We’ve outgrown our space, and since these records don’t move themselves, we’re closing the HQ to transition to our new, larger office from where we’ll continue to publish the latest in record store recon.
While we’re away, why not fire up our Record Store Locator app and visit one of your local indie record stores? Perhaps there’s an interview, review, or feature you might have missed? Catch up and we’ll see you back here on Monday, 11/4.
LAS VEGAS, NV | When We Were Young Festival returned to the Las Vegas Fairgrounds for the third year, inviting emos of all ages to a weekend of their favorite bands. With five stages (four that rotated for virtually non-stop performances) and over 60 bands, it’s no wonder the organizers added a second day for the die-hards to get the full experience. The hook this year? Band reunions, surprise guests, and full album play-throughs including My Chemical Romance playing The Black Parade in its entirety for the first time in 17 years!
In order to make this work, the organizers opened the gates at 10:30AM and had the music kick off promptly at 10:40AM as the queue outside only seemed to grow longer. Kudos to the festival team for keeping the crowds moving as fans bolted to either the barricade to set up for their favorite band(s) or the merch line which never seemed to wane as long as the band merch was available. And in spite of a blustery Friday and a few raindrops earlier in the day, the Saturday weather proved perfect for a long day in the sun.
From the get-go it became clear that the album play-through format was going to introduce certain challenges for some bands. In some cases the album was longer than the band’s assigned slot forcing them to drop tracks. In other cases the set felt rushed as the band tried to cram it all in. And while it was certainly amazing for fans to hear these seminal records that put bands on the map including rarely played tracks, many of those albums came with some true stinkers that only resonated with the hardcore fans. Bands took it all in stride and delivered, but special kudus must go out to Bayside for breaking it all down in an easy to read bumper sticker format, “HONK LOUDER! I’M BLASTING THE 2005 EMO MASTERPIECE BAYSIDE BY THE BAND BAYSIDE, FROM BAYSIDE, QUEENS, NEW YORK. ALL HITS. NO SKIPS. LFG.”
This year the buzz outside the festival gates was the 2025 return of the Vans Warped Tour, announced only days earlier. Hard to miss were the fistfuls of leaflets being passed out and the ads on massive hotel screens which overlooked the festival grounds; the media blitz quite ironic given it was happening around the festival that literally stepped in to fill the gaping hole left when VWT ended in 2019
LAS VEGAS, NV | This past weekend Emos from all over the world descended upon Las Vegas for what has become an annual pilgrimage featuring a who’s-who of sad singalong favorites. Not to be missed, of course, are the epic WWWY sideshows featuring festival performers in a much more intimate setting.
One popular option on Friday night was a sold-out performance at the Fountainebleau Resort featuring an absolutely stacked lineup punctuated by a headlining performance by The Used. With the show kicking off early, folks were still waiting in line as Taylor Acorn kicked things off at 6:30PM, but the room quickly filled up by the time emo supergroup L.S. Dunes took the stage for a ripping 30-minute set that had the fans singing along.
From there, Taking Back Sunday picked up the baton and blasted through their “152 Tour” setlist with aplomb, frontman Adam Lazzara making full use of the expansive stage as he whipped his mic around, the rest of the band well-aware to keep their distance or else suffer a likely strike. Rather than using the gig as an opportunity to hone their play-through of Tell All Your Friends planned for the following day, TBS stuck with their “152 Tour” setlist, which featured a healthy dose of the new material.
The crew made quick work of the changeover, revealing a remarkable transformation from the stark TBS set to one of chain link and steel when the skrim finally dropped. This band is truly a force of nature and the energy in the room peaked both onstage and off as the room sang along and crowd surfers poured over the barricade in a steady stream. But when Bert entered the general admission floor during “I Caught Fire,” people completely lost their minds.
Billy Bragg wrapped up his five week North American tour Sunday in familiar surroundings —the 9:30 Club in Washington, where he was quick to joke he was starting at 9.
