The Unknown: The Cure - Disintegration (Re-Imagined)

This weekend was Record Store Day.  The greatest single event created for music fans everywhere.  And for all the haters, they're just bitter because they didn't think of it first.  Seriously.  Without Record Store Day, independent record stores would be out of business, not increasing in numbers.  So for any flaws it might have, the positives outweigh the negatives in extremes. This year, for Record Store Day, there were a few "alternate" versions of popular albums.  The Flaming Lips' alternate version of "Clouds Taste Metallic" and Fleetwood Mac's alternate "Tuck" are a couple that come to mind.  This got me thinking.  How can we re-imagine famous albums in a new way? Not necessarily a better way...but a new way.  Like visiting a best friend in a new house or a director's cut of a great movie.  Are there other ways to enjoy something we already love? My favorite album of all time is the Cure's "Disintegration."  It might be the perfect album.  To me.  It got me thinking...is there a new way to enjoy this album?  Even by merely re-ordering the songs...  Is there a new way to experience it?  I took the 12 songs from the original release.  I included the 4 B-sides and used the extended remixes of the singles in lieu of the current album versions.  With these 16 songs, I ventured out to create a new album. Immediately, I noticed one very important thing...the order of the songs is as important as the songs themselves.  Here's something to consider.  If I try to make a 12 song album, using these 16 songs, the possibilities of different albums number in the...get ready for this...billions.  Yes, billions.  There are over 800 billion different ways to order these 16 songs. Eight hundred billion.  This is true. It's called math.  Permutations, precisely.  Google it. So, of the 800 billion possible combinations, are there other combinations that work?  The answer is...yes.  Over the course of re-evaluating this album, I discovered two very different paths, creating two polarizing different albums: a dark album...and a light album.  So I have included them for you here.  Disintegration:  The Light and Disintegration: The Dark.  Listen to them both below...and enjoy a new journey into The Cure.  Even songs used in both alternate versions, come across with totally different feels in their new homes. A unique experience that can surely open the door into the listening of other favorite albums. Trying to stay on par with the original, I have capped the running length under 70 minutes.  Let me know your thoughts...and your own versions. The Cure Disintegration: The Dark     The Cure Disintegration:  The Light    

The 11 Biggest Flips of Record Store Day 2015

You can't read anything about Record Store Day anymore without reading some article whose author spends pages of digital content, complaining about the vinyl holiday. "It's killing independent stores," "it excludes indie labels," and it's only for unnecessary major label titles."  You know what would be worse than Record Store Day?  NO RECORD STORE DAY.  A world where there is nothing promoting independent records stores, causing them to fade and dissolve into music history alongside the 8-track, mini-disc, and reel-to-reel.  But today, music stores are alive and well...in part, thanks to record store day.  Record stores having to deal with throngs of audiophiles twice a year (Black Friday) is a way better scenario than dealing with foreclosure.  .

Another complaint comes from independent labels themselves who have found their material excluded by the event coordinators.  Read here about Father/Daughter's comp, which seemed like a rather cool release.  Sure there are some releases that get excluded...and there are some titles that seem unnecessary.  But even if we're talking about 10% of the titles or even 25% of the released titles being unnecessary...that still leaves 300 great vital releases!  Isn't it worth some crap to get some gold?  That said, I'm not even sure how we determine which titles are unnecessary.  I read bloggers claiming the Citizen Dick release was the most unnecessary title this year...it's an unreleased Pearl Jam song from the 1991/Ten era version of the band!  I bought it and it's the title I've listened to more than any other release.  If someone wants to buy them...then doesn't that make them necessary?  (and the Citizen Dick record just missed this list...so the 12th most popular record flip is somehow unnecessary?  Okay...)

That said...it's hard to determine prior to the holiday which albums will sell out in seconds and which ones will linger until August.  Some of the most talked about releases including Courtney Barnett, Brian Eno, and Run The Jewels were still available at stores late on Sunday afternoon.  While others (like Brand New) had people lining up the night before.  I mean seriously, how is Brand New's reissue of a 12-year old album that is readily available on Spotify and itunes AND coming out in wide release next month the number one Ebay flip merely because it comes in a paper bag?  Every store I visiting had people waiting 12-24 hours for this record.

