THE VINYL WORD: MASTODON ‘HUNTER’

BUY THE VINYL HERE
BUY THE DELUXE EDITION HERE

How exactly does one go about following up a series of four concept albums on each of the elements, one of which was a loose adaptation of Moby Dick and the last three of which have sold in excess of 100,000 copies? If you’re Mastodon, it means letting loose and generally fucking around a bunch for that archetypal back-to-basics record, of course. Even as the term has devolved into little more than a trite press release buzzword in recent years, employed by everyone from Kylie Minogue, Metallica and a 30-years-washed-up Zombies to imply a big, shocking departure/return to form, it isn’t unheard of for an act to revert to their old ways for their best work in years.

In many ways though, The Hunter is very much a back-to-basics album, Mastodon’s most forward-thinking record yet that reprises the punchy force and (relatively) short track lengths of their 2004 opus Leviathan, while retaining many of the increasingly divergent qualities they’ve picked up along the way to album number five. Not that they’ve been around long enough to warrant cries for a return to form – and few wouldn’t argue that their last two records have been their best – but freed from the confines of elements and concept albums, Mastodon sounds fresher than ever. Single “The Curl of the Burl” opens to Brent Hinds’ snarl of “I killed a man ’cause he killed my goat, I put my hands around his throat!”, while the brutal “Bedazzled Fingernails” offers up another hilarious reminder that metal too can have a sense of humor (the band has previously scored Jonah Hex and written songs for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie).Consequence of Sound

OTHER NEW VINYL RELEASES:

Pine Hill Haints Tales Of Crime (Pt. 1)
Five Finger Death Punch American Capitalist
Erkin Koray Methul: Singles & Rarities
White Rainbow Making Of Thriller
Blaze Foley Clay Pigeons
Indigo Girls Beauty Queen Sister
Terror Lowest Of The Low

R.E.M. ‘PART LIES, PART HEART, PART TRUTH, PART GARBAGE 1982-2011’ AND OTHER NEW CD RECOMMENDATIONS

BUY THE CD HERE

R.E.M. spent the majority of their 31-year career putting out top-quality albums, while a chunk of their audience wished they would just break up already. Though some of this was a bit reactionary and a by-product of their roots in the nascent indie rock scene of the 1980s, it was mainly a consequence of one of the band’s most admirable qualities– a restless desire to reinvent themselves with each record and create a discography in which each new entry had a distinct character. This much was clear by 1984: R.E.M. could have mined indefinitely the fascinating blend of murky atmosphere and crystal clear chiming guitar parts on their debut, Murmur– lord knows many other bands of the era tried– but they took a left turn into the sunnier, more lyrically direct Reckoning and kept throwing curveballs at their audience from that point onward.

This tendency yielded a rich body of work spanning 15 studio albums, but the creative shifts– however organic they may seem in context– gave listeners valid reasons to jump ship along the way. It makes just as much sense to enjoy all their records as it does for someone who favors Peter Buck’s early jangle-centric guitar style to recoil at his flamboyantly distorted tone on Monster, or for fans of their immensely popular chamber pop records Out of Time and Automatic for the People to shrug off the skewed, highly politicized arena rock of their late 80s records. This isn’t even factoring in the uneven albums they made following the departure of original drummer and songwriter Bill Berry, which spanned from the tentative lounge pop of Up to the often dreary melodrama of Around the Sun and the “back to basics” rock of Accelerate.

With this in mind, Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982-2011— the band’s first career-spanning anthology– does an exceptional job of presenting this body of work as a chronological survey that neatly summarizes their major themes and artistic tangents while being highly listenable. The song selection is exceptional– a few relatively minor singles didn’t make the cut, but every major hit is here, presented alongside crucial album tracks such as “Country Feedback”, “Begin the Begin”, and “Life and How to Live It”. The quality of the material up through at least the middle of the second disc is unimpeachable; the sheer concentration of classic tunes makes a strong case for the band ranking among the 20th century’s greatest songwriting partnerships. The set handles the band’s leaner years with grace and minimal revisionism, though the electronic and ambient textures of Up are sidelined in favor of that album’s delicate Beach Boys homage “At My Most Beautiful”. A few wild card selections from their more recent records, such as Accelerate’s “Living Well Is the Best Revenge” and “Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter” from Collapse Into Now, shine in this context. – Pitchfork