He had just played a more intimate show Saturday at the Atlantis next door the night before, but a big crowd still was on hand to hear a career’s worth of ringing songs as cutting as his slashing solo electric guitar chords. He had a few things to say about the political situation as well, of course, especially about the imminent election. But he also had some hard-learned lessons from his 40th anniversary tour of the States, some of which he stated, and others of which he demonstrated.
Looking sharp in neatly cut grey hair and beard, and a shirt-like jacket, the purchase of which he went into great detail, Bragg took care to tune between every song as he continued his banter. Because every performance these days is duly shot by fans on smartphone video and shared online, he explained, musicians dare not turn out a sloppy performance, lest it live forever in some corner of the internet.
This may be unexpected in a rocker who rose up in punk, raising his voice and single guitar since the start, but it made for a nicely honed performance which swelled beyond its setlist to last nearly three hours. The extended set was filled with favorites from early in his career—with “Greetings to the New Brunette,” a big singalong to “New England,” and the poignant sting of “Levi Stubbs’ Tears” in a year that claimed the last of the Four Tops.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Christmas will come early for fans of The Darkness this year as the legends of rock will unleash unreleased songs from their forthcoming album Dreams On Toast live for the first time at a series of intimate instore performances across the UK in December.
The Darkness will perform at London’s Rough Trade East on December 10th, Rough Trade Nottingham (11th), and Rough Trade Liverpool (12th), giving fans a chance to see the band playing live in very small venues, ahead of their huge arena tour in 2025. Tickets go on sale at 10am Friday 25th October via Dice and all fans will receive a signed tour poster.
The band will be performing a very special set comprising brand new songs from next year’s album Dreams On Toast, out March 2025 via Cooking Vinyl. It will be the very first chance fans have to get a taste of the wonders in store for them, and tickets are expected to sell out in super quick time.
The Darkness announced Dreams On Toast last month along with the release of brand new single “The Longest Kiss,” an upbeat pop classic which tips its hat to the ’70s pop genius of both Queen and Paul McCartney and finds The Darkness dance across jaunty piano keys among frolicking guitar licks in irresistible top form.
Following their short run of up-close-and-personal Rough Trade shows this year, The Darkness will hit the road again in March on a much larger scale. The Dreams On Toast UK headline tour will see them play 17 shows across the country finishing at London’s OVO Wembley Arena on March 29th. Support comes from Northern Irish indie-rock heroes Ash, who first supported The Darkness on their legendary Permission To Land Tour over 20 years ago. Tickets are on sale now.
Brit Nick Lowe was one of the most beloved, talented, and versatile figures of the punk/new wave explosion of the late-’70s. Oddly, he really wasn’t punk or new wave, but an artist who emerged during that scene in the wake of the pub rock, post-’60s scene in England as a member of Brinsley Schwarz (with Schwarz, Ian Gomm, Billy Rankin, and Bob Andrews).
Lowe was a roots rocker at heart who occasionally dipped his toe into psychedelia, but was most at home with pure pop, even naming the American version of his solo debut album Pure Pop For Now People, released in 1978. Lowe was also and still is an accomplished record producer, most notably for Elvis Costello and The Pretenders. He was part of the group Rockpile (with Dave Edmunds, Billy Bremner, and Terry Williams) while simultaneously producing and releasing solo albums. Later he would be in another supergroup, Little Village (with John Hiatt, Ry Cooder, and Jim Keltner). He is also a prolific songwriter.
Lowe’s last solo album was The Old Magic released in 2011. He released a holiday album, Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection for All the Family, in 2013. That resume barely scratches the surface and doesn’t even mention the other singles, EPs, live albums, and contributions he’s made to other people’s work and appearances on a plethora of tribute albums. Indoor Safari is his second with Los Straightjackets, the mysterious, Tennessee-based instrumental band, after their debut together Walkabout in 2020. It’s filled with the kind of rootsy simplicity and charm we’ve come to expect from Lowe.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | 20th Anniversary Edition of the 2004 metalcore classic, making its vinyl debut at American retail.
