NEW DVD/BLU-RAY: RADIOHEAD ‘ARMS & LEGS THE STORY SO FAR’

BUY THE DVD HERE

Never a band to do what’s expected, Radiohead remains the most challenging chart act in the world today. This two disc DVD documentary film set looks at the Radiohead story from different angles. The first film traces the development, recording, release and aftermath of their most influential and rewarding record to date, OK Computer. The second film looks at Radiohead’s rise to glory, from their very earliest days together to the point at which they became a global phenomenon.

OTHER NEW DVD/BLU-RAY RELEASES:

Charlie Sheen Charlie Sheen-Born to be Wild
Miles Davis Live at Montreux
Cedar Rapids
Less Than Jake Anthology
Louie Season 1
Strokes From Then ’til Now
Thin Lizzy Live in Concert 1983
Willie & The Poor Boys Willie & The Poor Boys
Yes Yesspeak
Neil Young Here We Are In The Years

THE VINYL WORD: BEASTIE BOYS ‘HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PT. 2’ & OTHERS

BUY THE VINYL HERE

Once Adam Yauch discovered he had cancer in 2009, the Beastie Boys shelved their forthcoming The Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1 and its companion volume, gradually reviving and revising the project once Yauch went into remission. At this point, they scrapped their convoluted plans to release concurrent complementary volumes of THSC and simply went forth with The Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2, which retained the bulk of the track list from Pt 1. All this hurly-burly camouflages the essential truth of The Hot Sauce Committee: that the Beasties could sit on an album for two years to no ill effect to their reputation or the record’s quality. This doesn’t suggest they’re out of step so much as they’re out of time, existing in a world of their own making, beholden to no other standard but their own. Certainly, the Beasties stitch together sounds and rhymes from their past throughout The Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2, laying down grooves à la Check Your Head but weaving samples through these rhythms, thickly layering the album with analog synths out of Hello Nasty, all the while pledging allegiance to old-school rap in their rhymes. Nothing here is exactly unexpected — even the presence of Santogold on “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” isn’t new, it’s new wave — yet The Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 feels fresh because there is such kinetic joy propelling this music. Last time around, the Beasties weighed themselves down by creating retro-tribute to N.Y.C., taking everything just a little bit too seriously, but here they’re free of any expectations and are back to doing what they do best: cracking wise and acting so stupid they camouflage how kinetic, inventive, and rich their music is. And, make no mistake, The Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 does find the Beastie Boys at their best. Perhaps they’re no longer setting the style, but it takes master musicians to continually find new wrinkles within a signature sound, which is precisely what the Beasties do here. – All Music

OTHER NEW VINYL RELEASES:

Roberta Flack Killing Me Softly
Ed Gein Bad Luck
Givers In Light
Levon Helm Ramble At The Ryman
Sarah Jarosz Follow Me Down
Origin Entity
Ty Segall Goodbye Bread
Tallest Man On Earth Tallest Man On Earth
Neil Young Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young Neil Young

GOMEZ ‘WHATEVER’S ON YOUR MIND’ AND OTHER NEW CD RECOMMENDATIONS

BUY THE CD HERE

Gomez has been a remarkably consistent band over the course of 15 years or so, managing to sound like no one but themselves even while their first several albums sounded quite different from each other. On the surface, it might appear that the wild experimentalism of their early days is gone, since Whatever’s on Your Mind sounds of a piece with their two other ATO releases despite another different co-producer (Sam Farrar this time out). But a closer listen reveals that the experimentalism is still there, if perhaps a bit more refined. Just listen to the different drum treatments on the different songs, or the dub-like way the instruments drop in and out of the mix at times. Or how about the crazy breakdown in “The Place and the People”? And how the song moves from drum machine and buzzing electronics to solo piano and back? Or the nasty, fuzzed-out bass on “X-Rays”? And “Equalize” is just plain noisy (in a good way). The songs are split about as equally as possible between Ian, Tom, and Ben, with Ben’s tunes featuring some nice strings. The first few tracks have some added horns, while harmonium and bass harmonica add some nice textures to “Just as Lost as You.” Once again, this probably isn’t an album that’s going to bowl you over and set the world on fire; it’s a grower. And it shows once again that Gomez know what they’re going for and how to achieve it. It’s that strong sense of identity and intimate knowledge of their craft that produce such solid, distinctive albums. The fact that they’re also a powerhouse live act explains why this is a great band with such a dedicated following. – All Music

OTHER NEW CD RECOMMENDATIONS:

Dave Alvin Eleven Eleven
August Burns Red Leveler
Black Dahlia Murder Ritual
Liam Finn Fomo
Heirlooms of August Forever the Moon
LMFAO Sorry For Party Rocking
Matt Nathanson Modern Love
Ok Go 180/365
Potluck Rhymes & Resin
Jill Scott Light of the Sun

NEW RELEASE OF THE WEEK: BON IVER’S SELF TITLED ALBUM ‘BON IVER’!

BUY THE CD HERE

BUY THE VINYL HERE

Since his first album’s release, Justin Vernon’s approach to writing and recording has changed. “I don’t find inspiration by just sitting down with a guitar anymore,” he recently told Pitchfork. “I wanted to build a sound from scratch and then use that sound to make the song.” That difference is clear on Bon Iver. Instead of something that scans as “folk,” the music here is more like rustic chamber pop with an experimental edge that makes careful use of arrangement and dynamics. And rather than being tied together by a central theme of loss, Vernon has fully shifted into a more impressionistic mode; these songs are broader and more musically sophisticated than those on For Emma at every turn.

But the thread between this album and its comparatively skeletal predecessor is Vernon’s voice, an instrument that feels warm and personal and close regardless of setting. Now that we’ve heard him singing hooks with Kanye West and taking the lead with Gayngs on songs that touch on R&B and soft rock, the general sphere of Vernon’s voice is clear. He simultaneously evokes the grain and expression of soul music along with the mythological echoes of folk. But more importantly, no one else sounds like him. The Beach Boys have been the primary touchstone for layered vocals in indie music for years, but Vernon’s timbre comes from somewhere else entirely. Where “Beach Boys harmonies” have a spiritual undercurrent that brings to mind a choirboy’s dream of perfection, Vernon sounds like a man who has outgrown such ideas. His voice is earthy and wounded and, despite his astonishing upper register, not something you would describe as “angelic.” – Pitchfork

BUY STUFF, GET FREE STUFF AT RX: 7-TRACK GOMEZ EP WITH NEW ALBUM ‘WHATEVER’S ON YOUR MIND’ (JUNE 21)

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:

• Seven-track EP (six exclusive demos, one unreleased b-side) with purchase of Gomez‘s Whatever’s on Your Mind (available Tuesday, June 21).

OTHER RECENT FREEBIES:

• 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!