For this list, I determined the ranking based on list price versus Ebay sale...and what was the greatest increase in comparison to the price.  Stereogum lists Jurassic 5's $100 Ebay sale as a big flip...but the list price was $90 to begin with.  That's only a $10 increase.  Same with Phish's Live 1995 6-disc set that listed at $160 but sold for $200.  The biggest flips versus price, I believe, truly shows what were the must-have vinyls of RSD 2015.

Here are the biggest Ebay Flips of Record Store Day 2015:

1. Elvis Presley - My Happiness (List price $12 - Ebay price $245) 20.5x increase
2. Brand New - Deja Entendu (List price $28 - Ebay price $384) 13.7x increase
3. Interpol - Everything Is Wrong (List price $9 - Ebay price $99) 11x increase
4. John Prine - September 78 (List price $25 - Ebay price $227) 10.1x increase
5. David Bowie - Changes (List price $11 - Ebay price $99) 9x increase
6. Bob Dylan - Basement Tapes (List price $30 - Ebay price $250) 8.3x increase
7. Citizen Dick - Touch Me I'm Dick (List price $11 - Ebay price $69) 6.3x increase
8. Ryan Adams - Come Pick Me Up (List price $9 - Ebay price $59) 5.9x increase
9. U2 - Songs of Innocence (List price $36 - Ebay price $199) 5.5x increase
10. Twenty One Pilots - The LC LP (List price $20 - Ebay price $99) 4.9x increase
11. Foo Fighters - Songs From The Laundry Room (List price $20 - Ebay price $99) 4.9x increase
    

Honorable Mention:

Paul McCartney's Sweet Trash sold for a ridiculous $895 but I didn't include it since it's signed by Sir Mac (which obviously alters the true value of the vinyl).

Here are some other fun lists:

• Top RSD sellers
• NME's Top Sellers List
• Stereogum's Ebay Flips
• Bull Moose Top Sales

The 11 Most Talked About Record Store Day Releases:

Tomorrow is the annual fun-loving shopping spree for audiophiles everywhere.  Pretty much every music mag/zine/blog/critic/expert has their own top essential purchases they recommend for RSD.  I could do the same.  But it would just be my recommends for what I really want.  Instead, I've dug through the net and tallied up everyone else's list.  I've created a combo list of the most talked about releases.  I was surprised to see only two of my "must buys" on the list.  And craziest of all, the number one most talked about release on Record Store Day is...a CASSETTE.  Metallica's reprint of their very first release on cassette is the most talked about release this year.  Overall, it's a pretty solid list with current rockers, classic rockers, rap lords, and some fresh indie faces.

Happy hunting!!!

Here are The 11 Most Talked About Record Store Day Releases:

1. Metallica - No Life 'Till Leather

2.  The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan

3.  Foo Fighters - Songs From The Laundry Room

4.  Father John Misty - I Loved You Honeybee

5. J. Dilla - Fuck the Police

6. Run the Jewels -Bust No Moves

7. Courtney Barnett - Kim's Caravan

8. Sly and the Family Stone - Live at the Fillmore East

9. David Bowie - Changes

10.  Brian Eno - My Squelchy Life

11.  Willie Nelson - Teatro

Honorable Mentions:  Mclusky, Elvis Presley, Sim Dunlap, Phish, Mumford and Sons, and Hanni El Khalib

What are your favorite releases?

The 11 Best Record Store Day Successes

At 4:00 AM Saturday morning, I pulled up outside a record store in Sherman Oaks, armed with a few graphic novels, a half-read Malcolm Gladwell tome and 2-liter bottle of Pepsi Max.  I was not alone.  In fact, I was 9th.  In a line that would later that day stretch to over 150-people long, I was part of the core group of dedicated music purists.  The starting line-up.  The Breakfast Club of vinyl.  A tenth member showed up at 4:30, in hopes he was the first one to arrive looking for the Cake box set.  When he found out he was the third one to walk up desiring its glory (knowing the store only obtained one copy), he tossed his hand in the air, disgusted by the whole event and marched off cursing with a wicked lisp.  We were a united front and no one was going to break our tribe.

For the next 7 hours, we discussed our purchases.  Who was getting what?  We strategized with each other, plotting which albums we were sure to get, while at the same time conscious of the others' picks.  Like the crossing of the streams in Ghostbusters, there could be no overlap.  With three people in line only there to get the Paramore release (that's dedication...but it is a cool-looking record), our competition was minimal.  Once we had announced our choices, once we had determined our lists, we no longer allowed to make changes or additions that affected anyone else's lists.  That would be seen as treasonous...and there's no telling the severity of the scowl that would be emitted from a pissed off music nerd.  

