Pulse of the Maggots

Man, sometimes life gets in the way of doing stuff you really like doing. I barely have time to listen to records these days, let alone find the right lighting to photograph 'em and then write around the topic for a little while. But thankfully on this Sunday morning I've avoided sleeping in and found some time that isn't quite social enough to play records, but it's damn okay enough to write about them.

From this hype sticker I assume you know what you're in for here. This is the UK/Euro press of Slipknot's Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) on Clear 2XLP available on Record Store Day 2014. It also comes with a nice little RSD hype sticker too. 

Now this had been stuck on my want list for a little while now; but at the £80-100 going rate on Discogs currently, I was willing to push it to the background a little. Plus the fact that I bought both previous full lengths for a steal back in the day made this one a little harder to swallow. 

I'm not sure how common this is with this press but mine seems to have a black splodge or two mixed in with this clear wax. I quite like these little anomalies within pressings that just make for a marginally more interesting variant. All of the centre labels are different colours too which is pretty cool. 

Going from the harsh aesthetic or Iowa, it seemed like the band weren't quite as fucked this time around or at least quite as burned out. Although the record itself is a little less harsh on the ears, it seems to be the one I return to most often nowadays. Maybe it's just pretty fresh to my ears again for owning a copy on vinyl now, who knows? 

A lot of people also seemed to find a few issues with the sound quality on this pressing. To my ears it sounds fine; not spectacular or overly dynamic in any way, shape or form. But there are no huge popping or skipping issues? People on Discogs get on a rant about stuff sometimes right? 

Front and back cover. 

I've always preferred the reverse image here. The picture disc press has this as the C or D side and it fits well with the all black die cut sleeve too.

Insert photos are always a bonus as far as I'm concerned, and even more so here as they're super fun to look at. Almost nostalgic in a way. The inserts on Iowa are definitely something memorable too. 

The photo of the band together here is the most obvious image attached to this record. Up until this year, my only copy of this record was the deluxe 2XCD that comes with this image as a slipcase.

Oh, back to my original point on this point. I never wanted to pull the trigger on this while the price kept on going up and up. I actually found this copy in my local record store whilst having a little dig around behind the counter. It was offered up to me for less than the original asking price; and there's no way I wasn't walking out with it. 

Cheers!

A Murmur From the Ruins Echoes Softly As the Roots Undo

Let's be honest, this had to be written about at some point. It's an absolute benchmark for it's genre, and is of a quality that hasn't been rivaled or replicated since it's release, which was somehow a decade ago. 

As the Roots Undo by Circle Takes the Square. I've had this album on CD for a long long long time, but never ended up with a vinyl copy. Either I had the money when no one was selling, or someone was selling when I had other stuff to be buying or by the time I knew about it, it was long gone. But not to worry, sometime earlier in 2014, rumours of a repress started surfacing and I started to get really excited. 

By the time I heard anything else about it, it was a few days away from dropping on the band's Bigcartel, and all the little details started to unfold. 

For a start, it was a gatefold cover, which I believe hasn't been the case in the two previous pressings. (Edit: They were gatefold sleeves...) This closely follows the CD panel fold out that Robotic Empire put out way back in the day, and more importantly it looks really sweet. Also, the colour of the album art has been switched up from the full colour of previous pressings, to this silver and grey artwork here. I love it, it's cool to have a comparison with the CD copy/ previous pressings. 

Inside the gatefold there is some excerpt of the full art and the track-list, pretty standard stuff but it works well. 

The next thing I knew about these was that they were leftovers from a 'Westward Tour' and that kind of explained the switched up artwork/ cover. These copies were also numbered. When it arrived, I ended up with number 312/500. The little logo next to it is for Gatepost Recordings, which I believe is the band's own label. From what I understand it took the band a little while to get this in their hands again, so it's cool to see them really take a DIY approach this time around. Their newest LP was also released through this imprint last year on vinyl, maybe late 2012 digitally; either way not important. 

The variant I ordered was Bronze/ Ochre mix/200, and I believe the other variant was black/300 and was intended as an anniversary/ tour press but only came to the band midway through the tour, hence the leftovers. They didn't last too long though, I believe it was done and dusted in a few hours. Thankfully I managed to nab in early and get this one. 

