It’s Primus New Vinyl Thursday at The Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven. Check out this week’s list of new vinyl:
Adam’s House Cat – Town Burned Down (Early Pre Drive- By Truckers material. Gatefold LP Jacket, Colored Vinyl, Yellow)
Adrianne Lenker – Hours Were The Birds (solo material from Big Thief leader)
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Legend (180 Gram Vinyl, Special Edition, Reissue)
Brian Eno – Ambient 1: Music For Airports (180 Gram Vinyl)
Brian Eno – Ambient 4: On Land(180 Gram Vinyl)
Charles Bradley – Black Velvet (Limited Edition, Photo Book, Boxed Set, Digital Download Card)
Released on what would have been Charles Bradley’s 70th birthday, his fourth (and final album) “Black Velvet” was released. “Black Velvet” is an underground journey into the life of an incredible man and an amazing talent.
The album comes with ten total tracks from previously unreleased material. It includes three cover songs and one instrumental, the title track “Black Velvet.” Sadly Bradley lost his battle with stomach cancer before he could bless us with his vocals on the track.
The former James Brown impersonator that performed under the stage name “Black Velvet” is right at home on this album. It moves and sways in all the right ways, with soaring vocals and crashing crescendos. Opening track “I Can’t Fight the Feeling” comes out swinging with the Screaming Eagle of Soul’s classic vocal the perfect companion to the bright and cheery horn section. The album ends with a very soulful (and very electric) version of “Victim of Love.” You will have probably heard this track (but not this version) off of the album of the same name.
The covers deserve mention not only for their quality but also their interpretation. Bradley’s take on the Nirvana song “Stay Away” is laced with a bass-line that hits at the chorus that gets under your skin in the best way. Written by a man that could scream with the best of them, 2:00 minutes into the track Bradley taps his inner Cobain and let’s go of one of his classic wails.
Neal Young’s “Heart of Gold” is the third of three covers and is probably the most perfect song Bradley could have covered. “I keep on searching for a heart of gold” being sung by a man that was known for literally trying to hug everyone he met feels fitting on this farewell.
“I Feel a Change” was recorded during the “Victim of Love” sessions and it certainly fits that formula. A heartbreaking song about teetering on the verge of love or abandonment, you can hear the struggle and the strife Bradley feels. For an artist that didn’t record is first album before his 60th birthday, it’s the kind of wisdom that comes from a man that has lived it in more ways than one.
“Black Velvet” is a fitting nightcap to a short but well deserved and impressive career. “Black Velvet” is not just an album by Charles Bradley. Charles Bradley is “Black Velvet.” It’s who he was and it’s why we loved him so much.
You can find two versions of the album. A standard 12″ LP is available if that’s your thing. You can also find a Limited Edition 180 gram black velvet box set which comes with a copy of the album, a bonus 12″ 45 rpm EP with stripped down mixes of four Charles Bradley classics, a photo book and more. It also comes with a seeded download card so that after you download the digital copy, you can plant the card and grow wildflowers in memory of Charles. – Brad Simmons
Childish Gambino – “Awaken, My Love”
Childish Gambino – Camp
Churchill’s – Churchill’s
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice
Cypress Hill – Elephants On Acid (180 Gram Vinyl, Indie Exclusive)
Dinosaur Jr – Ear Bleeding Country: The Best Of (White, Limited Edition, Deluxe Edition)
The Doors – L.A. Woman (180 Gram Vinyl, Reissue)
The Doors – The Doors (180 Gram Vinyl, Reissue)
Elvis Costello & The Imposters – Look Now (180 Gram Vinyl, Deluxe Edition)
The Grateful Dead – Cornell 5/ 8/ 77
Hiss Golden Messenger – Poor Moon
Hiss Golden Messenger – Bad Debt
J Mascis – Elastic Days
James Booker – Lost Paramount Tapes
Jimi Hendrix – Axis: Bold As Love (180 Gram Vinyl)
Kamasi Washington – Harmony Of Difference
Kanye West – Ye
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – 12 Bar Bruise (Reissue)
Lauryn Hill – Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Leon Bridges – Coming Home (180 Gram Vinyl, Download Insert)
Mndsgn – Body Wash (Digital Download Card)
Monta at Odds- Argentum Dreams (local release complete with viewing glasses)
Morphine – Cure for Pain (180 Gram Vinyl, Gatefold LP Jacket)
Paul McCartney – Egypt Station (Gatefold LP Jacket, Limited Edition, Deluxe Edition)
Primus – Brown Albums
Primus – Pork Soda
Prodigy – No Tourists (Violet, Colored Vinyl, Indie Exclusive)
Stevie Vaughan Ray & Double Trouble – The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble
Townes Van Zandt – Live at the Old Quarter (180 Gram Vinyl)
Twenty One Pilots – Trench (Gatefold LP Jacket, Green Colored Vinyl, Indie Exclusive, Digital Download Card)
Experimental pop, rap, emo and the-whole-kitchen-sink duo Twenty One Pilots has returned from a year-long musical hiatus to deliver its fifth studio album. After selling out tours and accepting a Grammy in their underwear, Ohio natives Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun have released a record that reflects on their rise to stardom and our social culture. The resulting effort is “Trench,” the duo’s most surreal work to date, taking the listener on a journey through 14 tracks dealing with love and the collateral damages of fame.
