Record Store Day 2013

As I write this feature, a stack of vinyl sits beside me.  The selection ranges from classic records of the 1970's to pristine new releases pressed on various shades of color.  You guessed it, yesterday was Record Store Day, an idea that was born in 2007 and has since become one the most anticipated events of each year.  Independent record stores, musicians, and listeners around the world celebrated with an enormous variety of exclusive releases.

This year, I made my way to three record stores in Richmond.  First up was BK Music, followed by Plan 9 Music, and finally ending with Deep Groove Records.  The selection at each location seemed to be a game of luck.  One store would sell out of that special 12" instantly while the next one would have a stack waiting to be touched.  How exciting.

To keep things a bit more interesting, the remainder of this post will be pictures of every record in my bag along with a small caption of some sort.  You know how it goes.  The majority of the records I picked up had white sleeves for some reason, so some of the albums kind of blend in with the background.  Bear with me here. Everyone likes pictures of vinyl, right?

David Bowie's "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" 7" pressed on white vinyl.  I mean, it's Bowie.  This seemed to be the one record that every single person picked up as they went through the store.

The xx's "Jamie xx Edits" 12" in a die-cut sleeve.  Thanks to what appears to be a manufacturing error, the label on the front cover is upside down.

Ra Ra Riot's "Binary Mind" 10", which includes a new track and several demos.  This one came with a digital download code, something you don't see very often on RSD.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Sacrilege/Mosquito (Live At Area 52)" single pressed on red vinyl.  While it wasn't a RSD release I had to pick it up along with the new album.

The much talked about Brian Eno/Nicolas Jaar/Grizzly Bear collaboration.  Nicolas Jaar remixed one track from each of the other artists for this 12".

Here's another non-RSD exclusive selection, Carole King's "Tapestry".  When you're around so much vinyl all day, random purchases are bound to be made.

Free CD samplers!  Sub Pop, Def Jam, and other random labels!

Free Charli XCX, Devendra Banhart, and Sugar posters!

Free Toro y Moi keychain!

And that's the haul!  Well, I also picked up that nice Jack White pin at the very top of the page.  As you can probably see, the shops went overboard with random giveaways.  But enough about what I found, what did everyone else buy?  Feel free to leave a comment with your favorite #RSD13 purchases.  If you couldn't find that treasure at the top of your wish list, like myself and countless others, what were you searching for?

Christopher Owens - Lysandre Acoustic

Before I even start talking about the music, let me just say that Christopher Owens could use a bit of help when it comes to art direction.  His solo artwork so far has been memorable for all the wrong reasons.  That's unfortunate.  But you know what they say, don't judge a book, or album for that matter, by its cover.

The former Girls frontman is releasing an acoustic version of his debut solo record, Lysandre, which came out earlier this year.  With this edition of Lysandre, it's just Owens and his guitar.  The full acoustic record is available to download right now for free, just head over to Christopher Owens' website for the link.  A limited and numbered 10" vinyl pressing of Lysandre Acoustic will be out on May 20, so mark your calendar.

If you like to try before you buy, even through it's completely free, Lysandre Acoustic is streaming here.

CSS - Hangover

Earlier this week, CSS announced all of the details surrounding their upcoming fourth album, Planta.  The record will feature eleven new tracks and, unless it's gone through a title change, "I've Seen You Drunk Gurl" is absent.  There's some Richard Avedon inspired artwork to go along with the music, as you can seen above.

This will be the band's first album since the departure of longtime member, Adriano Cintra, but that doesn't seem to be slowing them down at any rate.  To make things even better, the now all-girl band also decided to reveal Planta's lead single, "Hangover".  The track definitely leans on CSS' poppy side.  The punk attitude is resting while some synthy horns and a dance-like beat get the job done.

Planta will be out on June 11.  Keep reading to stream "Hangover" and check out the record's tracklisting...

Kate Nash & Supercute!: Live At The Black Cat

Over the last twelve months, we've seen the evolution of Kate Nash.  One might say that you could notice early signs of this change on her second album, My Best Friend Is You.  She drifted from the piano and grabbed the guitar.  Could you imagine how difficult it would be to shake the "'Foundations' singer-songwriter, Kate Nash..." introduction that kicked off every article?  In retrospect, the punk rock riot grrrl has always been there and it's simply more prominent on her new album.  Just look at older tracks like "Model Behaviour" and "I Just Love You More".  I had the opportunity to see Kate Nash at the Black Cat in Washington DC last Saturday and it will be remembered as one unbelievably incredible show.

