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Hi everyone and thanks for taking time to read our newsletter. We appreciate it. This week I am writing with relative ease compared to last week as cool-ass boss Daniel, after learning my laptop was on the fritz, literally went out the next day and bought me a brand new one. So, I am counting my blessings and enjoying the major upgrade. The only thing that I don’t have this week (as usual) is a lot of time, and I am writing to catch the deadline.
Our week here in Raleigh had a brilliant hump-day bump when punk hero TV Smith & The Adverts played local venue Kings, and our very own Scarecrow got to open. TV Smith was incredible. His current crop of Adverts nailed every tune and between them they delivered a professional yet full of fun set. Everyone watching had grins wider than the Cheshire Cat. We even had a chance to chat with TV and the band briefly afterwards. It was a terrific evening and one we won’t forget.
The week also saw lots of boxes of records getting delivered to the store and they all contained cool records. It’s hard to know where to begin.
I was happy to take home a copy of the Soul Jazz compilation called Secret Superstar Sounds that we restocked. Check that out if you like obscure punk and power pop from the late 1970s and early 1980s. As usual with all Soul Jazz comps, the selections are all faultless and afford us poor saps the chance to hear and own some expensive and hard to find tunes on vinyl. I do own a copy of the Tours record that is on this one, however, and it’s a definite highlight.
We are all big fans of the Inscrutable Records label, and we were able to stock up on their latest releases and restock on some of the older titles. Personally, I think every record the label has put out thus far has been ace. I’ve liked them all. Some more than others, but they all have been worth listening to. Of the current crop, my favorite is Lust Online and their Go Outside E.P. If you like dream-pop and shoegaze, then these guys might do it for you. From Oklahoma City apparently, but playing more like an 80s 4AD band from Dorset. Or something like that. They play it well and have good tunes. Check them out.
Talking of 4AD, the great record label, both Jeff and I were tempted to buy the Xmal Deutschland box set that came in. Luckily for both our wallets, some of you bought the copies we had. I might still get one yet, and we’ll do our best to restock it asap. If you haven’t heard these records, I would highly recommend checking them out. Certainly, if you like Cocteau Twins and Siouxsie & The Banshees, along with other similar bands from the early 80s, you’ll no doubt enjoy these recordings. Trying to track down vinyl copies of their records is not easy or cheap, so getting this set makes a lot of sense. You get the two albums they did for the label, namely Fetisch and Tocsin, plus tracks from the two E.P.’s they released called Incubus Succubus II and Qual. I like the first album Fetisch the most I think, but am not so familiar with them to quantify that in any real way. I like what I have heard. There’s a collection of their earlier singles before 4AD available that we’ll try to stock for you also. They did go on to record two more albums to see out the 1980s, but these were after leaving 4AD, the first on their own Xile label. The sound on these is more in synch with the electronic rock and alternative rock of the late 80s. A bit more polished than their previous era, but still in a darkwave vein. Worth having a listen to. So also, are their Peel sessions, which saw a vinyl release. My advice to you, if you see any of these records in a record store and they seem reasonably priced, would be to grab them as they rarely show up, especially this side of the pond. Which makes the price tag on this current set seem reasonable all things considered.
Finally, in keeping with the vibe of the previous two choices, I would highly recommend a new release on Feel It Records by Kilynn Lunsford called Promiscuous Genes. She’s an artist that has been on the scene for a while now, making music in a bunch of different groups and projects. Left of center and experimental for the most part, but reminding me on this latest record of the sort of stuff that you would find on Crass Records or On-U Sound and other such progressive labels from the 80s. A point made by the great Ian Svenonius in his review/press release for the record. Rather than try to say what he has already said in a different way, you should just click here and read his blurb. It’s spot on. Point being, the record is cool and hits a lot of spots. Plus, the cover art is amusing, and the packaging comes with a nice lyric booklet. I’ve only spun it a few times since picking it up, but like lead track “Nice Quiet Horror Show.” Check her out.
Okay, I could keep going talking about more great records, new and old, that we have currently, but must stop here and get this delivered. Check out our webstore and the rest of the newsletter for all the stuff I missed.
Cheers to you all and bon voyage to Jeff as he heads off to Europe. Safe trip and have a killer time buddy.
-Dom