Archives

Purchase log, 2023-08-22

[R.E.M. - Accelerate]

I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.

Catalog

CD
  • Deer Tick, Divine Providence
  • Franz Josef Haydn, The London Symphonies (Sir Colin Davis, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)
  • Kenny Chesney, Be As You Are: Songs from an Old Blue Chair
  • Kenny Chesney, When the Sun Goes Down
  • Murder By Death, Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The 6 Haydn Quartets (Melos Quartet)
Vinyl
  • MF Doom, MM..Food?
  • The National, High Violet

Reissues

Vinyl
  • R.E.M., Accelerate

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Purchase log, 2022-12-06

[Charlie Puth - CHARLIE]

I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.

New releases

Vinyl
  • Charlie Puth, CHARLIE

Catalog

CD
  • 3 Mustaphas 3, Heart of Uncle
  • Anton Bruckner, Mass No. 1 in D Minor / Motets (John Eliot Gardener, Vienna Philharmonic)
  • Beyoncé, B’Day
  • Beyoncé, I Am … Sasha Fierce
  • Disclosure, Caracal
  • Jamie Xx, In Colour
  • Kenny Chesney, Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates
  • R.E.M., 20th Century Boys, Vol. 2
  • Soul II Soul, Club Classics, Vol. 1 (10th Anniversary Edition)
Vinyl
  • Guadalcanal Diary, Flip-Flop
  • Radiohead, Kid A
  • The Meters, Cissy Strut

Reissues

Vinyl
  • Duran Duran, Astronaut
  • Duran Duran, Red Carpet Massacre

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Purchase log, 2022-09-27

[Missing Persons - Spring Session M]

I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.

Catalog

CD
  • Built to Spill, You in Reverse
  • Chara, Strange Fruit
  • clipping., CLPPNG
  • Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Concerto Grosso / Symbolon / Concerto For Trumpet And 5 Players / Double Quartet For Strings
  • Everything but the Girl, Adapt or Die: 10 Years of Remixes
  • Kylie Minogue, Kiss Me Once
  • Marvin Gaye, Here, My Dear
  • Missing Persons, Spring Session M
  • The Lilac Time, & Love for All
  • The Roots, Rising Down
  • Tim McGraw, Not a Moment Too Soon
Vinyl
  • Beastie Boys, Paul’s Boutique
  • R.E.M., Chronic Town EP
  • Whiskeytown, Strangers Almanac

Reissues

CD
  • Duran Duran, Pop Trash
  • Duran Duran, Red Carpet Massacre

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Purchase log, 2022-08-23

[Shakira - ¿Dónde están los ladrones?]

I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.

Catalog

CD
  • Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane
  • Isaac Hayes, Shaft
  • Marvin Gaye, Trouble Man
  • Old 97’s, Early Tracks
  • Prince, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
  • Temple of the Dog, Temple of the Dog
  • Wham!, The Final

Reissues

CD
  • Madonna, Finally Enough Love
  • R.E.M., Chronic Town
Vinyl
  • Shakira, ¿Dónde están los ladrones?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Looking ahead, August-September 2022

[Charlie Puth - CHARLIE]

Swing Out Sister, Blue Mood, Breakout and Beyond: The Early Years, Aug. 12

This 8-disc boxed set covers Swing Out Sister’s first three albums, supplementing them with B-sides, remixes and a live album. I like two of the three albums from that era — It’s Better to Travel and Kaleidoscope World — so I’m curious but not entirely tempted.

R.E.M., Chronic Town EP, Aug. 19

This 40th anniversary edition would be the first time the Chronic Town EP is released as its own separate CD. It was previously released as part of Dead Letter Office, a compilation of B-sides and rare tracks. I have to admit I didn’t find Dead Letter Office compelling, save for the Chronic Town tracks. So I welcome this reissue.

Madonna, Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones, Aug. 19

Madonna returns to Warner Bros., bringing along the albums she recorded during her time away from the label. This compilation of remixes marks the new business arrangement.

Blondie, Against the Odds: 1974-1982, Aug. 26

Blondie has always struck me as a band for which I am the target market, but I own only Parallel Lines and The Best of Blondie. This boxed set includes all six studio albums, plus a few extra discs of rarities. I’ve been on a boxed set kick lately, so … sure why not?

