NEW RELEASE OF THE WEEK: THE HORRORS ‘SKYING’

BUY THE CD HERE
BUY THE VINYL HERE

When The Horrors dropped Primary Colors two years ago, it was the very definition of a breakthrough success. It picked up a nomination for the Mercury Prize, and found its way onto many critics’ 2009 year-end lists, including our own. But if that album was a breakthrough, then Skying cements the band as a major force in modern music, and captures their unstoppable growth, too.

From the first mechanical gear of “Changing The Rain”, it’s apparent just how much better everything sounds. The textures are more varied, the guitar work is subtle, and the vocals are stronger. There are no “standard” tracks here. Every number attempts something at least a little differently, and succeeds for the most part.

Throughout, the synthesizer work of Tom Cowan is especially noteworthy, but every track has its unique breath of fresh air. “You Said” is full of abrasive, buzzing noise that slides into the background. “I Can See Through You” opens with a disco-meets-early-’90s synth that demands dance floor attention, until a downpour of heavy guitar insists on moshing, instead. “Endless Blue” contains a hazy, summer feel supplemented by a masked horn section. – Consequence of Sound

RECORD EXCHANGE TOP 20 SELLERS (WEEK ENDING AUG. 7)

1. So Runs the World Away, Josh Ritter
2. 21, Adele
3. Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns, John Hiatt
4. Megalithic Symphony, Awolnation
5. Torches, Foster the People
6. The Head and the Heart, The Head and the Heart
7. The Animal Years, Josh Ritter
8. Josh Ritter, Josh Ritter
9. Reflection, Keb’ Mo’
10. To the Yet Unknowing World, Josh Ritter
11. Mission Bell, Amos Lee
12. Sigh No More, Mumford & Sons
13. 19, Adele
14. If Not Now, When?, Incubus
15. The Harrow and the Harvest, Gillian Welch
16. All of You, Colbie Caillat
17. Young Love, Mat Kearney
18. Mariachi El Bronx, Mariachi El Bronx
19. Icky Mettle, Archers of Loaf
20. The Suburbs Deluxe Edition, Arcade Fire

BUY STUFF, GET FREE STUFF: DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS COLOR LITHOGRAPH, WOOD BROTHERS LEATHER KEYCHAIN, THE JOY FORMIDABLE 5-TRACK RARITIES EP!

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:

• Color lithograph with purchase of Drive-By Truckers‘ Ugly Buildings, Whores and Politicians: Greatest Hits 1998-2009.
• Leather keychain with purchase of the Wood Brothers‘ Smoke Ring Halo.
• 5-song ‘Roarities’ EP with purchase of The Joy Formidable‘s The Big Roar.

OTHER RECENT FREEBIES:

• 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 Monkeys‘ Suck 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 Dawes‘ Nothing 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 Foxes‘ Helplessness 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 Marley‘s 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 Decemberists‘ The 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 Tapes‘ Outside.
• CD single featuring a collaboration with The Cure’s Robert Smith with purchase of Crystal Castles‘ Crystal 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 Posies‘ Blood/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 Angels‘ Phosphene 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 Dogs‘ God 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 Bands‘ III.
• 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 Lobos‘ Tin 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 Bells‘ Treats or Tokyo Police Club‘s Champ.
• Autographed lithograph with purchase of Local Natives‘ Gorilla 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 Brothers‘ Further.
• 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 Futureheads‘ The Chaos.
• Lithograph with purchase of Marina and the Diamonds‘ The 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 Pornographers‘ Together.
• Limited-edition autographed poster with purchase of Minus the Bear‘s Omni.
• Limited-edition autograph poster with purchase of Plants and Animals‘ La 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 Whales‘ Weathervanes.
• 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 Liars‘ Sisterworld.
• 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-Kings‘ I Learned the Hard Way.
• Gorillaz postcard set with purchase of Plastic Beach.
• Lithograph with purchase of Flobots‘ Survival 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!

BANG YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE HEADBANGER’S WALL AT THE RX!

Do you like it hard and heavy? Then come to The Record Exchange and visit The Headbanger’s Wall, a listening station devoted to some of today’s best bands pummeling you with raw power and raw emotion.

The Headbanger’s Wall currently features iwrestledabearonce, All Shall Perish, Pestilence, Decapitated, Sleeping Giant, Diamond Plate, Sepultura, Winds of Plague, Trivium and Rhapsody of Fire. Come melt your face with us.

Purchase Headbanger’s Wall titles HERE.

TYPHOON RECORD EXCHANGE IN-STORE FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 (2:30 P.M.)

Typhoon will perform live at The Record Exchange (1105 W. Idaho St., Downtown Boise) at 2:30 p.m. Friday, August 12. As always, this Record Exchange in-store performance is free and all ages. Typhoon is performing at Visual Arts Collective later that night (8 p.m.).

ABOUT TYPHOON

Dear Reader,

I once came very close to dying (bug-bite, failed organs), and though my life was spared thanks to modern medicine and a kidney given to me by my father, nonetheless I live with a persisting sense that my time is borrowed. My resolution–what I intend to do with my finite allotment– is to reach some small, yet conclusive understanding of my life in particular and the world in general; an understanding accomplished, in part, through a combination of music and words.

The last record we made, Hunger & Thirst, is a record that purposefully confuses physical sickness with ontological sickness, i.e. that most desires are only symptoms of the desire to be someone else. This new record picks up where we left off, though this time “purposefully confusing” the idea of time as a place. It imagines that my past is a composite of old houses and apartment buildings, that my memories are these little artifacts strewn about, and then there’s me with a single candle, picking up the artifacts one at a time and examining them by the dim light.

Songs as personal as these perhaps ought to be burned or buried rather than be paraded before an audience. But there is something transfigurative in playing music with so many close friends–what starts out as a solemn, solitary attempt is turned into something both communal and cathartic. I think we even have fun at times.

A New Kind of House (the title itself is borrowed from the brilliant poetry of Zach Schomburg) was artfully recorded on location (our house) by repeat-collaborator Paul Laxer; the artwork was beautifully realized by Ricky Delucco, and we have Tender Loving Empire to thank for so tenderly helping us put out a record a second time.

kyle ray morton / 01.11.2011