How The Hell Do I Store My Records?!?

Ah yes, the question that has seemed to plague record collectors for decades. How exactly should you store your records? I've never come across shelves or cases meant specifically for records like I have for cds and cassette tapes, so what are we record nerds supposed to do? I had been trying to answer this question for years, and recently found a solution that works for me.

My collection was a mess a week ago. Some records were laying flat on top of a speaker, which is not a good idea at all. Records are heavy, and when stacked flat on each other they will wear on themselves quickly. Other parts of my collection were sitting in an ugly blue milk crate, though I admit it was kind of 70s DIY chic. The rest of my records were upright on the top of some shelves. I was in need of a new solution. In search of something, anything to solve this problem I came across boxes and even a few shelves made for records. Though these came with their own problem, money.

And so I present a low cost way to store records safely, and relatively nice looking:

Records or cabbage? You decide

What you see above you is a produce crate from a grocery store. Perhaps not the most orthodox way to store records, but they do a great job(and I got them for free). These crates are solid wood and are made to hold bandannas or lettuce or whatever else you can buy in the produce section of your grocery store; they're sturdy as hell. A lot of records can fit comfortably in one of these things, I'd estimate just shy of 100.

This actually looks quite nice surprisingly

 My entire collection of over 400 records is now together and stored securely. This makes finding a particular album much easier. Plus, the collection is now displayed for all to marvel at. Overall I'm happy, and it didn't cost me a dime!

Hey This Looks Cool! - March

Continuing a monthly goal I set for myself, I recently picked this record up without ever having heard it. Initially I decided to do this once a month for the sake of the blog. It was something to add variety and maybe a little more interest, I've always wanted this blog to be more than just "look at my cool stuff"(I've got some more ideas that will debut soon). So adding these impulse buys and my impressions of them has accomplished that, at least a bit. That said, doing this has so far been a lot of fun for me personally. Music for me has always been a full experience, more than just the auditory. The visuals, presentation, and the emotion and feeling of music can and should be part of it. This feature of the blog has allowed me to focus on the other aspects of record collecting first, before that actual listening.

Without further ado, this month's record is Crosby, Stills, and Nash's "Daylight Again". What first caught my eye was obviously the band name plastered across the top in a neon-like font. I love the wonderfully cheesy cover with the 40s style Martian flying saucers too. What actually sealed the deal though, was the back cover and that shot of David Crosby with his glorious mustache and that cat a real lolwut moment; I needed to have it.

I'm a huge fan of the early stuff by this band, the debut and two albums with Neil Young are impeccable classics. This one came out long after their glory days though, after years of personal tension within the band(which led Young to leave shortly after joining), after tons of drug use, and after the 60's folk rock scene had long died. 1982 is the year; Michael Jackson, new wave, and MTV rule the world; is there a place for Crosby, Stills, and Nash? Well the answer is mostly. Upon listening to "Daylight Again" for the first time, I'm reminded of some other band. A band that plays soft rock, a band more like say...the Eagles? The first two songs, "Turn Your Back On Love" and "Wasted on the Way", are not bad by any means but don't sound like the CSN I know. These songs feel almost too 80s, and I understand why they wrote them.

The albums really picks up with "Southern Cross", which is classic CSN and a great song by itself. "Delta" is also a fantastic song. There is almost no guitar, instead being piano driven, and the trademark harmonies soar above the ivory. The emotion that pours out of the keys and the vocal chords really hit me, wow! The rest of the album contains good, adequate songs, yet no real standouts; that is until the closing title track. "Daylight Again" is stripped down, just three voices and an acoustic guitar. The second part of the song is a revisiting of "Find The Cost of Freedom" which was originally the B side to the 1970 single "Ohio", and the two compliment each other beautifully.

All said, "Daylight Again" is a solid album by a great band. What you'll find here is well crafted soft rock, and a touch of folk here and there. You won't find better vocal harmonies than these three guys pull off, and their voices hit you in your core. Because this is the 1980's and not the 1960's, many better albums of this genre have been made(several of them by this band). However, this album stands on it's own well. I'm now 2 for 2 with this feature!     

