Records nerds take heed: limited record releases from the Flaming Lips, Neon Indian, Jack White, Mark Sultan, Xiu Xiu with Dirty Beaches, and more await thee. If you’re a lover/supporter of independent music, you’ll be celebrating Record Store Day this weekend with the rest of us. Err…that is, buying up some new vinyl.
And why not? The US-wide event, which began in 2007, keeps getting bigger and better, with even more releases, and even weirder vinyl variations (liquid, colored, etched, can Laffy Taffy grooves be that far away?).
And, as often noted, the Record Store Day releases are available only at physical, independent shops. Real, brick and mortar stores lined with dusty squares. Stay offline all day.
And, as many of the Record Story Day releases are limited, it’s important to keep in mind that all stores may not order all release. It’s first come, first serve, and all that. Show up early, support your local vendor.
Bay Area participating stores include Recycled Records, Groove Merchant Records, Amoeba Music in San Francisco and Berkeley, Black Pancake Records, Streetlight Records, Grooves, aQuarius recOrds, the Explorist International, The Music Store, Creative Music Emporium, MusicESP, Fats Music, Mill Valley Music, Donnie’s Records, 1-2-3-4 Go! Records, Down Home Music, Down Home Music Store, Rasputin Music and DVDs, Mod Lang, Red Devil Records, Bedrock Music & Video.
Here’s just a small sampling of the audio-treats available to you this Saturday, April 21 (walk in to local stores for availability):
The Flaming Lips, The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends. The exclusive Record Store Day release will be pressed on two multi-color vinyl discs in separate custom art jackets and poly bagged together. No two discs will look exactly alike. Once it’s gone, it will not be repressed again making. It includes musical contributions from Yoko Ono, Nick Cave, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Bon Iver, Ke$ha and more.
Mastodon /Feist, A Commotion/Black Tongue seven-inch. A RSD exclusive featuring Mastodon covering Feist’s song “A Commotion,” and Feist covering Mastodon’s “Black Tongue.”
Mark Sultan, The War On Rock’n’Roll. A live, one-take album put out on In the Red Records.
Jack White, Sixteen Saltines. A 12-inch single of Jack White’s “Sixteen Saltines” featuring a playable etching of the Third Man logo in its B-side. “The grooves of the record play through the image, making it the world’s first-ever playable etched record ®.” There’s an even more limited version of the Sixteen Saltines etched 12-inch that’s pressed on clear vinyl and filled with psychedelic blue liquid.
Xiu Xiu/Dirty Beaches split seven-inch. Limited to 200 copies, Side A is Xiu Xiu covering Erasure’s “Always”, Side B is Dirty Beaches covering Francoise Hardy’s “Tu Ne Dis Rien.”
David Lynch Foundation, Music That Changes the World. A deluxe, four-volume vinyl collection featuring 34 exclusive tracks by artists such as Donovan & Iggy Pop, Peter Gabriel, Moby, Maroon 5, and Ozomatli and several others. The collection also includes a previously unreleased bonus track from The Ghost of Saber Tooth Tiger along with a download code for a bonus digital track from Julio Iglesias Jr.
of Montreal/Deerhoof, Stygian x} Bisection. It’s an exclusive RSD seven-inch on Polyvinyl. The seven-inch features “A Filthy Fifth” on the A-side, of Montreal’s cover of Deerhoof’s song “Secret Mobilization.” The B-side is the first studio recording released of “Feminine Effects.”
The Mynabirds, Generals seven-inch single. From their upcoming album Generals, to be released June 5, the Record Store Day seven-inch includes one non-album track “Fallen Doves” and features silk screens covers, hand stray painted and numbered by band leader Laura Burhenn. Limited to 1,000 copies on black vinyl.
Battles, Dross Glop 4. RSD limited run. Final 12-inch of the Dross Glop series. Features remixes from Gang Gang Dance, Hudson Mohawke, Patrick Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem), Dennis McNany.
Neon Indian, Hex Girlfriend 10-inch. An exclusive RSD release, with the album version of the track on Side A, and a Twin Shadow remix on Side B. It’s limited to 500 copies and will only be available April 21. 200 of those will be pressed on translucent green vinyl, and 200 will have an opaque blue swirl.
Again, remember that these are independent stores and not every Bay Area record shop will sell every RSD release. Plan accordingly.
Record Store Day
Sat/21, business hours
Independent record shops, Bay Area and beyond
www.recordstoreday.com