I’m pulling out some old favorites for this week’s Friday Five. Some of these bands might be familiar to you, others might be new. Hopefully you’ll all find something to appreciate in the mix below.
1. El May – “Don’t You”
2. The Diaries – “Read My Mind”
3. Stars – “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead”
4. Missy Higgins – “The Special Two”
5. Marketa Irglova – “Go Back”
I received a gift certificate for Last Vestige Music Shop in Albany, NY for my birthday two weeks ago, and it was burning such a hole in my pocket that I made a trip to the shop as soon as humanly possible. I’d been to Last Vestige before and knew they had a lot of great stuff, so I was looking forward to the visit. Sure enough, I found more records than I had $$, so I purchased a small pile and will have to save the other records for another trip.
As you’ll be able to see in the video, my tastes vary widely: I love punk, indie, Canrock, jazz, folk, and anything that gives me warm, fuzzy nostalgia for my childhood. On this trip, I bought everything from The Rickets to Enya. Don’t judge. I see you giving Enya the side-eye.
I also show a few albums that I’d ordered online, and have clips of the music for everyone to check out, so give ‘er a watch below, eh?
I’ll be honest — most of my week has been devoted to July Talk, whose excellent second album arrived at my house last weekend, and Mitski, because, well, it’s Mitski and “Puberty 2” is a phenomenal album. But I’ve also given a listen to the new Wilco album, and I’ve been listening to one-off songs as they come up in playlists or my memory. And those are mostly what I’m featuring today. It’s a mostly quiet collection of songs, good for the fast-approaching fall and those cold, cold nights.
1. Wilco – “Cry All Day”
I really like this new Wilco album. It’s quiet, low-fi, cohesive. I prefer it to last year’s “Star Wars” release. This is probably my favorite track off “Schmilco” after one listen.
2. Venus and the Moon – “Marry Me”
I love these guys. I’ve been a fan of Frally Hynes since her first solo release, and this project with Rain Phoenix is just as exquisite.
3. Laura Gibson – “Empire Builder”
I’m new to Laura, but I like her sound, and I love this quiet beauty of a song.
4. Rose Cousins – “What I See”
Whenever I’m in the mood for some Rose, I always go to this live recording of “What I See” first. I actually prefer it to the studio version, though both are lovely. Damn fine Canadian music.
5. Kathleen Edwards – “Soft Place to Land”
My favorite song off her 2012 release, “Voyageur.” And I love this live version with the ever-lovely Hannah Georgas on backing vocals. Kathleen’s busy these days running a coffee shop in Stittsville, Ontario, but I do hope she’ll eventually return to the music, especially when I listen to songs like this one. Oh, Kitty, I miss you.
Lakeshore Records released their final details this morning for the different Stranger Things Volume 1 variants, and provided pre-order links where available. Of all the variants, I liked the clear with black smoke the best, but I didn’t jump on it when Bullmoose unleashed their pre-order early, and none of the links provided today had any available either. My second favorite US variant was the translucent red with black swirl available as an exclusive through Barnes & Noble, so I grabbed one of those quickly. I’m still holding out hope that I can snag a clear with black smoke variant at some point, but at least I’ve secured a copy that I do really like.
Barnes & Noble Exclusive. Photo via Lakeshore Records / filmmusicdaily.com
The UK Invada variants are pretty gorgeous, but shipping to the US was pricey, so I decided to wait and see what the combo pack will look like with both volumes. It’ll be tempting, despite the high shipping costs, if it has a lot of bells and whistles.
What’s your favorite variant?
I didn’t realize how much vinyl I’d accumulated during the two months after my vacation. I’d pre-ordered so many albums before June, and they all started arriving in my mailbox. Then I got a few gift cards from work and decided to use those to buy even more vinyl. The result is this mega haul, which I highlight in the video below. Eskimeaux, the Tragically Hip, Hannah Georgas, Florist, AroarA, soundtracks, you name it. Check it out!
I’ve been slacking. No Friday Five for two weeks now. But I was sick with a bad cold and just didn’t feel up for making any selections. I’m all mended now, though, so I’ve pulled a bunch of tunes from my work playlists to share with you all. It’s really a mixed bag of music, but there should be something in this group for everyone. As usual, if you hear something you like, buy it! I don’t get anything from it other than the satisfaction of having influenced a listener out there, but in this day and age when so much music is simply streamed for free or illegally downloaded, I feel I need to nudge everyone towards supporting the artists with a purchase.
1. Alvvays – “Adult Diversion”
2. The Both – “Milwaukee”
3. Jennifer Castle – “Nature”
4. PJ Harvey – “Good Fortune”
5. Wild Flag – “Romance”
vinylhysteria.com 