It’s Sunflower Bean New Vinyl Thursday at The Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven. Check out this week’s list of new vinyl arrivals:
Alex Chilton – High Priest (Sky Blue Colored Vinyl)
Amyl & the Sniffers – Comfort To Me (Smoke Clear Vinyl, Expanded Version)
Arctic Monkeys- AM
Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color (Deluxe Edition, Pink, Black, Magenta Colored Vinyl)
Black Keys – Dropout Boogie (White Colored Vinyl, Indie Exclusive)
Bad Brains- Bad Brains (Transparent Red Vinyl)
Billy Strings- Renewal
Belle and Sebastian – A Bit of Previous.
Weekly Review:
In some ways, there’s nothing new on the A Bit of Previous, the band’s eleventh album
(depending on how you count them) in 26 years. It was the first album in 23 years to be recorded
entirely in Glasgow, the band’s hometown, but it still has all the kinds of songs the band has
become known for. There’s Ray Davies-inspired twee. There’s some big pop indebted to Chic,
ABBA, and Orange Juice. There’s even a sad country song.
As with any band that’s been around awhile, some songs will stand out more than others. But
most of the songs on A Bit of Previous are pretty memorable with catchy choruses and
arrangements. Stuart Murdoch (the primary songwriter and vocalist) and Stevie Jackson (the
band’s George Harrison, who usually has only one song on each album) can still write
memorable, melodramatic lines. “King and queen of might have been” and “I close my eyes, and
I reprise the deathbed of my dreams” among them.
There are several standout tracks on the album. It starts with “Young and Stupid,” looking at
how youth is wasted on the young, but the delivery is twee and classic Belle and Sebastian. “If
They’re Shooting at You” features a gospel choir that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Jimmy
Webb song. The standout track here might be “Unnecessary Drama.” Sounding like a mix of The
Smiths and The New Pornographers, it’s the album’s most upbeat, catchy song.
Recorded during the pandemic, the theme of togetherness that develops is more than a little
unsurprising. The copious liner notes detail how it wasn’t specifically a *pandemic record* but
that the circumstances around the writing and recording of the album narrowed their geographic
focus. The band recorded in its hometown and could focus on the people and locations around
them instead of being tourists in a new town.
At this point in its career, the band has become reasonably reliable. A Bit of Previous is quite a
good album in a catalog filled with good albums. – Jonathon Smith
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram- 662 (Purple Colored Vinyl)
Charli XCX – Crash (Gray Colored Vinyl, Indie Exclusive)
Deftones- Ohms
Duke Ellington & Coleman Hawkins – Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins
Eddie Vedder – Ukulele Songs
Etta James – Hits (180 Gram Vinyl, Gatefold LP Jacket)
Florence & the Machine – Dance Fever (Gray Colored Vinyl, Indie Exclusive)
Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia (LIMITED EDITION OPAQUE RED VINYL)
Gregory Porter – Water (Clear Vinyl)
Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden
Jaco Pastorius -Jaco Pastorius
Jackson + Sellers – Breaking Point
Weekly Review:
As the daughter of Lee Ann Womack, Aubrie Sellers is well-versed in the world (and business) of country
music. It made sense for rising star Jade Jackson to reach out to Sellers. Jackson wanted Sellers’ backing
vocals on one song. Instead, the two wound up making an entire album together.
Breaking Point inhabits the grimy backroads of country, where Johnny Cash and John Lydon meet over a
pint of corn liquor under cover of moonlight. Jackson’s work with Mike Ness of Social Distortion comes
to the fore on the fuzzed-out opening number, a cover of Julie Miller’s “The Devil is an Angel.” A scuzzy
cover of Suzi Quatro’s “The Wild One” occupies similar territory. Imagine the Kills via Nashville and
you’re close.
“Hush” song that inspired the project, kicks off side two and showcases the duo’s quiet, acoustic side.
The album’s final cover and last track, Shannon Wright’s “Has Been” could fit on a Raveonettes release.
