Recordstoreday 2016: Part 1

It is that time of year again where I queue up outside the best independent record shop in the UK #Fact, Resident in Brighton (www.resident-music.com).

So, at 5pm on Friday night I started to queue (in 4th position) where I would then spend 14 hours staring longingly through the shop window at all the Recordstoreday releases.  

The rain came and went, the temperature dropped and the wind blew, but most annoyingly of all, the drunks kept asking “why are you queuing up”.  For the first few hours we answered honestly, with the hope that we would be admired – we weren’t. Eventually we got bored and started answering with such unbelievable responses that hopefully people would leave us be. Some favourites included:

• Meet and Greet with David Bowie (and other recently deceased celebrities)
• See Justin Bieber perform and Instore
• A peaceful protest supporting a variety of causes

At 7am, the doors opened and we wove our way around the store to have our pick lists collected and await the 8am kurfew to pass.

8am came, and lots of money went…. And these are the resulting additions to my collection.

Seven Inch Singles:

Public Service Broadcasting – The Other Side: 2 sided picture disc with a picture of the moon surrounded by a red and green background. A really good looking piece.   
Death Cab For Cutie – Tractor Rape Chain: Exclusive single featuring Ben covering Guided by Voices classic, Tractor Rape Chain. Pressed in white vinyl and housed in a retro looking sleeve. 

 
Bring Me The Horizon – Live from Maida Vale: A very ‘BMTH’ looking picture disc, with different colour backgrounds on each side. Featuring two tracks from the latest album performed at the BBC’s iconic Maida Vale.  

   

Muse – Reapers: A really cool looking picture disc from Muse featuring a comic looking rocket dropping bombs. Housed in a clear sleeve, with an inlay that doubles up as an origami drone. I think I will photocopy it to make the drone rather than wreck the inlay! Features an album and live version of the track.  

 
The Bee-Gees/ Faith No More – I Started A Joke (Side by Side): The only one of this years side by side releases that I wanted was this one, featuring the Faith No More version of I Started A Joke. A great single made all the better by being pressed on lime green vinyl housed in a die cut sleeve. 

 
Gerard Way –  Pinkish/ Don’t Try: A single featuring two out takes from the Hesitant Alien sessions. Pressed on Red, Pink and Purple splattered vinyl so nice to look at, with both sides looking drastically different (one looks more marble, whilst the other looks like the traditional splatter effect).

   
Foals – Rain/ Daffodil: Foals continue the tradition of releasing some for RSD with this years offering, 2 new tracks on Rain and Daffodil. Pressed on black vinyl and following the stylings used for the singles off of the recent “What Went Down”album.  

 

Bastille – Hangin’: The new single from Bastille pressed on white vinyl. Housed in a paper sleeve inside a die cut sleeve featuring a man falling down.  

 
Circa Waves – Something Like You: A new single featuring two tracks. Pressed on white vinyl.  

 
Twenty One Pilots – Disquaire Day: A two track charity single (at least I think it is) featuring two live tracks from the latest album. Pressed on black vinyl.

 

Ten Inch Singles:

John Williams – The Force Awakens: A two track 10″ featuring two pieces of music from the movie; March of the Resistance and Rey’s Theme. The real draw with this one though is the picture that features a front and rear shot of everyone’s favourite Corellian YT-1300 Freighter. 

   
Rob Zombie – Well, Everyone’s Fucking on the U.F.O.: I won’t lie, this one pretty much only got bought for the title. The artwork helped too, but once I opened it and saw the b-side etching this any regrets dissipated.  

 
PinkShinyUltraBlast – Happy Songs for Happy Zombies: I knew nothing about this band before RSD16, but am so glad I got told to buy it by a fellow music lover. Not only are the tracks amazing, a big fat slice of Russian Shoegaze Alt-Pop, but it is presented on a quite lovely red and orange marbled slab of vinyl (the orange is a bit translucency too). Housed in a highly attractive fully printed internal card sleeve that matches the outer cover. The simplistic rabbit and deer on the covers are pretty cute too! Pricey, but an instant favourite – so well worth it. Downside is that I now feel compelled to collect the rest of their releases. 

 

May Catch-Up Post

May has been a busy month with gigs and record purchasing and I finally now have some time catch up and blog about some of the great things that I have acquired.

