R.A.D Vinyl

Christina Carter- Obelisk/Tholos 7”

Alone/Together #1 in the 7” series by Emerald Cocoon

buy it here: http://emeraldcocoon.com/present.html

Emerald Cocoon have set out to craft a 7” series of solo performances entitled Alone/ Together. Each have been presented with fantastic sleeves that are similar in design yet unique to each artist and limited to a pressing of 300 copies. Christina Carter leads off the series with an enchanting performance that features her voice accompanied only by the delicate twinkling of bells. Her vocals are haunting and mysterious yet strangely comforting. She invites you into her world and pulls you close as she chants out to the heavens. The mood is meditative and reverential and the only connection to Earth is the sound of a Crow on the A sides “Obelisk.” This is a 7” series that is worth paying attention to.

Medicine and Duty- Sunken Carnival (Foolproof Projects)

buy it here: http://www.foolproofprojects.co.uk/foolproofreleases.html

Foolproof Projects have done a limited 250 copy pressing of Medicine and Duty’s 6th album and very first on vinyl. Entering the world of Medicine and Duty is to be immersed with sounds altogether familiar and foreign. Sunken Carnival at its peak is a fever pitch of dense analog madness with thick low end and clattering percussion freely improvising. When Medicine and Duty tighten things up on “Dredging Eastward” they reach for the krautrock rhythms of Can and This Heat using propulsive repetition as their guide. Andy Payne provides first rate drumming that is innovative and attention grabbing while Matt Colegate and Jack Cooper create wierdo synth madness that travels from futuristic robot noises to organic waves of sound and back again. This is first rate imrov. for a new generation of analog lovers.

Hermit Thrushes- Mystery Ocean (Single Girl Married Girl Records)

Buy it Here: http://www.sgmgrecords.com/hermit_thrushes.html

Hermit Thrushes offer up a complex and dizzying array of sounds on their new LP Mystery Ocean on Single Girl Married Girl Records. This is music for the ADD generation full of anxiety and tension as drums bash and angular guitar chords slice through the Hermit Thrushes deliciously strange freak folk. Playful sounds, samples and catchy hooks are mixed with brash noisy segments as the music evolves not from track to track but from moment to moment. Daniel Smith(Danielson) recorded and mixed Mystery Ocean and Single Girl Married Girl Records have put together a gorgeously packaged LP featuring an insert chalk full of incredible art. Hermit Thrushes keep you guessing and will offer new rewards on each spin.

A Happy Death 7”

buy it here:http://myhappydeath.com/

A Happy Death travel down a well worn path of bands crafting vintage garage and psychedelic rock. Fuzzed out guitars, reverb drenched vocals and a touch of organ fuel this gritty update on the genre. A Happy Death are right at home with the likes of the Black Angels and at moments blow past them with some kick ass drumming that the Black Angels always seem to be lacking. They lay it all on the line with “Ghost House” where it becomes clear this band is a force to be reckoned with. If psych is your thing this band is worth your attention.

This is Cinema 7” Whistler Records

buy it here: http://whistlerchicago.com/thisiscinema/

This is Cinema bolster a sparkly pop sound tinged with electronica and Radiohead esque guitar work. Both “Madchen”(german for girls) and “Gloom Cookie” go for a widescreen sound with the dense layering of atmospherics. Ben Babbit’s vocals don’t command the center of attention instead they slip in and out of the swirling sounds adding another melodic dimension. The art for the 7” is very modern and matches This is Cinema’s sound perfectly. The 7” was released on Record Store Day as a prelude to their debut album so keep an eye out for the full-length.

Can Can Heads Kusisessions Vol.2 7”

buy it here: http://www.kissankusi.com/

Can Can Heads are a group from Finland that have been around for just shy of 20 years. Their discography is so lengthy it needs an interpreter. The three tracks they lay down on this 7” are metallic and abrasive noise jazz. The guitars and sax screech while the thin sounding drums blast away. Vocals seem like an after thought but they turn up now and then. “Salmonella River” is the stand out and plays like a surf song that was ripped to shreds and blasted to pieces by a thrashy punk band. The whole endeavor is very lo-fi noise, clashing punk with the jazz avant garde all mixing together to form an enjoyable little 7”.

Stag- Don’t Lead with your Heart 7”

http://finrecords.com/store-t417/stag/stag-vinyl.aspx

Fin Records is still in it’s infancy as a label with only a few releases under their belts but they continue to offer up some of the best packaged records. The light purple vinyl is gorgeous and looks great as you pull it out of the hot pink sleeve. Stag is power-pop high energy Rock n’ Roll through and through. They go for catchy hooks and a tight crisp sound that is in large part thanks to the great production by Jack Endino (Nirvana) straight to 2” tape. The pressing is limited to 500 hand numbered copies.

Wishgift “Folk Twain” Sophomore Lounge

http://sophomoreloungerecords.com/folktwain.html

Their is nothing folk about Wishgift’s one-sided 12” EP Folk Twain. Wishgift serve up some of the sickest fuzzed out riffs I’ve heard in a long time fusing nerdy prog with some serious hard rock. Folk Twain sounds like a freight train of intensity with furious drumming and uber tight guitar and bass interplay. “Pillow is Trash Talk” incorporates a free jazz sax freak out that may be my favorite moment of the record. Lyrically things get a bit ridiculous offering a great juxtaposition to the serious song crafting keeping the whole EP grounded. A solid EP that is a limited-run of 300 copies. Snag a copy this record will warrant repeat listens.

25 Rifles History of Flags EP 7”

Buy it here: http://snappylittlenumbers.blogspot.com/

Snappy Little Numbers is a relatively new label and for their second release they go with a 7” by the grungy punk rockers 25 Rifles. The black and white minimalist cover art is killer and the colored vinyl is even better. The guitars rip and the vocals are ratty and raspy behind a stormy rhythm section. “History of Flags” is the standout track bridging the gap between Husker Du style alternative and straight up punk. 

Douglas Quin-Fathom (Taiga Records)

buy it here: http://www.taigarecords.com/shop.html

Douglas Quin’s record Fathom isn’t a musical creation in the ordinary sense. Quin captures the sounds of life itself but once again this isn’t the everyday street noises we encounter. As Rene van Peer says in his liner notes about the sounds “They make instantly clear that what you are listening to is an alien world.” This is because Quin has traveled to the extreme ends of the globe, the Arctic region for side a, and the Antarctic region for side b. The recordings were compiled over 15 years and the end result is nothing short of magnificent. The listener is transported to foreign lands and exposed to sounds that have fallen on very few ears. Each side can be enchanting but also haunting and a clear reminder of why we don’t belong in these extreme places. Taiga has packaged this record with the same extreme care as which this sound was captured. The vinyl is an immense 200g’s and the jacket and insert is beautifully letterpressed. A sealed envelope adds to the wonderful mystique of this record, open it and discover the secret revealed behind the sounds you are hearing or leave it sealed forever a mystery. This collection of minimally edited field recordings is highly recommended for those prepared to take a risk with sound and find the music within our very own world.