‘RAVE ON BUDDY HOLLY’ AND OTHER NEW CD RECOMMENDATIONS!

BUY THE CD HERE

It’s no small achievement that bespectacled ’50s rock icon Buddy Holly—who was tragically killed in a 1959 plane crash, aged 22—still inspires countless artists today. However, his impact runs much deeper than merely informing some retro, geek-chic fashion aesthetic or providing a kitschy, Happy Days-themed hook for a Weezer song. Ample proof is found on Rave On Buddy Holly, which pays tribute to Holly in remembrance of his coming 75th birthday not by producing carbon copies of the originals but rather by capturing each contributor enjoying the freedom to rework their track with their own style. Some stay fairly true, while others offer bold new interpretations of these classics, illustrating just how universal Holly’s work really is.

Boasting 19 tracks, the compilation has much to offer even the most completist collectors. You can marvel at the woozy, understated beauty of the Black Keys’ take on “Dearest,” or Paul McCartney at his fuzziest, belting “It’s So Easy.” Nick Lowe’s “Changing All Those Changes” is spot-on authentic, yet She & Him go in a totally different direction with “Oh Boy,” turning it into a swim through acoustic grunge, and the Detroit Cobras turn “Heartbeat” into the best Blondie song ever. Modest Mouse exhibit their standard level of genius by radically overhauling “That’ll Be The Day” with a palette of new textures, including orchestral synth and shuddering bass, while Kid Rock kicks it Motown style with “Well All Right,” and My Morning Jacket’s haunting cover of “True Love Ways” is so stunning, it blows everything else on the tribute away. – Alt Press

OTHER NEW CD RECOMMENDATIONS:

Beyonce 4
David Cook This Loud Morning
Marianne Faithfull Horses & High Heels
Selena Gomez & The Scene When the Sun Goes Down
Handsome Furs Sound Kapital
Jolie Holland Pint of Blood
Insane Clown Posse Eye of the Storm
Alicia Keys Songs in A Minor (10th Anniversary Edition)
Limp Bizkit Gold Cobra
Queensryche Dedicated to Chaos
Robbie Robertson How to Become Clairvoyant
Taking Back Sunday Taking Back Sunday
Thievery Corporation Culture of Fear
Gillian Welch Harrow & The Harvest

NEW RELEASE OF THE WEEK: EILEN JEWELL ‘QUEEN OF THE MINOR KEY’

BUY THE CD HERE
BUY THE VINYL HERE

The story behind the record ‘Queen of the Minor Key‘ goes something like this: Eilen Jewell had writer’s block, so she retreated to a cabin without electricity and running water in the mountains of Idaho. The Boston resident Jewell originally hailed from the land of Famous Potatoes, but instead of digging up tubers, she found gold from a previous decade of American life. This might not make sense, but who cares?

The album is definitely cool, whether Jewell’s channeling Patsy Cline on the torch song “Only One” or getting all hopped up as on the rhythm and blues honker “Bang Bang Bang”. Jewell also has a sense of humor. On the aforementioned song, she describes cupid as a sinister seraph who doesn’t take aim with a bow and arrow but just shoots his sawed off six-gauge shotgun and blindly blasts love into a crowd of people. “It’s funny until it happens to you”, she warns, “because love is careless, random, and cruel”. Just thinking about love this way makes a person thirsty. Here, have some “Kalimotxo”. – Pop Matters

BUY STUFF, GET FREE STUFF AT RX: BUTTON PACKS WITH NEW BUDDY HOLLY AND TAKING BACK SUNDAY ALBUMS!

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:

• Button pack with purchase of Rave On Buddy Holly compilation.
• Button pack with purchase of Taking Back Sunday‘s self-titled album.

OTHER RECENT FREEBIES:

• 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!

RECORD EXCHANGE TOP 20 SELLERS (WEEK ENDING JUNE 26)

1. Bon Iver, Bon Iver
2. The Golden Age of Knowhere, Funeral Party
3. Ukulele Songs, Eddie Vedder
4. Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2, Beastie Boys
5. 21, Adele
6. Nothing is Wrong, Dawes
7. Sigh No More, Mumford & Sons
8. Speed of Darkness, Flogging Molly
9. Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes
10. Rome, Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi
11. Torches, Foster the People
12. Barton Hollow, The Civil Wars
13. Revelator, Tedeschi Trucks Band
14. Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, Skrillex
15. God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise, Ray LaMontagne
16. No Devolucion, Thursday
17. Circuital, My Morning Jacket
18. Lungs, Florence and the Machine
19. This is Indian Land, Cody Canada and the Departed
20. Leveler, August Burns Red

AT ALIVE AFTER FIVE THIS WEEK: THE BROTHERS COMATOSE’S OLD-TIMEY FOOT-STOMPIN’ BLUEGRASS PARTY

This week’s Alive After Five headliner: The Brothers Comatose
Go Listen Boise local opener: Sarah Sample

ABOUT THE BROTHERS COMATOSE

Ben Morrison and Alex Morrison are brothers. They have been making music together from birth. Ben’s first word was “front-man” and Alex’s was “moustache” (see band photo). Joe Pacini and Gio Benedetti met Ben and Alex in high school. They shared many a living room jam session, many a raucous music party, many a front-stoop hoedown, but there was no band.

After years of studying, vision quests in far off lands, moving about, relocating, and the occasional intermittent music party, the young and now much hairier fellows found themselves in San Francisco with Alex, Ben and Joe living in a vibe-steeped flat on Haight Street, playing music (Ben on guitar, Alex on Banjo — both of them singing — and Joe on mandolin and cigarette breaks) at parties and open mics across the fair city. They needed a bassist. Gio happened to be a bassist. He also happened to live nearby.

The, now quartet continued their tradition of stoop-and-living-room-esque performances, but moved them public. The dive bars of San Francisco became inspired, momentary homes, as friends, fans and music lovers rallied around the snug honesty of the band’s barroom shows. All they lacked was a brilliant fiddler with tremendous soloing skills, and with feet and soul firmly planted in the legacy of old-time, bluegrass musics. Oh where, oh where could such a person be?

Philip Brezina — graduate student in classical violin at the nearby Conservatory and recent transplant from Pennsylvania — knew good roots music, knew how to play it and, best of all, knew how to play it on the fiddle. He wandered into the quartet (answering an ad posted in the Conservatory halls), and the long lost Brother Comatose was found.

Doors began opening. Performances at such legendary places as San Francisco’s Fillmore Poster Room, the Great American Music Hall, Strawberry Music Festival and the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival followed, supporting such acts as The Devil Makes Three, Justin Townes Earle, Hillstomp, Greensky Bluegrass, John Doe and the Sadies, Yonder Mountain String Band and others.

Now touring in support of their recent debut full-length, Songs From The Stoop, The Brothers Comatose aim at converting the entire West Coast into their Living Room Music Party. Their shows exude a foot-stomping, shout-along, drink-along ease that was once a staple in every music-playing, front-stoop-possessing home in the land. Their shows can’t help but remind folk that music is collective, is for dancing, is for sharing, and for whatever else you might do with friends and family in your own living room.