CHEAP: Pavement vinyl!

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day about vinyl and how much is a fair price to pay for a record. Partly I guess it's to do with how much you love the artist or particular album in question but that's not where it starts and ends. It's also about how much extra money you have in your pocket at the moment to put towards your hobby, while also keeping your eye on your inevitably growing wish list.

Pavement was one of the bands mentioned in that discussion. Over the last couple of years, Matador has been great at updating the bands albums to the more widely accepted 180 gram. The one trouble with this for some is it can be pricey ($18+ per record), especially if you weren't buying these during their staggered release and you're now riding high on the wave of Pavement-mania.

Well good news, thrifty shopper. Starting in March, Matador is releasing these fellas on 120 gram as well with the prices ranging from $8 - 12 each (!). The obvious downside here is that they aren't going to sound quite as good as the more heavyweight pressings, but the obvious upside is you can have an instant collection of Pavement vinyl for around $60. That is a helluva deal.

Some might cry foul and say this is a way for Matador to milk a cash cow while it's full of sweet, delicious money. Those people should keep in mind that the profit margins on vinyl are usually very slim. Between these releases and pricing the new double LP compilation Quarantine The Past under $15, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the label is losing money on this passion project. Instead they are giving the consumer a choice on what they are willing to pay for these records and that's not something you get very often.

Order and pre-order here as you see fit and let us enjoy the Year of Pavement while it lasts.

Pavement - 'Summer Babe (Live)':



Download 'Summer Babe (Live)' (click arrow):



Pavement - 'Gold Soundz':

Noel Gallagher to replace Simon Cowell on American Idol

Nah. Just kidding. But Simon Cowell wants him to.

From NME:

Simon Cowell is apparently very keen to sign up Noel Gallagher to replace him as a judge on American Idol. The ex-Oasis star, however, would be in contention with US radio host Howard Stern and Piers Morgan for the role. "I know Noel quite well," Cowell claimed. "I like him. He is very funny and a brilliant songwriter - it's a possibility"

As rad as it would be to see Noel behind the judges chair (I'd become a loyal viewer), here's hoping he concentrates on that solo career. He should guest judge though.

Noel & Gem - 'Whatever' (Acoustic: Toronto, 11.07.06)



Noel & Gem - 'Slide Away' (Acoustic: Toronto, 11.07.06)



Noel & Gem - 'Half The World Away' (Acoustic: Toronto, 11.07.06)

The Fall announce new album

The Fall (aka Mark E. Smith and whomever the hell he wants to play with him) have announced that they will be releasing a new album in April. Your Future Our Clutter will be out in the U.K. on 4.26 via Domino UK.

Thee tracklist:

1. O.F.Y.C. Showcase
2. Bury Pts. 1 + 3
3. Mexico Wax Solvent
4. Cowboy George
5. Hot Cake
6. Y.F.O.C. / Slippy Floor
7. Chino 8. Funnel Of Love 9. Weather Report 2

That's all the news on this one for now.

MORE NEWS: Domino USA will be releasing this as well. The date on that is May 4th. It will be a double LP.

Reissued: Spacemen 3

Just a heads up that Fire Records recently reissued the first three full lengths from Spacemen 3. For those keeping score that's Sound of Confusion (1986), The Perfect Prescription (1987) and the live album Performance (1988) now freshly available on 180 gram. Rejoice!

Spacemen 3 - 'Take Me To The Other Side':

Re-Mastered: Elliott Smith, Roman Candle

There's an announcement today on the Domino UK site that they will be releasing a re-mastered version of Elliott Smith's first solo album, Roman Candle.

From the post:

Roman Candle has been re-mastered for the re-release by Larry Crane, editor of Tape Op Magazine and archivist for Elliott's family, and Roger Seibel at SAE Mastering.

Larry explains, “The intention that I had was to make the album more listenable. I felt that a lot of the guitar “squeaks” were jarring and very loud, and that many of the hard consonants and “S” sounds were jarring and scratchy sounding. I felt by reducing these noises that the music would become more inviting and the sound would serve the songs better. When I went to Roger Seibel's SAE Mastering, he proceeded to equalize the tracks a small amount and to make the volume slightly louder. We never tried to make this CD as loud as current, over-limited trends, but just to match the volume of the rest of Elliott’s KRS catalog in a graceful way. Please note that none of this album is “remixed” from the master tapes - it is still composed of the mixes Elliott created himself."

The re-mastered Roman Candle will be released on April 5th in the UK and will most assuredly be available in the U.S. as an import. You can pre-order it here.

UPDATE: Turns out this is old news and Kill Rock Stars will be releasing this domestically, as well as From A Basement on the Hill (originally released on Anti-).

Moon Duo, Escape

Aside from playing in Wooden Shijips, Erik Johnson also has an epic beard. That's not what this post is about. This post is to remind myself that his other band called Moon Duo (with Sanae Yamada rounding out the duo part) are releasing their first full length 12" on Woodsist today. Note to self: buy this sometime when you have money.

Moon Duo - 'Stumbling 22nd Street':



More here.

Order here.

Various Artists, Ghostly Essentials: Avant-Pop One

Michigan's Ghostly International is a label that I enjoy but seem to have trouble keeping up with (my fault, not theirs). So when LHB dropped the Twitter tip last week letting me know that this compilation was available for free at the Amazon MP3 store, I immediately downloaded it, burned it to disc and listened to it all week.

Now, I like my electronic music more on the glitchy / ambient / non-singing variety so I've gone ahead and highlighted my three favorite songs below. I was aware of Dabrye beforehand, but Mux Mool and Midwest Product are new to me (the former being a newer artist to the label, the latter having been around for years):

Dabrye - 'Hyped-Up Plus Tax':



Mux Mool - 'Night Court':



Midwest Product - 'Swamp':




Those are my faves, but since this comp is free why not download the whole thing and see what you like? Some of the songs that didn't immediately appeal to me are starting to sink in a little the more I listen.

Grab Ghostly Essentials: Avant-Pop One here.