Wolves In The Throne Room Fanboyism...And Other Things

It was 2006, I had just graduated from high school and planned to spend most of my summer before college dicking around on the internet. This was when I decided to join this Facebook everyone was talking about, and I found a group simply called "Metal Heads". After becoming completely immersed in what was the best metal forum online at the time(it has since died and been brought back, but isn't very good anymore), I heard about this new black metal band from Washington state. At the time black metal didn't appeal to me much; I liked some Emperor and Mayhem, and of course Bathory but I hadn't really explored the genre. Maybe it was the atypical album cover, or perhaps the fact that I'd never heard an American black metal band that caught my attention; whatever it was I listened to Wolves In The Throne Room's debut and immediately fell in love with the band.

When I started collecting records a few years ago one of my main goals was to get an entire discography of this band. They are one of the very few that I can honestly say I love everything they've ever done. Recently I got a whole hell of a lot closer by finding the three records above.

First up is the band's 2005 demo, which was just released on vinyl by the German label, Van Records. I picked up the cd version when I saw the band live in September, the record hadn't been pressed yet. Upon listening to the cd I was very impressed, I hadn't heard either of band's demos and did not know what to expect. The first thing you notice is that this does not sound like a demo, the production is really great! The songwriting present here is also much more mature and refined than you'd expect from a band on just their second demo. Two of the songs, "Queen Of The Borrowed Light" and "(A Shimmering Radiance) Diadem Of 12 Stars", ended up being rerecorded for the band's debut a year later and admittedly the versions on that release are superior to these. However, the lack of polish on those two tracks is actually quite nice to hear and they hold up very well to anyone who has listened to the debut. The real treat to be found is the second track "Daggers Of Amethyst Crystal", which did not make it onto "Diadem Of 12 Stars"(except as a bonus track on the Van 3LP reissue). "Daggers" has some of the best riffs the band has ever written, and showcases some unique dynamics that aren't really present in the band's later material.

Van did a great job on the vinyl pressing. To my ears it sounds much better and fuller than the band's own self released cd. The artwork is faithfully recreated for the jacket and insert, and the label didn't feel the need to add all kinds of useless credits and other such things. The only complaint I have is the jacket, it is way too flimsy. Maybe I should get another copy to keep in perfect shape and use this one as a playing copy. Either way, I'm just happy to have this on vinyl...now waiting for someone to press the 2004 demo as well.

 
Next we have "Live At Roadburn 2008", which I'm sure you can guess was recorded at the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands. Wolves In The Throne Room was on tour supporting their second album, "Two Hunters" when they played this legendary festival. The set list reflects this, as all but "Face In A Night Time Mirror Pt.1" are from that album. The LP comes with a bonus dvd of the show, and the dvd includes "Cleansing" which was left off of the record. This is a bit disappointing, and I wish they had included it; I understand that would have meant a second LP but that wouldn't have bothered me. Anyway the performance is stellar, you really feel the energy of a Wolves live show. The recording is soundboard and very high quality. Very little banter from Nathan Weaver is heard at all, and there are only a few sections of crowd noise, so don't expect "Unleashed In The East" or something similar. This is an intimate recording of an intimate show, and it's pretty great.

 
Finally is this gorgeous 2LP gatefold of the band's third album, "Black Cascade". The jacket is super heavy duty and could probably survive a war, the artwork on both the jacket and picture sleeves is just stunning, this is high class presentation. The album is the band's most straight forward black metal effort, and weakest in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I love "Black Cascade", just not as much as their other albums. This record is becoming harder and harder to find so I'm happy to have it in my collection.

I got some other records recently which are mildly interesting so I'll just write a bit about them. This is Aura Noir's 1998 album "Deep Tracts Of Hell", the Peaceville reissue version. A classic of black/thrash metal, but not quite as good as the album that preceded it("Black Thrash Attack"). This version has two tracks from the band's debut as bonus tracks, I don't really know why but I guess it's cool. The label were stupid and shipped the record inside the jacket so it has a nice big seem split on the top, but oh well.

