MRENC - All Around Surround

If you did not grow up in Florida, or perhaps have not familiarized yourself with Florida's geographical (nautical) surroundings, you might not know which side of MRENC's (pronounced "Mister E - N - C") album All Around Surround to play first, which I like.  It puts the sequencing in the listener's hands.  Side-A is the "Atlantic Side," while Side-B is the "Gulf Side."  The title All Around Surround is a lyric from the closing track "Cover Me."

The vinyl release comes with a CD, not a MP3 download.  I remember my first experience with this; getting a CD with a vinyl I purchased.  It was the summer of 2000 in Cambridge, MA (I had just returned from an amazing honeymoon with my wife), and Shellac had just released 1000 Hurts.  Inside they included a CD copy of their album.  It was brilliant, and before MP3 downloads.  Nowadays,  when an artist like MRENC puts their CD inside the vinyl, it demonstrates their position on this whole digital movement; basically saying they ain't planning no games when it comes to their music.  Giving you the CD is giving you the music itself (like the vinyl), not a cheap-ass digital photocopy.  I've got all respect for bands like MRENC for including CDs with their wax.  Plus, the CD jacket plays the role of the liner notes for the vinyl; a practical solution.

Added props go out to MRENC for their packaging.  Those of you following this here little blog site are probably catching on to the fact that 1) I love black and white artwork, and 2) I love it when bands cheat the system and design an exquisite package on a dime.  To the naked eye, one would not know that the latter was the case with MRENC.  However, those in the industry may recall that jacket manufacturers offer solid black finished jackets at a discounted price.  If a band or label is capable of designing simplistic, yet pro, artwork / imagery that can be hand silkscreened upon these ready-to-go jackets, without looking like it was hand silkscreened,  or (possibly / debatably) worse feeling like it was hand silkscreened,  then they just might be able to pull off an economicly sound design like MRENC was able to do with All Around Surround.   Job well done Mr. Eric N. Collins (MRENC).

Hand numbered on the "Atlantic Side" center label in a silver ink.  Housed in a polypropylene bag.  Released by one of the hardest working indie labels this side of the Mississippi, New Granada Records. A lot of thought went into this vinyl record, and it shows. 

MRENC remind me of The Walkmen, somewhere between the vocal and drums and guitar work, but not all at once.  There is an aggressive punch at times like Les Savy Fav, and sexy (yup, that's a first), seductive lure that brings me back to why I liked that band Plexi (just saw their album somewhere on vinyl;  should have picked it up);  I think that is the Florida 90's goth vibe I'm picking up (and loving; love me some old school Florida goth).

Fuck it.  This is a damn good album.  Buy it.  There were only 300 made.

Gospel Claws + Roar Split 7inch

Gospel Claws' track is called "I Want It All." Roar's track is called "Dream."  If you read my previous post about the split 7inch from Beached Out and The Reference Desk, you will understand why I would say Gospel Claws and Roar are lucky I like the artwork for both sides of their split release.  But it is not for me to pass along judgment or opinion, it is simply a truthful statement about my own personal attractiveness as to why I would (or possibly not) pick up their 7inch from a stack of hundreds of others.  Again, read the other post (my intro will make sense).

The theme is dogs.  The sub theme is duets (or pairs); perhaps a nod to the pairing of bands for this record.  Gospel Claws are more regal (like a beagle?) in their approach with the artwork on their side.  A dated photograph of two Dobermanns.  Roar's black and white hand drawn Siamese-Twin guard dog may have been taken from a 5th grader's Trapper Keeper or brown bag book cover; aside additional customized graffiti that included words like "Gotcha!" and "Awesome," and images of lightning bolts and that funky diamond-like "S" that was never really an icon for anything, but more of a mathematical puzzle of varying lengths.  I like it.

Regardless of whether I first encountered Gospel Claws' Pinchers, or the vicious two-headed Roar, I know I would have been drawn in enough to crack open the envelope and see the stunning baby blue opaque vinyl within.  With the respectfully simple white label (black text), complimented by the jukebox-ready center hole, the vinyl itself is truly the physical gem of this release.  I would have bought this record simply for the wax alone, even if it was only packaged with a white sleeve and no artwork.