OTHER NEW CD RECOMMENDATIONS:

Shakin’ Not Stirred In The Wood
This Warm December Vol. 2 – This Warm December
Who Quadrophenia
Tegan & Sara Get Along
Puppini Sisters Hollywood
Gym Class Heroes Papercut Chronicles 2
Betty Wright & The Roots Betty Wright: The Movie
Childish Gambino Camp
Glee Cast Vol. 2 – Glee: The Christmas Album
Los Campesinos Hello Sadness

NEW RELEASE OF THE WEEK: DRAKE ‘TAKE CARE’!!

BUY THE CD HERE

In 1976, Marvin Gaye holed up in his Hollywood studio and began recording Here, My Dear, a brutally candid album-length dissection of his divorce from wife Anna Gordy. The soul great found beauty within the wreckage, and the album doubled as an emotional exorcism that pushed out pain, anger, regret, spite, vengeance. “Memories haunt you all the time/ I will never leave your mind,” he threatens on a song called “When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You”. Reviewing the album upon its release in 1978, critic Robert Christgau wrote, “Because Gaye’s self-involvement is so open and unmediated… it retains unusual documentary charm.”

The same could be said of Drake, whose unrepentant navel-gazing and obsession with lost love reach new levels on his second proper LP, Take Care. Running with Gaye’s ghost, Drake offers a profane update of his forebear’s twisted heart: “Fuck that nigga that you love so bad/ I know you still think about the times we had,” he sings on the insidious hook of “Marvins Room”, a song recorded in the same studio where Gaye originally exposed his own unedited thoughts more than three decades ago.

This time around, Drake has a better grasp on his own notoriety and the mind-fucks that come with it. While he expressed wonderfully wounded trepidations about his sudden rise on Thank Me Later, he’s learning to embrace it more here. “They say more money more problems, my nigga, don’t believe it,” he raps on closer “The Ride”. “I mean, sure, there’s some bills and taxes I’m still evading/ But I blew six million on myself, and I feel amazing.” And on “HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right)”, he all but gives away his hand, turning his sadness into strategy: “What have I learned since getting richer?/ I learned working with the negatives could make for better pictures.” And while he claims “I think I like who I’m becoming” on “Crew Love”– about as ringing an endorsement you’ll get from a guy so bent on exposing his own disappointments– he’s still more interested in contradiction than triumph. Even when staring at a pair of unnatural breasts, he highlights the incision rather than the size: “Brand new girl and she still growing/ Brand new titties, stitches still showing/ Yeah, and she just praying that it heals good/ I’m ’bout to fuck and I’m just praying that it feels good.”Pitchfork

BUY STUFF, GET FREE STUFF: CHILDISH GAMBINO, GENERATIONALS, SCOTT WEILAND, DISTURBED AND MORE!

At The Record Exchange, you give a little, you get a little, and we have tons of free stuff to give away when you slap your dirty money down on the barrelhead.

NEW FREEBIES THIS WEEK:

• Limited-edition patch (pictured) with purchase of Childish Gambino‘s Camp.
• Six-song Brushfire Records sampler EP (A Few Tunes for the New Year) with purchase of This Warm December: A Brushfire Holiday Vol. 2.
Medium Rarities EP with purchase of GenerationalsActor/Caster.
• 11×17 color poster with purchase of Disturbed‘s The Lost Children.
• Custom Scott Weiland wrapping paper with purchase of Weiland’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

OTHER RECENT FREEBIES:

