Music
Welcome to 2020
So … a new year. Hopefully it will be better than 2019.
Yeah. I am really living for these horror-themed memes about what a shit year 2019 was.
Meanwhile … we might have been spotted out and about on New Year’s Eve.
Meanwhile, meanwhile … Pet Shop Boys have dropped a new single. Delicious!
Survivin’ It
So, yeah … the first Christmas after Dad died. Survived it. My step-mother decided to still have the annual Christmas Eve Breakfast for Dinner Gathering. The familiarity of it was nice but sad at the same time without Dad running around handing out presents to everyone. Nobody got weepy which was good. I saved that for a few of days later.
I was in Walmart on Friday evening and walked past a guy who was wearing a uniform from the place my dad managed right up until he got too sick to work. Dad generally wasn’t seen out of his work shirt the last few years. The loss and sadness really hit me. I managed to make it out of the store and back to the car before breaking down and creating a scene.
Saturday we tripped over the Gatlinburg with Graham and Kristen for moonshine and an escape room adventure. The usual places were visited … Ole Smoky, Sugarlands, and Doc Collier.
Graham and Kristen are big into escape rooms and wanted to check out MOONSHINE HILL HOOTENANNY at Gatlin’s Escape Games. The room was fun and way more high tech than I thought it would be. I felt like we overthought some of the puzzles and that got us behind time with only one hour to break into Maw’s shack, sabotage her moonshine recipe, and blow her ‘shine still to smithereens. SPOILERS: We failed (and found out that Kristen’s desire to win is both awesome and a little scary). But it was fun and I am looking forward to trying another escape room sometime soon.
And yesterday, I was bummed to read about the passing of Vaughan Oliver, mastermind designer of some the most iconic album sleeves of the 80’s and 90’s. He provided the visuals that went right along side of some of my favorite albums of the era (most notably for me are Cocteau Twins’ Treasure, The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa and Doolittle, and The Breeders’ Last Splash).
New PSB!!!
Stupid excited that the new Pet Shop Boys album, Hotspot, will be out next month on January 24th 2020. Woot! So far, two singles have been released (Dreamland and Burning the Heather) and I am digging them. Needless to say, the 2-Disc Deluxe CD and Vinyl have been pre-ordered. Woot! Woot!
Vinyl Obsessed [Moloko Edition]
Music on Vinyl’s Moloko reissue series came to and end this month with the release of Statues (the final Moloko album). They have done a really spot on job with these new pressings. Each album has colored vinyl, comes individually numbered, and is limited to 3,000 copies. They replicated the tri-fold sleeve for I Am Not a Doctor and included printed lyric inserts for Things to Make and Do and Statues. Super awesome!
The albums’ individual numbers are stamped in silver foil. Not too shabby!
The only complaint I have is that the plastic sleeves the albums come in are pretty flimsy and the seams split pretty easily. If you happen to not get the album straight into the plastic sleeve, you will bust the side seams. Boo hiss.
But seriously … I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing all four of these albums are. Listen to them now (and then discover Róisín Murphy‘s incredible art pop solo work).
Finally Acquired [Skinny Puppy Edition Redux]
Remember when I went to Toronto and found one of the Skinny Puppy original vinyl pressings that I had been looking for? Well … after nearly another year, I have acquired two more original pressings. Whoo!
The first is Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse which has a lock grove at the end of Side 2 and an insert with the track listing (as they were not listed on the back of the sleeve).
The second is Cleanse, Fold and Manipulate which has really cool A & B Side labels and a printed inner sleeve.
Stupid excited to have both these on their way into my “more money than brains” hands. Ha ha. Now, I just need an original pressing of Bites and life will be complete.
Tuesday Tunes
Gesaffelstein | Pursuit from DIVISION on Vimeo.
I still think this video is totally badass.
And …
Moloko’s Statues on limited edition blue marbled vinyl (the last in Music on Vinyl’s Moloko reissue series) has been announced for release next month on 11/22. Woot!
New Sad
New tunes from The Twilight Sad always brightens the day!
At Least …
Things are really shitty right now … but at least the limited edition pink vinyl of Moloko’s Things to Make and Do has been announced.
Posting This For Today
Other Things
It’s been a bit of a busy (and crap) week here. But some fun things did happen last week!
I got my new glasses. Fancy and Parisian (and Expensive)!
I got to see Michelle again before she went back to China. I love this human! We ate too much food (green bean fries!) and drank too much beer at our favorite watering hole.
I saw Godspeed You! Black Emperor at The Orange Peel, The opening band really sucked but GY!BE was AMAZING.
Meanwhile …
The sunrise was pretty nice this morning.
And, all that is left to say is … “C’MON, WEEKEND!!!”
More Pretty Things to Purchase
Moloko’s Do You Like My Tight Sweater Limited Edition Turquoise Vinyl!
Moloko’s I Am Not a Doctor Limited Edition White Vinyl!
Hollow Man I & II Collector’s Edition 2-Disc Blu-Ray
An American Werewolf in London Limited Edition Blu-ray
Bloody Terror: The Shocking Cinema of Norman J. Warren 1976-1987 Limited Edition 5-Disc Blu-ray Set