VIA PRESS RELEASE | Cinema Paradiso Recordings is proud to announce the release of the soundtrack to the motion picture The Parallax View, on vinyl for the first time ever, this coming May 7th 2021.
Based on the book by Loren Singer, The Parallax View is directed and produced by Alan J. Pakula as the second installment of his Political Paranoia trilogy—alongside Klute (1971) and All the President’s Men (1976). With cinematography by Gordon Willis (The Godfather trilogy, Annie Hall) and starring Warren Beatty, this political thriller from 1974 is perhaps even more relevant today than it was back then.
The legendary score by composer Michael Small is regarded as a benchmark in the sound of paranoia thrillers that dominated cinema in the 1970s, with revered film critic Pauline Kael hailing the film as essential for all fans of the genre. Now, 47 years later, the soundtrack newly remastered by Bob Weston, will finally be available to own on vinyl.
The single LP, deluxe gatefold limited edition in coloured vinyl includes liner notes with two essays by Scott Bettencourt and Alexander Kaplan (of Film Score Monthly), which provide a fascinating insight into the making of the film and an analysis of the score.
The CPR edition of The Parallax View soundtrack includes for the first time the infamous brainwashing scene, an influence on countless films and TV shows over the years. Notably, most recently with the Watchmen series and shows Mr. Robot and Homecoming even using the music from the film.
At which point there was no looking back; on the cover of 1974’s Caribou he’s still a cartoon, but he’s A CARTOON IN REAL LIFE, right down to the tiger fur jacket (unzipped to reveal one very sexy chest pelt) and a pair of pink glasses of the sort I would later wear to disguise the fact that I was perpetually stoned.
NEW RELEASE PICK: V/A, Arc Mountain (Hausu Mountain / Deathbomb Arc) This release, a benefit with all profits going to the Last Prisoner Project (a nonprofit committed to cannabis criminal justice reform), features artists from the Deathbomb Arc and Hausu Mountain labels in collaboration, with the cassette released by Hausu Mountain and the CD by Deathbomb Arc. Contributors include Dustin Wong, Margo Padilla aka I.E., They Hate Change, J Fisher, Fielded, Signor Benedick the Moor, TALSounds, Angry Blackmen, George Chen, Jonathan Snipes, White Boy Scream and more, with particularly heavy input from Fire-Toolz and Khaki Blazer. The contents range from wild blasts of underground hip-hop to varied strains of avant-pop to bent electronics to noisy soundscapes, with some instances of overlap and the uniting bonds being the liberating spirit of experimentation and a clear disdain for the soul-sucking rigidity of norms, both musical and societal. Upon repeated listens, the gripping assemblage of twisted teamwork (mostly twos but a couple threes) coheres into a larger statement of considerable power. A-
REISSUE/ARCHIVAL PICKS: BMX Bandits, Star Wars (Last Night From Glasgow) Headed by sole constant member Duglas T Stewart and with input on this album from Francis McDonald and Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub and Gordon Keen and Eugene Kelly of Eugenius (Kelly was also in The Vaselines), BMX Bandits are one of indie pop’s finest cult bands, but with a refined blend of kindheartedness and twee tendencies that inspired many to reject them. Although there is a sense of the awkward in Stewart’s vocals (which has resulted in comparisons to Jonathan Richman, though they don’t sound alike to my ear), it never comes of as a mannerism, and that’s cool. What definitely not awkward is Stewart’s songwriting, which blossoms beyond the standard indie pop jangle. One example is “Extraordinary,” (sure to drive twee-haters up a wall), which sounds a little like young Dan Treacy if he was heavy into Nilsson and bubblegum pop rather than Syd Barrett. And instrumentally, the flare-ups of baroque strings remind me a bit of Big Star’s Third. And that’s just dandy. First time on vinyl outside of Japan. A-
V/A, Made to Measure Vol.1 (Crammed Discs) As part of Crammed Discs’ 40th anniversary, here’s a reissue on vinyl and compact disc of the inaugural entry in the Belgian label’s series dedicated to music that either could’ve been or deliberately was made as a soundtrack to other artforms, e.g. film, theater, dance, and even a fashion show, as is the case with this album’s track by Benjamin Lew, “A la recherche de B.” The other contributors are Minimal Compact, with four tracks commissioned for live dance; Aksak Maboul, with the album highlight “Scratch Holiday,” supposedly crafted (with a turntable, a ’60s pop 45, and orange marmalade) to soundtrack a movie, and six tracks intended to accompany a theatrical play; and Tuxedomoon, with three cuts composed for a documentary film. The guest violin by Jeannot Gillis (of Julverne and Univers Zero) for Minimal Compact, who are sequenced first, lends an appealing circularity, as Tuxdeomoon (and violin) close side two. But in fact, as the record plays, the sound is quite unified as it stirs thoughts of Rock in Opposition, Ralph Records, and early ’80s avant-pop in general. A-
