Category: Vinyl

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Vinyl

Vinyl love: Spiritualized “And nothing hurt”

(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)

Artist: Spiritualized
Album Title: And nothing hurt
Year released: 2018
Details: standard black, embossed morse code on cover

The skinny: Many of you know by now that I’m a pretty big Spiritualized fan, my favourite of their albums still being 1997’s “Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space“. So I was pretty eager to get to listen to this latest, the eighth for the outfit, ever since I heard this album was a sort of return to 1997 form. I’m currently on the third spin through and I’m just letting it wash over me. It definitely sounds better on my turntable than on my iPod and it’s definitely Spiritualized. Perhaps I’ll have a more concrete opinion after a few more spins…

Standout track: “I’m your man”

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Vinyl

Vinyl love: The Decemberists “Castaways and cutouts”

(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)

Artist: The Decemberists
Album Title: Castaways & cutouts
Year released: 2002
Year reissued: 2011
Details: 180 gram

The skinny: If you’re following me on Instagram or Twitter or are friends with me on Facebook, you’d know that I’ve been attending Ottawa’s CityFolk festival this week – five days of live music outdoors is always fun – but tomorrow’s headliner is icing on the cake for me. I’ve seen The Decemberists live twice before (and Colin Meloy solo once as well) but it’s always a rollicking great time. And although they likely won’t play much from their debut, “Castaways & cutouts”, it’s still one of my favourites of all their great albums. Ghosts and legionnaires and sordid reasons to eat your collard greens (see below) and crooked French Canadians. What’s not to love?

Standout track: “A cautionary song”

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Vinyl

Vinyl love: Teenage Fanclub “Grand prix”

(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)

Artist: Teenage Fanclub
Album Title: Grand prix
Year released: 1995
Year reissued: 2018
Details: Black vinyl, reissue, remastered at Abbey Road Studios, included bonus 7″ single “Every step is a way through” b/w “Some people try to fuck with you”

The skinny: If I wasn’t already a massive fan of Teenage Fanclub by the time their fourth (or is it fifth?) album rolled out, “Grand prix” definitely would have sealed it for me. The Scottish four-piece switched things up a bit, toning down the noise for more jangle, but kept the sweet vocal harmonies intact. This album soundtracked my third year of university and for that, it’ll always be a favourite… And man, does it sound sweet on this reissue.

Standout track: “Mellow doubt”