Fans of indie pop bands like Black Kids, The Shins, and Built To Spill will enjoy this split release of reverberation from President Gator Records; second for their catalog.

Beached Out / The Reference Desk - You're Getting Close Split 7inch

I am first trying to figure out why this split 7inch between bands Beached Out and The Reference Desk has a title.  Unusual, but intriguing. It's the first thing I noticed.  I may be wrong, but I believe I heard Beached Out use the words "you're getting close" in their track "Tiny War."  Perhaps it's a theme.  The Reference Desk's track "When You Drown" seems that it should (?) or could include the phrase.

Their traditionally punk 7inch v-fold jacket was the second thing to catch my attention.  The unmistakeable waxy film from a black and white photocopy machine is always so pleasing to the touch.  It's the sort of thing I will buy a record for.  It shares the level of commitment a band has toward getting their record out: at all costs.  And in most cases, possibly a direction to keep costs down; but in the end, a demonstration of pure character.  Beached Out and The Reference Desk used a standard pastel yellow photocopier paper, 11"x17" in size for print, and then cut-to-bleed to keep it cool; purposely designed with images that run well.  (I think I have an Ariel Pink 7inch of the same mind set.) Simple, classic sans-serif fonts; clean layout, with just the facts required.  They get a 10/10 for design.

I'm dying to find out if the vinyl itself was pressed with Rainbo Records in Canoga Park, California (bands: feel free to email directly to let me know).  I've always been a fan of their product, and this 7inch is in line with Rainbo's standards.  The opaque lemon chiffon yellow vinyl is naturally heavy in weight, and holds well.  Centered with a red / black contrasting label, the 7inch immediately becomes a through-back to the Chapel Hill NC college music scene, circa 1990.

The final note-worthy feature (perhaps a lesson for others, so take note): the respect Beached Out and The Reference Desk give to each other and their single release.  Perhaps this is their point of having a title.  While I do understand when two bands release a "split" release why they often think to give each other their own side of the packaging, making it appears as if there is a unique cover for each band, I don't think those bands understand that if I am digging for vinyl, there is now less of a chance that I am going to buy their record if I am only exposed to one of the two bands. 

With a normal record (not a split), there is a pure 50/50 chance that you (the customer) might be interested in picking it up when stumbling across the record for the first time.  If you don't know the band or the release, fate is now left in the hands of the design - the art work, and whether or not it compels you to pull the record out of the stack.

When you have a split release, you are either doubling yours odds to attract a new listener, or you are actually cutting them in half.  If you promote both bands on the cover and make it look like a shared release, like Beached Out and The Reference Desk did, the customer may be interested in either band, and in a sense... doubling the chances of the customer picking up the record.  However, if only Beached Out were on the cover, and I happen to not know the band or like the design they gave their side, I am not going to pick it up. And if I would have actually known or was interested in The Reference Desk, whom would have been on the other side that I never saw as I was flipping through hundreds of vinyl, then both bands would have missed out on me buying their record; cutting the odds in half and making it harder to sell their split release.

That all being said, I am happy to see Beached Out and The Reference Desk did not make this mistake.  In fact, I know for sure that their 7inch would have been an immediate grab amongst many others if I just so happened to stumble upon it on Digging Day.  And, (I am happy to report) after a first listen at home, I would not have been disappointed.

Black Bug - Reflecting the Light

Towards the end of the 2000's first decade, I stumbled across a Silk Flowers album in the used record bin at Zia Records in Arizona.  I remember being surprised to find the PPM Records release, especially used, and picked it up, simply intrigued by the rarity of this find; I had never heard of the band before.  The music had me at the first dissonant goth chord, loving the "Bela Lugosi's Dead" meets Switched-On Bach current approach.  This was my first encounter to what seemed to be a new wave of music that was pulling from some of my favorite past times.

Upon opening HoZac Records' mailer and witnessing Black Bug's cover art for Reflecting the Light, a band I was also unfamiliar with, I could smell the freshness of this new synthesized, yet punk approach, to darkness, simply from the artwork.  The opening track, "You Scream," delivered with perfection.  I was immediately transported back to The Milk Bar; a references that works on two levels. Anyone growing up in Jacksonville, FL, knows I am referring to Goth Nights at the underground downtown club, The Milk Bar.  For anyone else, the A Clockwork Orange reference generates the same aesthetic.

