right now).
download: Sister Vanilla - Jamcolas
download: Sister Vanilla - Can't Stop the Rock
Three tracks from Wilco's forthcoming record leaked. I'll refrain from putting in my two cents on the music, but will point out that the blog that posted them got its account suspended for "breaking WordPress.com's terms of service." Apparently it's been happening with other mp3s as well. Idolator has more.
CSS is at Richard's on June 6th with Bonde do Role. If you were at Celebs when both bands rolled through opening for Diplo in August, you know that you absolutely do not want to miss this. CSS were amazing.
Lavender Diamond is at Richard's on May 23rd.
Last but certainly note least, David from the Lamplighter emailed me to let me know that he's now booking the room. He also hasn't hesitated to immediately fill up the schedule for March with 19 shows over 15 days. I'm just about to head out for the evening, so I'll pick out some of the gigs that jump out at me soon. But in the meantime, you can form your own opinion (which is probably more refined anyhow) by checking out the full line up on the Lamp's website.
now playing: the Blow - the Sky Opened Wide Like the Tide
the waiting is the hardest part
After avoiding it for the longest time, then relenting and embracing it head on, I'm starting to reconsider downloading things before their release date. It's still a bit of a double edged sword though.
On one hand, I've checked out a ton of records that I wouldn't have otherwise bought, and ended up purchasing them and going to shows as a result. The only bad part about that is the effect on my bank account.
On the other hand, the whole process kind of takes the magic out of record stores. My copy of the Rapture's latest is still in its shrink rap. I snagged a nice VO rip a week before the album's release, and then picked up the actual CD the week after it came out, but haven't really felt compelled to throw it in my actual stereo. Plus, while the cover is ok looking, I doubt I'm missing out on some especially interesting artwork or liners. Ditto for the last two Sonic Youth releases. I actually did open them up to look at the liners, but they haven't seen a lot of stereo time, since my discman's been out of commission and I really prefer my SY via headphones while walking/biking around. I certainly appreciate the fact that I can avoid spending money on crap records (and instead spend that and more on good ones), but I've got a bit of nostalgia for the days when I rushed down to the record store after school/work on a Tuesday, ripped open the package and threw it blissfully into my discman.
On that note, the new Feist record leaked, and it's absolutely wonderful. While it's still soft enough for mom, some of the slick sheen's been sanded off of the production. The results are a record that sounds just a touch more ornate than the very stripped down Apostle of Hustle "UnMix" of Inside+Out, and at times shares some sonic territory with Julie Doiron's guitar/voice arrangements. If you search around, I'm sure you can sample some of it for yourself. Despite the fact that it just might be my favourite thing of the year so far, I still couldn't bring myself to shell out the $95(!) for a pair of tix for her show this morning.
Somewhat related to downloading, and coming from the opposite perspective, I want to give a shout out to Team Clermont. The publicity co. has started delivering promos via YouSendIt. While I'm sure it saves them money, the move also cuts down on padded mailers, unnecessary shipping, and perhaps most importantly, a lot of hunks of plastic that end up sitting in piles in the offices of writers and bloggers from all over. There's no way that someone's going to like every disc they get, and this definitely cuts down on a lot of waste. They're also perfectly willing to ship out a physical disc when something really turns your crank, which is nice...
Speaking of, they sent out the new Sister Vanilla record, and it's the first really great surprise I've heard all year. The news that Jim and William Reid were getting back together on record got overshadowed by their pending reunion as of late, so I'd forgotten all about this album. It's really their sister, Linda, who's taking centre stage, but the influence of her brothers is all over the 13 tracks. Her voice is a bit less dreamy and a little more forceful, but on the whole Little Pop Rock is like an album's worth of Jesus and Mary Chain and Hope Sandoval collaborations. And those were gold. On a side note, if you're a JaMC freak like me, you might be interested in noting that she did the cover of the "April Skies" 7".
PFork posted these a little while ago, but if you missed them, do yourself a favour and grab them now. The record's in stores on April 3rd (unless you're in Japan, then you can get it right now).
download: Sister Vanilla - Jamcolas
download: Sister Vanilla - Can't Stop the Rock
Three tracks from Wilco's forthcoming record leaked. I'll refrain from putting in my two cents on the music, but will point out that the blog that posted them got its account suspended for "breaking WordPress.com's terms of service." Apparently it's been happening with other mp3s as well. Idolator has more.
CSS is at Richard's on June 6th with Bonde do Role. If you were at Celebs when both bands rolled through opening for Diplo in August, you know that you absolutely do not want to miss this. CSS were amazing.
Lavender Diamond is at Richard's on May 23rd.
Last but certainly note least, David from the Lamplighter emailed me to let me know that he's now booking the room. He also hasn't hesitated to immediately fill up the schedule for March with 19 shows over 15 days. I'm just about to head out for the evening, so I'll pick out some of the gigs that jump out at me soon. But in the meantime, you can form your own opinion (which is probably more refined anyhow) by checking out the full line up on the Lamp's website.
now playing: the Blow - the Sky Opened Wide Like the Tide
Labels: feist, riaa, show announcements, sister vanilla
1 Comments:
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By 
, at
7:25 p.m.