Finally, the rest of the line showed up as the crack of six came around.  But we were the tribal council.  We had the power in the front of the line to determine who was getting what.  If the twelfth person in line came only for the Joy Division EP, and I was thinking about getting it, it meant I held all the power over their music-buying fate.  But even vinyl aficionados have morals. There were no cuts.  There was no buying for a friend.  There were also no assholes.  We respected each other's right to be there. At the end of the day, we're a community and we protect our own.

As massively successful that Record Store Day is for the fans and styluses everywhere, it is always amazing to watch what limited edition, colored-vinyl, filled with live demos of covers has the most sustainability outside of the store.  I'm not talking about which album you enjoy listening to the most, that's personal, and there's no list for that.  I'm talking about which albums garner the most online demand.  Some of the albums that were predicted to be draws like Outkast, the side by side series, and even the new Conor Oberst had very little online life.  Even the highly hyped Green Day Demos red vinyl was being outbid by the CD version of the same title.  But some titles...some titles exceeded expectations and will now live on in legend of the RSD history.

Here are the 11 Best Record Store Day Successes:

1. R.E.M. - Unplugged (307) - I've been waiting for this release for 23 years.  It does not disappoint.  Online it's selling for 350% over its list price and there seems to be no dip in the demand.  Despite its popularity it sounds fucking incredible. Only 1000 of these were made, which means it will be in demand for a long time.
2. Cake - Box Set ($330) - All of Cake's seven albums, plus an 8th never-released album, all printed on different colored vinyl.  Even though it sells for more than REM, it cost twice as much originally.  This thing was so popular it literally caused  a guy to cry in line because he didn't get it.
3. Ghostbusters ($100) - The surprise of the day.  Whoever thought a 30 year old movie theme song on glow in the dark vinyl would be wanted by everyone in line.
4. Garcia ($148) - Jerry's first solo album on white vinyl.  Dead fans who are not dead are fighting tooth and nail for this one.
5. The Liars - Mess On a Mission ($75) - This might edge out Paramore for the coolest looking record.  Clear vinyl with yarn inside.  A truly unique release.
6. Devo - Live at Max's Kansas City ($107) - From 1977, this is a great uncovered gem by a legendary band. 
7. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World ($96) - A cult classic soundtrack draws a cult classic crowd. 
8. Death Cab For Cutie ($95) - DCFC with an orchestra...this is the kind of release RSD is made for.
9. Childish Gambino ($80) - Donald Glover may be a funny guy, but he had the best packaging of the day.
10. Life Without Buildings ($102) - An obscure release by an obscure 80s band for the first time in America.  If you don't get this now, you'll never get it.
11. Jack White - Lazaretto ($475) - Even though this is selling for the most amount of money online, it's not really fair to compare it to the others since you could only purchase it at one location.  It's still cool as shit.  Looks like Jack just raised the bar for coolest RSD release.  Your turn Wayne Coyne.

Don't forget to check out our blog's awesome new book The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s.  Available now!

The 11 Best Record Store Releases (Triple List)

I picked up so much vinyl this year...I'm not even sure how I'm going to pay rent.  And isn't that what good music is about?  Living in a van...down by the river.  There wasn't a release this year that I went in excited about...but I came out loving almost everything I purchased.  I've had the chance to listen to most of my purchases and have heard a lot of other stuff.  And the Calexico album...best release of the year...Period.

It was a crazy day...and I'm still reeling from it.  Some say Record store Day is Christmas for music fans.  It's better than Christmas...because on Record Store Day you get exactly what you want.

To celebrate such a momentousness day and with nearly 400 releases...there's no way to condense it down to a mere 11.  Instead, I've created 3 lists to give light on some on a lot of the material that you may have missed.  And by the way, many record stores still have a lot of product...so if there's something that was sold out at one store...I'd check out the store down the street...just in case.

