Lately...
Ruby Velle & the Soulphonics - It's About Time LP (Gemco) 2012
^One of my favorite records I've gotten from JB, one that had to bust out again recently. There's just something really special about Ruby's voice and delivery. Very unpretentious and unassuming soul\R&B, just great music for any mood.
Various - Start Swimming Live LP (Stiff America) 1981
^Man I scored on this nice and cheap various artists live punk album. Every single track on it is a fuzz storm of angst. There are some real sleepers on this from a lot of bands I haven't got much knowledge of. This, to me anyway, is to punk music as "Ill Style Live" is to Hip Hop. A cheap, easily accessible, super dope collection of quality live music. I'm gonna bust this out again when I get home tonight.
Various - Harder Shade of Black (Pressure Sounds) 2010 RE of 1970s OG
^Ever buy a record for someone, for, say Christmas for example, bring it home and say, "Wait a minute... I deserve this!" "I gotta have this!" Guilty.
I bought this for my lil brother, dropped a needle on it since it was used, and my jaw dropped. Don't worry, we're cool, I bought him another brand new record, but I definitely made the right choice keeping this for myself. Satanic, (cool name) is the dub style producer for all these tracks. Mostly manned by Augustus Pablo with his vocals and melodica and a few by the incomparable Horace Andy. This will get numerous repeat listens. Quality version for ya ear holes.
Arcade Fire - Reflektor LP (Sonovox Records) 2013
^Speaking of lil bro, this was the gift he got me for Christmas. This is something I never woulda bought for myself. Upon first and second listen I was not feeling this. It was kinda soft and a little sappy to my ears and I wasn't really ready for it. He kept calling me to see if I enjoyed it so I knew I had to give it another fair listen. Then I genuinely changed my mind, I really like the album. It just took me a while since I don't have anything really like this. It's actually really good, maybe I wasn't in the right mind set the first few listens. I still don't like the last side, it's just too slow and the very last song is undeniable filler noise, but as a whole it's a really cool album. This kinda reminds me of a modern day Cure in a way, as if Robert Smith started in 2013 he might sound like this, but that's a long shot comparison since I know the Cure inside and out and I'm pretty new to these dudes.
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Fair warning, NSFW!
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Various - Disco Reggae LP (Stix) 2013
^I been feeling the Stix records reggae for years now and after reading the reviews on this new comp of "Disco" 12" single styled reggae tracks I jumped. Man I'm glad I did, this is so fucking cool. Great covers of "Chameleon" by Herbie Hancock, "Brick House", even JT's "Suit and Tie" is done well reggae stylee. Surprisingly the best track was Saturday Night Fever. Pressed on 180Gram wax in a thick cover, this is a no-brainer addition to my Stix records collection. These French dudes know a good reggae remix, seriously, a great label.
Mustafa Özkent - Gençlik Ile Elele LP (Finders Keepers) 2006
^Very strange yet immensely funky. Very cool. I can't pronounce this stuff, I won't even try but I knew that it'd be good based on the reviews and the quality label. I bought it back in 2007 and I kinda forgot about it till I stumbled upon it recently. Glad I did, this one is worth dusting off every so often.
24 Carat Black - Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth LP (4 Men With Beards) 2013 RE of 1973 OG
^I'm gonna start this short review with one word. Here is that word...
DOPE! The hype that proceeds this sample source album is justified. This has got to be one of the dopest soul albums I have ever fucking heard. I was blown away listening to this from start to back. I even repeated it right after the first play since I was distracted by my phone and felt I was missing out on the goodness of it. Thoughtfully pressed by the good people at 4 Mens with Beards, this is a legit repress. It's 180 gram, and reasonably priced at only $14.99. Those guys know how to repress a record without going over the top with extravagance. Just a great record, presented in a now obtainable format for the first time in years.
Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog LP (Music on Vinyl) 2013 RE of 1991 OG
^Speaking of extravagance. The people at Music on Vinyl know wassup with that! It's the usual super high end packaging, disc weight, even an etched 4th side since they knew putting it on one disc wasn't going to resonate with the fans. It sounds just as perfect as all their reissues do. Rich, bass-heavy, flawless. I bought a shit bootleg of this and returned it the same day and ever since I've been patiently waiting for a quality label to do this essential Soundgarden\Pearl Jam\Mother-Love-Bone offshoot justice. This is essential grunge music for any dirty sweater wearing long haired 90's rock fans... or just normal looking people with a hankering for great rock.
“Lesser artists borrow... great artists steal.” - Igor Stravinsky
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