Daniel Higgs
Daniel Higgs traveled to Spain in May of 2011 to record this 7-song album in beautiful Sant Feliu de Guíxols. Fans of Daniel Higgs’ other works will not be disappointed. On this release, titled
Beyond & Between, Higgs provided the cover art, sang and played banjo, and he was accompanied by Marc Clos on the vibraphone, marimba, flexatone, drum, tamborello, tamtam, gong, tar, bendir, timpani and vocals.
Zomes
Zomes is the solo work of Asa Osborne, guitarist of the much-beloved
Lungfish. The songs on this record, titled
Improvisations and released on
Thrill Jockey, were self-recorded in 2010 and originally released on cassette only. For all those new to
Zomes, I recommend listening loudly; this isn't background music. When Asa performs live, the music is at full volume, and I think the idea is to let the hypnotic/meditative sounds of
Zomes wash over you completely.
Minutes
It feels a bit awkward to bring up my own band here, but this is a new release, we carry it, and I really do want people to know it’s out in the world, so I’ll try to make this quick and painless:
Minutes just self-released a
self-titled LP that is limited to only 300 copies. It’s available through the
Dischord site for 11 bucks. It’s a rock record. We (the band, that is) really like it, and we hope you will, too.
(Just as with the
Soccer Team records and the
Minutes 7 inch, some recording nerds out there may find it interesting to know that this record was made using a Tascam 388. Full disclosure … we used a Tascam 424 cassette recorder as well.)
My Fictions
This is a five-song 10 inch from
My Fictions, titled
I Want Nothing and released by
Flannel Gurl Records. It’s fast-paced hardcore from Lowell, MA. Lots of remarkably precise drumming and guitar parts on this one. According to the liner notes, their guitarist, Tyler Bradley, recorded, mixed and mastered this album, while the layout was done by their bassist, Bryan Carifio. It’s pretty great to see a band do so much behind-the-scenes work for their own release; it usually means a lot of love went into the process. Keep in mind that this record spins at 45 RPMs. I made the mistake of listening at 33 at first, and … well … let’s just say I heard a very different record.
Weak Teeth
This is another release from
Flannel Gurl Records, and this particular album is by a band from Providence, RI, called
Weak Teeth. The album is titled
What a Plague You Are , and like My Fictions,
Weak Teeth play some pretty fast-paced hardcore. Lots of parts, lost of precision. Along with song-writing, it's apparent that
Weak Teeth spent some quality time on their song titles and liner notes, so make sure you spend some of your own time with the album insert. I get the feeling they’d be offended if you referred to their songs as “track 1” or “that 3rd song on side A” (the latter of which is actually the gem on the record). Also, don’t let the typical 12 inch format fool ya’… This one spins at 45 RPMs as well.
Thanks for reading.
-Ryan