The sold out venue opened a little before the listed door time of nine, which seemed to excite the mass of people forming a twisted line around the bar.  A large portion of the crowd consisted of a younger generation, proven by the X's across their hands.  I made my way to the front of the stage and claimed a spot at the center of the second row.  Due to the lack of barrier between performer and audience, I stood about an arm's length away from the microphone.

After what seemed like an unusually long wait, which may have been an illusion due to anticipation, the opening band took the stage.  I will admit that with a name like Supercute!, I wasn't sure what to expect from them.  The band is made up of four girls: guitarist Julia Cumming, bassist LuLu Laurette Prat, drummer Ruby Tanja, and ukulele wielding singer Rachel Trachtenburg.  After the show, I was asked what kind of music they play and I had the most difficult time answering the question.  They're pop-like, but not in the "dance pop" kind of way.  It's more of a retro girl-group type vibe. They played a set of original songs and threw in a spectacular cover of "Paint It Black".  The general consensus from the venue was overly enthusiastic and they fit right in with Kate Nash.  Their set was quite an impressive way to start the night.

After Supercute! and a set change, which was filled with sing-alongs to music ranging from Nirvana to Destiny's Child, Kate Nash appeared. That's when a large part of the crowd had a meltdown.  She started the show with "Sister", one of my personal favorites from her latest record, Girl Talk. Wearing a sparkling gold dress over black leggings and red plaid shorts, she rotated between a decorated white bass, a simpler red guitar, and just a microphone, allowing her to dance spastically across the dimly lit stage.  She was accompanied by her all-female band, creating a Runaways-esque image.

The setlist consisted of songs from all three of her albums, along with multiple B-sides and non-album tracks.  She even threw in a FIDLAR cover and explained how some misheard lyrics transformed their song "Cocaine" into "Grrrl Gang".  Most of the major singles such as "Foundations", "Do-Wah-Doo", and "Kiss That Grrrl" were heard.  I'll admit that I completely flipped out when she played "Mariella" after leaving it untouched for years.

In between songs, Kate would tell humorous anecdotes about the music and her songwriting process.  Dialogue with the audience was on the heavy side thanks to many screams of "Will you marry me!" and witty responses to her banter.  During one portion of the concert, she showcased the Because I Am A Girl campaign.  She partnered with the charity during this tour and even offered autographed merch in exchange for a donation.  This activism went hand in hand with "Free My Pussy", a song inspired by the controversial arrest of Russian punk group Pussy Riot after their 2012 performance.

The main set ended with a solo performance of "Lullaby For An Insomniac". Kate's somewhat hoarse vocals left the entire room in silence after a long and powerful set.  She left the stage for moment and later returned with the band for an encore of "We Get On".  Everyone sang along as well as they could manage, knowing it would be the final song.

Instead of simply saying goodnight and making an exit after the encore, Kate had the venue play one final song over the sound system.  "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life" from Dirty Dancing was the closing track.  Yes, everyone danced and sang along to classic 80's music.  And yes, Kate Nash and her guitarist Linda Buratto crowd surfed before the band took one final bow and made their exit.  It was the perfect ending to the perfect night.

Kate Nash: Live At The Black Cat - 23/03/2013

SETLIST:

Sister

Death Proof

All Talk 

Conventional Girl 

Kiss That Grrrl 

OMYGOD! 

Do-Wah-Doo 

I Just Love You More 

Foundations 

Free My Pussy

Model Behaviour 

Grrrl Gang (FIDLAR Cover)

3AM 

Mariella 

Under-Estimate The Girl 

Lullaby For An Insomniac 

ENCORE:

We Get On

Kate Nash's new album, Girl Talk, is out now and you can grab a copy here.  If you still need to pick up her previous releases, go this way. Supercute! will release their Kate Nash produced debut album, DON'T PoP MY BUBBLE, on June 11 and they currently have a spectrum of songs available for download on their bandcamp page.  You can check out Kate's website for info on upcoming tour dates.

Cold Cave - Oceans With No End

Cold Cave's last release, A Little Death To Laugh, was pretty much everything I could ever ask for in a heavy gothic darkwave kind of way.  To follow A Little Death To Laugh, Wesley Eisold has created yet another EP in the same vein, Oceans With No End.