There are so many great releases coming out on vinyl, even in the face of complicated logistical and socio-political factors that never seem to go away. Buying a new record is more expensive than it used to be, but that doesn’t mean we should forgo having the best physical representation of a release. It just means maybe we have to be more discerning. On that note, here are three releases from recent months that you definitely want to put on your shelf.
Electric Youth — Innerworld (10th Anniversary Edition)
Electric Youth’s masterpiece debut LP, Innerworld, turned 10 years old last September. However, given the nature of vinyl production windows these days, we’re finally getting the special release on limited-edition wax. In addition to the songs you love, including “WeAreTheYouth,” “Runaway,” “Innocence,” and “A Real Hero,” the new edition includes three sick remixes from folks like Fred Falke and Lifelike, and the three previously released bonus cuts (including “Modern Fears”). Buy it here now. (For many interviews, reviews, news, and premieres centered on Electric Youth, you know the drill.) And yes, my anthology book on the duo of Austin Garrick and Bronwyn Griffin is indeed still coming.
John Carpenter — Lost Themes (10th Anniversary Edition)
It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since John Carpenter (and his son, Cody, and godson, Daniel Davies) dropped this earth-shattering gem on Sacred Bones. Lost Themes, which is all score cues for Carpenter flicks that only exist in someone’s imagination, had a massive effect that helped get a lot of people into collecting real and wish-they-were-real film scores on vinyl. It also spawned three “sequels.” There are a bunch of variants available, but perhaps most importantly: the updated edition features new artwork from the inestimable Greg Ruth, expanded liner notes, and a bonus seven-inch record featuring two unreleased cuts from the original Lost Themes sessions. Go hit up Sacred Bones’ Bandcamp for more info and to buy it. (ICYMI: I interviewed both Cody and Daniel several years ago.)
Drum & Lace — ONDA
Along with that Innerworld anniversary edition above, Drum & Lace’s ONDA is another record I regret not being able to cover when it came out. (Believe it not, I enjoyed my time away from this site, but I also missed a ton of great releases that I would normally have been all over.) The artist AKA Sofia Hultquist is a prolific film and TV score composer (and no stranger to this site), so it can be easy to forget she makes staggeringly inventive electronic studio albums. ONDA, released via Fabrique Records, is a meaningful and hypnotic foray into ambient, beat-driven tapestries laced to the skies with hooks, organic instrumentation, and tracks so large-yet-intimate that you might not be entirely sure of the dimension in which you’re experiencing this exquisite music. Get it now.
Until next time…
