(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: Elastica Album Title: Elastica Year released: 1995 Year reissued: 2014 Details: Unofficial RSD release, red translucent vinyl
The skinny: Elastica was formed after Justine Frischmann broke up with Suede frontman Brett Anderson and left that group. Elastica only ever released two albums before breaking up in 2001 but the only one of these ever worth discussing is the debut. There were rumours that boyfriend at the time, Damon Albarn, wrote most of the material and there were those that slagged it for sounding too much like Wire but I really loved this album for what it was. Sixteen tracks of Britpop bliss.
(I got the idea for this series while sifting through the ‘piles’ of digital photos on my laptop. It occurred to me to share some of these great pics from some of my favourite concert sets from time to time. Until I get around to the next one, I invite you to peruse my ever-growing list of concerts page.)
Ride performing in Toronto, 2015
Artist: Ride When: June 2nd, 2015 Where: Danforth Music Hall, Toronto Context: As soon as I heard that Ride were reforming, I notified my friend Tim that if their tour brought them to Toronto to get me ticket, no matter what day it was, I would figure out the logistics later. As it turned out, their show was mid-week so I flew in and out in a twenty-four hour period, crashing after the show at my friend’s place. I remember the excitement beforehand amongst our friends because this was one band that none of us had gotten a chance to see during their original run in the early nineties. And the shoegaze legends did not disappoint, performing pretty much everything we would’ve wished to hear, starting with the song below, roaring through classics like “Taste”, “Vapour trail”, and “Chelsea girl”, and finishing with an Iggy Pop cover: “I wanna be your dog”. Awesome.
Point of reference song: “Leave them all behind”
Mark Gardener of RideLaurence ‘Loz’ Colbert of RideAndy Bell of RideMark and Andy rocking out.Steve Queralt of RideAndy Bell of RideMark Gardener of Ride
1991’s “Loveless” is largely considered to My Bloody Valentine’s masterpiece. The band’s second album was recorded over a two to three year period, going through numerous studios and even more sound engineers, and causing a rift between the band and Creation label owner Alan McGee (who claimed the album nearly bankrupted him) in the process. Kevin Shields was either insane or a genius, depending on who you ask. He was obviously on to something in his mad scientist laboratory, concocting new and inventive ways of recording and making noise with his guitars. Despite not selling as well as expected, the album was lauded by critics, baffled the band’s peers at the time, and inspired generations of musicians.
You would think given the album’s legendary and god-like status in the shoegaze pantheon that yours truly would have loved it from the start. But not so. I tried and failed many times throughout the nineties to find value in the noise because I knew (I KNEW) it was in there somewhere. I think it finally took seeing a VHS on the shelf at my friend Alex’s apartment, live performances by the band (that also included Jesus and Mary Chain and maybe Blur?), and asking to put it on while we sat around drinking. My friend shrugged, it was his roommate’s tape and a little out of his jazz oeuvre. I remember that we were all pretty jarred by it, as out of our heads as we were by that point in the evening, and also quite jazzed (pun intended her).
“Only shallow” is the opening track and is a nuke to the head. The crunchiest guitars ever charge in and out during its duration, threatening to blow out any speakers not set at a minimum. The drum beat is merely a metronome that keeps vocalist Blinda Butcher on track. Her voice is breathy and sounding like it’s been run through a million effects pedals and distortion, and her words unintelligible, not that they really matter here. The guitars and the utterly destructive noise they create is the raison d’être.
And yes, it’s a great tune. It took almost a decade to realize it and to dig through the viscous noise haze, but that made finding the beauty and order in the chaos that much more satisfying.
For the rest of the Best tunes of 1991 list, click here.
My (life in) music lists 