About

Is this record worth a spin? Should I buy it? Will it add to or detract
from my credibility? Should I care?
I wish someone could break it down for me.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Gauntlet Hair- Gauntlet Hair


A midwesterners version of a McCarren Park kickball game between Animal Collective and Yeasayer. It's a tough sell modeling your band after artists who left no lasting impression on the music culture. Kind of like cribbing your sound from a Nickelodeon jingle. Lots of reverb and delay, cathedral style vocals, pretty much a cacophony of echoes bouncing between your ears. The band name gives you a good idea of what to expect.


Buy this record to drown out the baby's cries.

www.gauntlethair.com

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Atlas Sound- Bedroom Databank Vol. 1


Home recordings from Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox. This was the first of four volumes that were "released" on his blog. It's a fairly sedate affair with acoustic guitars, harmonica riffs, pulsing rhythmic fills,  flittering synth tracks with programmed drums, an instrumental cover of Kurt Vile's "Freak Train", as well as a spirited version of the Bob Dylan/Band penned tune "This Wheel's On Fire", which appeared on The Basement Tapes and The Band's Music From Big Pink record. I may be going out on a limb here but the Bedroom Databank series stands up with any of the other recorded material that Cox has released, and is essential listening for Deerhunter/Atlas Sound fans.


Buy this record for a rainy afternoon of TV soap operas and grilled cheese sandwiches.

deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Hit & Shit with Void's Chris Stover

A conversation I had with Chris Stover, of the seminal DC Hardcore band Void, in anticipation of the Void Pre-Release Party happening this Friday October 21st at 1-2-3-4 Go! Records in Oakland, CA (event details below):

Q: Why did you start the band/ how did it start?
We did it as a reaction to seeing all the great bands coming out of DC. Bubba and I started jamming then Sean and John came on board. It all clicked after that point. A perfect outlet for a group of boys stuck in an all boys Catholic school.

Q: Did you have an idea of what you wanted the band Void to be when you started? Was the band's evolution a conscious decision?

When we started out, we wanted to be loud and fast as fuck. As we started to progress, we tried to focus on being tight , surprisingly. As the band started to splinter, the band became a weird recipe of our musical influences (Metal, Punk, & Rap) In the end, I am not sure the bands evolution was a crystal clear decision.

Q: The band has left a lasting legacy. How do you feel about that?
I'm stoked that their is a legacy at all.

Q: Do you think Void represents the skateboarding culture? What is/was the relationship between Void and the skating scene?
No. I skated and still skate. We played some skateboard type events. As a band, we were'nt skate rock, but we were involved in the culture and had alot of friends who skated.

Q: How would you feel about corporations wanting to use Void music in commercials?
Usually, all of these type of requests are communicated through Dischord. So we rely on Dischord to make the first call then us. So far so good....

Q: Would you be open to a Void reunion?
Given that Sean (RIP) is no longer with us, sure if everyone would want too. I think that we are getting a little to old to sustain anything long term.

7. Why do you hate freedom?
What kind of question is that? Who said I hate Freedom?


What: Void Pre-Release Party
Where: 1-2-3-4 Go! Records
              423 40th Street
              Oakland, CA 94609
              phone: 510- 985-0325
              web: http://www.facebook.com/1234gorecords
When: Friday October 21st, 2011
           6pm-10pm
           Free Admission

El Rego- El Rego


A meeting of the minds between respected Brooklyn, NY label Daptone Records (Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones, Budos Band) and West African artist Theophile Do Rego. Daptone hand-picked and re-mastered a number of their favorite tunes from Rego's catalog. Rego was a stalwart on the Benin club scene in the late 60s and early seventies, pumping out 45 after 45 in a fertile musical region that included Nigeria, Benin, and Ghana. We've written about West African artists several times here on Buy This Record? so readers probably already know our feelings about this music. El Rego is steeped in the blues and progressive sounds of Western music and it flows through this spirited collection of cerebral rump-shakers.


Buy this record if you've hit a wall while writing your dissertation and need a little inspiration.

www.daptonerecords.com

Monday, October 17, 2011

Oneohtrix Point Never- Replica


Highly anticipated new release, at least in hipster music circles, by Brooklyn, NY electronic/ambient purveyor. Daniel Lopatin's music is sort of an organic answer to Tim Hecker or Christian Fennesz,  incorporating found sounds and piano into his kaleidoscopic keyboard works. He's not reinventing the genre but he certainly makes it sound inviting.


Buy this record for that aquarium road trip you're planning.

www.pointnever.com

Friday, October 7, 2011

Void Reissue Party in Oakland, CA on October 21st




Don’t miss the Pre-Release Party for 80’s DC hardcore band Void! Celebrate the Dischord Records release of Void: Sessions 1981-1983, a new collection of demos and never before heard tracks from Void's early recording sessions which will be officially released October 24.
Spewing forth from the suburban malaise of Columbia, MD, Void anchored the seminal hardcore scene in D.C. (a scene that included Minor Threat, Bad Brains, and Scream). Void have been credited with bridging the gap between punk rock & metal and were named one of the Top 5 Hardcore Bands of all time by rock superstar Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Them Vultures).
This multimedia event from 6pm to 9pm on Friday, October 21 at 1-2-3-4 GO! Records in Oakland will feature artwork by Rich Jacobs, Tim Kerr & several notable artists, live music, and appearances by Void's own bassist Chris Stover and guitarist Bubba Dupree.

What: Void Pre-Release Party
Where: 1-2-3-4 Go! Records
              423 40th Street
              Oakland, CA 94609
              phone: 510- 985-0325
              web: http://www.facebook.com/1234gorecords
When: Friday October 21st, 2011
           6pm-10pm
            Free


Lana Del Rey- Video Games


Is she supposed to be a plastic surgeon's version of Amy Winehouse? A Brittany Spears for disaffected youth? A crooning Liv Tyler look-a-like? Who knows but I'm not feeling it. Lame music, middling vocals, weak lyrics. Of course everyone wants to concentrate on her looks though, kudos mainstream media!


Buy this record if you're looking for a way to score with the cheerleader turned wallflower in your high school.

lanadelrey.com