The digital collage begins with a healthy centerpiece that is our own moon, supported by a horizon of fog and evergreens with the watchful eye of mountains above, tangled in a web of computerized red angular outlines. The afternoon sky above, reflecting the light, is warm like the desert, in contrast to coolness of the morning below.  The cover art is the only image necessary for this album.

There was no text on the front telling me what I was in for, yet this artwork spoke so clearly.  It is the kind of album cover that I know would have compelled me to buy immediately while cratedigging, and would have withstood all process of elimination phases if funding had to drive such a decision.  Black Bug's Reflecting the Light wins on all levels, and that's before their future-like music evens fills the room.

I recently read a book about Joy Division, claiming they never intended to attract a gothic following, and certainly did not take a goth approach with their songwriting.  I believe this, and I believe it is the same for bands like Black Bug.  Hell, no one actually said to me that this was goth. I think in fact I am the one proudly using that term here; that is the impression I get, just like so many Joy Division fans did years before.

Call it what you want; it is good / bad ass / loaded with attitude / loaded with synths / overdriven to perfection / current / right / infectious / horrifying. It's Black Bug.

The Young Evils - Foreign Spells 12inch EP

I've been dying to write a review for this 12inch EP titled Foreign Spells from The Young Evils ever since I've been dancing in front of my speakers (a la Einstein A Go-Go style; kicking the foot back and all) at full volume over one year ago when it first graced my turntable.  This quartet from Seattle, WA simply nailed it with their four song EP, brought to you by Fin Records.  Their sharp-shooting approach with such a stellar release reminds me of the EPs Ride used to put out between their full lengths; packing a punch and never tiring.

"Darker Blue Bayou" takes off with a great clap-beat, supported by an assured groove.  Troy Nelson and Mackenzie Mercer play back and forth with vocal leads.  The rhythm drives deep into the bayou down I-10, never looking back.

I remember hearing "Dead Animals" for the first time; the second track to side-a.  Mackenzie plus a muted power-pop guitar begin the song.  Truthfully, my first impression was, "Oh no, it was too good to be true.  They over delivered on the first song, and now it's downhill from here."  But to my great and welcomed surprise, just about sixteen seconds into the track, The Young Evils brought me back to my imaginary dance floor, head swinging back and forth (wishing I had hair), and singing along to the lyrics (yes, upon first listen).  Turning the volume up louder and louder, rift by rift, I simply could not get enough of The Young Evils' persistence; and we were only two-tracks into this inaugural listening.

Take a breathe, walk over to the turntable, and flip this beautiful wax to continue an amazing indie pop discovery.  "The Devil's Barricade" finds Troy, with his hushed Jesus & Mary Chain -like vocals, taking the first step with another boy/girl tag-team approach to the vocals; I think this what I am beginning to like more and more about The Young Evils (it's keeps things interesting, and moving along).  There is a familiarity with their music, much like The Rosebuds, leading you to believe you already know what's coming, yet creating a yearning for more.

Just as I am beginning to adore The Young Evils grittier comparison to UK indie poppers, The School, "Touch Tone Lovers" takes a sharp right hand turn onto 'Bad Ass Lane.'  Do yourself a favor and go turn up the volume even louder than you had it before for this one; the drums feel so good, especially when The Young Evils drop out the bass for that break, leaving the guitars dangling out the window.  Mackenzie's voice slides into a more chill, shoegaze-like vocal style, while the music, traditional to Rock n' Roll in many senses, really stands out on its own; presenting you with the truest of sounds for The Young Evils (and I love it).  

Fin Records does not cut back in any way for this four song release.  True to their form, the clear vinyl is simply immaculate.  Inner sleeve embossed with their logo, pristine polypropylene bag to protect the artifact, Fin Records shows respect in many ways other won't.  The two-toned packaging lends a hint to the modern day doo-wop inside.  I just wish I could have told you all about this sooner.