Here are the 11 Best Record Store Day 7-inches:

1. Pornography (Ryan Adams)  - 7 Minutes in Heaven
2. Elliott Smith - Either/Or Demos 
3. Pink Floyd - See Emily Play
4. David Bowie - Drive-In Saturday Night
5. Hold Steady - Criminal Fingers
6. The Black Keys/Iggy & The Stooges - No Fun
7. Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels - Live 1973
8. Old 97s & Waylon Jennings - Double Set
9. Superchunk - Void 
10. Iron & Wine - Next To Paradise
11. Husker Du - Amusement

Here are the 11 Best Record Store Day Reissues:

1. Orange Juice - Rip It Up
2. Porno For Pyros - Porno For Pyros (splatter vinyl)
3. White Stripes - Elephant (red, white and black vinyl)
4. At The Drive-In - Relationship in Command
5. Braid - Frame and Canvas
6. The Roots - Things Fall Apart
7. The Band - The Last Waltz
8. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (yellow vinyl)
9. Blind Melon - Blind Melon
10. Built To Spill - Live
11. The Zombies - The Zombies

Here are the 11 Best Record Store Day Releases:

1. Calexico - Spiritoso
2. Stephen Malkmus - Ege Bamyasi
3. A Place To Bury Strangers - Strange Moon
4. Soundgarden - King Animal Demos
5. Garbage - Because the Night
6. Willie Nelson - Crazy Demo Sessions
7. G. Love and Jack Johnson - Bloodshot & Blue
8. Mumford and Sons - Live At Bull Moose
9. Grouplove/Manchester Orchestra/Frightened Rabbit - Make It To Me
10. Big Star - Nothing Can Hurt Me
11. Deftones - Live: Volume 1

The 11 Best Songs By Crystal Castles

For years Black Friday has been the day for Christmas shopping.  I never get everything I want or need on that day but I usually end up getting a good start on where I need to be.  Oddly, I usually buy more things for myself on Black Friday than I do for others.  When it comes to buying things for myself, I'm actually really good at it.  For the past couple of years, another event has compounded Black Friday into an uber event that only further rips my wallet and bank account to shreds:  Record Store Day.  Combining the two events for me is like relocating Disneyland to the strip in Las Vegas while handing out free ecstasy tabs and buckets of $50 gambling chips.  Too many choices.  BluRay players for $50 or Velvet Underground Acetate?  $3 jackets or White Stripes 45-inches?  It's not fair.

I picked up 11 releases.  Three of them...I didn't even go into the store having any interest in...but when I was there in the moment, I bought a Wanda Jackson rarities disc...and I freaking love it.  I want to take Wanda Jackson out to a nice dinner with wine and tiramisu.  It was an impulse buy.  I feel in love with the album cover and the smile on Jackson's face.  That kind of love of music doesn't exist anymore.  It's more important to be popular than to be good.  No longer can you just be a fan of the art form and take a chance on a 6-song EP of demos and outtakes for $16 and be absolutely infatuated.  This is what makes me a fan.  Standing in line for hours to buy something I didn't even know I wanted...that makes me a fan.  Sitting in front of a record player flipping over records after one song...that makes me a fan.  Sitting by the TV waiting to see what new outfit Justin Bieber wore to PF Chang's...makes me want to shoot my eyes out.

Record Store Day continues on.  The lines keep getting longer.  The releases keep getting better.  And the record industry keeps blaming internet downloading for ruining their industry.  Weird.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Crystal Castles:

1. Not In Love w/ Robert Smith (II - Big Day Out Deluxe Version)
2. Vanished (Crystal Castles)
3. Celestica (II)
4. Crimewave (Crystal Castles)
5. Lovers Who Uncover w/ the Little Ones (Lovers Who Come Over)
6. Suffocation (II)
7. Untrust Us (Crystal Castles)
8. Year of Silence (II)
9. Pap Smear (II)
10. Knights (Crystal Castles)
11. Violent Dreams (II)

Buy Crystal Castles new album, III...now!!!

Record Store Day Recap (only a month late)

As I jump back into the world of blogging (I promise, baby, this week I'll be different), I figure I need to address the biggest music event of the past few weeks...Record Store Day.  I've been going every year and when I used to get to the store about 30-minutes prior to opening, I was upset that I was 5th or 6th in line.  But every year the line has been getting longer, forcing me to get there earlier.  This year I arrived earlier than I had ever been there...almost 3-hours prior to opening and I was 20th in line.  As alarming as that was, by the time the store opened, there were over 250 people in line...which made me a little less bitter about my placement.  I got just about everything I wanted.  Of the three items I didn't get (The Civil Wars 7", the Brad 7", and the Flaming Lips - Heady Fwends) only CW and Brad were sold out. I was bummed about the CW...and less about the Brad.  Although I was most upset about the Flaming Lips, which never even got shipped.  Even stranger...in LA, the three stores I checked out didn't get copies.  What's even stranger is that the Flaming Lips was the widest release of any Record Store Day release...over 10,000 were made.  That's close to the actual sales figures of their last album...so why in the world was it so hard to find?

