It’s Dr. John New Vinyl Thursday at The Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven. Check out this week’s list of new vinyl arrivals:
The 1975 – Notes On A Conditional Form (Clear Vinyl)
24-Carat Black – III
The Beatles – The Beatles (The White Album) (180 Gram Vinyl)
Black Sabbath – Paranoid
Car Seat Headrest – Making A Door Less Open (Colored Vinyl, Gatefold LP Jacket, Indie Exclusive)
Weekly Review:
The new Car Seat Headrest album “Making A Door Less Open” on limited edition pink vinyl is hitting me like a smoky Molly Ringwald as she first steps foot into the gymnasium in her homemade prom dress. This one is a bit of a departure from the band’s previous catalog. Rumor has it they recorded the full album twice (one techno version and one rock) and then mixed the two. Will Toledo’s relaxed yet unwavering voice mixed with the dreamy house beats and chiming guitars hearken back to the golden age of 80’s new romantic snyth pop a la Simple Minds, Orchestral Maneuvers In the Dark, and Tears for Fears but with a refreshing indie rock edge. -MMM
Childish Gambino – Awaken My Love
Cigarettes After Sex – Cry
Chris Stapleton – Traveller
Dr. John – Dr. John’s Gumbo (Limited Edition, Turquoise Colored Vinyl)
Dropkick Murphys – Blackout
Dead Kennedys – Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (Deluxe Edition, 180 Gram Vinyl)
Dead Kennedys – Frankenchrist
Elliott Smith – An Introduction To Elliott Smith (180 Gram Vinyl)
Erykah Badu – Baduizm
Eminem – The Eminem Show
Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP (180 Gram Vinyl)
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
Frazey Ford – U Kin B The Sun (Digital Download Card)
Guerilla Toss – Jay Glass Dubs Vs Guerilla Toss
Glass Animals – Zaba
Hinds – The Prettiest Curse
Weekly Reviews: Two Perspectives:
All-female indie rock band Hinds go for a poppier sound on their third studio album. Released under a Mom & Pop record label and recorded in New York, this is the sound of a band having time to produce the music they want and explore. Singer and guitarist Ana Perrote told BBC News about Decilveo’s influence on the album: “She made us yell louder than ever, would pretty much force us to do guitar solos every second she could and I think just helped us find our new sound identity.” You can hear this, as their guitar riffs and licks are pretty sweet on the ear.
Formed in Madrid in 2011, originally calling themselves Deers, but after the threat of legal action from a band similarly named The Dears, they renamed themselves Hinds (female deer). Their attitude is rowdy and feminist and the sound reflects that.
The standout track, Riding Solo, is catchy and carefree, like a modern update on The Waitresses’ legendary hit I Know What Boys Like. The production on it is dense and fun. Speaking about the album’s third single, Come Back and Love Me <3, singer and guitarist Carlotta Cosials said that it is “the most romantic song we’ve ever done.” She also said that the band “went full Spaniards here”, including “bossa-nova vibes [drummer and bassist] Amber and Ade created”. The track uses Spanish guitar to create a lilting, romantic sound, with lyrics like “I looked at you and now I’m trapped in your eyes.” There are also lyrics in Spanish, which add to the heartfelt mood.
The following track, Burn has another soaring guitar riff, while closing track This Moment Forever creates the most beautiful and dreamy moment, before devolving into a raucous, sprawling shout. The Prettiest Curse combines musicianship, rawness and pop production to catchy and uplifting effect.
Definitely worth a spin and a trip down to the Vinyl Underground to visit with the best music staff in KC. -Albert Schmurr
One need only compare the cover of Hinds’ third album, The Prettiest Curse, to their previous albums to notice change is afoot. While the first two covers look like yearbook photos shot in a dark corner of a gymnasium, The Prettiest Curse looks like it came from Glamour Shots. While the music is similarly polished, it thankfully retains its soul and effervescent fun.
The album is filled with nods to the Strokes, the Breeders and the band’s hometown, Madrid, Spain. Back-to-back standout tracks “Boy” and “Come Back and Love Me <3” not only feature the quartet’s first Spanish lyrics, but an unguarded tenderness. This newfound vulnerability returns a few songs later, on “Take Me Back.”