• 7-inch (“This City”/”Saturday Night Again”) with purchase of Patrick Stump‘s Soul Punk.
• Metal Club trading card with purchase of Megadeth‘s Thirteen.
• Luggage tag with purchase of Miranda Lambert‘s Four the Record.
• Limited-edition color photo/interview booklet with purchase of Pearl Jam‘s Twenty DVD.
• Stencil set with purchase of Deer Tick‘s Divine Providence.
• Signed and numbered (limited to 300) lithograph with purchase of The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams.
• Autographed lithograph with purchase of Mason JenningsMinnesota.
• Stainless-steel water bottle with any Comedy Central Records purchase (more info HERE).
• Limited-edition lithograph with purchase of Evanescence‘s self-titled third album (available Tuesday, Oct. 11).
• Four-song Llama Blues CD EP with purchase of Rich Robinson‘s Through a Crooked Sun (available Tuesday, Oct. 11).
• Lyric book with purchase of Ryan Adams’ Ashes & Fire (available Tuesday, Oct. 11).
• Lithograph with purchase of Peter Gabriel‘s New Blood (available Tuesday, Oct. 11).
• Lithograph with purchase of Five Finger Death Punch‘s American Capitalist (available Tuesday, Oct. 11).
• 7-inch with purchase of Dum Dum GirlsOnly in Dreams.
• Paint-by-numbers lithograph with purchase of Feist‘s Metals.
• Large (24″x36″) poster with purchase of Mastodon‘s The Hunter.
• Four-pack of postcards with purchase of Nirvana‘s Nevermind 20th Anniversary Edition.
• Lithograph with purchase of Kasabian‘s Velociraptor.
• Limited-edition color lithograph with purchase of Grateful Dead‘s Europe ’72 Volume 2.
• Magic playing cards with purchase of Nick Lowe‘s The Old Magic. READ MORE HERE.
• Exclusive DVD with purchase of Ladytron‘s Gravity the Seducer.
• Covers EP (Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Talking Heads and The Rolling Stones) with purchase of Umphrey’s McGee‘s Death By Stereo.
• Lenticular asterisk logo pin with purchase of Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ new album I’m With You and any RHCP Warner Bros. catalog title!
• T-shirt with purchase of a Volbeat Knitting Factory ticket (show is Sunday, Aug. 28). Tee is only available at the RX!
• Two-track 7-inch (featuring two live acoustic tracks) with purchase of Zee Avi‘s Ghostbird.
• T-shirt with purchase of All Shall Perish‘s This is Where it Ends.
• Lithograph with purchase of We Are AugustinesRise Ye Sunken Ships.
• Color lithograph with purchase of Drive-By TruckersUgly Buildings, Whores and Politicians: Greatest Hits 1998-2009.
• Leather keychain with purchase of the Wood BrothersSmoke Ring Halo.
• 5-song ‘Roarities’ EP with purchase of The Joy Formidable‘s The Big Roar.
• 7-inch (non-album tracks) with purchase of Release the Sunbird‘s (Rogue Wave) Come Back to Us.
• T-shirt with purchase of All Shall Perish‘s This is Where It Ends.
• 7-inch (featuring two non-album tracks) with purchase of Washed Out‘s Within and Without.
• Lithograph with purchase of Incubus If Not Now, When?
• Button pack with purchase of Rave On Buddy Holly compilation.
• Button pack with purchase of Taking Back Sunday‘s self-titled album.
• Seven-track EP (six exclusive demos, one unreleased b-side) with purchase of Gomez‘s Whatever’s on Your Mind.
• Limited-edition letterpress print with purchase of Arctic MonkeysSuck It and See.
• Indie-store-only 12-inch EP (exclusive tracks) with purchase of 3CD Deluxe Edition of Depeche Mode‘s Remixes 2: ’81-’11.
• Three-track Suitcase EP (exclusive tracks) with purchase of DawesNothing is Wrong.
• Signed CD booklet and two-sided glossy poster with purchase of Peter Murphy‘s Ninth.
• Limited-edition color lithograph with purchase of Tedeschi Trucks Band‘s Revelator.
• Limited-edition postcard pack (featuring artwork by Tessa Farmer) with purchase of Amon Tobin‘s ISAM.
Color lithograph with purchase of Ben Harper‘s Give Till It’s Gone.
Fan with purchase of Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi‘s Rome.
T-shirt with purchase of Peter Bjorn and John’s Gimme Some. Have a look!
Silkscreen poster (pictured) with purchase of Fleet FoxesHelplessness Blues.
Tour photo scrapbook with purchase of The Head and the Heart‘s self-titled album.
• Five-song EP with purchase of Low‘s C’mon
• Color lithograph with purchase of Panda Bear‘s Tomboy.
• Color movie poster with purchase of TV on the Radio’s Nine Types of Light
• Color lithograph with purchase of Paul Simon’s So Beautiful or So What
• 19×19 inch lithograph with purchase of Radiohead’s “The King Of Limbs” album (available 3/29).
• Lithograph with purchase of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart‘s Belong (available 3/29).
• Download card for a cover of System Of A Down’s “Aerials” with purchase of Amon Amarth’s “Surtur Rising” album (available 3/29).
• 7-inch with purchase of Elton John and Leon Russell’s Grammy-nominated album The Union.
