A gentle haze, Neil live, Numero crate-digging and plenty of African Dub. Come on in.
Hello, Friends.
A right dreamy start to the week thanks to the heads at World of Echo, with the really glorious Selected Songs 1997-2003 release from Melbourne-based indie-pop three-piece Hydroplane. They might not be totally new to you, as we previously spoke a bit about Cat’s Miaow, and these folks are the same folks. Looping and floating songs, a little like a cloud-hazed version of Acetone. One to really get lost in, especially on a warm Monday evening.
We did already mention that today we’d be celebrating Numero with a triple, so here they are!
The Line Of Time And The Plane Of Now is a sunny, soulful and softly psychedelic set recorded by Shira Small at a Quaker Boarding school in the mid-’70s. Yeah, that's the vibe! Close harmonies and a warm breeze throughout, this is a supreme find.
Pressed on limited 'Gimme Magic' Silver colour vinyl.
1514 Oliver Avenue (Basement) includes nine never-before-released recordings from the 11-piece funk group Mind & Matter. The songs were recorded in 1977 and swim deep in the iconic Philadelphia sound with plenty of analogue drive. Big stuff.
Pressed on limited Purple & Gold colour vinyl.
Lastly, This Can't Exist compiles together three 7” EP’s from proto-emo band, Native Nod. Raw and urgent songs and you really feel them. Features liner notes by Jenn Pelly and scores of unseen photographs and ephemera.
Pressed on Tangled Black & White colour vinyl.
Neil Young looks backwards this week with a live belter from the vaults with Crazy Horse. Originally recorded in 1976, almost a world apart at two overseas venues; Hammersmith Odeon in London and Nippon Budokan Hall In Tokyo. His voice is great and there is just enough roughness on the B-side to drag you in. Both solo and with band, it’s a great set across both sides, ending on ‘Cortez The Killer’, which is pure magic.
Primal Prayer was originally released in 2004 under a pseudonym, but returns now remastered and reissued as part of Transgressive's Beverly Glenn-Copeland series. A meeting of various Jazz and World rhythms.
Sturgill Simpson’s much-loved third LP - A Sailor's Guide to Earth - gets a new 2023 pressing, available on limited 140g Crystal Clear Diamond colour vinyl. Also back in print is Wilco’s excellent (aren’t they always!) Sky Blue Sky, the alt-rocking pastoral banger. That one is pressed on limited double 140g Blue vinyl.
Two-Piers Records put together a very handsome 30th Anniversary Edition of The Boo Radleys’ Giant Steps. We have the double Black LP, but the Dinked Edition has long sold out.
Much more recently, we also have a physical pressing of Earl Sweatshirt’s SICK! That was released at the start of 2022. Enjoyed going back in on this one, it has a great flow to it.
Landing to finally partner up with Chapter Two that we have been absolutely trashing on the stereo of late, we’re glad to fully represent with all four volumes (One, Three, Four) of Joe Gibbs & The Professionals’ African Dub. The BBC weather website suggests that Summer is going to be happening all week in Totnes, so this is advance warning that we will be going hard to maximise it to full effect with African Dub on the stereo muchly.
Much to dive into there, looking very much like a big old Record Shop week too, so we’ll no doubt speak soon.
- Drift