That said...the rest of the day and the following two weeks began a scavenger hunt of about a dozen stores...all in hopes of finding the one gem I overlooked.  And yes, I found a few.  Overall, the 7" dominated this year with the longer album being bigger let downs (Flaming Lips production included).

So here are my 11 favorite releases of the Day...and I've heard quite a few.

My 11 Favorite Releases of Record Store Day 2012:

1. Jeff the Brotherhood - Upstairs 10-inch - Strangely, it's probably one of the few albums that didn't even come close to selling out.  I've seen it at dozens of stores...yet it might be the most enjoyable and best vinyl capture of the day.  It's really just a great underrated band jamming the fuck out...but captured on vinyl it's like being in the room with them.  This is what exclusive releases should be all about...something that would never make it as a usual release because it's so up close and intimate it's unplayable except to the people who actually give a shit.

2.  Chris Robinson and the Brotherhood - Blue Suede Shoes 7" - I bought this two weeks after RSD as an impulse buy because it was half off.  The two new songs (not on the new album) are as rocking and raw as anything Chris has done in decades...a definite find.

3.  Feist & Mastodon 7" - A release that should have never happened.  But it's so weird, raw, unlistenable but unresistable...it's a collector's dream.  Can't listen to this one enough.

4.  Arctic Monkeys - R U Still Mine 7" - Where the fuck did this come from?  Maybe the best release by the Monkeys since their debut.  Hopefully this is a good sign that we should expect other great things by them.

5. The Electric Anthology Project of Dinosaur Jr. LP - It's going to be released normally in the coming weeks...but this has to be the most fun of any of the releases.  It's Dinosaur Jr. meets the Breakfast Club.  It's fucking odd...and great at the same time.

6.  Horrible Crowes - Live At Amoeba 7" - This was another album I bought a couple days after RSD.  I was not a huge fan of the actual HC album...it was tolerable.  But these live couple of songs capture the band ripping it up live that is fantastic and deserves many repeat listens.

7.  Ryan Adams - Heartbreak 7" - After last year's super boring album...Ryan at least shows he still has something still in the tank.

8.  Ra Ra Riot - Valerie 7" - Though their are two covers on this record...the Valerie cover is so exceptionally good...it's worth the price of admission all on it's own.

9.  The Flaming Lips - Heady Fwends LP - I never actual got a physical copy...but I have heard this release.  I can't say I'm blown away...or even that upset that I didn't get a copy.  But it's just that crazy that it's worth seeking out to listen to...just once.

10.  Jay Farrar - New Multitudes 10-inch - A companion to possibly one of the best actual albums of the year.  These four songs feature a couple of demos that rock as hard as anything on the album.

11.  Animal Collective - Traverse Temporal Gyrus LP - I don't know if I liked this...or love this...or hate this.  Again, this is what is great about RSD...they can feature album that should never be released in any other fashion except to hardcore fans.  Sure it's experimental bullshit...but I have a copy and you don't.

The ones that got away...

1.  Flaming Lips - Heady Fwends - I have it digitally...but sure wish I had a physical copy.

2.  Brad - Waters Deep 7" - had no idea this would sell out so fast.  Had no idea anyone knew who they were.

3.  Civil Wars - Covers 45 - I've heard the Billie Jean cover...but have sleepless nights dreaming about hearing that Portishead cover.

4.  Mike McCready/Star Ana - A co-worker got a copy and I have to say I'm quite jealous...heard it's pretty good too.

5.  Atmosphere & Aesop Rock - The album had a freaking C-side!  Yes, it had 3 sides!!  That's just epic.

6.  Shabazz Palaces - Live - Just wish I had it.

The 11 Best Black Friday Record Store Releases

Every April...us old dudes who still own record players crowd around record stores to pay a lot of money for limited edition colored vinyls with one extra track.  But Christmas has come early this year.  The wonderful folks at RSD have a new day for us...like a teaser trailer for spring's epic event.  Black Friday features a much smaller amount of releases but some exclusive and exciting ones none-the less.  Here's some of the most interesting releases...and click here for the the full list.