• 7′ with picture sleeve featuring two non-CD tracks when you buy G. Love’s Fixin’ to Die
• Hand-written lyric book with purchase of Adele’s 21
• Limited edition 7″ with vinyl. Free with purchase of PJ Harvey‘s new album, “Let England Shake”. Limited edition 7″ with vinyl includes the songs “The Words That Maketh Murder” and “The Guns Called Me Back Again”! (If you purchased the album Monday or Tuesday and did not receive this just bring your receipt in and we will provide you with one.)
• Six track EP (Sometimes Late at Night) with purchase of the Drive By TruckersGo Go Boots (available Tuesday).
•Limited edition color lithograph with purchase of The JayhawksHollywood Town Hall or Tomorrow the Green Grass. Available on CD and Vinyl.
•Button pack with purchase of Bob Marleys Live Forever.
• Button pack with purchase of Iron and Wine‘s Kiss Each Other Clean.
• Color lithograph with purchase of Deerhoof‘s Deerhoof vs. Evil.
• Color lithograph with purchase of the Get Up Kids’ There are Rules.
• Color poster with purchase of Cloud Nothings‘ self-titled album.
• Limited-edition color lithograph with purchase of The DecemberistsThe King is Dead.
• Extremely limited sticker/button set with purchase of Social Distortion‘s Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes.
• Career-retrospective sticker set (all album covers and other images) with purchase of any Weezer album!
• Limited-edition color lithograph with purchase of Cage the Elephant‘s Thank You Happy Birthday.
• Hand-numbered, extremely limited-edition color lithograph with purchase of Tapes ‘n TapesOutside.
• CD single featuring a collaboration with The Cure’s Robert Smith with purchase of Crystal CastlesCrystal Castles.
• Fall 2010 Anti- Records sampler CD with purchase of select Anti- titles (on sale for $9.99 each).
Nobunny/Jacuzzi Boys Scion A/V 7-inch absolutely free — just come in and ask for one. No strings attached!
Band of Horses “Dilly” movie poster with purchase of Infinite Arms.
• CTI 40th Anniversary sampler CD with purchase of one of four 180-gram vinyl CTI Black Friday reissues (DeodatoPrelude, George BensonWhite Rabbit, Freddie HubbardRed Clay, Stanley TurrentineSugar).
• Psychiatric ward ID bracelet with purchase of Disturbed‘s Asylum.
• Black and white 8×10 lithograph with purchase of Bruce Springsteen‘s The Promise — indie store exclusive!
• Large, two-sided color poster with purchase of Underoath‘s O (Disambiguation).
• 7-inch with purchase of Matt and Kim‘s Sidewalks.
• Remix EP with purchase of N.E.R.D.‘s Nothing.
• Color lithograph with purchase of Good Charlotte‘s Cardiology.
• Button pack with purchase of Four Year Strong‘s Enemy of the World.
• T-shirt with purchase of Rise Against‘s Another Station: Another Mile DVD.
• 7-inch (two non-album tracks) with purchase of Belle and Sebastian‘s Write About Love.
• Turntable mat or lithograph with purchase of Slayer‘s The Vinyl Conflict box set or any Slayer catalog title!
• T-shirt with purchase of David Bowie‘s Station to Station Deluxe Edition.
• Postcard set with purchase of Soundgarden‘s Telephantasm.
• 7-inch with purchase of Jimmy Eat World‘s Invented.
• Poster and button pack with purchase of The PosiesBlood/Candy.
• 7-inch with purchase of Salem‘s King Night.
• Plastic beer cup and paper koozie with purchase of Billy Currington‘s Enjoy Yourself.
• Puffy sticker set and red balloon with purchase of Maximum Balloon‘s self-titled debut.
• 7-inch (two live tracks) with purchase of Matt Costa‘s Mobile Chateau.
• 7-inch with purchase of Les Savy Fav‘s Root for Ruin.
• Yep Roc/Bella Union CD sampler with purchase of Jukebox the Ghost‘s Everything Under the Sun or The Acorn’s No Ghost.
• Lithograph with purchase of Serj Tankian‘s Imperfect Harmonies.
• Numbered, appropriately psychedelic lithograph with purchase of The Black AngelsPhosphene Dream.
• Jean jacket-ready button with purchase of Of Montreal‘s False Priest.
• Extremely limited cloth wall banner with purchase of Justin Townes Earle‘s Harlem River Blues.
• Two-track 7-inch with purchase of The Walkmen‘s Lisbon.
• Lanyard redeemable for a free mix CD with purchase of Cloud Cult‘s Light Chasers.
• Lithograph with purchase of The Drums‘ self-titled album.
• Autographed poster or CD booklet with purchase of The Gracious Few‘s self-titled album.
• Rare single — one side vinyl, one side CD/DVD (no kidding) — of “Impossible,” featuring an unreleased track and video, with purchase of Anberlin‘s Dark Is the Way. Light Is a Place.
• 45 adapter with purchase of limited-edition 45-rpm vinyl version of Interpol‘s new self-titled album.
• 4-song 12-inch vinyl EP (including Four Tet and Born Ruffians remixes) with purchase of The Acorn‘s No Ghost.
• Button pack with purchase of Jenny & Johnny‘s I’m Having Fun Now.
