The Revynilization Project: Screening Records for Lu

I just received some records recently, realizing that they all represent my preference almost exclusively for mid-90's indie rock. What better opportunity is there to introduce music to Lucia than to play some of the best records and artists from the era? Besides, I've neglected my music fan base and this feature in particular.

Last Splash - The Breeders

















Music
This album still stands out from anything in the 90's or even this decade. Kim Deal put together her best line-up for this classic relic from the grunge era. Maybe they weren't the most talented group (I still don't know how Kelley passed as a guitar player.), but they were tight. This has to be one of the best and most unique albums of the past 20 years. It still holds up today.

Insert
For once, an LP insert doesn't measure up its CD counterpart. The artwork found in the original CD was contained in a booklet. It's as if the design was more geared toward a jewel case than a record sleeve. It's sort of a letdown to say the least as the cool, brightly colored photos of the band found in the original packaging are now relegated to sharing space on the inner sleeve.

Sleeve
Where the insert fails, the sleeve succeeds. The colors on the cover photo just pop. The red, black, and green just scream at you to stare as the record spins. Additionally, the back features the black-and-white photo of the band in a convertible as if waving in a parade. This was certainly the size in which these pieces were intended to be viewed.

Extras
None. Well, unless you consider the months and months I waited for some lawyers to argue how this thing should be re-released. Either way, extras or not, it was worth the wait.

Record
180 gram vinyl is nothing to scoff at. The sound is great. As the cover art was meant for an LP sleeve, Last Splash was destined to be heard this way.

whY?
Rarely is there ever an album recorded in an era of loud, aggressive men that not only challenges the sounds and aesthetics of the time but also the gender politics the way Last Splash did for me. If you have a daughter who wants to rock, buy this record. I do and did.

The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips

















Music
Before the Lips turned silly, they recorded The Soft Bulletin, a difficult-but-brilliant pop record. This album is the only perfect record the boys from OK ever recorded, but who can say that much? It's big in the right parts, touches you where it counts, and fills a set of headphones like few others. This is an essential listen.

Insert
The sleeves for this double LP are proper sleeves for protecting vinyl. You know the kind with paper, clear plastic lining and a hole in the middle to reveal the record's label.

Sleeve
As with the music, one can see the direction of the Flaming Lips' graphic design with silk screened images over bright colors and intricate designs and sharp typography. The inside features a great black and white of the band and lyrics. Record sleeves like this cause people to fall in love with albums.

Extras
Three outtakes are included on CD. Not only does this entice consumers with new music, but it also maintains the integrity of the original release and it's intended sequencing. The songs are throwaways, but a bonus nonetheless.

Record
180-gram vinyl just looks, feels, and sounds better. The only thing that could have made this better would have been some color on the vinyl.

whY?
Because I can only think of a small handful of records I like as much as this one.

No One's First, and You're Next - Modest Mouse

















Music
Honestly, I've heard more of this EP on KCOU than I have had time to listen to it at home. In my experience, EP's either contain songs that are too good to shelve until the next full-length release or throwaways that didn't quite cut it for the last album. In this case, these songs are closer to the latter category. However, "History Sticks to Your Feet" is beginning to stick. What I do like about this EP is that Isaac Brock continues to channel his early recordings in his most recent work. For a couple of albums he seemed to drift away from the warbling psychopath with cheap Japanese guitars I grew to love, but this is the second release that at least connects to his work in the mid-to-late-nineties. Either way, nothing he records sounds like any of the other crap on the radio or not played on MTV these days.

Insert
Nothing special. There's some continuation of the charcoal drawings of flies/insects and lyrics. I like the use of thick, quality paper for the insert with plastic coating on the inside to protect the vinyl.

Sleeve
Charcoal drawings of menacing insects with some handmade pen-and-ink lettering. It reminds me more of something one would have seen in an early Modest Mouse concert poster. It's simple and will stick out among their other releases.

Extras
There's the digital download...or so I thought. The file downloaded but won't decompress. Eventually, I'll get back to it and have my listen in the car, but for now it's vinyl only.

Record
I don't know for sure whether it's 180-gram vinyl, but it certainly is solid. There's no wobble in this record.

whY?
EP's are essential to a band's catalog. They give the listener a peak into the recording process between albums. That, or they're just another way to relieve you of some cheddar. You're pick. I think this is an intriguing part of the Modest Mouse oeuvre and should be given a chance.

God Help the Girl - God Help the Girl

















Music
Stuart Murdoch left Belle and Sebastian behind for this project. Maybe he should have rethought that plan of action. This record just sounds like one of those romantic comedies put out by Working Title Films. You know, the company who makes all those sappy comedies starring Hugh Grant and [enter name of American actress of the moment here]. Sure, those films are cute and involve lots of characters, but their benign for the most part. Even as playful as Belle and Sebastian became in this decade, there was always a hint of cynicism there to make you feel alive. This record is a Hugh Grant movie costarring Scarlett Johansson as a busy American shopkeeper in Glasgow who doesn't have time for love until a mysterious-yet-bumbling land surveyor (Grant) sweeps her off her feet. Do you really need to see how it ends?

Insert
The lyric sheet is white on black on rather heavy card stock, hugging the vinyl.

Sleeve
A simple black-and-white photo features a young woman looking longingly somewhere...very Belle and Sebastian.

Extras
There is the digital download.

Record
The vinyl is of medium quality. It's certainly not 180-gram.

whY?
If you miss Belle and Sebastian, this is worth a listen. The sleeve alone will look pretty cool in your record collection.

Overall Verdict: While the two new releases aren't particularly offensive, they are certainly not essential listening. The two re-releases are essential and will be played ad nauseam for little Lucia.