The classic glam/punk "girl band" debut, "The Runaways". These 16 and 17 year old girls kicked so much ass back then. This is an original 1976 pressing in all its glory, though the on corner has been cut possibly signifying a promo copy. If you haven't heard this you're missing out, a lot of fun is to be had here. All the teenage angst, 70s women's lib, and great riffs make this a thoroughly enjoyable album. Plus that foldout image is just awesome, Joan Jett was SO hot in her day.

 
The above is an original 1987 pressing of Anthrax's classic third album, "Among The Living". One of the biggest thrash albums of the era, it is far from the best but still pretty damn good. This is really the last Anthrax release that's worth owning, as the rest of their discography ranges from "meh" to "oh god no!". I do love "Indians", when the needle drops on side b and that intro starts I get pumped every time.

 
This one is obviously Metallica's legendary second album, "Ride The Lightning". The one I picked up is not the original Megaforce pressing, but the Elektra second pressing which isn't a big deal really. The album has been talked about endlessly so I'll just say that "The Call Of Ktulu" is such an epic progressive metal piece that was way ahead of it's time.

Finishing up my recent finds is an original pressing of WASP's 1984 debut. What we have here is over the top cheesy 80's metal. This is the band that made Tipper Gore flip her shit and try to censor the American music industry, which means you should probably listen to it. Honestly if you don't like this kind of stuff you take yourself too seriously. Oh and in the jacket I found this, wonder if they'd still send me this stuff?

Hey This Looks Cool! - February

A recent purchase inspired me to start a new feature on this blog, this is that feature. You know that feeling when you dig through bins at a record store and come across something that is so appealing, an overwhelming urge to buy it takes over? Well how about when you've never actually heard the record that just caught your eye? I did this recently, and I like the idea so much that I'm going to do it every month. 

 

While digging through the metal section of Princeton Record Exchange I stumbled on the above record. After much disappointment, so many shitty back on black repressings, this record caught my eye. The cover photo is just beautiful, the way the sun shines through the trees and reflects on the the water is stunning. With a "non metal" cover such as this, I was expecting it to be either ambient black metal or really trippy stoner. The band name and album title were intriguing as well, Orthodox "Amanecer en Puerta Oscura". I tried to use my very limited knowledge of Spanish to translate the title and came up with "Sunrise at a Dark Gate", which could be way off.

Curious enough, I put the record in my stack. Hey if I decided I didn't want it I can always put it back! This is actually something I do ALL the time. I pick up everything that looks interesting and then end up putting back two thirds of it. A fellow record nerd once told me that he does this "for fear of someone else taking it before I decide if I really want it", could not say it better myself. While I was looking through a different section, with this record sitting on the top of my stack, a guy that works at the store asked me if I was gonna buy it. After a short discussion about the album, he convinced me to buy it by saying "This is some weird shit; like doom/jazz".

"Amanecer en Puerta Oscura" is much like the store clerk described. Very rooted in doom metal, but also extremely influenced by free jazz. This is whacked out, avant garde music. Some songs on the album have little to no metal influence, most notably the opener " Con Sangre De Quien Te Ofenda". While songs such as "Mesto, Rigido E Ceremoniale" are full on doom metal monsters. Orthodox's music is very clearly influenced by traditional Andalusian music and culture. The use of traditional instruments, notably Spanish guitar, really give the music an aura of Seville. All told, this album is certainly not for everyone. Those who are into experimental/avant garde/progressive music will find much to enjoy, as well as those into doom metal and jazz. That said, to truly appreciate this piece you will have to be interested in all of those genres. For me this is a great album, and a wonderful find. Top it off with the fact that the wax is brown, of which only 300 exist, and I'm 1 for 1 with "Hey This Looks Cool!".

February Has Been A Good Month

Any foot long at Subway is $5, you know Februany and whatnot. But Subway is pretty nasty if you ask me, so I saved all the 5 bucks I would have spent on their subs and spent them on records instead. A wise choice if you ask me.