Telex, This Is Telex (Mute) The best way to experience Telex is probably by soaking up one of their songs in a larger mix of material, like during some cat’s late night college radio show, in the midst of a friend’s mixtape, or as spun by a DJ in a club while waiting patiently for the headliner. Over the years, I’ve heard a few people opine that Telex was a novelty act, a conclusion drawn essentially because of their penchant for interpreting the material of others in the then nascent electronic pop style. I disagree. Taken individually, Telex’s songs are frequently pleasant, partly through catchiness but also due to the enduring appeal of their formative aura. But when heard sandwiched between the songs of others, Telex sticks out, largely because they were operating with a different sensibility. The trio’s versions of “La Bamba” (included on this LP/ CD compilation) and “Rock Around the Clock” (which isn’t, giving hopes for a follow-up volume) underscore the non-angsty ’50s-ish R&R spirit they brought to the scene. But there’s more to Telex, like a sweet version of Sparks’ “The Number One Song in Heaven.” A-
Melbourne, AU | A vinyl lover’s guide to Melbourne’s best specialty record stores: For all your genre-specific vinyl needs. There’s no greater pleasure than an afternoon spent rifling through the stacks at a local record shop. Luckily for wax heads, mild enthusiasts and newcomers just dipping their toes into the rapid, winding river that is vinyl obsession, Melbourne has hundreds of shops to choose from. Whether your eyes are on hardcore, hip hop or funk, you can bet there’s several locations with the expertise, knowledge and – of course – the stock, to guide you to your vinyl Valhalla. While a really good dig is second to none, sometimes we know exactly what we want. Or, at least, the general genre gist we’re after. So, we’ve taken the liberty of collating all of Melbourne’s specialty record stores, selected the best, then divvied them up by genre(ish), for your 
London, UK | Grooves in the heart: We investigate the UK vinyl revival, one of the greatest comebacks on record. They are cumbersome and quite faffy to grasp, scratchable to death by uninitiated hands and – unless crackle-doused, bargain bucket specials are your bag – a costly way to hear music. Yet last year UK vinyl records sales increased for the 13th year in a row, according to trade music body BPI, despite streaming now accounting for 80% of the country’s music consumption. In fact, revenue from vinyl sales is set to overtake that of CDs for the first time since the late Eighties. And all this from century-plus-old shellac discs that looked to be rolling out of aural and cultural relevance during the CD-dominated Nineties. Jon Tolley, 43, Banquet Records owner in Kingston said: “It’s quite strange to have an industry which is based on something that in some ways is perceived as archaic but in some ways has almost gone full circle where it’s such a reaction to how modern things are. “And it’s not people who’ve been left behind who don’t understand the digital revolution, it’s people who fully embrace it and are 
Little Rock, AR | UA Little Rock alum opens vinyl store in Benton: Audra McAnally has been out of school for less than three years, but the 25-year old entrepreneur has already opened her second business – a stylish throwback to the popular era of vinyl stores called Retro Rose. After graduating from Bryant High School in 2014, McAnally joined the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Business. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a certificate in sales, all while working around 60 hours a week managing a property preservation company. “I went to UA Little Rock because I wanted to stay local for college,” McAnally said. “It was intense. I was probably getting four hours of sleep a night, and now I can’t stay up past 10 p.m. …I opened Retro Rose Oct. 30, 2020, mid pandemic,” McAnally said. “I didn’t want to lose my space in downtown Benton since it’s becoming a prominent area. My boyfriend Brandon and I both collect records and we are super antiquers. I thought it would be so cool to open a music store where everyone feels welcome. One thing led to another, and I kept finding bulks of used records that 
Chicago, IL | Bric-A-Brac Records Moving To Avondale, Opening Horror-Themed Coffee Shop Next Door: The coffee shop, which the owners are opening with a friend, will be called The Brewed, a play on David Cronenberg’s horror flick “The Brood.” Since opening Bric-A-Brac Records at Diversey and Kedzie avenues eight years ago, husband-and-wife owners Nick Mayor and Jen Lemasters have had to work other jobs to keep the record and collectibles shop afloat — Mayor at a restaurant and Lemasters selling merch at big venues. But with both industries hit hard during the coronavirus pandemic, the couple has decided to focus solely on Bric-A-Brac in hopes of growing the small business into even more of a community hub. The couple is moving the shop to a bigger space in Avondale, and they’re teaming up with a friend to open an adjoining coffee shop. …The couple has signed a lease on a storefront at 2843 N. Milwaukee Ave. The space is about 20 percent larger than their vibrant current home at 3156 W. Diversey Ave., Mayor said, which is 
