Monday, April 14, 2014

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes


from the folks at SuicideSqueeze

THE COATHANGERS "SUCK MY SHIRT" LP - LIMITED EDITION TOUR REPRESS **PRE-ORDER**

Limited edition tour repress of 100 copies on "Butter Yellow" vinyl. All proceeds go to the Coathangers to help with their tour expenses. Each pre-order will come with a Coathangers poster and sticker. The remaining 50 copies will be available directly from the band.

Suck My Shirt is the The Coathangers’ fourth full-length. The title refers to an incident involving the salvaging of spilled tequila during the recording session for the album. While the title implies that little has changed with regards to the band’s celebratory mission statement, even just a cursory listen of their latest album demonstrates that there have indeed been changes in The Coathangers’ camp. First off, the quartet was reduced to a trio for the latest record, with keyboardist Bebe Coathanger (Candice Jones) stepping down from her duties. But the absence of keyboards isn’t nearly as noticeable of a difference as the band’s refined songwriting approach. Refinement is an attribute we expect to see in any group that has a career spanning more than a couple of years, but the extent to which The Coathangers have honed their trade with each successive album dwarfs most bands’ maturation. This isn’t to say that The Coathangers have polished their sound; the group once again worked with Ed Rawls and Justin McNeight and The Living Room to attain the same production values of their Larceny & Old Lace album and their recent slew of split 7”s. Rather, the refinement can be heard in the quality of the songs themselves. While the band retains the alluring spontaneity and happy accidents of their early releases, the trio’s current work sounds far more deliberate and locked-in than anything they’ve done in the past.

“It’s a balance between overthinking and just going for it,” guitarist Crook Kid Coathanger (Julia Kugel) says of their songwriting strategy. It’s a duality immediately apparent with the album opener “Follow Me”. It’s a classic Coathangers tune with the raspy vocals of Rusty Coathanger (Stephanie Luke) belted out over the signature grimy rock laid down by Crook Kid and bassist Minnie Coathanger (Meredith Franco). But the chorus opens into one of the most accessible hooks in the band’s canon, just before segueing into the next verse with a squall of violent dissonant guitar. From there the band launches into “Shut Up”, a title that harkens back to the brash sass of their first record. The song still has its spikey guitar riffs and shouted chorus, but here The Coathangers sound less like a jubilant version of Huggy Bear and more like the art-pop of late-era Minutemen. Dedicated Coathangers fans will recognize the re-worked versions of “Merry Go Round”, “Smother”, “Adderall”, and “Derek’s Song” from their run of limited edition split 7”s, and hearing them in the context of the album shows that these tracks weren’t merely isolated examples of the band’s more sophisticated side, but were actually demonstrative of the group’s increasing capacity for nestling solid melodic hooks and rock heft into their repertoire. By the time the band wraps up the album with the humble pop perfection of “Drive”, it’s hard to believe this was the band that garnered their reputation with raucous bombasts like “Don’t Touch My Shit”.

Pre-Order at SuicideSqueeze

*Pre-order will ship on or around May 1, 2014

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For Immediate Release

Prog Duo Days Between Stations Release Limited Edition Vinyl Of Critically Acclaimed Album 'In Extremis'

Los Angeles, CA - Much to the excitement of vinyl enthusiasts around the globe, prog duo Days Between Stations have released their critically acclaimed new album 'In Extremis' on a limited edition DBL LP!

Says guitarist Sepand Samzadeh, “We put a great deal of emphasis on creating a mood by way of sonic textures. The CD was mastered so that the listener could CRANK THE VOLUME ON THE STEREO.  If you really want to hear THE COMPLEXITY OF ALL THE LAYERS AND SONIC TEXTURES, the vinyl record is the way to go.”

Possibly the most anticipated prog release of 2013, Days Between Stations sophomore album 'In Extremis' was released on May 15, 2013. Boasting an incredible guest line-up of music legends featuring Colin Moulding (XTC), Rick Wakeman (YES), Peter Banks (YES/Flash) Tony Levin (King Crimson/Peter Gabriel) and Billy Sherwood (YES/CIRCA:), Days Between Stations reached a new level of creative artistry on their second release.

Founded in 2003 by guitarist Sepand Samzadeh and keyboardist Oscar Fuentes, the duo named themselves after the cult novel by Steve Erickson and have devoted themselves to, as they say, Art Rock and Post Prog - music that reflects their varied influences, as well as shared disregard for stylistic boundaries. This eclecticism continues apace on 'In Extremis'. At times the music recalls Peter Gabriel or 'Duke'-era Genesis (as on the propulsive “Visionary”, which features Sherwood's multi-layered vocals and Levin's driving Stick bass work), or an ambient marriage between Pink Floyd and Lisa Gerrard and Debussy (“In Utero”), or even a cross between Ultravox and Marillion and 'Abacab'-era Genesis (the Moulding-sung “The Man Who Dies Two Times”).

Here's what the press has raved about 'In Extremis'

“The fact that Rick Wakeman, Tony Levin and Peter Banks help create this majestic piece of symphonic prog only made this a stronger contender for prog album of the year.” - Mark Johnson, Sea of Tranquility

“But the late Yes founder (Peter Banks) is just the beginning of the dark-hued wonders to be found on this neo-prog triumph. Accessing an endlessly fascinating palette that also takes in ambient and classically inspired moments, Oscar Fuentes and Sepand Samzadeh brilliantly explore themes of life, and death, and everything in between.” - Nick Deriso, Something Else Reviews

“Here's an album that deserves a place in everyone's record collection. The superb artwork and quality of the booklet and packaging makes it a must-buy as opposed to (legal) download, for me at least. Support truly great musicians going out on a limb to bring you truly great, original progressive rock music as good as some of the classics.” - Brian Watson, DPRP
 
Limited Edition of 50 colored vinyl, signed and hand-numbered. Signed by Sepand, Oscar and special guests.

Order a copy HERE

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from our friends at SlyVinyl


The Mars Volta – De-Loused In The Comatorium // Limited to 1500 on 180g Silver Vinyl 2xLP





Watter - This World // Limited to 300 'Dark Water Blue' Swirl Vinyl LPs






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from ireland, they love their vinyl too!


Record shops: vinyl countdown or the start of a new groove?





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from the carolinas:


Record Store Day hails comeback of vinyl records







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vinyl story from the great state of pennsylvania 


After decades of decline, sales of vinyl records surge








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WEEKLY WAX: Vinyl Releases For The Week Of 4/6-4/12

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