Hello dear reader of Vinyl Junkies. You are clearly a person of exceptional taste and somebody who probably spends slightly too long on the net. Nothing wrong with that, I just thought it best to tell you that you now need to waste a small fraction of your internet time in a different corner of the web from the one you're currently visiting. I've decided that Vinyl Junkies has reached the end of its life span. This site is looking quite tired now and the name is a little confusing as people think it refers to either a record shop in London or some club night or other. As much as I love vinyl, and I really do, the main thing I write about is music, not the format. And so, Just Played is born.
To visit, luxuriate in its (not especially well tinkered with just yet, but I'll get there) splendour and generally nosey about, please redirect your bookmark to the following address:
http://justplayed.wordpress.com/
From here on, it's highly unlikely that I'll be doing any updating on this site and I've carried over ALL of the posts from this blog to the new one, so it'll all still be there. Please visit!
There's a new email address for any comments you'd like to make but would prefer not to post on the blog: justplayed@hotmail.co.uk
Thanks for taking the time over the last five years of Vinyl Junkies - firstly on a makeshift website, then this blog - to have a read, post a comment or even visit your local record shop. You're a truly lovely person. Just make sure you follow, ok?
Well, it looks like I've found somewhere else to spout about records on a monthly basis after a lengthy hiatus. May say a little more when it's confirmed. It's a nice feeling anyway, after a couple of years of not being able to say, "I'm in WH Smith" to loved ones, friends and bemused strangers.
Anyway, it looks like I'll need to be even more concise with my words than I used to be. As if trying to write about music wasn't difficult enough in the first place, this is a right bugger because it pretty much guarantees that you can't set the scene. So, in an attempt to get myself back into old habits, I present the first offerings in a terribly exciting selection of 20 words reviews. Feel free to contribute some yourself. It might even be fun.
The Divine Comedy - Regeneration
National Express man loses orchestra, suit and raised eyebrow but gains long hair, weird noises and Godrich production. Oddly undervalued.
The Divine Comedy - Absent Friends
National Express man regains orchestra, suit and raised eyebrow but loses sense of fun and retreads past to limited effect.
Blur - Think Tank
Not much Graham, too much Fatboy Slim. Often chilled, sometimes heartbreaking and - whisper it now - actually Blur's best album yet.
U2 - No Line On The Horizon
Crap. Cack. Shit. Toss. Balls. Plop. Shite. Icky. Smug. Piffle. Cobblers. Codshit. And, just for variety like, absolute smoldering arse.
Suddenly that two years hiatus makes sense, doesn't it?
Good old Graham Coxon. Not only is he a member of one of the greatest bands of recent times, creator of one of the early contenders for 2009's album of the year and one of the few musicians willing to contribute honestly and openly to online discussion boards, but he's pioneering exciting and alternative ways to make money out of music. As huge fans of music, this can only be pleasing news for us, as the more that musicians develop ways to make releasing tunes into the current climate viable, the more great music we'll continue to be graced with.
Coxon's new single, 'Sorrow's Army', is available in one format only. An art print. Ok, that art print comes with a download code for that track, but the release itself is something you can't actually play. The print itself is rather lovely (click to see the image, as uploaded by 'salmon' from the Blur forum) and sets you back £4-£5 depending on where you purchase it from. Not bad for an art print and it's worth remembering that the song on its own would have sold for 79p. Not a bad mark up. Naturally, art prints aren't suddenly going to become the format du jour, but it's a great example of an artist adapting to the rapidly changing commercial nature of music selling. Graham's fans all seem pretty chuffed with the item and it'll be raking in the cash for his record label. It's certainly a more appealing alternative format than the USB releases that Keane and Ed Harcourt have attempted of late and, while I'd never have considered buying 'Sorrow's Army' as a single, having already purchased the rather splendid album, 'The Spinning Top', my five quid went winging its way to Transgressive Records quicker than, well, much quicker than they actually sent the bloody thing, but we won't dwell on that.
This seems like a good time to mention just how utterly terrific his new album is. I'm not sure what I was expecting from it - certainly not what I got. The Record Store Day exclusive 10" of 'In The Morning' gave a pretty decent indicator, with eight minutes of acoustic splendour, gentle vocals and a delicate touch not normally associated with solo Coxon.
Two immediate highlights are the aforementioned, 'In The Morning', and 'Look Into The Light'. Listen to both below.
See? Now go and buy the album.
What, you need more convincing and a more persuasive pitch?
'The Spinning Top' is Graham's masterpiece, lengthy but enthralling, beautifully sung and exquisitely rendered. There are touches of Nick Drake, particularly on 'Look Into The Light', and, as he's explained in numerous interviews, the music of Davey Graham sent him off in this direction in the first place. Gently affecting, hugely understated and unlikely to immediately strike you as a stone cold classic, 'The Spinning Top' slowly abducts each and every heart string until suddenly the one, almighty tug brings you on side and from that point onwards there's no looking back.
