I recently took a trip to Best Buy. I was hoping to find an ipod adaptor for my car, and thought I would stroll through the music section just for good measure. I was surprised to see that they have started to sell vinyl (though in very small numbers), but I have to say, I was pretty disappointed. Don’t worry, I’m not going to complain about corporate America, or the decline of small business…their selection was respectable if you are into the type of music they carry, and their prices are pretty good, what can I say. No, none of these things gave me much pause. What was upsetting, though, was that the people who were working there know almost nothing about the music they were selling.
When I moved back to North Carolina, I was heartbroken to find out that my favorite music store had closed while I was away. There is something to be said for shopping at a small store that sells only music. Unlike the employees of chain stores, record stores tend to be run by people who are genuinely interested in the music they sell, and are always willing to share what they know. Having made almost weekly visits to that store for almost two years (and spending WAY too much money), I got to know some of the workers, and they started to recognize the types of records I was buying. After a while, I could ask them, “what would you recommend,” and I could trust their answers. This is how I was introduced to Animal Collective, José Gonzalez, Vetiver, and the Books, just to name a few.
Vetiver – “I Know No Pardon”
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The Books – “An Owl With Knees”
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Only a few months ago, I finally found another record store where I could again rely on the suggestions and knowledge of the shop’s owner/operator. I will be leaving North Carolina soon, and will have to start the search all over again, but for now, I thought it would be worth posting about some of the bands I have learned about solely through the recommendations of Chaz at Bull City Records (yes, this is a shameless promo, I admit it).
Pink Mountaintops – “Vampire”
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Jagjaguwar is quickly becoming one of my favorite labels. They have released albums by Bon Iver, Okkervil River, Sunset Rubdown, Women, and Swan Lake…but of their releases, the new album by the Pink Mountaintops (Outside Love) is easily my favorite. The band, for the most part, is made of members of Black Mountain, who I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of. I find their music to be a little too loud and aggressive for me, and Stephen McBean’s vocals (backed with the lovely sounds of Sophie Trudeau and Ashley Webber) are much more effective when they are not drowned out by screaming guitars and heavy percussion. The result is a collection of eerie and dramatic songs, like “Vampire,” in which Mc Bean pronounces, “Vampire, you can suck out the blood, but you can’t kill the heart of my love.”
Phosphorescent – “At Death, a Proclamation”
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Maybe I just like the idea of a less than typical love song, and Phosphorescent’s “At Death, a Proclamation” is another great example. You can listen to almost any song on the radio and hear sentimental, sappy, and standard love songs, but few capture the drama, anguish, and emotion of a true love. As the melody of this song builds, grows, and crescendoes, Matthew Houck cries out, “O love, the one day I tarried too far and I never came home. O love, always I carried your heart married deep in my own.” There is something far more effective about this sentiment than hearing lyrics like “I want a rainbow above me, and feel inside so free…I’m ready for love, yes I am” (and yes, that is Miley Cyrus). Phosphorescent’s album Pride was excellent, and their most recent release, a collection of Willie Nelson covers is definitely worth a listen. Both were released by Dead Oceans, home to such artists as Akron/Family, Bishop Allen, Bowerbirds, The Dirty projectors, and The Donkeys. Proving once again that big things can come from small labels.
Woods – “To Clean”
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While I could probably continue to write about a half dozen or more other bands, I think I will wait until a later post to continue my reminiscing. So I leave you with the Woods. I doubt I ever would have picked this record up if it hadn’t been for the repeated encouragements of the folks at the record store. From the first note though, I was sold. The excited lyrics, raw sound, and psychedelic meanderings of this album (Songs of Shame) are intoxicating. Pick it up next time you are at the record store, and if they don’t happen to have it, take the plunge and ask, “what do you recommend.”
Posted by the Needle