Held up to the light it starts to look really impressive, I definitely don't have a similar variant in my collection as it stands. If you have sharp eyes, you'll see the A and B side labels are printed with the lyrics 'As the Roots Undo' - 'The Branch Becomes' respectively. This is from the track 'Interview at the Ruins' in which the album title is lyrically referenced. Also, it's the song that hooked me into the LP, so unsettling and unlike anything I'd heard before. I was beyond engrossed. 

Next up is the insert, single sheet two-sided deal with lyrics, thank-you's etc. and an explanation of the Westward Tour that happened in May 2014.

Also in the sleeve was this cool little thank you note/sticker from Kathleen Stubelek(?), who plays bass and shares vocal duties in the band. Apparently she tackles the whole mailorder thing and makes some sweet wallets too. The other CTTS LP I ordered came with a similar note if memory serves. 

I'm so glad that I finally own this on vinyl, it sounds incredible and looks perfect. I couldn't be happier with this release, it surpassed all expectations and is definitely a cherished record that gave this record a new lease of life for me in some respects. I could talk about this one all night, if you haven't heard it: 

 http://ctts.bandcamp.com/album/as-the-roots-undo

This band haven't released an awful lot in their time. A demo, two LP's and a split 7''. Maybe there is a track or two on a compilation too. I don't even own everything physically by this band, I really wish I did, and i'm glad that they've had a second wind over the past few years. 

Thank you for reading 

Kane

Home, Like Noplace is There

This is an album that I've been wanting to write about for a little while, but there have been a couple of road blocks. For one, I didn't get this album the second it came out, and by the time I did, everyone and his dog had an opinion on the musical content of the record. This is not a bad thing, as it's a fantastic record and i'm glad that it's getting the attention it warrants; it just means I had nothing to say that hadn't already been said. Fresh into it's third pressing and I feel like I can sit down and offer a bit of an insight here. At least as far as the product itself is concerned: 

This particular variant is from the 1st press, I think it was /250, effectively the most common or 'distro' colour of the 1st press. I picked it up from Different Kitchen along with a bunch of other great stuff i'll get on to talking about hopefully. I remember when the first whispers of this started floating round on the internet, and the album art was popping up here and there, the cover really stuck out. It seems to fit the musical content of the LP, and translates way better for being a 12''. Even the colourway is cool; I went through a phase where it seemed every LP I was getting was either on clear blue or clear orange, and I got really jaded on these colours, but I'm into here. But Tiny Engines (who put this out) normally kill it with their variants, some great starburst effect stuff, and even their flat variant always look really crisp. 

Just a quick picture of the back of the sleeve. Really simple, no tracklisting, no bar-code, not much. Just the Tiny Engines logo in the bottom right. 

One of the first things I noticed when picking this up was the sticker on the poly sleeve, indicating the band's name (as it doesn't appear on the cover/ back cover) and also the name change, having previously being called The Hotel Year. They released an album under this name, titled 'It Never Goes Out'. There was some rumour of the LP being released through a label (possibly Mightier Than Sword Records?) but as far as I can tell this never happened for one reason or another. I like this small, possibly insignificant detail. I think all albums should come in poly sleeves. I hate having to buy them, and I hate when I run out and have to decide what album gets de-sleeved to protect a new purchase. But with cool little things like this, it makes good use of all the free space with on the poly sleeve. This album art definitely makes more of an impact for not having the band name splattered about somewhere. 

The last thing i'll write about here is the neat little booklet that comes with the record. It's annoying when an album comes with no printed inner sleeve/ insert or whatever. But having a booklet is way cooler than either of the previous options. I get that it's more of a hassle, but it's worth it. I'm a fan of sitting down and really having a good read through with these. 

Here's another couple of photos just to show what is going on in here. Part lyrics, part artwork and some other neat little elements that really make it worth investing in the physical product. 