Santigold, Spirituals, Sept. 9

Santigold releases her first full album since 99 Cents, which was released in 2016, and I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions, a mixed tape released in 2018. It’s also the first release of her own label, Little Jerk Records.

Death Cab for Cutie, Asphalt Meadows, Sept. 16

I passed on Death Cab’s previous album, Thank You for Today. Given the band’s Pacific Northwest roots, they’re still something of a big deal in the area, but I do find myself reacting to this album news similar to a non-Duranie learning about a new Duran Duran album.

Steve Reich, Runner / Music for Ensemble and Orchestra, Sept. 30

Runner would be the second Steve Reich release on Nonesuch in 2022. I can’t say Reich / Richter really grabbed my attention. Nonesuch hinted that a boxed set similar to John Adams’ Collected Works is in the works for Reich.

Charlie Puth, CHARLIE, Oct. 7

I still can’t believe a Subway commercial got me into Charlie Puth.

Christine and the Queens, Redcar les adorables etoiles, Oct. 28

TIL the translation of this album title is “Redcar the adorable star”, and Redcar is an alter ego of Christine.

Vinyl

David Bowie, Earthlng, Aug. 12

I hadn’t yet done a deep dive into the works of David Bowie when this album was reissued for Record Store Day. So yes, I missed out. But I bided my time. For a figure as large as Bowie, these things don’t stay out of print forever.

Moby, Everything Is Wrong, Aug. 12

Moby is reissuing a number of early albums on colored vinyl, and while I like Everything Is Wrong, I’m more of a fan of Animal Rights. So I was a bit surprised to see Animal Rights was left out. Then I visited Moby’s online store and discovered it still sold the 2016 reissue of Animal Rights. Yeah, I ordered it. And yeah, I’m probably going to pick this one up as well.

… And You Will Us Know By the Trail of Dead, IX, Sept. 9

Music on Vinyl reissues are always hit or miss when it comes to availability in the US.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Purchase log, 2022-03-29

[Gabby Pahinui - Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band, Vol. 1]

I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.

Catalog

CD
  • Daft Punk, Discovery
  • DEVO, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are DEVO!
  • James Brown, Star Fire
  • KMFDM, Symbols
  • KMFDM, Agogo
  • R.E.M., Gravity
  • The Weeknd, After Hours
Vinyl
  • Bela Bartok, Mikrokosmos (Homero Francesch)
  • Devo, Freedom of Choice
  • Fleetwood Mac, Behind the Mask
  • Gabby Pahinui, The Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band, Vol. 1
  • Heart, Bad Animals
  • Journey, Escape
  • Kraftwerk, Electric Cafe
  • Mr. Bungle, Mr. Bungle
  • ZZ Top, Afterburner

Reissues

Vinyl
  • The White Stripes, Elephant
  • The White Stripes, Get Behind Me Satan

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Looking ahead: September-November 2021

[Tomosaka Rie - Cappuccino / Escalation]

Explosions in the Sky, Big Bend, Oct. 1

I haven’t really cottoned to Explosion in the Sky’s soundtrack work, but I’m hoping this release feels more like an album than a cue sheet.

John Coltrane, A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle, Oct. 8

At first, I thought this album was just a reissue of Live in Seattle, till I took a closer look at the title.

Renée Fleming, Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene, Oct. 8

I wonder if John Green would be interested in reviewing this album.

The Replacements, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, Oct. 22

The Replacements had, at best, a periphery influence on my teenage listening habits, and yet I’ve bought just about every deluxe edition of their albums. Clearly, I’m making up for lost time.

R.E.M., New Adventures in Hi-Fi (Deluxe Edition), Oct. 29

I’m ambivalent about this album. I had sold it for cash a long time ago, but I picked it up again from the thrift shop. I don’t know if it holds up well.

ABBA, Voyage, Nov. 3

I can’t lie — I’m pretty damn excited about a new ABBA album in 40 years. The singles preceding the album sound like time hadn’t stopped for the quartet, and the world definitely came back around to them.

Sting, The Bridge, Nov. 19

I guess I still care because there is a part of me that fondly remembers a younger Sting in various forms of undress.