Arts & Crafts sampler CD with purchase of any Arts & Crafts title.
• Calendar with purchase of Hey Monday‘s Beneath It All.
• Hand fan with purchase of Katy Perry‘s Teenage Dream (extremely limited).
• Lithograph with purchase of Disturbed‘s Asylum.
• Free split 7-inch featuring Cheap Time and Bad Sports, courtesy of Vice Records and Scion AV — no purchase necessary, just come in and ask for it!
• 7-inch with purchase of Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah DogsGod Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise.
• Lithograph with purchase of Brian Wilson‘s Reimagines Gershwin.
• Limited-edition 7-inch (with non-album tracks) with purchase of The Budos BandsIII.
• Out-of-print Casual Nostalgia Fest Sub Pop 20th anniversary live compilation with purchase of any August Sub Pop Sale title.
• Sassy large-sized lithograph with purchase of Queens of the Stone Age‘s Rated R Deluxe Edition.
• Sticker with purchase of Los LobosTin Can Trust.
Range mixtape (hosted by DJ Drama) with purchase of any hip-hop title.
• Lithograph with purchase of Sky Sailing‘s (Owl City) An Airplane Carried Me to Bed.
• Mixtape with purchase of Capone-N-Noreaga‘s The War Report 2.
• Magnet with purchase of Wolf Parade‘s Expo 86.
• Full-sized movie poster with purchase of Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse‘s Dark Night of the Soul.
• Free pink vinyl 7-inch featuring two versions of “XXXO” (the album cut plus a Blaqstarr remix) with purchase of M.I.A.‘s Maya (only $9.99!)
• Hand-numbered lithograph with purchase of Paul Thorn‘s Pimps and Preachers.
• Autographed CD booklet with purchase of Jackie Greene‘s Till the Light Comes.
• 7-inches with purchase of Sleigh BellsTreats or Tokyo Police Club‘s Champ.
• Autographed lithograph with purchase of Local NativesGorilla Manor — seriously limited quantities!
• Lithograph with purchase of Derek Trucks Band‘s Roadsongs.
• Indie-exclusive numbered lithograph with purchase of Ozzy Osbourne‘s Scream.
• Sticker with purchase of The Chemical BrothersFurther.
• Lithograph with purchase of Nas and Damian Jr. Gong Marley‘s Distant Relatives.
• Indie-exclusive lithograph with purchase of the Iron Man 2 soundtrack.
• Postcard set with purchase of The Gaslight Anthem‘s American Slang.
• Poster with purchase of The Cure’s Disintegration Deluxe Edition.
• Limited-edition concert poster with purchase of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals‘ new self-titled album.
• Etched blue vinyl 7-inch with purchase of Jack Johnson‘s To the Sea.
• White vinyl 7-inch with purchase of The FutureheadsThe Chaos.
• Lithograph with purchase of Marina and the DiamondsThe Family Jewels.
• 3D lenticular poster (5×5 for CD buyers, 12×12 for vinyl buyers) with purchase of Widespread Panic‘s Dirty Side Down.
• Limited-edition lithograph with purchase of LCD Soundsystem‘s This is Happening.
• Button set or laminate card with purchase of The Dead Weather‘s Sea of Cowards.
• Two-sided color poster with purchase of Everest‘s On Approach.
Record Exchange exclusive autographed Josh Ritter CD booklet with purchase of So Runs the World Away.
Togetherness 7-inch, featuring three covers of songs by the Detroit band Outrageous Cherry, with purchase of The New PornographersTogether.
• Limited-edition autographed poster with purchase of Minus the Bear‘s Omni.
• Limited-edition autograph poster with purchase of Plants and AnimalsLa La Land.
La Blogotheque: A Take Away Show Barcelona, Spain limited-edition DVD with purchase of Josh Rouse‘s El Turista.
• Whoopee cushion — that’s right, a whoopee cushion — with purchase of comedian Brian Posehn‘s Fart and Wiener Jokes. Whoopee!
• 12-inch, six-track EP with purchase of The Apples in Stereo‘s Travellers in Space and Time.
• 7-inch with purchase of Freelance WhalesWeathervanes.
• Numbered lithograph with the purchase of MGMT‘s Congratulations.
• Numbered lithograph with purchase of Coheed and Cambria‘s Year of the Black Rainbow.
• Lithograph with purchase of Rogue Wave‘s Permalight.
• Lithograph with purchase of LiarsSisterworld.
MVD Visual DVD sampler with purchase of any new music DVD or Blu-ray disc.
• Poster with purchase of John Butler Trio‘s April Uprising.
• 7-inch with purchase of Sharon Jones and the Dap-KingsI Learned the Hard Way.
Gorillaz postcard set with purchase of Plastic Beach.
• Lithograph with purchase of FlobotsSurvival Story.
• Lithograph of original Jimi Hendrix artwork with purchase of Valleys of Neptune.
• Lithograph and sticker with purchase of Johnny Cash‘s American VI.
• Mixtape CD (choose from two) with purchase of RDJ2‘s The Colossus.
• 7-inch with purchase of Hot Chip‘s new album One Life Stand.
• Digital download card for a free bonus EP (“Mistake” remixes) with purchase of Moby‘s Wait For Me.
• Many more — just ask an RX clerk!