From a music perspective, you've heard it all before. This album is great. Many people consider it album of the year type stuff. Whilst i'm never sure on that kind of thing 'til a few weeks into the following year, I will say that I've been listening to this album more and more with the passing weeks in owning it. At first it didn't hit quite right, but now it's really working for me. Also, it came out on Tiny Engines, and this year they've been hitting it right with just about every release. If you haven't yet, invade their Bandcamp and check out that Somos LP. 

Give Hormoaning the boot.

Sometimes I am incredibly overwhelmed by the generosity of friends. This is a record that I have been after for quite some time, in any wax form for a few years. Recently, great dude Alan Beningfield parted with this so I could have a copy for my collection, and for that i'm incredibly grateful. I felt bad taking it off his hands, but i'd like to think we both walked away happy. Again, thanks bud!

Hormoaning by Nirvana. Obviously this is a bootleg, and I don't have any problem with that. The original copies are rumoured to be of 4000-6000 copies, but most state 4000. Also, the 1st press is the only variant consisting of red and blue swirled vinyl. As far as anyone can tell, it has never been booted/ replicated on the original colourway to any realistic degree. There was a later (2011)Record Store Day press on brown marbled vinyl, with again rumours of 4000-6000 pressing numbers. But if your copy is not brown or red/blue swirl, it's a bootleg. But come on, 8000-12,000 max of a Nirvana release just isn't enough to spread the wealth, it was obviously going to get bootlegged. It's just cool to have a copy. 

I kind of love that despite the obvious bootleg nature, this copy still contains some sketchy photocopied Geffen labels and contains similar matrix numbers (though not identical, numbers vary for the second side between the official press and this particular boot. Also, the RSD press has completely different matrix numbers so I am told). Oh, and a barcode! 

When held up to the light, this sucker comes out in quite a nice marbled effect that you don't really see otherwise. After doing a little reading on the various bootlegs around, it turns out that this surfaced out of Germany somewhere in 2005. This 2005 press also came on green, which is marbled when held to the light also, but pressing info is non-existent as far as I know. Apparently, although an obvious bootleg, there are some upsides to this particular press than others, such as higher print quality on the text/ covers and some minor cover details to differentiate from the original press. 

This back cover differentiates from certain boots and the official pressing(s) in a couple of ways. On the original, the text is sharper (obviously, my iPhone camera doesn't help things) and the stars along the edges are different. Also, some bootlegs contain a staggered flag that looks incredibly dodgy, and misplaced stars again. I'm not getting precious at all at this point, a bootleg is a bootleg regardless of quality I guess, but at least this copy looks nice? 

Finally, the cover has some minor detail changes from the original/ other boots. The obvious telltale is the missing shower head in the top right corner (although some bootlegs still have this). But there are details that vary over pressing to pressing, such as the blurry nature of the bottom left corner (the bottle on the shower ledge) and the staggered look of the black tile to the right side of the sleeve, along with the blurred area above it. I mean, every press contains similarities and defects to the original, but in picking up and looking at it, you can tend to guess it almost. 

It was important for me to own a copy of this, although you can find the tracks elsewhere; it just felt right to have them together in one place. Hearing those Vaselines covers on wax is a fairly wonderful. Another thing; this sounds incredible. Original press or not, it sounds really great and has been played a bunch of times. There's an RSD press in my local store, that I have made offers on countless times but the owner won't budge. He's keeping it, and I get that as it must suck owning a storemand never being able to get in on the RSD morning queue action. But damn just take it home, play it and stop me gawping over it every time I go in the store. It's still in shrink. This shouldn't be a thing. Definitely glad to finally own a copy after that one staring at me for so long.

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

Big Wheel or bust

This was one of the single greatest examples of having to have a particular record. One of those albums that is of such importance, that a repress simply won't do. Thankfully, with a bit of eBay hunting and a considerable amount of money just about anything is possible.

With that in mind, here is the Big Wheel Recreation press of Clarity by Jimmy Eat World. Another one of those top 5 records that you constantly obsess over. One of those records you couldn't even count the plays of over the years. It's such an important piece of music, one that I cannot listen to one single track from, one that cannot have a track skipped. It's enjoyed in full every time. For the amount of love I have for this record, the Capitol repress (or Shop Radio Cast press now I guess) just wouldn't do. So I set out to find this LP, and after a couple of eBay misses, here it is. 

