A drunken ramble through my Record Store Day purchases

rsd-2012
Obviously, I have too much free time, because after I got done going for a walk on Saturday afternoon, I came home and worked my way through a bunch of beer while I listened to all of my Record Store Day acquisitions. This marks the first year I didn’t have the day off, so I stayed in Lawrence and grabbed what I could after I got off work. Here are my increasingly honest and incomprehensible live rankings of what I purchased.
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Jeffrey Novak, “Back At The Bottom”

trouble-in-mind-logoToday sees the release of two new EPs on the always-excellent Trouble In Mind. The Chicago label has issued solo releases from Alex Cuervo (who fronts Austin’s kings of garage the Hex Dispensers) and Jeffrey Novak (of the Tennessee garage-popsters Cheap Time).

Also out today from the label are LPs from the Wrong Words and the Paperhead, meaning you might as well just head on down to the record store after work today and throw down some cash for wonderful tunes. Alternately, you can just head on over to the label’s website and grab them all direct.
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The Limiñanas, “The Limiñanas”

LP_Jacket_11073The Limiñanas
The Limiñanas
(Trouble In Mind)

My working knowledge of French consists of being able to say that I speak no French, that I am a gigantic duck, and asking where the nude beach is located. That being said, I love French garage pop. The best French garage takes a psychedelic edge from American and British ’60s rock ‘n’ roll and combines it with the relaxed, seductive edge of Serge Gainsborg for a potent, heady mix.
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Trouble In Mind’s latest batch of singles

trouble-in-mind-logoThe latest batch of singles from Chicago’s fine Trouble In Mind Records showed up the other day, and after a lengthy weekend of listening to nothing else here in the basement, I feel as if I’m okay to share some opinions on what’s what.

The Wrong Words‘ single has a sound that I can’t quite put into words, other than to say that it sounds exactly like something you’d hear on mid-’80s college radio. “What Went Wrong?” is somewhat surfy, whereas “Clock Keep Ticking” is total jangly power-pop, but both complement one another with catchy bits to spare. The a-side is more immediate, but it’s the b-side to which I keep returning time and time again. There’s something about the timeless nature of the song that makes me want to listen to it over and over.
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