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The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong (Slumberland)
This record just keeps growing and growing on me. I’ve been playing it on average of once a day lately if not more. You can read a really great interview with singer/songwriter/guitarist Kip Berman here.
Wipers – The Herd (Jackpot)
I picked this vinyl reissue of the penultimate Wipers album from 1996 recently since it had been the only album of theirs I was missing. I’m glad I got it because like just about everything else in their catalog, it’s a corker. It’s pricey, but worth it and the sound quality make me wish I’d also picked up the Silver Sail reissue on the same label which also just came out.
Wipers – Land of the Lost (Enigma)
I’ve been playing this one recently as well given its similarity in sound to The Herd. As great as the 1st 3 Lps are, this almost matches those in terms of songwriting quality, energy and feel.
Iggy and the Stooges – Raw Power Live: In the Hands of the Fans (MVD Audio)
This is a 180 gram vinyl release of their show at ATP last year when they performed Raw Power in its entirety. The songs aren’t quite in the same order as the original Lp with the title track (which starts off side 2 of the original Lp) being first, then the album in order followed by “I Got a Right” as the closing track. Still, with a setlist like that and a band as great as Iggy and the Stooges still are, I’m not complaining! The sound quality is good and while of course this won’t get as many spins as the Lp itself, it’s a pretty great document for fans.
Dinosaur Jr – Bug (SST)
We found out earlier this week that they’ll be performing this album live in its entirety and luckily the Philly stop on their tour features OFF! as their opener. I wish it wasn’t at the Electric Factory, but I’m not gonna complain too much as OFF! have never played there. Anyway, I’m also psyched to see them play obscure stuff like “They Always Come” live. Henry Rollins will also be interviewing Dinosaur Jr before their set.
The Minutemen – Double Nickels on the Dime (SST)
After we saw Mike Watt last Saturday, I went through most of the Minutemen catalog. As much as I love some of their other records, this is the obvious masterpiece in their catalog.
Mike Watt with Caterpillar and Split Red – North Star Bar (Philadelphia) – April 2, 2011
Please see my full review here.
Wire – “Map Reference 41°N 93°W”
Wire made their first U.S. network television appearance in 25 years the other night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Though the song they played on the show was the title track of their most recent Lp Red Barked Tree, you can watch an internet-only exclusive of them performing this classic single here.
J Mascis – Several Shades of Why (Sub Pop)
The first solo acoustic J Mascis album (not counting 1997’s Martin and Me, ) is a moving song cycle that seems to chronicle the end of a relationship. The first time around, this time really hit me, but it’s definitely a grower. As AJ Morocco said last week, hats off to J for having the balls to release something this personal.
The Feelies – Here Before (Bar None)
We just got this in the mail yesterday, so there has only been time for a few listens, but this is clearly the mellowest and most melancholy-sounding record in the entire Feelies album, even more so than 1986’s The Good Earth. Still, the lack of major label production (like on 1989’s Only Life and 1991’s Time for A Witness, both on A&M) make this one sonically warmer-sounding than its immediate (albeit at this point two decades old) predecessors. There isn’t anything quite as memorable as “Deep Fascination”, for example, on here, but longtime fans will rejoice as the guitars of Glenn Mercer and Bill Million sound terrific here.