Vinyl

Robbie Williams, Life Thru a Lens, Sept. 24
Robbie Williams, I’ve Been Expecting You, Sept. 24

The Ego Has Landed was one of my most played CDs of 1999, and it collected the best bits of Robbie Williams’ first two albums. About 20 years later, I would find I’ve Been Expecting You at the thrift store. So I have to say I’m very much tempted to drop cash on these vinyl reissues, even though I haven’t heard Life Thru a Lens in its entirety.

AJICO, Fukamidori, Nov. 3
AJICO, AJICO SHOW, Nov. 3
AJICO, Setsuzoku, Nov. 3
Hatakeyama Miyuki, Diving into your mind, Nov. 3
Tomosaka Rie, “Cappuccino / Escalation”, Nov. 3

Japan actually has its own Record Store Day event that focuses on domestic releases, but it’s separate from Record Day, which happens annually in November. While Record Store Day focuses on independent retailers, Record Day in Japan looks similar to National Album Day in the UK, where larger retailers are involved with the festivities.

Past Record Days in Japan have included reissues of NUMBER GIRL, YEN TOWN BAND and a number of Studio Ghibli soundtracks. For me, AJICO is the biggest news coming out of this year’s crop, but I’m also immensely pleased to see Hatakeyama Miyuki’s Diving into your mind getting a reissue. The Tomosaka Rie 7-inch single pairs two of her biggest hits, “Cappuccino” and “Escalation”, the A-side written by Shiina Ringo.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Purchase log, 2019-11-05

[Michael Kiwanuka - KIWANUKA]

I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.

New releases

CD
  • Michael Kiwanuka, KIWANUKA

Catalog

CD
  • Gabby Pahinui, Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band, Vol. 1
  • Kylie Minogue, Kylie
  • Ornette Coleman, Tone Dialing
  • Ornette Coleman, This Is Our Music
  • ZZ Top, Tres Hombres
Vinyl
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber / William Lloyd Webber, Variations / Aurora (London Philharmonic, Lorin Maazel)
  • Swing Out Sister, Kaleidoscope World
  • Tracey Ullman, You Broke My Heart in 17 Places

Reissues

Vinyl
  • R.E.M., Monster

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Purchase log picks, September 2019

[The Bad Rackets - Full On Blown Apart]

Infomatik, Technologies

This album is one of those extremely rare, regional finds that will either be selling for $0.50 at a thrift store or $30 on Discogs.

Kanye West, 808s & Heartbreak

When this album was first released, my record store co-workers liked it enough to recommend it. Kanye had already gone headlong into celebrity insufferability by then, and I passed. It was that endorsement that prompted me to pick this album up at the thrift store. What I like best is the lack of raps, and thus, the lack of posturing. It’s also restrained, something refreshingly unbecoming of an artist with the size of Kanye’s ego.

The Bad Rackets, Full On Blown Apart

This album is the intersection of garage rock and punk that my Waterloo Records co-workers would play to death. It’s been about 15 years since, so I’m not so severe in my reaction to this kind of music. I’ve also met the band’s drummer, and he’s hotter than a straight guy has any business being.

Art of Noise, Re-works of Art of Noise

At the time of its release, I wasn’t interested in live tracks, which is half of this compilation EP. I was wrong to be so dismissive. Art of Noise had to adapt to a live setting, giving these tracks new facets the studio versions don’t capture. “Hammersmith to Tokyo and Back” is worth the price of the EP alone.

R.E.M., Monster

I skipped this album when it was released. All the pre-release press described Monster in terms that didn’t hold much appeal to me. I didn’t share everyone’s breathless acclaim for Automatic for the People, so I approached Monster with a level of skepticism that stopped me from listening to the album for 25 years. How foolish.

The Cult, Sonic Temple

I read about this album in a lot of magazines back in high school, but I never made the plunge. I like how it’s not quite heavy metal.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Purchase log, 2019-09-24

[Torche - Harmonicraft]

I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.

Catalog

CD
  • Brandi Carlile, By the Way I Forgive You
  • Interpol, Turn on the Bright Lights
  • Kraftwerk, Trans-Europe Express
  • Madonna, Remixed and Revisited
  • Men at Work, Business As Usual
  • Modern English, After the Snow
  • R.E.M.: Essential R.E.M.: In the Attic
  • Simon and Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Waters
  • Soundgarden, Screaming Life / Fopp
  • Torche, Harmonicraft
  • Torche, Meanderthal

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,