Fans of Hinds’ early albums need not worry. They still know how to rock, but by peeling back the garage rock aesthetic, The Prettiest Curse reveals Hinds have considerable songwriting chops as well. -Joel Francis
Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland (180 Gram Vinyl)
Jimi Hendrix – Are You Experienced
Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer
Weekly Review:
The third album from Kansas City, Kan., native Janelle Monae is a triumph. She pays tribute to her late mentor Prince, while also capturing and commenting on the political landscape. To a president who boasts about grabbing women, Monae bluntly warns “if you try to grab my pussy cat, this pussy grab you back” (on “Juice”). To the war hawks, Monae threatens “we’ll put water in your guns/we’ll do it all for funs” (on “Screwed”). The music is as carefree and fun as the lyrics are serious. The hit Prince tribute “Make Me Feel” provides a break from the politics and is a definite highlight, but the album closer “American” plays like another tribute to the Purple One. Against an arrangement that sounds lifted from Around the World in the Day, Monae describes the vision of America she is fighting for. If a dance party happens to break out en route, well, that’s part of the plan, too. -Joel Francis
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – I Love Rock N Roll (150 Gram Vinyl, Download Insert)
Kiss – Kissworld: The Best Of Kiss (140 Gram Vinyl)
Kanye West – Jesus is King
Weekly Review:
Shock value has long been a key currency in hip hop, a trait Kanye West has mastered during his 15+ years as a star. On Jesus is King, Kayne’s latest LP, the rapper is shocking by turning in a family-friendly release.
Kayne may have dropped the profanity but he still has plenty of guests willing to follow him down this newfound gospel path. Clipse and Kenny G both feature on the song “Use this Gospel.” Ty Dolla Sign and gospel singer Fred Hammond also appear on separate tracks. Despite these assists, all the glory in this music goes to God (with Kanye as a close second, because, well, Kayne).
From “Through the Wire” to “Gold Digger” and “New Slaves,” Kayne has consistently made music that sounds completely unexpected and fresh. On Jesus is King, he sounds energized and enthralled in his new spiritual muse. It remains to be seen if Jesus is King becomes a new path or detour. Neither outcome would shock me. -Joel Francis
Leon Bridges – Coming Home (180 Gram Vinyl, Download Insert)
Lee Morgan – The Cooker (Blue Note Tone Poet Series) (180 Gram Vinyl)
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin I (180 Gram Vinyl, Remastered)
Mazzy Star – She Hangs Brightly (180 Gram Vinyl, Colored Vinyl)
Moondog – On The Streets Of New York
The Maypole – Maypole
Misfits – Static Age
Misfits – Misfits Collection
Modest Mouse – Modest Mouse : Lonesome Crowded West
Miles Davis – Kind Of Blue
Morphine – Cure for Pain (180 Gram Vinyl, Gatefold LP Jacket)
Michael Jackson – Thriller (Gatefold LP Jacket)
Orgone – Reasons
Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet
Weekly Review:
It’s been hard not to think about the third act of Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee’s masterpiece 1989 film, when viewing the protests on the Plaza. The movie’s theme song “Fight the Power” has become a manifesto in its own right in the decades since its release. The song closes Fear of a Black Planet, Public Enemy’s third album. As the title suggests, MC Chuck D isn’t pulling any punches. His politically aggressive lyrics are matched by dense, furious production from the Bomb Squad. Flava Flav’s comic relief comes in the form of “911 is a Joke.” Ha ha.
In a way, Black Planet is a distillation of the first two albums in manner more palatable to mainstream tastes. It’s PE’s best-selling album, but also the last album where nothing feels forced. One needn’t look too far to see the concept of a black planet is still a very present fear in society today. Welcome to the terrordome. -Joel Francis
Pink Floyd – Meddle (Gatefold LP Jacket, 180 Gram Vinyl)
Pink Floyd – Animals
Queens of the Stone Age – Songs For The Deaf (180 Gram Vinyl, Gatefold LP Jacket)
Queen – A Day At The Races (180 Gram Vinyl)
The Residents – Meet the Residents
Sade – The Best Of Sade (180 Gram Vinyl)
Steve Earle – Ghosts of West Virginia
Solange – When I Get Home (150 Gram Vinyl, Clear Vinyl)
Tom Petty & Heartbreakers – Damn The Torpedoes (180 Gram Vinyl)
Tom Waits – Foreign Affairs (Remastered)
Turbonegro – Hot Cars & Used Contraceptives (Orange, Black Colored Vinyl)
Turbonegro – Never Is Forever (White, Red Colored Vinyl)
Tyler the Creator – Flower Boy (Gatefold LP Jacket, 150 Gram Vinyl, Download Insert)
Tyler The Creator – Goblin
Tool – Opiate
Umphrey’s McGee – Anchor Drops Redux
Van Halen – 1984
Wu-Tang Clan – Enter Wu-Tang
Wu-Tang Clan – The Essential Wu-tang Clan
The Weeknd – Thursday
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Enjoy the music and we will see you soon. Your loving Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven staff:
Sherman, Gordon, Cat, Matt, Dylan, Doyle, Heather and Max
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