Now go and buy the album.
Long time readers of this blog will remember how I used to get ever so slightly too excited about Bank Holiday Monday trips to my local indie emporium when, with literally no logic to back this up, I used to spend without impunity, somehow convincing myself that money spent on a bank holiday doesn't count. Actually, now I think about it, what with it being a day when banks have a holiday, that's not quite such an idiotic idea. Still quite an idiotic idea, mind.
Anyway, said days are long since gone, what with most of the record stores in the whole world having closed down. I'm now left to take my chances with whatever I can find. And so I found myself in a hotel in Derby this morning, flicking through boxes of mainly second-hand vinyl. Most of it, it must be said, was toss. If you ever need a battered copy of any Tina Turner album, a record fair's the place for you. In fact, if you ever need seventeen battered copies of any Tina Turner album, a record fair's the place for you. Sadly, it also appears to be the place for people who get so lost in the supermarket that they never quite find the aisles for soap and deodorant. Sadly, despite the late, great Joe's claim, they can still shop happily. Still, there should be a little corner of the world for everybody and, just like the New Year Sale in HMV is the place for the chronically flatulent, record fairs seem to be the place for the slightly unwashed.
Not me, I hasten to add. I smell perfectly fine, thanks. Anyway, after flicking through the aforementioned tat, I alighted upon a stall selling new stuff. It dawned on me how infrequently I actually get to physically hand over the cash for vinyl these days. The charming bloke I ended up buying a few records from, whose name I can't remember - something like Dave, told me that the record-selling business is so shit these days that he's just resorted to record fairs and "my Vauxhall Cavalier." As a result of these circumstances, most of my record buying occurs online. Not through choice, so much as lack of options.
This neatly dovetails with a request from a rather splendid chap (who has recently directed people to this site from his own rather fine corner of the interweb) for a general guide to picking up vinyl at decent prices. So, provided you don't all start buying everything I want before I can get it, I present:
The Vinyl Junkies guide to buying vinyl
I know, imaginative title, eh?
1. Indie stores online
First and foremost, if you're after new release vinyl that isn't just the latest overly-loud, overly-pompous and overly... well, shit, U2 album then you'll need to identify a few indie retailers who cater for tastes similar to yours.
My chosen benefactors are the splendid people at Norman Records, who I've mentioned previously.
They stock pretty much all the new release stuff you could wish for and, almost always, at the best price you'll find online. They ship the items in very sturdy packaging and turn around orders pronto. Their communication is second to none and often rather amusing. Decent sized orders tend to come with a few sweet - works for me - and they publish weekly reviews of an irreverent nature which carry the following advisory message:
Warning: stay away if you're going to be all offended by us slagging off your favourite artist. We reserve the right to hold an opinion!
The one thing to bear in mind is postage. Vinyl is heavy and bulky and will always require a few quid bunged on top of your order. That said, order more than £50 worth in one go and shipping is free!
There are a few other indie retailers I frequent:
Action Records - The shop in Preston is lovely, the web service is quick and pretty competitively priced. I use them for reasonably recent back catalogue stuff. If you're after something from the last five years, and it's not already super-rare, Action are a good bet.
What Records - Now online only. Vast stock, lots of upfront listings in order to ensure you can get hold of very limited pressings and very secure shipping. Neither particularly keen on obscure stuff nor the cheapest, What is pretty dependable for the rare stuff.
Leaning more towards electronic music than Norm, but covering similar ground, Boomkat is another place to go to for the very limited indie store only pressings and it also does a nice line in flac downloads - not that that's what this post is meant to promote!
2. Catching the big boys getting it wrong
I do so love benefiting from a mis-price by Amazon or HMV. It's double satisfying: knowing you get a bargain and that bargain is directly linked to one of the indie-slayers not making so much money. As a technique, it only really works on pre-orders and you'll need to get in early. Online retailers, or etailers if you will, try to outdo each other in terms of getting things listed first in a bid to get extra sales. As a result, this doesn't always lead to entirely accurate listings. HMV listed the Oasis vinyl box set for 'Stop The Clocks' as a single vinyl at £12.99 delivered for a month. Amazon were gladly flogging the recent Aidan Moffat and the Best Ofs vinyl/CD/bonus CD/7"/Valentine's Card/board game box set as a piece of single vinyl at £13.69 delivered. Peter Doherty's 'Grace/Wastelands' vinyl pressing was £7.98, the same as the CD, delivered for a month. It's all about luck and it's not a guaranteed route to bargains, but it throws up some decent stuff.