Plain black double LP. There were 4 variants total for the 1st press, and I assume black was the most common (pressing numbers are just about impossible to find). But I am just so happy to have a copy. Buy it Now, free shipping, speedy delivery and one play through with bated breath. It was fantastic, Goodbye Sky Harbor has never sounded so perfect. 

This is the Big Wheel Recreation cover, the repress has the text running vertically as opposed to horizontally here. The images are just so crisp and cool. The CD has slightly altered artwork (the CD artwork is comprised of the four top right images), but nobody cares about that.

Back cover. Nothing too fancy, band photo, tracklisting and that ever important BWR logo in the bottom centre. I always love checking the back of a sleeve for the lack of a barcode. Look at those curtains.

The insert is just a one-sided single sheet with lyrics, credits and notes. This whole package is in incredibly good condition, if you take into consideration it's a 15 year old record (I have seen a few rumours of this not surfacing on vinyl until the early 2000's, but I've seen more evidence suggesting a 1999 vinyl release than otherwise) . Again, nothing fancy, just everything that is needed. 

The last thing to note really, is that this double LP is housed in a single LP sleeve, not a gatefold sleeve. Another example of this is Sunbather by Deafheaven; some people like it and some people don't. Personally I don't care too much either way. I guess the upside to this method, is that in a gatefold, some stuff like inserts have a tendency to get creased over time by slipping into the fold. But back to the point, I love how this record looks and I love how it sounds. I feel incredibly fortunate to own a copy in such great condition. This is a truly cherished piece of my collection. No regrets ever, this album is perfect.

 I still can't believe I paid a considerable amount more for an LP, just so it didn't have two extra tracks at the end, and so that the text ran a different way. I'm sure you understand though, the heart wants what the heart wants.

Thank you for reading.

I miss Witch Cult

Three post in three days, told you i'm making more of an effort! Today i'm talking about Witch Cult, and for those that might not be familiar with them, they were a Powerviolence band from the South Coast of England. They were known for playing guerrilla type gigs, often in balaclavas, disastrously short sets and they're now sadly missed. A great band. Of all their recorded output, this is the one that got the most hype around it, probably due to it being very good. And more readily available than some releases by them.

Holy Roar Records put this out on Halloween 2011. Holy Roar are a fantastic UK label, part of the Pink Mist Collective. They put out mostly hardcore stuff, but occasionally dip into math rock and other genres. A great independent label that put massive amounts of effort and attention to their releases. This was released on black vinyl only on a single press of 300. The cover art is a really odd, almost pixelated photo of two band members (I assume) in balaclavas, with a white inverted cross in the bottom right corner. The font for the band name on the centre label of the vinyl also has an inverted cross. Very goth. Also, everything on this release is black and white, not a dash of colour to be seen. 

The back cover is a neat quarter fold with the track-listing and label logo. At first it struck me as odd that the record didn't come in a dust sleeve, but it's all good. From an aesthetic sense this looks much better, and hasn't damaged the record in any way. Works to probably run a microfibre cloth round it first though before sticking it on your turntable. 

Oh yes. This record is also single sided (it's powerviolence mate, it's certainly no longer than 10 or 12 minutes), so the b-side has this really nice etching. The etching is of the Holy Roar logo, with a bit of a twist. The witch hat and broom have been added, I guess the whole Halloween/ Witch Cult thing really ties in here. I really love the little additions in this release. It's appreciated that they made the most of the extra space, and I'd rather have this etching over shirking down the format to a 7''. Where's the fun in that? 

As another fun little addition, the record came with a free copy of the album on CD. It kind of looks like a promo job; plastic wallet, card sleeve etc. I like it though, as they've taken the time to make a scaled down version of the artwork for the LP. Probably a 2 minute job I know, but most major(?) label vinyl releases that include a CD have this sketchy plain card wallet with no track-listing or art (Epitaph i'm looking at you). Also, it's way cooler than some download card that you spend ages looking for, just for it to be invalidated on Bandcamp. 