The title of this 2004 classic is an apt one; Of Malice and the Magnum Heart brought melody and emotion to the metalcore genre like few albums before and since, particularly on the devastating “The Year Summer Ended in June,” which commemorates the deaths of Jordan Wodehouse and Daniel Langlois of the Misery Signals precursor band Compromise, killed by a drunk driver in Heflin, Alabama.
For its 20th anniversary, and for its first release on vinyl at American retail, we’re pressing this one in “orange crush” vinyl, complete with a lyric insert. Complex time signatures, complementary dual guitar parts, and experimental interludes (e.g. the instrumental “Worlds & Dreams”) make for a thinking and feeling man’s metal album… recommended!
Body Meπa is a powerhouse ensemble that’s lacking in a weak link. Their sound has some affinities with post-rock but the band prefers to describe their thing as “New York City body music.” While conducive to the movement of torsos and limbs, the collective energies soar from a rock framework, thoroughly unburdened by cliché. Available October 25 on vinyl (limited clear with a green tint, unlimited black), compact disc, and digital via Hausu Mountain, Body Meπa’s second full-length Prayer in Dub takes its place amongst the best records of 2024.
Body Meπa features Grey McMurray (Sō Percussion, Tyondai Braxton, John Cale, Colin Stetson) and Sasha Frere-Jones (UI, Loren Mazzacane Connors, Calvinist) on guitars, Melvin Gibbs (Defunkt, Power Tools, Rollins Band, Harriet Tubman) on bass, and Greg Fox (Teeth Mountain, Guardian Alien, Fox Millions Duo, Colin Stetson).
While many balk at the usage of term outside of the late 1960s-early ’70s, supergroup is a fitting way to describe Body Meπa. In short, supergroups were/are aggregations formed by individuals already well-known, and in many cases renowned for their output, and most likely in a band context. The original supergroup impulse was essentially doomed by general arrogance and individual egos; notorious as one-and-done affairs when cutting records, supergroups are often scorned as part of a larger takedown of the rockist impulse.
And so it makes sense that some contemporary listeners would disdain the supergroup concept and that pertinent bands on the current scene might seek distance from the descriptor. It would be no surprise if this was the case with Body Meπa, as their ensemble thrust is unfettered by the drag downs of ego, and Prayer in Dub extends and expands upon the quality of their debut, The Work Is Slow, released in 2021, also by Hausu Mountain.
Cincinnati, OH | New Record Store to Open in Over-the-Rhine: Alien Records will primarily carry vinyl records, but will also offer a collection of CDs, cassette tapes, VHS tapes, DVDs and other music-related media. A local music enthusiast is taking his love of music to the next level. Cincinnati native Timothy Henninger will open a record store on Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine later this year. For Henninger, opening a record store continues a lifelong passion for vinyl records and music. “I’ve had so many memorable experiences in record stores throughout my life,” Henninger said in a press release. “Michael Jackson’s Thriller was the first album I ever bought with my own money, and I just kept coming back for more. I hope I can give others the opportunity to celebrate and enjoy music as I have. I want it to be a sort of refuge—a place where they can escape for a little while.”
UK | Vinyl to return to WH Smith stores for first time for more than 30 years: High street retailer WH Smith is bringing back vinyl records for the first time for more than 30 years across a raft of stores nationwide. The chain said it will stock vinyl in 80 high street shops as it looks to capitalise on its surging popularity among a new generation of music fans. Vinyl sales have jumped in recent years as the format has come back in fashion, helped by new releases by artists such as Taylor Swift, who recently announced that her 11th studio album – The Tortured Poets Department – will be made available on vinyl, while Oasis have also re-issued The Masterplan on vinyl. …Emma Smyth, commercial director of WH Smith’s high street operations, said: “I’m sure there are many customers out there who remember spending hours in record shops browsing the latest vinyl LPs and the artistic record covers. “To me it’s no surprise that vinyl is growing in popularity again, and we are very excited to be bringing back record selections to more than 80 different stores across the UK for both seasoned fans and new listeners alike.”