3. Caiman on Amazon Marketplace
If it's an album that's getting a release in the US, then a good source of cheap, new vinyl is Caiman USA, Caiman Zone, Caiman Bargain or whatever they're calling themselves at the exact moment when you order. Often charging £8-9 per item, with the stock £1.24 postage on top of that, you can get some real bargains. They tend not to list items until a week or two after release, and those prices don't stay around for long, but they're worth checking for on most new releases.
As for second hand stuff, I can't really offer much more than you already know. Track down your nearest second-hand retailer, keep an eye on eBay auctions that finish in less 'busy' times and search via places like Gemm and Musicstack. That said, car boot sales and record fairs remain the best places to pick up second-hand bargains.
Feel free to leave a comment correcting me, adding extra info or simply sharing your experiences. I enjoy reading about this sort of stuff, honest!
Oh, one last thing. I write a reasonably well-followed blog (which has already been visited by the rather splendid Thomas Pugwash) and yet I've not been sent a promo of The Duckworth Lewis Method's new album to review. I'm naturally quite hurt. That said, a rather positive review will be appearing at the aforementioned splendid chap's aforementioned site shortly.
EDIT: The Duckworth Lewis situation has picked up. Yay.
The new Pet Shop Boys album, 'Yes', sounds utterly tremendous on vinyl.
It's not too shabby on CD either, like.
The Maximo Park album is not as bad as it first seems but not as it good as it really should be.
2009 already has rather a lot of top notch albums:
and there's still stuff from Massive Attack, The Divine Comedy and Richard Hawley to come. Lovely.
Blur are back together and this particular Cinders is going to the ball. A bit giddy, truth be told. Listening to lots of b-sides at the moment. Those waltzy instrumental numbers are ace, aren't they?
Apparently, Selectadisc isn't dead. It's been bought and will be back soon. Good.
Yet more proof that supermarkets are killing music. Fuckwits.
Northern Portrait are wonderful. I may well have said this before. Go and listen and then buy their EPs from the nice people at Matinee Records.
The new Maps single doesn't sound like much at first, but after a while it takes over your head.
I know it's in the list above, but you really do have to listen to the new Graham Coxon album. It's beautiful.
The new Wilco album has a silly cover.
Doves are better live now than ever before. They've gone from being a slow band that does the odd fast one to being a fast band that does the odd slow one. I know, I know, that's what they were in their previous incarnation, but still.
Mondays aren't the same without Stewart Lee.
So, this, I guess, is what Twitter is like. Only, I'd have had to click submit after each and every mildy-interesting comment. How exciting!
I'm supposed to be working. That's why I'm here. If you like, you can imagine the traditional apology for a delay in posting. Feel free to inset it about here. Done? Splendid.
If you like buying records from people then you will soon be officially 'odd'. It's not possible, apparently. Even the odd record shop still going - yes, HMV, I'm talking about you - doesn't appear to actually want to sell music anymore. Branded 'listen' or 'hear' or something equally patronising, music is gradually being shunted into the small section previously reserved for 'special interest' DVDs and magazines. In the last couple of months, we've had the demise of Woolies, Zavvi and, more personally, the news that Nottingham's Selectadisc is shutting up shop at the end of this month. I've written about this topic many times on here, so I'll try not to witter on about the same-old, same-old, but I'm genuinely pissed off at the fact that my record shopping will soon be done almost exclusively online. Where's the fun in that? Anyway, Selectadisc has always been a shining beacon of how to run a record shop - I've said as much here and Nottingham's Left Lion folk have a tribute here too.
The other thing I felt compelled to mention - admittedly, once again, fuelled by work avoidance - is the new project from Neil Hannon and that fat beardy bloke from Pugwash, called Thomas Pugwash. While his voice is largely unremarkable, the splendidly, well, splendid voice of Mr Hannon delivers the goods aplenty on the Myspace page for this new venture, charmingly called, The Duckworth Lewis Method, as in cricket. The album'll be out around the time of The Ashes for prime cash-in factor. They appear to have forgotten that neither of them sell many records, but it's quite sweet logic, nonetheless. Anyway, whatever the sales figures, the track they uploaded yesterday, 'Gentlemen and Players' is sublime. I've not been able to stop playing it since I first heard it. I'm playing it now, actually. Go listen yourself. Click here.
Should probably do some work now.
Oooh, it's lunch time.
One of the many splendours of Sky + is the way in which it invites you to record even the most minimal and insignificant fluff, just because it's no effort at all. For me, the clearest example of this is the Channel 4 tendency to show exclusive first plays of new music videos at some time around midnight. Can I be arsed making sure I'm watching the telly for that precise five minute window? No. But give me the chance to press a button, forget all about it and then come back to it another time, and I'm in!