Mutemath frontman Paul Meany is a frequent collaborator, and his influence shows up in spades. The production on “Trench” is much larger than previous efforts, “Trench” also leans into the cinematic with beat shifts to give audio cues for changes in emotion across a track, as seen on “Chlorine,” which features a mood-changing outro. Listeners directly engage with Joseph’s isolation, making these moments the most potent on the album.
The other big change from the band’s previous work is its usage of bass lines. This musical undertone has been used in the band’s other hits “Ride” and “Lane Boy,” but is much more versatile on “Trench.” Creating a slick groove on “My Blood” or crunching against the drums on “Jumpsuit,” the bass sets the tone for the genre each track explores.
Joseph and Dun’s genre-bending musicality still dominate as they inter-lock reggae, rap, rock and pop throughout the album. This time around, the songs feel more connected than in previous albums; each track on the duo’s previous LP “Blurryface” is self-contained with its own sound and identity.
“Trench” is a cohesive album in which each track is layered on like an ascending spiral staircase. Each offering works on its own, but it builds upon the previous track to elevate the listener onto the next song.
Historically, fans connected with the band for its vulnerable lyrics and mental health messages. However, the band has faced backlash for allegedly romanticizing suicidal thoughts and depression. The duo directly combats this notion on the track “Neon Gravestones,” which deals with the treatment of celebrity death…Joseph contemplates whether he should end it all but instead calls out the culture that stigmatizes and ignores struggling entertainers only to shower them with posthumous kudos after they die too young.
Piano and drum instrumentals frame the track, building until a choir erupts. With the final verse, the production cuts out to Joseph, the fragility in his voice that carries across the track makes it the most vulnerable song and one of the best tracks on the album.
Other songs on the album prove to be equally entertaining and potent. “Chlorine” starts off simple but breaks into a desperate cry for connection in a barren world. “Bandito” is militant, hammering its catchy hook into listeners’ ears while accompanied by up tempo drums.
Ultimately, these widely different songs are woven together by a theme of fame and of insecurities. On the final song, “Leave The City” the journey concludes with finding the support to help with the journey. “Trench” proves to be a rewarding listen for longtime fans and casual listeners alike. Twenty One Pilots continues to showcase why it is one of the most distinctive mainstream musical groups out there by pushing boundaries with every project. With its hard lyrical reflection of isolation and suicide, “Trench” may be one of Twenty One Pilots’ best albums to date. Pressed in olive green vinyl, get your copy from the gang “underground,” at “7th Heaven.” -Albert Schmurr
Twenty One Pilots – Vessel (Clear Vinyl, Digital Download Card)
Primus New Vinyl Thursday has it all! Come get some new music. We are open until 9 pm.
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Speaking of news, Black Friday Record Store Day is next week! Click HERE to join our event and see all of the goodies that will be available on November 23rd only at independent records stores like The Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven. We will open at 7 am and we always order every title and have them all priced BELOW retail! So plan now to shop with us first to save time AND money!
Thanks for reading this week’s Primus New Vinyl Thursday post! Mention that you did before you check out and we will take 20% off of ANY one item in the store! Offer good through 11/21/18.
Enjoy the music and we will see you soon. Your loving Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven staff.
Sherman, Gordon, Daniel, Dylan, David, Jonathan, and Dionna.
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