UK | How Black music record stores shaped the sound of the UK: Black music record stores have always been more than just places to buy records. These spaces became lifelines for communities, cultural hubs where people gathered, shared stories and connected over a shared passion for music. From the early days of the Windrush generation to the present, these stores have been a vital part of the Black cultural experience. For many, they were crucial in shaping not just their musical tastes, but their sense of identity and belonging. I am part of a new research project, The Record Store and Black Music: A UK History, which is aiming to shine a spotlight on this legacy by documenting the untold stories of Black record stores across the UK to preserve them for future generations. Through oral histories, films and photos, we are capturing the vibrant world that flourished within these stores.
Lafayette, IN | 4 one of a kind places to buy vinyl records: Vinyl records aren’t extinct. In fact, this form of listening to music has been revived throughout the past decade and is still increasing in popularity. I started to appreciate and collect vinyl records within the past few years after seeing my dad’s old collection. And I noticed the Greater Lafayette area is unique compared to other cities because it has several places to peruse, compared to “just the one.” Because of the several stores in the area, all with unique offerings, my collection has drastically increased and maybe, in a few years, will finally rival my dad’s. Whether young or old, if you want to grow your record collection or start one, the Greater Lafayette area has many local, unique, non-chain stores that sell new and used vinyl records.
Stephen Merritt’s challenge to himself, at the end of the last century, was to write 100 love songs. He had been inspired by hearing a piano bar revue of Stephen Sondheim’s works—and by 114 Songs by Charles Ives, the composer born 150 years ago this weekend, as it happens.
He only got to 69 Love Songs. But that was fine, or maybe better, as it fit his droll style. The epic songscape is marking its 25th anniversary this year, sparking a series of two-night concerts in which it’s played in order, 35 songs the first night and 34, the second with no additions or changes possible. The whole project is something of a math problem, after all, with some of the songs of the first night’s set Thursday at the Lincoln Theatre, (“Roses” specifically) originally clocking in at only 27 seconds, and three others were written at just under a minute.
Reacting to a single yelled request, the ever-deadpan Merritt advised that those who requested songs that were not next one on the list would be fed to alligators; and those who needlessly requested songs that would be next would cause them to just skip the song altogether. So it was a bit of a recital of the assembled seven-piece Magnetic Fields, all of whom were pretty much sitting down, like the audience. Unlike the very fanciful playhouse stage setting and colorful costuming the last time the band played the venue, for the 50 Song Memoir in 2017, this was a very plain presentation, bordering on drab.
Merritt sat at right, in an ELO T-shirt, barely playing any instruments (except for key triangle at one point and a moo-cow toy elsewhere). The main event, as always, was his deep baritone, which seems to have gotten even deeper over the years. As it was, he tilted his head and stretched his neck as if to empty out the furthest reaches of every low note.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Chicago & Friends Live At 55 celebrating the 55th anniversary of the band’s groundbreaking double-platinum debut album Chicago Transit Authority will be available via Mercury Studios on November 22, 2024. The film is offered in various formats including DVD+2CD, Blu-ray+2CD, 4K UHD, 2CD, 3LP, digital audio, and digital video. Fans can also order exclusive Chicago & Friends merchandise, including t-shirts, hoodies, a hat & wine tumbler, at store.mercurystudios.co.
Chicago, the legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band with more than 100 million albums sold worldwide, are captured in this 2½ hour event recorded this past November at Ovation Hall at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ in front of a live audience of 10,000 fans over two nights. The film, produced by Award Winning Producer Barry Summers as part of the critically acclaimed Decades Rock Live concert series, features the band who play songs from the album, including some never-before-performed songs as well as “unplugged” versions of some of Chicago’s classic tunes.
Joined by special guests Robin Thicke, Chris Daughtry, Steve Vai, VoicePlay, Judith Hill, Robert Randolph, and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, each performance is visualized in vibrant video and animation. “This concert film is a unique approach to any of our previous live performances,” said Chicago founding member Lee Loughnane. “We very rarely play with guest artists, much less seven of them. It was very interesting to work with each guest and experience their interpretations of our music.”
