Saturday marks the eleventh year of Record Store Day and having had the opportunity to preview many of this year’s releases, I can say with confidence that 2018 is the best RSD yet! The sheer quantity of releases this year is impressive, with a ton of rarities, long out-of-print re-issues, first-time releases, colored vinyl, picture discs, etc., in all kinds of formats including 7”, 10”, and 12” vinyl, CDs, and even cassettes. All of that can be fun and cool for us record collecting nerds, but what really matters, of course, is the quality of the music, and the overall quality of this year’s releases are remarkable, including:
David Axelrod -- Song of Innocence (Now-Again Records)
Legendary composer, arranger, and producer David Axelrod’s debut album is a ‘60s masterpiece, an otherworldly mix of psychedelic, jazz-fusion. When it came out it didn’t sound like anything else — it still really doesn’t, which is a beautiful thing. Kind of hard to describe, so just pick one up for yourself and get transported to a different space and time.
Fleet Foxes -- "Crack Up (Choral Version)"/"In The Morning“ (Warner Bros.)
Local faves Fleet Foxes recorded “Crack Up” live in Reykjavik at Iceland Airwaves with Graduale Nobili, a 24-piece Icelandic choir. Majestic. The B-side is a live take on the Barry Gibb "In The Morning.”
KEXP is excited to have two of our live sessions as part of this year’s RSD releases:
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio -- Live at KEXP (Colemine Records)
A smokin’ seven-song set of in the pocket organ-driven soul. Recorded live at the Upstream Music Festival in 2017, the DLO3 owns the groove on during this session. Colemine Records did a fantastic job packaging this release in the classic style of a Blue Note album. On scorching red vinyl, this record sounds as hot as it looks.
Noah Gundersen -- Selections from White Noise Live From KEXP 90.3 FM - September 22 (Cooking Vinyl)
Noah and band got up early and delivered a transcendent 5-song performance on the morning show. We’re psyched that Noah and Cooking Vinyl records are putting this out as beautiful, clear 10” vinyl release. Heads-up: this one is limited to 500 copies.
Other great releases worth digging in the crates for include new music from Courtney Barnett, Sufjan Stevens, First Aid Kit, Flaming Lips, Dessa, Parquet Courts, previously unreleased Neil Young and Johnny Thunders, Trampled By Turtles covering Tom Petty, Mac DeMarco covering Beat Happening, Los Lobos covering the Shines, Kevin Morby and Waxahatchee covering Jason Molina, Ride, Marvin Gaye, Wu Tang, Omar Souleyman, Cypress Hill, Laraaji remixed, Uncle Tupelo demos, and great live recordings from Michael Kiwanuka, Wipers, Superchunk, Soul Asylum, and Jeff Buckley. The list could go on and on -- there’s so much great stuff.
Be sure to tune in to The Afternoon Show on KEXP on Friday, April 20th as we welcome Matt Vaughan, owner/president of Easy Street Records, to the airwaves to preview many of these releases before they're in the racks tomorrow morning!
Go support your local independent record store tomorrow... and every day! And have fun on the greatest holiday of the year, Record Store Day!
The band's Upstream 2017 performance on the KEXP broadcast gets a vinyl release this Saturday for Record Store Day
Record stores across the city are not only carrying RSD releases, but also offering other deals, in-store performances, and even donuts. Start planning your record hunt with this breakdown of events happening around town for RSD 2018.
We caught up with Gundersen to learn more about his Record Store Day release, performing in the live room, and which records he's looking out for this Saturday. Oh, and there might be some mushrooms involved.