And here is the back cover, just so you know what it looks like I guess? 

Around a year ago, Witch Cult played their last show, and until then I think copies of this were still fairly easy to find (the label long ran out, but Amazon/ eBay had copies floating from time to time). However, it's not really in ready supply anymore; but have a listen here if you're so inclined (http://witchcultpv.bandcamp.com/album/s-t) and if it takes you're fancy, have a little hunt for it. I hope seeing how cool this release is aesthetically will entice you just that little bit more. 

I miss Witch Cult.

If you're 555

Well, I'm finally dusting off the keyboard and getting back into this. Downside: I've been away a minute or five. Upside: I haven't slowed down on buying records, so there's plenty great posts lined up.

I thought I'd start this up again with a cool one that arrived today. Iowa by Slipknot.

This was a truly great eBay score, not super cheap but not expensive either. Not in mint condition, but not bad considering the age (I think this was released in 2001, so it's aged well). The need to grab a copy of this really came from nowhere. I was talking to a friend about this LP, and they pulled out their copy and showed me how cool this was on wax, and an obsession started. I needed it; and I needed  a proper copy, not one of those corner cut promo copies. I remember sneaking out and heading to my local store for the midnight release of this (someone actually brought a goat to the proceedings, very metal.). Fuck, I must have only been nine years old. Either way, long story short, vinyl copies were available, but I had only saved up my pocket money to accommodate a CD copy. Worst part is I got busted anyway when my Mother strolled in my room to wake me up for school the next day and spotted the copy on my bedside table. So this wax is my 12 year wait in spoiled brat gratification. I'm rambling, on to the vinyl! 

Not too much to note here, plain black vinyl with the Nonogram logos on each side. Super cool, but there's way more aesthetically pleasing features about this records...

The front cover is super cool, I remember being almost afraid of it as a kid, and having it on this format now really brings home the menacing vibe of the whole thing. I believe Clown (member number 6 AKA Shawn Crahan - dude hitting the beer kegs on stage) named the goat Eeyore, but I could be wrong? The silver foil effect really adds something too. Apparently this stuff is prone to a bit of creasing, and mine has suffered a corner ding too. Apparently promo copies of this have a corner cut on the top right hand side, for those that wanted to know, and cut out half of the song 'The Heretic Anthem'. Lame. 

The back cover is more of the same, with the silver foil and super creepy goat thing going on. 

As you open the gatefold cover up, there's another great image of the Nonogram, along with individual photos of the nine members. However, the band members are assigned numbers from 0-8, and they're not in number order in this photo, still cool though. 

The next thing pulled out from the gatefold is this fold out poster of the band. Apparently an intact poster is quite rare, as they've often got blu-tac marks or pin holes from being up on the wall. That's even if a copy comes with it, as they're often forgotten about in the sale. Thankfully mine has none of that, and I love this image. It perfectly captures the band from this particular time. They would change masks and boiler suits for every album cycle and I vividly remember this one coming out, so it serves as a nice reminder.

For me the inner sleeves are where things get a bit weird. This side contains lyrics and some strange symbols and logos, the one on the far right looks like a construction of the Nonogram. The other side however:

To my knowledge that is a goat fetus. A bloody goat fetus, how messed up is that? The other sleeve contains another great group shot, and the text in the top left is a dedication to the fans which is quite cool to read. If anyone is super interested, I get that my photos aren't that great so I can type it out. Just comment if you want to know what it says and i'll drag it out...

Aside from a nostalgic purpose, this album really is something special. It got lumped in with nu-metal, but it's way more complex than that. It's up there with Jane Doe and We're Down 'til We're Underground with the most abrasive and pissed off sounding records I have ever heard. It starts with opener (515), which is DJ Sid Wilson screaming after the news of a family member passing, with samples and noises in the background. I try to not touch on the musical context of an LP too much with this blog, but this record is a true classic for heavy music. The history surrounding the LP is incredible too. Another factor to me hunting this down was the crazy background of this album; it was really born from a dark time. Do a bit of internet searching for the film 'Goat' (I'm sure it's on YouTube) and you'll understand it.