Here are 11 of the Best Releases for Black Friday:

1. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Kiss My Amps Live (No one has made a bigger effort to support vinyl than Tom Petty...so this live EP with songs from the Mojo tour promises to sound amazing.)
2. Wilco - Speak Into The Rose (a 4-song EP with two unreleased tracks from the Whole Love Sessions)
3. Janis Joplin - Move Over 7-inch box set (4 7-inch singles with unreleased tracks and versions)
4. Iron & Wine - Morning Becomes Eclectic (An collection of live tracks recorded for the show)
5. The Kings of Leon - The Early Vinyl (The first three albums on vinyl with a 4th album of unreleased material)
6. The Byrds - Eight Miles High & The Times They Are A-Changing (Two singles that were never released)
7. Ryan Adams - Do I Wait/Darkness (two songs from the Ashes & Fire sessions)
8. Silversun Pickups - Seasick (Unreleased Tracks from the Swoon Sessions)
9. The Civil Wars - Tracks in the Snow (Two new holiday tracks and two live tracks unavailable anywhere else)
10. Craig Finn - Honolulu Blues (The first single with solo material from the Hold Steady frontman)
11. Sea Wolf - Song of the Magpie (Two unreleased tracks produced by Mike Mogis)

Check out Black Friday here.

The Good, The Bad, The Unknown: Record Store Day

Record Store Day did everything right by just doing everything right.  If you haven't heard yet, the 2011 Record Store Day was the most successful yet.  With over 200 exclusive vinyl releases, it did something that no one in the music industry thought was possible:  it got people to buy music. It didn't try to sell people what they wanted us to buy...they sold us stuff what we wanted to buy.  Rock Music.  The number one singles and albums were rock bands...not pop.  That should be a sign...we'll see if anyone listens.

With all the great releases, I thought I would break down some of the unique ones, since I've had the chance to hear a lot of them. I've stayed away from the re-issues...since they're already out in some form.  I wanted to highlight those releases that truly made RSD an event.

The Good:

1.  Foo Fighters - Medium Rare
2.  Deftones - Covers

- though most of the tracks are previously released, putting them together in an official package is an extreme delight.  Both bands are notorious for their unique covers and to release this is a real exclusive.

3.  Jimi Hendrix - Fire/Touch You
4.  Velvet Underground - Foggy Notion
5.  Derek & Dominoes - Got to Get Better
5.  Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar

- Four of the most elite rock stars of all time...release "unreleased" material.  It's too good to be true.  And the new songs are all surprisinlgy good...and not throwaway tracks.

6.  Decemberists - Live At Bull Moose

- an exclusive live comp featuring songs from the new album live.  Not just a couple songs...but a full solid set.


The Bad:
(okay...to be fair...none of these are truly bad...most are cool.  a better title might, I was just hoping for more.)

1.  Death Cab For Cutie - In Living Stereo
2.  Bruce Springsteen - Gotta Get That Feeling/Racing in the street

- both seem like exclusives...but their just songs that are just previews of upcoming releases.

3.  Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Class Mythology

- in all fairness...the songs are decent.  but they're each about 2:00 long.  all four songs clock in at less than 10 minutes.  For $17, I expected more...considering it cost me more than the Foos full length vinyl.

4.  Rise Against - Join The Ranks

- cool picture...but pricey for songs we've already heard.

5.  Panda Bear - Tomboy (t-shirt bundle)

- it's record day...not t-shirt day!  okay...just including this to bring it to 5 discs.

The Unknown:

1.  White Flag 7" - Future Crimes

- A preview of the Sleater Kinney-Mary Tomony supergroup.  theyre off to a great start

2.  Guided By Vioces - Sing For Your Meat

- An expanded vinyl with 5 extra songs over the CD -when does that happen?  And it's one of those rare "good" tribute albums

3.  Regina Spektor - Four From Far

- 3 solid b-sides...and an exteremely cool live track.  the Live version of EET is one of the best vinyl songs I picked up all day.  a song this good is the reason we buy vinyl.

4. Antony and the Johnsons - Swanlights EP
5.  Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma Al Takes
6.  Fucked Up - Town Comp
7.  Black Angels - Phosgene Nightmare


- for fans only...but fans won't be disappointed by entire collections of unreleased material.

8.  kode9 - Otherman


- nevermind that there were only 100 made.  it's one of the elite dubstep gurus putting out some of his best material to date.

Now...here's youre turn:  What did you get?  What did you like, love, hate?