To celebrate the 55th anniversary of their double-Platinum debut album, Chicago Transit Authority, the band plays songs from the album, their biggest hits, and “unplugged” a cappella arrangements of some of Chicago’s classic tunes captured in an emotionally moving centerpiece, with each visualized in all original full-length animations shown against an an amazing custom LED backdrop.
Remembering Leslie West, born on this day in 1945. —Ed.
Leslie West is a heavy guy. He weighs like 1,000 lbs and plays heavy music and called his band Mountain because mountains are very heavy, and his song “Mississippi Queen” is so heavy it has to be carried from gig to gig in a specially made truck of the sort the U.S. Army uses to transport intercontinental ballistic missiles. And forget about vinyl. Mountain was so heavy they released their 1970 debut on concrete. It weighed 42 pounds and crushed a whole lot of record players.
Lots of folks dismissed Mountain (West on guitar and vocals, Felix Pappalardi on bass and vocals, Corky Laing on drums, and Steve Knight on keyboards) as Long Island’s answer to Cream, and on songs like “Theme for an Imaginary Western,” “For Yasgur’s Farm,” “The Laird,” and “Boys in the Band” the resemblance is striking. But on Climbing! Mountain escapes their Cream fetish to produce songs as humongous as the whale you keep expecting to show up in “Nantucket Sleighride,” except he never does.
Given Mountain’s reputation as the heaviest beast to ever slouch out of Long Island, Climbing! is far more diverse than you’d expect. Sure, you get some nifty Godzilla stomp along the lines of “Mississippi Queen.” But the band also flirts with acid-prog of the sort that won’t wreak havoc on your tweeters, and tosses in a couple of genre-benders that defy all known ethnomusicological definition. In short, Mountain was no one-trick mastodon.
The band’s division of vocal duties further lent diversity to Mountain’s sound. West’s rhino snort contrasts nicely with Pappalardi’s Jack Bruce, and the duo delegates lead vocal chores accordingly–West sings the speaker-busters, Pappalardi the more Cream-influenced tracks.
Emily Brimlow is a soul-pop singer playing by her own set of industry rules. She’s just dropped her new EP “Burnt” and it’s a stunningly summer-tinged delight from start to finish.
Known for her whimsical, “beachy” vocal stylings and unique blend of world music and R&B, the Canadian-born singer pairs her wide spectrum of life experiences and diverse story-telling sensibilities. Emily’s sugar sweet vocal compliments the lighthearted indie-popness of the song effortlessly, creating a sound akin to the likes of Jerry Williams or Maisie Peters.
Emily has proven to be a force to reckon with in this new wave of young, genre-bending, independent artists seeking to break beyond industry limitations. Ambitious in her pursuit to ensure each song is fresh and slightly different than the last, Emily draws inspiration from the present day while still leaning on her musical roots. Originally from BC, Canada, Emily now resides in Huntington Beach, California.
“Burnt” is in stores now.
The dB’s first record Stands for Decibels received its first ever US vinyl pressing earlier this year, and with little delay comes a reissue of its follow-up, which is also making its vinyl debut in the States. Compact disc and digital options offer a bonus track. For the band’s second go-round, the songs remained edgy and distinctive with occasional flareups of quirk while building upon classic models. The whole of Repercussion, brighter and a bit bolder, completes one of the great rapid fire combo-punches in pop-rock’s long history. It’s available now through Propeller Sound Recordings.
It’s fitting that Propeller Sound chose not to dillydally in getting the dB’s essential early albums into stores, as both Stands for Decibels and Repercussion were released in 1981. In consort with their UK label Albion, the speedy pace of the band’s productivity strengthened the 1960s foundation from which guitarist-vocalists Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, bassist Gene Holder and drummer Will Rigby, sprang. Bands worked fast in the ’60s, often at the insistence of labels that would drop them if they didn’t; The dB’s set out to do the same.