Other tracks fit firmly in the alt-country sound that were the bread and butter of Bloodshot Records for
more than 25 years.
At just 32 minutes, Breaking Point’s biggest flaw is its brevity. Hopefully a Jackson + Sellers tour finds its
way to Kansas City, and that a follow-up will be in the works before too long. -Joel Francis
Jon Spencer – Spencer Sings the Hits!
Japanese Breakfast – Sable (Original Video Game Soundtrack)(Gold Colored Vinyl, Indie Exclusive)
John Coltrane – Blue Train (Limited Blue Colored Vinyl)
J. Cole – The Off-Season
“Fear Of the Dawn” is the fourth studio album by the musician/ Third Man Records label owner Jack White.
Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music (Green Colored Vinyl)
The Kinks – Something Else By the Kinks
Kendrick Lamar- Good Kid, M.A.A.D City
Khruangbin – Mordechai
Larry June – Orange Print (Orange Colored Vinyl)
Michael Jackson – Thriller (Picture Disc)
Michael Jackson – Bad (Picture Disc Vinyl LP).
Michael Jackson – HIStory: Continues
Michael Jackson – Xscape (180-gram)
Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It on
Miles Davis – Quintet/ Sextet
Monophonics – Sage Motel (Transparent Orange w/ Black Swirl Colored Vinyl, Indie Exclusive)
Norah Jones – Come Away With Me (Remastered 20th Anniversary Edition)
Opeth – Ghost Reveries
Prince – Purple Rain (Picture Disc)
Prince – Parade
Pink Floyd – A Saucerful of Secrets (Limited Edition, 180 Gram Vinyl, Remastered, Mono Sound)
Weekly Review:
Pink Floyd’s second album is the only one that finds the group operating as a quintet. Founding member
and visionary Syd Barrett gradually moved to the sidelines throughout the recording. Conversely,
Barrett’s understudy, guitarist David Gilmour, took on a larger role during the sessions.
As such, A Saucerful of Secrets is a transitional album, finding the band pivoting away from concise,
psychedelic pop singles toward longer, more experimental pieces. “Set the Controls for the Heart of the
Sun” and the nearly 12-minute title track explore the darker layers and texturing that would later
become the band’s calling card. Songs like Roger Waters’ “Corporal Clegg” and “Jugband Blues” Barrett’s
lone contribution retain a playful, kaleidoscopic feel.
In 2019, the original mono mix of A Saucerful of Secrets was produced as a limited-edition Record Store
Day release. Now this same mono mix, remastered from the original analogue tapes, is widely available
for the first time in more than half a century. -Joel Francis
Paul Jacobs – Pink Dogs On The Green Grass
Red Garland Quintet – Soul Junction
Rolling Stones – Live At The El Mocambo
Roxy Music – Country Life
Roxy Music – Stranded
Sunflower Bean – Headful Of Sugar (Orange Colored Vinyl, Gatefold LP Jacket)
Seu Jorge – Carolina (Clear Colored Vinyl, Special Edition, Indie Exclusive)
Skull Snaps – Skull Snaps
Slipknot – Iowa (Coke Bottle Green Clear Vinyl)
Spiritualized – Everything Was Beautiful (Pink Colored Vinyl, Indie Exclusive)
Summer Walker – Over It
St Vincent – The Nowhere Inn (Official Soundtrack) (RSD Exclusive)
Weekly Review:
Four months after releasing the album Daddy’s Home, St. Vincent returned with another new project, a
satirical film The Nowhere Inn. The film finds Portlandia star and Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie
Brownstein trying to make a documentary about her BFF Annie Clark.
As an album The Nowhere Inn soundtrack comprises 19 tracks and just under 30 minutes. The best
moments are the full songs Brownstein and Clark wrote together. The title song tells a noir-ish story, as
the rider asks the driver to turn off Patsy Cline and pick up sandwiches, a Ziploc bag and fifth of gin
before arriving at the titular location. Similar to the Hotel California, the Nowhere Inn is a place where
“hallways are labyrinths.” A few tracks later, the New Wave throwback “Waiting on a Wave” emerges
from the bizarre instrumental “Carrie Wave.”
