I miss Witch Cult pt. 2

I do love Witch Cult an awful lot. But this could possibly be one of the more pointless purchases I have ever acquired. Being completely honest I bought this because at the time I couldn't find the LP version, and wanted to buy a physical release. Yep, you guessed it:

The Witch Cult s/t Floppy Disk box set. Amps against Trend put this out some time after Holy Roar released the LP. It's kind of funny really because I was so enthusiastic about getting this, completely aware of the fact that I had no means of playing it. They could be blank, they could be corrupt, I don't know. But each one is hand-sprayed and each floppy disk contains a track. 

The disks are held in this funky little box and it sits on the shelf where my cassettes are held looking completely out of place. I do like the SCPV stencil at the top though, and you know, how else are you going to ship/store ten floppy disks? 

Inside are the obligatory free Witch Cult stickers. These things look cool, but in being super weird and anal about everything, they'll stay where they were put. They would only go on a drum case and get battered to the point of being illegible so it's for the best really. 

Finally the insert, which is all kinds of confusing as the writing is all over the place/ upside down. I only realised these were numbered when I was taking this photo, apparently I ended up with number 7/50. Should probably update my Deadformat with that really. Also, here you can see that the Floppy Disks form a track-listing according to how they're sprayed. 

Will this ever get played? Not even a little, I have the CD and LP so i'm not fucking about getting the old computer out of the attic to play these. Do I own more than one Floppy Disk release? Yup. Wouldn't let go of them either. Oh, pointless purchases.

TSL/PBTT

This was a split I got quite a while back, and had the 7'' counterpart a while before that. But only recently (well the last couple of years) have I started really digging The Saddest Landscape, so I'll be dragging out a release or two by them and seeing what shakes loose in the next few weeks, probably.

This is the Pianos Become the Teeth/ The Saddest Landscape split. I had known of the Topshelf release and got the 7'' from there as I was/ am into Pianos Become the Teeth in a big way. But a few months later, this was offered to me from Darren over at Dog Knights. I had never heard of it, and was into the PBTT enough to warrant a second copy if it was a little different. I paid up, and this arrived. 

Considering this was a few years ago, I was really intrigued by the format of the release. It's a 9'' Single Sided record with an etched b-side (we'll get to that in a bit). The only 9'' records I had known of at the time was the stream of Nine Inch Nails singles that came out, so having this (kind of) obscure format was something new. 

I am always into the cover art for Pianos Become the Teeth releases, they seem to catch a particular mood depending on what it happening musically at the time. The 7'' opens up in the same manner, but the colour scheme is a little different. I might do a quick post on the 7'' variant just for a comparison. 

The inside cover folds out with lyrics, thank you's and other bits. I like that both bands thank each other. I love split releases, but when the bands are into each other's music too I guess it makes it a far better process. I sometimes forget that The Saddest Landscape are somewhat veterans of the whole screamo thing having been around for over a decade (well aside from the little hiatus in the middle but let's not get into that). 

On to the B-Side. It's etched. Again, a few years I had very few etched/ screened B-Sides so this was very cool. Still probably one of the most impressive etchings for me, as it made such an impact to me back in the day. Also, I have a lot to thank for this release being etched as it's what got me into The Saddest Landscape esentially. The tracks are both on side A, and play back to back with TSL being first. I ended up spinning that TSL track ('Death Becomes Us') so much to get to New Normal by Pianos, that I fell in love with it. It took a little of getting past the vocals, but it's now a great listen and opened me up to a band i'm now really fond of. I think if I had stuck with the 7'' I would have disregarded the A Side completely after a couple of casual listens. Loser. 

Lastly this weird insert was in the sleeve when it arrived. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with anything regarding this release. I don't know if the label (Just Say No records) put it in, or Darren did at the time of packing and I never bothered to ask. I guess it's probably a hassle to find dust covers for 9'' records, and as it was in a poly sleeve anyway this could have been put in to protect the etching? I don't know. It's still in there either way. 

I look back at this release with really fond memories. I had always bought records, but this came along at a time when I was finally starting to open my eyes to the whole collecting world. It's not the rarest record out there, it's not rare at all. If I had that /100 Glow in the Dark variant with the poster/ pin set it might be a different story. But i'm happy with this one right here. 

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

Boston // Orlando

I never realised how much people dug this record until recently, with a heartbreaking £80+ eBay price tag (from a recent auction), it seems this item is in some quite hefty demand. Funny really, as it's a lathe cut, so the sound quality isn't up there with it's wax brother, and more importantly, it's two songs. Two great songs to be fair, but still only two songs, about 7 minutes of music. Private deals are rumoured to consistently hit the £35-50 mark too. Mental. Saying that, the band in question are brilliant, and this thing was quite limited and a fun little release too. 

Here it is. Boston // Orlando by Moose Blood. It's an 8'' square lathe cut, single sided with two tracks (Boston and Orlando). Fist in the Air (FITA) put this out as a limited one time press. FITA are a cool UK label who have released three Moose Blood records, and a bunch of other great stuff. 

It's impossible to take a good photo of this thing. But it does look really nice as a package, and I've always enjoyed the occasional shaped record in my collection. 

The front cover is fantastic, the imagery suits the songs perfectly. A small run of shirts with this art were made up as a package deal with the release of this, but knowing (roughly) the availability of the release at the time, I just wanted to grab the record and check out as quick as possible. 

Here is the back cover. The lathe comes in a poly sleeve with a double sided single sheet insert that acts as the cover art too. Also here you get the numbering scheme. I ended up with 47/50. I'm not sure if this means I got in early and they counted down or whether I nearly missed out. The numbers could be completely random I guess? I'm also pretty sure that 52 was the official number when all was said and done, and they got numbered 51/50 and 52/50 accordingly. But that's anyone's guess as to where they ended up. I was told they were already spoken for when pre-orders went up! If you have sharp eyes you'll also see the tag line EMO IS A GANG. Erm. 

Obligatory stickers and stuff. I like the sticker with the art on, of course it's still in the sleeve, never to be used. I also still have the download card (it hasn't been used either). If I feel the need to hear the songs, stick 'em on right? The last sticker on the bottom right also contains some info on the back about the lathe cut... 

There you go! 

A quick word about this release. This package looks like it took an awful lot of time and effort. A few people moaned about the limited availability of the record; but appreciate these things were individually made, the art individually cut to size etc. a lot of hard work went into this release, and it's really appreciated (speaking personally). This went up for pre-order on a Sunday if I remember correctly, at somewhere between 6-8pm (can't remember the specific time). It went super fast, definitely under a minute, it was one of those definite scrapes of luck (and being armed with a laptop and two iPhone's helped). Before anyone asks, I was only using all of those to guarantee ONE copy, I only have ONE copy. The only time I remember a pre-order that tense was the Valentines day edition of Is Survived By by Touche Amore, but that's a story for another day. I believe this was £7.99 on release day, and it was definitely worth that, maybe even a little more. But £80, I envy a guy that can have that throw that down on what is effectively a single. Saying that, I feel your pain, we've probably all paid through the teeth for a record that was originally worth about £3. The struggle is real folks. 

Thank you for reading.