Recorded in NYC and London, Repercussion marked the debut of Scott Litt as producer. For a long stretch in the late ’80s and ’90s, Litt had the rep as a guy who would sand down a band’s edges as he polished up their sound (therefore, he was something of a divisive figure), but the dB’s had too much momentum and Litt was just getting started, so while larger-scaled and more refined, Repercussion didn’t squander the energies of the debut.
Some will perhaps be thrown by the horn section in the opening cut, Holsapple’s “Living A Lie,” but it’s the Rumour Brass (backers of Graham Parker) who are doing the blowing, and the cumulative effect isn’t that far from the sound of Squeeze at the time. The next track, “We Were Happy There,” also a Holsapple tune, reins it in a bit (the Rumour Brass making their exit) and delivers a solid serving of power pop with new wavy tension.
Phoenixville, PA | Mom-and-Pop Record Store in Phoenixville Honors Old School Legacy: Shawn Cephas, the youngest of five, grew up behind the counter in a Philadelphia record store. His father, a musician, and businessman opened King James Sound Center in 1967, writes Tony Romeo for PHL 17. The record store was run by Cephas’ mother Mary, his father James, and his eldest sibling. In 2018, Cephas decided to continue the family legacy and get behind the counter again. Along with his wife, Anna, Cephas opened an old school shop, Forever Changes Records, in downtown Phoenixville in 2021. His goal is to make it a very welcoming place, or as he describes it “a record store for everyone.” Cephas said he enjoys when people ask questions, specifically about jazz, his genre of expertise. “People have said that it’s a very welcoming place and it has just opened up a lot of conversations that aren’t even about music itself” he said.
Louisville, KY | ‘A bigger and better record store’: Better Days West merging with East End location. Sitting inside Better Days West, surrounded by boxes, bags and shelves packed with records and other merchandise to be moved to the store’s East End counterpart, the record store’s owner, Ben Jones, was overjoyed about prospect of operating a bigger and better store. …Better Days West, which spent more than 35 years in the Parkland neighborhood at its 2600 W. Broadway storefront, is merging with Better Days East. The store’s last official day open was Sept. 20. Since then, Jones and his team have been working to move more than 30,000 pieces of merchandise—including records, CDs, sound equipment and more—to Better Days East at 921 Barret Ave. Better Days West, which spent more than 35 years in the Parkland neighborhood at its 2600 W. Broadway storefront, is merging with Better Days East. The East End location, a 5,500-square-foot space in the Original Highlands neighborhood, is now one of the largest and most eclectic music stores in the Midwest, Jones said.
Toledo, OH | Culture Clash Records Asking For Help: Culture Clash Records is asking for support throughout the end of the year. Toledo’s favorite record store asks for help to pay their bills during a tough season and “save Culture Clash.” “Our 20th year in Toledo has been our toughest.. We need your support to pay our bills..To survive the year.. To see our vision through..,” Culture Clash Records wrote on Facebook. “Help us continue to serve our believed community for 20 more years.” After facing hards times due to buying a building that did not fit the proper zoning requirements, Culture Clash is facing hardships and in need of help making it through 2024. There are several ways you can support Culture Clash Records, including…
Evanston, IL | In the groove: Vintage Vinyl marks its 45th year as a haven for audiophiles: In September, the City of Evanston sponsored a reception for the Legacy Business Alliance to honor 39 longtime businesses for their contributions to the community. Vintage Vinyl, the small but mighty record shop that’s been operating for decades, should have been invited to the party. Steve Kay, the owner of Vintage Vinyl, opened the shop in 1979. The store has been in the same location, 925 Davis St., for 45 years, which is a milestone worthy of celebration. This part of Evanston seems to spawn long-lived retailers — two other legacy businesses, Bennison’s Bakery and Lemoi Hardware, are located across the street from Vintage Vinyl. Kay has parlayed his love of music and vinyl records, from the 1950s to the present, into a business that has stood the test of time. “I received my first 45 rpm record and a record player from my aunt when I was 5 years old, and I have been playing and listening to music and collecting records ever since,” he said.