By alternating between full-fledged songs with vocals and shorter, instrumental pieces, the soundtrack
builds momentum for most of the first side. The second side, which is filled with brief instrumentals,
doesn’t fare as well. There’s not much holding the tracks together, making the side feel like a
clearinghouse of interstitial pieces.
Despite this, a few moments stand out on the second side. A pedal steel guitar on “Texas (Intro),” gives
way to “Texas Choir.” The lovely “Downtempo Montage,” marries marimba and orchestra and sounds
like a Jon Brion piece from a P.T. Anderson score. The wobbly piano of “Come to Jesus” feels like an
approximation of Tom Waits.
The Nowhere Inn soundtrack’s belated release as a limited, Record Store Day-only title hints that the
album is only for hardcore St. Vincent fans. Even so, these dedicated fans will likely stick to playing the
first side. -Joel Francis
Toro Y Moi – Mahal (Silver Colored Vinyl)
Twenty One Pilots – Vessel (FBR 25th Anniversary Edition, Silver Colored Vinyl)
Various Artists – JAZZ IS DEAD Remixes JID010
Various Artists – Mr Bongo Record Club Vol. 2
Various Artists – Mr Bongo Record Club Vol. 3
Various Artists – Mr Bongo Record Club Vol. 4
Warpaint – Radiate Like This (Yellow Clear Vinyl, Gatefold LP Jacket, Indie Exclusive)
Weekly Review:
In the six years since their last release, the members of Warpaint have been busy – seemingly with
everything except Warpaint itself. Dedicated fans could be forgiven for doubting the group would ever
make music together again.
Fortunately, those worries are more than assuaged with Radiate Like This. Not only has Warpaint
returned, but they’ve delivered a quiet stunner and quite possibly their best work to date.
Sonically, Radiate Like This is simultaneously melancholy and dreamy, existing in the golden haze
present on the cover. The arrangements are delicate and deliberate enough that the spaces around the
notes say just as much, if not more, than what’s being played.
Lead single and opening track “Champion” is an exercise in optimistic existentialism. “I’m an
ocean/breathing in and out/I’m a million years old,” Emily Kokal coos before affirming “And here it is,
I’ve got you.”
Another stand-out track is “Stevie,” a tender love song that feels like a warm embrace. At the other end
of the spectrum, the band get playful on the gentle, acoustic “Send Nudes,” which is about exactly what
you think it is.
Warpaint insist in recent interviews they never contemplated breaking up. Listening to Radiate Like This,
it is easy to believe them. The album flows by so easily it’s like no time has passed at all. -Joel Francis
XTC – Mummer (180 Gram Vinyl)
Young Dolph & Key Glock – Dum & Dummer 2
FLASH SALE!
50% OFF ALL RSD Titles and Red Tag Clearance Vinyl – Thursday, May 12th ONLY!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
The next Record Store Day drop will be on Saturday, June 18th. For more info and to RSVP click HERE.
Click HERE to RSVP to see Sentenced 2 Die (MN).
Click HERE to RSVP to see Shadow Work.
Shuttlecock Music:
Click HERE to watch.
Which records, tapes, and CDs are your favorite local artists buying? On this episode of Record Shopping with Shuttlecock, we head to The Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven with Kansas City indie rockers The Greeting Committee. Tune in to find out what they copped. Follow @ShuttlecockMag on social media and visit www.ShuttlecockMusic.com. Grab a t-shirt, button, or magazine from www.ShuttlecockMag.BigCartel.com to support the channel. Make sure to like, subscribe, and share.
Turntables! We got ’em. From starter tables to audiophile, and everything in between, we have you covered. We are honored to once again be carrying a full line up of the award winning, top of their class, made in America, U-turn Orbits! We have all the colors- including the high performance walnut and maple. Get here fast for best selection. Get yours today!
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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, Greg, Dave and Lain
