Elba Sessions

As I researched the extensive, exclusive Record Store Day releases to try and write something about this year’s vinyl splurge-fest I was drawn to a rather strange collection of material. Usually there are rarities and new releases that I develop an intensity about owning weeks in advance. This year I imagined Ingrid Volume 1, the Animal Collective 12″ release of their Guggenheim performance, a new Guided By Voices single, an Of Montreal/Deerhoof split or new-favourite-band-ever-ever-Django Django’s Storm 7″ would fit my habitual pattern.

Worryingly, these did not cause anywhere near the stir that the following did. Before I proceed I wish to note that I MUST be experiencing some sort of late-twenties crisis or at least a peak in hormonal levels. Or something else. Anything else. There has to be a reason for this regression.

The first sign that something was off was my reaction to details of a ZINE with unreleased music from Dirty Projectors, Real Estate, Cass McCombs, John Maus and Villegers on multi-coloured flexi disc. You had me at zine, dominorecordco! Yet, further to this, the zine will include a short story by James Yorkston, a poem by Laura Marling and some doodles from Alison Mosshart. Oh and not forgetting a cover designed by Bjorn Copeland. A 15 year old Kim would have squealed over a release like this and once attained would clutch the prize to her chest with crazed possessiveness shining from widened eyes. Then it occurred to me that this wasn’t a projection about my adolescent taste but an actual manifestation of my enthusiasm for the product. The picture I have described may well materialise on April 21st in Monorail.

It was mostly downhill from there. Internal bursts of delirium along with defensive thoughts bounced around my head when reading of:

David Bowie – Starman (I don’t care that it is unnecessary to own this!)

She & Him – Volume One (On coloured vinyl!)

Django Django – Storm (What? I still WANT it!)

The Supremes – Baby Love (On-heart-shaped-vinyl. LOOK at it!)

The Velvet Underground – Loaded (ON PINK VINYL!)

THE BREAKFAST CLUB SOUNDTRACK!

At this point I closed the browser tab, regained some control over my sanity and began to type. In fact, disclosing these fleeting thoughts has proven quite therapeutic. I’ve managed to go back, glance again and note that the vast material produced for this muso holiday serves many tastes and various moods. I don’t believe that I will purchase all of the above when RSD rolls around. I do, however, admit that some better preparation and planning may be required to curb any impulse buys.

Then, once it’s all over, I can relax in the assurance that I will once again regain the composure of my adult self. Until May 5th or after this arrives, whichever comes last.

‘i *heart*…is a semi regular musing about the little things which may be obsessing us around about now. Sometimes within a few days we’ll move on, sometimes we stay smitten for quite a while…’

I took a little long in getting into Slow Club. Not in the sense that the music had to grow on me, it didn’t, seconds into ‘Trophy Room’ and i was completely taken, more in the sense that I heard the name and saw they were supporting bands a lot but never really got round to actually listening to them. One near miss was when they supported Tilly & The Wall at King Tuts. Arriving slightly late, I bumped into some friends in the bar and by the time i had made it up the stairs, the band had finished. A work colleague still asks me to this day ‘are you going upstairs to see Slow Club’.

The Sheffield boy/girl duo play sweeter than sweet folky pop which rarely fails to put a smile on my face. Although the lyrics in some songs are tinged with sadness, there’s a buzz and energy which almost blows the bad things away. Their debut album, ‘Yeah So’, was released in 2008 and is about to be followed up by their second album ‘Paradise’.

Pitchfork are currently streaming their forthcoming single ‘Where I’m Waking’ over here.

I’ve yet to see Slow Club live but as luck would have it, they’ll be back at King Tuts in Glasgow on the 18th of September.

The new album is out on September the 12th and pre-orders can be made here. There’s a bonus disc version which has a unique take on the track ‘Two Cousins’ re-done by Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton.

You can hear it below, courtesy of The Quietus
Aidan Moffat & Malcolm Middleton – Two Cousins 1999 by theQuietus