The 11 Best Songs By Animal Collective

The music industry has been on a roller coaster ride for the past decade, and no one, not fans, not the artists, nor the industry insiders have any clue where it's headed...or for how long.  Right now, all we can do is throw our hands in the air, scream, and hang on for the ride.  This weekend we witnessed the bi-polar yet beautiful chaotic mess that is music.

On Saturday, the old school music dinosaur that I am, pulled myself out of bed at the unGodly hour of 9AM to go stand outside a record store for 2 hours.  I was 10th in line, which made me nervous initially that I wouldn't get the over-priced 7-inches on colored vinyl containing tracks I already owned digitally.  But I was more relieved when the line ballooned to about a 100-rabid music fans, knowing I was in slightly better shape than them. No one waits in line to buy music anymore, which made this moment so much more fulfilling. Walking out of that store with my 4 top choices and 11 total pieces of an ancient art form felt like a victory. I got albums I really wanted (Foo Fighters, Decemberists, Ryan Adams, Fucked Up, and White Flag), some I didn't know I wanted (Regina Spektor, Mumford and Sons, Fistful of Mercy).  I didn't get Pinback or Deftones...but I did get the uber rare Kode9.  I went home to listen to my spoils...but something distracted me along the way...

I learned early Saturday morning that I could watch the big acts at Coachella streamed live via youtube channel.  Dubbed by the online community as "Couchella," I found myself glued to my computer enjoying my favorite bands without the obnoxious screaming of the shirtless drunk guy.  Showstealers would have to go to Mumford and Sons, The National, Arcade Fire, Cage the Elephant, and Kanye West, which made wish I had been there.  Then of course, there were the letdowns like The Strokes, Kings of Leon and She Wants Revenge...who made me glad I could just switch to another channel.

This weekend celebrated the past, the present, and the future of music.  From the record, to the outdoor festival, to the streamed live feed of the show for those too broke and without the time to spend three days in the blazing desert.  There's no telling if Record Store Day will last or the internet will eventually render it meaningless.  But for the moment...for today, they both exist in a beautiful harmony.

Animal Collective hit the tri-fecta this weekend.  A slot at Coachella...an new album by lead singer Panda Bear...and an exclusive Record Store Day release.  We may not know where the industry is headed...but it looks like Animal Collective will be definitely be one of the first to get there.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Animal Collective:

1.      Did You See The Words? (Feels)
2.      Bluish (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
3.      Summertime Clothes (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
4.      Banshee Beat (Feels)
5.      What Would I Want? Sky (Fall Be Kind EP)
6.      My Girls (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
7.      Prospect Hummer (Prospect Hummer EP)
8.      Peacebone (Strawberry Jam)
9.      Turns Into Something (Feels)
10.   Water Curses (Water Curses EP)
11.   Kids on Holiday (Sung Tongs)

Buy Panda Bear's new solo album, Tomboy...now!!!

The 11 Most Exciting Releases for Record Store Day 2011

Record Store Day should be a national holiday.  It is a music fan's wet dream.  And I mean every part of the imagery that comes with.  Over 200 exclusive releases on CDs and vinyl, just for independent record stores.  Last year I got in line a half hour before the store opened and I was 25th in line, this year...I'm planning on two hours in line.  I don't think I've been this excited about new music since GNR's double album midnight sale back in 1991.  And I know I'm not the only one.  The music blogs are buzzing...fans are frothing at the mouth.  This makes Bieber Fever look like a case of mild night sweats.  All the record labels are getting involved which means they know how profitable this day is.  Last year, they sold more records on Record Store Day on single day than any other day in the history of Soundscan.  Obviously, fans still want to buy music.  Instead of playing the blame game for music sales plummeting, why don't you figure out how to harness this musical obsession that is still turning a profit.

Now everyone will have their different favorites...so instead of making a general list, these are my favorites of this coming holiday.  If you want to check out the full list...go here.  What are you favorites?

Here are my 11 Most Exciting Releases for Record Store Day 2011:

1.  The Foo Fighters - Medium Rare LP
2.  Ryan Adams - Class Mythology EP
3.  The Decemberists - Live At Bull Moose CD
4.  Fucked Up - Town Comp LP
5.  Sonic Youth - Whore's Moaning LP
6.  Fistful of Mercy - 7-inch single
7.  Guided By Voices Tribute - LP
8.  Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Telesterion 2CD
9.  Deftones - Covers LP
10.  Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American 3LP
11.  Naked and Famous - This Machine CD


Check out the official site for more information and a store near you.