Before I get into those glorious LPs above, let's take a look at this little gem:

Holy black metal volcano Batman! The legendary black/thrash tyrants from the land of the rising sun, Sabbat, put out this limited 7" in 2006. "Icelandic & Greenlandic Demonslaught" was pressed on Czech label, View Beyond Records, and only 1000 of them were ever made. Side A is "Black Metal Volcano" and side B is "Okiku Doll Of The Devil". I'm a big Sabbat fan, I just love the dirty Japanese tinged black/thrash they've been putting out for close to 30 years. Most of the band's releases are quite difficult to come by though, so when I saw this at my favorite record store I was super excited. Now imagine my shock when the price on it was only 3 bucks! I have no idea why it has Iceland and Greenland in the title, or why Kalaallit people are the image of the foldout. Honestly though who cares?

The first of my LP finds for the month is the awesome Hammers Of Misfortune's fourth release(and maybe 4th and 5th albums), "Fields/Church of Broken Glass". I have to thank my friend Aaron for the tip about Century Media's distro having a clearance sale, as that's where I picked this up for a good price. Readers of this blog(I know there is at least one or two) should know this band by now, I've fapped them a bit. The band is one of my favorite in the prog metal scene, and likely because they aren't prog in the sense that most bands are prog. This 2xLP release is essentially two different albums in one package. The first LP is "Fields", which opens with the side long Fields Trilogy. That side is epic and very technical, but done tactfully and no wankery. The second side is not quite as strong, but still maintains that Hammers quirky prog sensibility. The second LP, which has it's own distinct cover and everything, is "Church Of Broken Glass". I hear a lot of 70s prog rock influence in these songs, and not the standard fare of Rush, Yes, and Kansas; rather King Crimson and Pink Floyd. There is much more emotion and atmosphere found here than on the "Fields" LP. All in all a great album(or two) from a great band.

The other record I grabbed from the Century Media sale is the above "Requiem" by Scott Hull. You may recognize that name, he's widely known in the grindcore/death metal world, mainly as the man behind the Pig Destroyer sound. If you were to listen to this album though, you'd find nothing even remotely close to what he's known for. "Requiem" is a soundtrack to a crime movie, and tells that narrative throughout. I've not seen the movie, and after listening to the soundtrack I really want to. Anyway; ambient, airy keyboards, emotion, and a soaking atmosphere is all you will find here. No heavy riffs(or riffs at all really), no screams(or vocals of any kind), no metal or punk influence. The beauty of these compositions is impossible for me describe, so just listen to it.

 The record above is Aura Noir's classic 1996 sophomore album, "Black Thrash Attack". No words can describe this music better than the album title itself, so I won't insult it by doing so. This copy is the recent Peaceville reissue, if you think I have the money for the original pressing you are surely mistaken. It has been remastered, though I can't quite tell what they did differently. Regardless, it sounds great on wax. I also pre-orded the "Deep Tracts of Hell"(the band's subsequent album) reissue from Peaceville, so I'll blog about it when it gets here.

On a recent trip to my alma mater, in order to fight with the people that run it, I stopped by my favorite brick and mortar store. Princeton Record Exchange is close to the school, so whenever I'm out that way I can't resist browsing their incredible selection. My finds were very satisfying.

I stumbled across this record while killing time, waiting for the store to appraise my trade-ins. Randomly looking through various bins in the store, not looking for anything really, that familiar red tinted forest photo popped up. I immediately grabbed it and a feeling of great joy came over me. This is of course Russian Circles' newest album, "Empros". It was featured in my top 10 of 2011, to read what I think of it(spoiler alert: its awesome) go there. The gatefold sleeve is really gorgeous, fitting for the music, but the record itself is pretty boring so I didn't bother taking up space with a picture of it.

The album holding the number two spot of my top 10 from last year is the above "17th Street" by Hammers Of Misfortune. Again, not much more that I can say beyond what I wrote about it in that post. The 2LP gatefold is really well done and all the art reflects the quirky, eclectic nature of the band itself. Picking up two of my top 10 in one trip is pretty cool in my opinion, and a big part of the reason why I love that store in Princeton.

P.S. That Sabbat 7" at the top of this post was also bought at Princeton Record Exchange.
P.P.S. You'll notice I didn't write about of the records in the first picture, stay tuned to this blog for a new feature that will cover it in depth.