Record Store Day Preview: 10 Shop Picks

As we approach Record Store Day we thought we’d point out a few things that we here at the shop are particularly interested in. Here they are in alphabetical form. 10 releases we think are worth a look and listen to. You can check the full list of official RSD sanctioned titles out at: http://recordstoreday.com/ We’ll have the full list of what we have on our April 17th Update (and we won’t be able to answer any questions beyond that about availability before then). Enjoy this list!

Brand New “Deja Entendu” 2LP
brand new deja
One of the most heavily sought out pop-punk releases of all time. Original copies have gone for hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

Frank Ilfman “Big Bad Wolves (OST)” LP
Big Bad Wolves
Frank Ilfman’s score to the Israeli thriller BIG BAD WOLVES. Acclaimed worldwide and called “the best film of 2013” by Quentin Tarantino, the film is a heady and disturbing treatise on violence and the use of torture. The main theme is beautiful, with searching strings and woodwind counterpoint, and a sense of hope. But there’s a sinister undercurrent, giving a sense of inevitability. It’s a menacing piece of work, emotionally intense yet surprisingly beautiful.

Julius And His Modern Aces “James Brown Rides On” 7″
Julius
Facsimile reissue of a 1970 single by the mighty Orlando Julius and His Modern Aces. Funk Afrobeat niceness.

Mark Kozelek “What’s Next To The Moon?” 12″
Kozelek
Early solo effort from Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon, Red House Painters). The album is composed entirely of drastically rearranged acoustic covers of Bon Scott-era AC/DC songs. (Note: There are a couple other Mark Kozelek related titles coming out for RSD that also are on our radar, too, yes.)

Metallica “No Life Til Leather” Cassette Tape
Metallica
Recorded in the summer of 1982, No Life Til Leather is Metallica’s most widely-circulated demo tape. The track listing contains early versions of their debut album ‘Kill Em All’ which has gone triple Platinum. This is the first time Metallica are releasing it officially, remastered for Record Store Day.  This is the one non-vinyl release we have on this list and of the few we’re hoping to have in for RSD. Remember when Metallica was great?!

Oneohtrix Point Never “Commissions II” LP
Oneohtrix
Inspired by the video game soundtracks of celebrated Japanese artist Manabu Namiki, Lopatin’s arrangement “Bullet Hell Abstraction” deconstructs both the sonic and visual aesthetic of Japanese video games. Commissions II includes selections that he recorded for the performance, which was commissioned by Redbull Music Academy and originally premiered at Womb, Tokyo (November 2014). With affection for the original piece, Lopatin composed and performed live a re¬imagined soundtrack to Koji Morimoto’s historic anime film Magnetic Rose. In collaboration with Lopatin, Robert Beatty produced the cover artwork layout, and the packaging features TBC (black foil print jacket) with die cut view of inner sleeve.

Polaris “Music From The Adventures of Pete and Pete” LP
Polaris
Caren’s favorite fake band out of Connecticut! Polaris was a one-off musical project in the mid-1990s involving members of the New Haven indie rock band Miracle Legion. Mark Mulcahy, Scott Boutier, and Dave McCaffrey performed music for the cult Nickelodeon television show The Adventures of Pete & Pete under the name Polaris performed many of the songs featured on the show, including the theme song, “Hey Sandy”. This will be the first ever vinyl release of the record. Bonus: They’re playing at College Street Music Hall on May 9th!

Power Glove “TITLE EP1” LP
Power Glove
EP1 is the debut EP from Power Glove, the mystery Australian duo so far known for their synth-tastic, ’80s-inspired score to video game Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.

Stephen Rennicks “Frank OST” LP
Frank
Stephen Rennicks’s song based soundtrack to Leonard Abrahamson’s fantastical black comedy featuring Michael Fassbender as the masked leader of a doomed avant-rock group.
The film is inspired by cult comedy creation Frank Sidebottom, as well as underground music legends Captain Beefheart and Daniel Johnston.

Swans 12″ EP
Swans
SWANS are LOUD and they don’t care that this is unofficially for RSD. Nor do we. The first Swans 12″, originally released on Labor Records 1982