Downward Years Part 2.

I said it. I knew I would end up buying another copy of this record. But, on the upside it has new artwork and bonus tracks. It didn't take a lot of me convincing myself to buy this record, and the bonus tracks are perfect. Having an acoustic version of Suns and Lovers is really worth the asking price alone. 

So here it is! My second copy of Downward Years to Come. There's some reversed artwork going on to help differentiate between the presses, and the contrast is great. 

Nothing - Downward Years to Come v.2.0 - A389 Records - 2nd Press /? 

As is the way with the 1st press, finding any pressing information on this record isn't exactly easy. I ordered mine from Rich over at Ignite Records and ended up with a black copy. On the A389 store, two variants are sold out and two variants remain available. The black is one of two available colours; whether this is down to it being the most common colour, or whether people just don't buy black when a colour option is available? I don't really mind either way. 

Back Cover // B-Side. Pretty much the same layout on here as the 1st press, only with the amended speed (the first press indicates 45rpm but it is played at 33, as is this re-press). Also, the extra tracks are added to the track-listing and the colours schemes are reversed. 

First side of the insert. Again the colours are reversed and it's all cool. I was expecting some hick move like inverting the cross. Glad that didn't happen. 

Again, the colour scheme of this side is reversed from the original press too. Additional thanks, credits and lyrics are here too. It's pretty nice attention to detail to amend the insert. Also, black text on a white background is much easier on the eyes, so I'm always a fan. 

This press also comes with a sticker with a little extra information. It was on the cellophane of the record, but I'm particular and peeled it off and attached it to a dust sleeve. Also, the barcode of the release sits on this sticker as opposed to ruining any of the artwork on the sleeve. So everyone is a winnder right? 

Finally, a quick comparison of the two! Even the colours on the centre label are reversed, so impressive. I would love to pick up more variants of Nothing records, but at this point it would be such a rabbit hole to fall down. For now though, I'm more than happy with these two. 

Downward Years to Come

One of those classic moments where you're so late to a band it's almost embarrassing. It wasn't until the release of Guilty of Everything earlier this year that I even had a clue about this band. I took a chance and bought the newest effort on CD (Vinyl now on it's way courtesy of Alan at Different Kitchen, cheers fella!) and fell in love, hard. That album is solid, serious album of the year type stuff. So I set out to grab whatever I could really; and now i'm seeking the Poshlost CD/Cassette (I believe that's the demo/ first release, if anyone is up for selling a copy please let me know as i'd be happy with either/both). Anyway, Downward Years to Come : 

By the time I came to looking for this, the A389 store had long sold out, which is about right. All three colours were done, dusted and at the time there was no word of a possible second press. In my relentless moaning to Alan about it; he pointed out that good dude Rich at Ignite Records Store/ Speedowax Records got a fair bit of A389 stuff in and it may be worth dropping him a message. A few words and a Paypal payment later, it was all sorted. One of the best record buying experiences ever. 

So a few days later, this found it's way through the letterbox (well, not through the letterbox, that would have really pissed me off) and the first thing that got me was the art. Kind of weird and dark, even the title of this thing is a little sad and unsettling. 

Flipping it over and looking at the back cover and you start to see a bit of a theme here. Everything is in Black, White and Grey. That actually goes for all the releases, up until the most recent presses of new LP, Guilty of Everything with a new Pink (Breast Cancer Awareness variant - http://www.insound.com/Guilty-of-Everything-Pink-Vinyl-Vinyl-LP-Nothing/P/INS134075/) and red 3rd press with matching artwork (http://www.relapse.com/guilty-of-everything-lp-red.html). Up until this point, all vinyl releases have Black/ White/ Grey artwork and Black/ Grey/ Clear vinyl variants (as far as i'm aware). 

I ended up with a clear copy, and more than that I have no clue what the pressing information here is; not a trace of it on Discogs/ Deadformat/ the A389 store. However, from what copies I have seen there are small amounts of black in the clear copies. Some people have an issue with it, and I get that, but for me it's not a problem either way.  

Another thing to note, the speed indicates 45rpm, but this is incorrect and plays at 33rpm. More important though is the Nothing logo. This has been around since the first Nothing release, and it's a really cool piece of imagery, I dig it. 

The insert kind of carries on with this start black and white bleak, unsettling imagery. Really simplistic in nature, but really sets it up for something important. I guess that lyrical themes and presentation are a real thing for this band, as everything seems quite meticulously put together. 

The 2nd side of the insert carries on, with lyrics and other liner notes. And another sneaky logo in the bottom right corner. 

Musically, I really like this release a lot. All the reverb you'll ever need, really essential weekend afternoon listening. The 5 tracks clock in at around 25 minutes, and can be streamed from the A389 bandcamp here: http://a389recordings.bandcamp.com/album/a389-112-nothing-downward-years-to-come-12. 

Also, recent-ish rumour has it that there is a 2nd press of this on it's way, with the possibility of some extra tracks or something fancy. I know i'll end up buying it again. 

So to summarise, great band, great presentation. Guilty of Everything is worth all the time in the world, and if you're selling some Nothing stuff, get at me. I want that Poshlost tape real bad, and the Guilty of Everything tape. Tell your folks. 

Thanks for reading. I'm away for a few days on holiday as of tomorrow, but if I grab a spare half hour i'll try and squeeze something in.

Kane