First up is the “Goodtime Boys”. A UK hardcore band currently signed to Bridge 9 that came to my attention via a strategically placed poster (right by my head) at a recent Boy Jumps Ship! gig. I cannot tell you how glad I am to have found this epic band, not just because they are quite frankly amazing, but because they are Bridge 9 – it means their vinyl releases look amazing and are always made up of numerous variants. So I bought the lot (nearly) and got it all signed at their ‘Rain’ release party at Brighton’s Bermuda Triangle.

Complete collection (post signing):

New album ‘Rain’ on white and pink vinyl:

Split EP with Self Defence Family on blue 7″:

Things I Still Don’t Understand EP on white 7″:

Every Landscape EP on clear green 7″:

What’s Left To Let Go EP on Purple/ Pink/ Green merged 12″:

Goodtime Boys live at the Bermuda Triangle (photo):

At the aforementioned Goodtime Boys show, I also picked up the 12″ releases by both the support acts, “We Never Learned to Live” and “Grappler” – also now both fully signed.

We Never Learned to Live – We Never Learned to Live EP on single sided clear 12″ with black etching on the reverse:

Grappler – Everything I Ever Feared on white/black split 12″:

Also this month I popped down to see “The Wonder Years” play Brighton’s The Haunt and again purchased the support acts releases, this time “State Champs” and “A Loss For Words”.

State Champs – The Finer Things on multicoloured rainbow split/splatter 12″:

A Loss For Words – The Kids Can’t Lose on cream/ blue/ red merged 12″:

When not attending live shows, I have still been shopping hard online – picking a few other little gems, most of which have also come on coloured vinyl, including:

Cosmo – Cosmo EP on picture disc 10″:

Cosmo is a band, led by Felix White (The Maccabees), that features guest vocals from Jack Penate, Florence Welch, Jessie Ware, Jamie N Commons, Johnny Bramwell and Adam Day. It also features Sam Doyle, Hugo White, Jack Birchwood and Chris Woolison.

Haim – If I Could Change Your Mind (all 3 sleeve variants) on Turquoise 10″:

Next up is couple of “Tall Ships” releases that I was missing:

Tall Ships – T=0 single on white 7″:

Tall Ships – Hit The Floor 7″:

Following from their amazing set at this year’s Great Escape festival, I also picked the latest EP and Single by a four piece from Belgium called BRNS who weave together tunes that are mystical, moody and insatiably catchy.

BRNS – Wounded EP on 12″and Void Single on 7″:

And finally, a handful of US only releases. First up is two RecordStoreDay 2014 releases by “Foals” and “Death Cab For Cutie” followed by the Adeline Records reissue of “Green Day” Minority single.

Foals – Live from the Royal Albert Hall EP on 12″:

Death Cab for Cutie featuring the Magik*Magik Orchestra – Live 2012 LP on 2×12″:

Green Day – Minority single on translucent red 7″

And that concludes May’s vinyl acquisitions…. and already June is shaping up to be even better 😀

RecordStoreDay 2013 Update 4

Time for another RSD13 update.

Starting off with a couple of 12″s, first up being part 1 of the Deftones Live Selections From series – Adrenaline:

Next up, the Team Ghost – Terre Brûlée EP on cherry red vinyl:

Next, Built to Spill’s 2×12″ Live reissue:

Next up, Chapel Club’s super colourful 12″ picture disc sampler for the forthcoming new LP (picture is the same both sides):

Then, finally for the 12″s, is the Pulp X Soulwax single

Lastly, for this update at least, a selection of 7″s from Frank Turner (brown vinyl), Dog Is Dead, Glasvegas (white vinyl) [picture one] and The Twilight Sad, Moby/Mark Lanegan, Foals and Everything Everything (signed) [picture two]

Another box-set Tuesday

Another Tuesday and another box-set delivery 😀

This time it’s the turn of the new Foals album, “Holy Fire” – to rock up in a fancy pants box, with a nice set of 12″ prints and a nice gatefold sleeved LP

But the vinyl itself is the real treat – a glorious black/beige marbled piece of 180gram vinyl – truly special.

Ps – the album is pretty damned good too! Have a look….

Number 1368 out of 2000