Indie Vinyl

Speaking of psychedelic classics, this new LP by Texas duo is mind blowing! If your idea of psychedelia is excess in instrumentation and arrangements, this LP will set you straight. Much like early Spacemen Three, this music can be minimal & gritty too. "Lunes" is the sound inside my head when I'm not listening to something else, and if I ever formed a "band", it would sound very much like this. Spooky, sleazy,  & droning, it is the perfect late night soundtrack. I can't get enough of this record. Entirely appropriate for vinyl- pick it up soon, it is limited.

Groundhogs "Scratching the Surface"

Golden Dawn "Power Plant"

Spirit "Spirit"

Velvet Underground "White Light/ White Heat"

Os Mutantes "Mutantes"

Let's face it, Indie Rock is as influenced by Psychedelic music as it is by Post Punk, New Wave, "Grunge", whatever. Just look at the recordings of some of the Indie Rock giants, you'll hear lots of trippy undercurrents. A perfect match of the two genres comes together during the "Paisley Underground" & "Garage Rock Revival" of the 1980s- it was a great place to be at the time, I'll never forget it.

Newly reissued on vinyl is the third LP of Public Image Limited. Rightly considered by many as their last great LP, 1981's "The Flowers of Romance" was the last effort utilizing original members of the band as a unit instead of as The John Lydon Show, which produced a few more records in the years to come under the PiL name. Guitarist Keith Levine is still giving a majority of the musical input here, but it is THE DRUMS on this record that sound like no other rock record, before or afterward. If you like powerful drums, this is your record- nowhere else will you hear drums recorded this powerfully! If you like Post Punk music, Public Image Limited were the band who played it best, then closed the era. This LP was called "The Uber Music" by someone in the British press back then, and it still holds true. The early years of PiL are sorely due for a restrospecive film-wise since there are literally hundreds of hours of footage in the can- perhaps if this is properly presented (1978 inception thru the riot at The Ritz in NYC), due attention will be given. Absolutely necessary.

Sonic Youth "Daydream Nation"

Yo La Tengo "I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One"

Pavement "Slanted & Enchanted"

Guided By Voices "Alien Lanes"

Husker Du "Candy Apple Grey"

I'm listening to "Daydream Nation" right now. Wow, it's been awhile, does this hold up well! Got a good belly laugh to Kim Gordon's intro to "The Sprawl". This album means so much to me, it has been wilh me almost half my life now. I bought the original promo poster yesterday at a sale in South Minneapolis.

Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
AGLS 010501

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is the bands 4th album, and best to date, answering any questions posed by critics of their first three attempts.  "United" (2000) was hailed as good but miss mash, and "Alphabetical" (2004) was less revered as dancy but monotonous.  Their 3rd album "It's never Been Like That" (2006) was almost a backlash to the reviews of alphabetical leaving a completely undancy, all texture try.  This time the French quartet delivers the goods.

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