Last night, Channel 4 played out the new video from Morrissey, for ''I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris'. This morning, feeling a bit fluey and equipped with a strong cup of tea and some Nurofen, I settled down to flick through the telly. As I watched this particular video, I could only think of one thing. Doesn't Morrissey look old? Let's be absolutely fair to the chap - he is actually getting on a bit. It's not like he looked 25 last week and now he looks like he's smoked Amy Winehouse, but he just seems to actually be looking his age or even a little older.
It's no great surprise, people get older after all, but my first proper exposure to Moz was his Nineties Britpop incarnation and he was still rather spritely then. Even his most recent albums were supported by performances that suggested a man full of energy, passion and natural charm.
Watch this and see if any of that is still there now:
See? I'm not imagining it, am I? Now, I should confess that the reason why I'm so struck by his aging appearance is entirely selfish. I can't help thinking that time must have seriously moved along if 'my' generation of indie legends are starting to look a little rough around the edges. Noel's greying, Supergrass have the sideburns of a randy farmer who, in times of loneliness, has been eyeing up the goats and Moz looks like he's been cryogenically frozen and is now being operated by strings. I'm getting ever nearer to dropping out of the traditional 'new music' demographic and it feels odd. Of course, there are self-imposed boundaries that don't exist in the real world, but it still feels a bit strange to look at the figureheads of my youth and find them appearing more than a little lived in. Still, doing an impression of a Weeble trying to seduce a small dog is nothing compared to this silly old tart.
As for the song, it's quite good actually. It's Morrissey-by-numbers, but after 'Ringleader Of The Tormentors', which was about as much fun as an aneurysm, I'll happily take that. After all, that's what made us all like 'You Are The Quarry' so much, wasn't it?
***
As this blog is actually called Vinyl Junkies, I should take this moment to point you in the direction of your nearest Zavvi. They're currently flogging all of their vinyl at half price. Provided your local shop had a reasonable range prior to their administration issues, they should have plenty for you to pick up at rather splendid prices. Ok, they're not exactly giving them away, but anyone used to buying plenty of vinyl is used to fairly robust pricing, so getting it at half price is quite a big deal. I'm quite happy to tell you this as I've already cleared out the two stores nearest to me! Get there while you can.
This is, of course, the precursor to a potential repeat of the recent insanity found in Woolworths stores, as stock was cleared prior to closure. Nobody's saying anything about how secure Zavvi's future is right now, but it's hard to imagine any single buyer coming in and keeping the chain as it is now. While I picked up a fair old number of CDs and DVDs in the Woolies clearout, it was a rather depressing affair. Plenty has been said in the media about the demise of this much-loved chain, but anyone who loves music has their own precise memories of the Woolworths music section and it still seems odd that it's not there now. I was in one store a few hours before it closed and it was very odd. Imagine that Britain is at war, everything - even pick'n'mix and large plastic replicas of minor characters from Doctor Who - has been rationed. Sprinkle in some paranoia and desperation and that's a little bit like how it felt. Still, cheap CDs, eh?
***
And finally, it's been such a long time since I posted here that I never did anything about albums of the year for 2008, so I'm just going to re-post the list that I submitted to the end-of-year lists on the various music sites I frequent.
1. Elbow - 'The Seldom Seen Kid'
2. Laura Marling - 'Alas I Cannot Swim'
3. Tindersticks - 'The Hungry Saw'
4. Joan As Police Woman - 'To Survive'
5. Pete Molinari - 'A Virtual Landslide'
6. Bon Iver - 'For Emma, Forever Ago'
7. Portishead - 'Third'
8. Malcolm Middleton - 'Sleight Of Heart'
9. She & Him - 'Volume 1'
10. Paul Weller - '22 Dreams'
11. Our Broken Garden - 'When Your Blackening Shows'
12. Helios - 'Caesura'
13. James Yorkston - 'When The Haar Rolls In'
14. The Last Shadow Puppets - 'The Age Of Understatement'
15. Jamie Lidell - 'Jim'
16. Fleet Foxes - 'Fleet Foxes'
17. Elvis Costello & The Imposters - 'Momofuku'
18. Calexico - 'Carried To Dust'
19. Glow - 'I, Yeah!'
20. Ladyhawke - 'Ladyhawke'
Honourable mentions to: Beck, Nick Cave, Jenny Lewis, The Dears, R.E.M., Max Richter, and Ray LaMontagne
Even looking at it now, I'm fairly certain I'd shuffle a few of them round, but it's a moment in time and nobody really cares anyway, so that'll do. Feel free to post your own via the comments section, should you be that way inclined.