PAYETTE BREWING COMPANY AND THE RECORD EXCHANGE PRESENT THE NEIL YOUNG 66TH BIRTHDAY BASH SATURDAY, NOV. 12: LIVE MUSIC, FREE BEER, PRIZES!

Payette Brewing Company and The Record Exchange proudly present the Neil Young 66th Birthday Bash at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at The Record Exchange. As always, this Record Exchange in-store event is free and all ages.

Neil Percival Young turns 66 on Nov. 12, and Payette Brewing Company and The Record Exchange are hosting a celebration in his honor.

The festivities include:

• Live Neil Young covers performed on The Record Exchange stage by Thomas Paul, Steve Fulton, Bill Coffey, Ryan Peck, a.k.a. Belle, James Coberly Smith, Bernie Reilly, Chris Gutierrez, Johnny Shoes, Dan Costello, Speedy Gray, Robert James, Divit Cardoza and Fonny Davidson, and more!

• Free craft beer courtesy of our new partner Payette Brewing Company (21 and older; ID required).

• Huge storewide sale on Neil Young CDs, vinyl, DVDs and more.

• Neil Young raffle prizes, including an autographed movie poster from the forthcoming Neil Young Trunk Show video, limited-edition Vapor Records Lionel Train box cars and CDs from the Neil Young Archives Series!