Sorry I haven’t posted anything in a while. It’s been a really busy couple of weeks and I haven’t even had a second to catch my breath. First things first, there was Record Store Day 2015. What a day for music lovers. I’ve been looking forward to RSD since the last one. My top priorities were the Run the Jewels “Bust No Moves” 12” and the Father John Misty “I Loved You, Honeybear” 7” which was pressed on red heart-shaped vinyl, but I was also able to score the Neko Case reissue, the Of Montreal live album, the Grizzly Bear Horn of Plenty reissue featuring new artwork, Metallica’s No Life Til Leathr, a cassette reissue of their 1982 demo tape available officially for the first time, Vampire Weekend’s “Step” 12″, featuring “Step”, the remix featuring Danny Brown, Heems, and Despot, and the instrumental, Cloud Nothings’ album Here and Nowhere Else remixed by Ohio artists, J. Dilla’s Love 7″, which features unreleased material, as well as the “Fuck the Police” 45, which is shaped like a badge, of and of course Courtney Barnett’s “Kim’s Caravan” 12″, featuring the new album track “Kim’s Caravan” back with a cover of John Cale’s “Close Watch” as well as D’Angelo’s “The Charade” 7″, featuring “Charade” with “1000 Deaths” from Black Messiah, which I also bought on vinyl because I felt like that was in the spirit of things and besides I had only ever streamed it on Spotify when it came out and I thought the vinyl of it would sound even better (if that’s even possible!). Oh and I got the 10th anniversary pressing of the Decemberists’ Picaresuqe, which includes a postcard set and a booklet, as well as Four Tet, Jamie xx, John Talabot, and Koreless’s soundtracks for the two-minute film “Continuum”, on 7″. Oh and the Get Behind Me Satan vinyl reissue which was the first time that album has ever been on vinyl. I don’t really like that one but it was the first time it’s ever been on vinyl for the first time so I was pretty obligated ha. So it was a pretty good RSD. There was a little bit of a hiccup about halfway through, though, when the serum began to wear off and I could feel myself turning back, my body contorting and stretching, fighting to expel this self—this self that I cannot live without but isn’t natural for me and I have to try constantly to keep alive–and replace it with my original, boring self, the self that doesn’t even like Mikal Cronin, the self that has never even heard a Sharon Van Etten song. This self, my true self, I have banished to the depths of my psyche, but only by way of the serum, which is expensive and tedious to make and even more exhausting to take. It’s never worn off in public before, but here, as I was flipping through the Record Store Day releases with my buddies, I could feel the change coming. Quickly, I turned to my friend Aaron (who is also one of my roommates) and told him, as sincerely as I could, “Hey man, I’ve gotta run home for a sec.” He looked at me with a weird look on his face. “What are you talking about?” he said. “That’s far and we’re already here and we were gonna get brunch after this with the girls.” I had, in my slipping-back-to-normal state, forgotten about brunch. My mind felt like a pool of gasoline someone had lit on fire. “Yeah man, I’ll meet you guys…there…,” I was able to spit out without sounding too strained. Aaron had noticed the new Lord Huron album on an eye-level wall shelf and was now walking toward it. “Okay? See you there?” He wasn’t listening. I half ran and half limped to the checkout counter. My body was changing. In another couple of minutes, I wouldn’t want any of this vinyl, would be appalled I was even in a record store on Record Store Day. I put my haul on the counter. The clerk was wearing a tight yellow shirt with a weird line drawing on it and had long hair a similar color to his shirt. I didn’t know what to make of this.. He rang me up quickly (luckily) but didn’t comment favorably on a single one of my purchases (which is normal for me at this place, whenever I come, which isn’t very much). I panted out “thanks, man” and lifted the two plastic bags off the counter. My head was now shaking uncontrollably and I could feel the change almost upon me, like I had to sneeze but couldn’t quite. I emerged, rat-like, into the bright San Francisco sun and ran as fast as I could to the coffee place across the street. They have a bathroom. The stale, wet, burned smell of roasted beans hit me hard and I almost ran into a woman wearing cut-off black jean shorts and a jean jacket with cut-off sleeves who was waiting in the long line. She looked at me with a mixture of fear and disgust. I limped to the bathroom which luckily was unlocked and let myself in. I pushed the heavy door shut and locked it. Turning just in time to see myself in the mirror, the transformation was complete: my face was slightly more handsome, my clothes fit slightly better, my hair was less contrived. I hated this self. I had never felt good like this. Something always was missing. I hated my mind. My new (real) self now looked down at the shopping bags I had set on top of the sink and picked them up. Looking inside, he sneered. This person now walked out of the bathroom and straight out of the coffee shop (I would have liked a coffee) and 15 minutes later was back at my apartment. He watched a little reality TV, drank a glass of water. It was at least a week before the urges of my half of the self took over enough and we were able to finally, quietly, locked in the apartment’s half-bath near the kitchen, drink another vile of serum. After the painful transformation, I emerged, looking like myself, licking my lips. I went into my bedroom and picked up the bags from Record Store Day that had been dropped in the corner by my trash can. I can’t wait until RSD 2016.
The new My Morning Jacket might be my AOTY. Definitely my AOTW I think. I mean, it’s just totally gorgeous. It’s not even possible to describe. I haven’t heard anything better than it all week I don’t think. METZ is a strong option too but I haven’t really had the chance to listen to it all the way through because I’m saving it for the gym and I don’t go to the gym. The Best Coast album is pretty good (her performance on Jimmy Fallon was all I’ve heard from it though) and the Mikal Cronin is amazing. Also the new the albums by Torres, Django Django, Downtown Boys, Hop Along, Superchunt frontman, Palma Violets, Turnoever, Thin Lips, Michele Route, Dendritic Amor, Scallop Hotel, Gacha, Oddisee, Battle Axe and Nosaj Thing are all really, really good. And there’s a Compilation by PC Music that I still need to really listen to. Don’t know if I am really on board with them or not. I get it, but it still seems basically pretentious and the only things I’ve heard sound like the music was made by the chipmunks in those Kia commercials on crack. Also I know Rich Homie Quan’s new mixtape is pretty all over the place and boring, but I am not really actually too much of a rap guy. Or at least I haven’t felt like listening to much rap lately. Also really excited for new Tanlines. I can’t wait to sip some lemonade and listen to their new album all summer long. I’m just looking forward to whenever the entire new Tame Impala album comes out. They are a band right on the cusp of being one of the biggest in the world. Not that that’s hugely important, but it’s still fun to watch. But I’m sick of hearing all these little bits of it! But all the songs released so far have been incredible pieces of art, so I can’t wait to hear the whole thing at once like it’s supposed to be heard. The newest song they released “Eventually” (get it? Sorry) is my least favorite song released from the album so far but I still like it. It’s my second favorite after the perfection that is “Let It Happen.” Basically: “Let it Happen” > “Disciples” > “Eventually” > “I’m a Man”. But really, listening to new Tame Impala in pieces as opposed to sum of its parts might be the most aggravating auditory experience. It’s like hearing The Wall on random play. All I wanna do is highlight track one…and push play.
its a thing 