Trip #19: Sing Along to the Age of Paranoia
New music from Slowdive, Militarie Gun, Palehound, Local Natives, essential vinyl from 2004, Barbenheimer double feature, and a vinyl giveaway!
Welcome to The Wax Museum, where we recommend vinyl from the past, present, and future. Enjoy a new trip in your inbox every Wednesday!
Your Museum Guide for Wednesday, July 19, 2023
The FUTURE Exhibit (New Vinyl Releases)
The PRESENT Exhibit (2023 Album of the Year Leaderboard)
The PAST Exhibit (Essential Vinyl Records from 2004)
The RABBIT HOLE Exhibit (Barbenheimer Double Feature)
Exit Through The GIFT SHOP (Vinyl Giveaway!)
🎧 Listen to this week’s Trip! Spotify | Apple
Come on in, guys! Let’s start with the best thing I heard this week. Shoegaze masters Slowdive are back to bless us with their fifth album and first in six years! The first two singles “skin in the game” and “kisses” are dream-pop perfection. Their album everything is alive is out September 1; Turntable Lab’s exclusive mint-colored vinyl is still in stock!
Now on to the exhibits!
The FUTURE Exhibit: New Vinyl Releases
Highlighting the notable new vinyl coming out this Friday, July 21.
New Albums
Blur - The Ballad of Darren (Red Vinyl) | English rock band Blur will release their ninth album and first since 2015’s The Magic Whip. It will be their shortest album yet, with a runtime under 50 minutes.
Cut Worms - Cut Worms | Songwriter Max Clarke is Cut Worms, whose self-titled third album arrives via Jagjaguwar, completely produced and performed by Clarke.
Greta Van Fleet - Starcatcher (Clear Vinyl) | Rockers Greta Van Fleet’s third album promises a more raw sound as the band aims to return to their garage band roots.
Guided By Voices - Welshpool Frillies | 2023 marks the 40th anniversary of Guided By Voices’ start in Dayton, Ohio, and they show no signs of slowing, recording and releasing eight albums in the past three years
Oscar Lang - Look Now | The sophomore project from London’s Oscar Lang drops the psychedelia of his debut for a more melancholic offering.
New Vinyl
Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism | Death Cab’s Transatlanticism turns 20 and is back in print for the double-bill Postal Service Give Up / Transatlanticism tour.
Gypsy - Gypsy | Gypsy’s criminally underrated 1970 debut double album gets a much-needed reissue courtesy of Sundazed Music. Give this album a full listen if you missed it.
Ice Spice - Like..? | The 23-year-old Bronx rapper exploded into stardom with debut EP Like…?, which finally gets a physical release this Friday.
Kaytramine - Kaytramine (Blue Vinyl) | Wax Museum 2023 AOTY candidate Kaytramine gets a blue vinyl release that includes a blotter sheet (liquid sold separately) and a poster.
Nina Simone - You've Got To Learn | Nina Simone’s 1966 performance at the Newport Jazz Festival gets put to wax for the first time, courtesy of Verve.
T-Pain - On Top Of The Covers (Gold Nugget Vinyl) | Rapper T-Pain covers classic tracks from Journey, Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Black Sabbath, and more!
The Vandals - Hitler Bad, Vandals Good. (White/Blue Splatter Vinyl) | The Vandals punk rock classic gets a 25th anniversary, limited edition release on white and blue splatter vinyl.
📋 Full list of vinyl releases, reissues, and compilations.
The PRESENT Exhibit: AOTY Leaderboard
Behold the 2023 Album of the Year Leaderboard. Three new albums get added each week. Standings change throughout the year.
🎧 Full AOTY 2023 Playlist: Spotify | Apple (65 Albums and Counting…)
This week features Militarie Gun, Palehound, and Local Natives.
Militarie Gun - Life Under the Gun
Get Vinyl: Cobalt Blue | Green with Blue Splatter | Pink Marble | Black | Discogs (colored variants)
Militarie Gun's debut album Life Under The Gun is a lightning-fast barrage of musical punches that will leave post-hardcore fans grinning from ear to ear. With 12 songs packed into a compact 27 minutes, Militarie Gun cranks up the volume and delivers hook after hook that will make your head spin and your feet stomp. This one immediately debuts in the top 10 on our Album of the Year leaderboard.
Palehound - Eye on the Bat
Get Vinyl: Clear Orange | Discogs
Eye on the Bat is the new album from Palehound, which showcases El Kempner’s stressed-out, pandemic-era lyrics over banging guitar riffs. At a brisk 29 minutes, the breakup album alternates between Kempner being in full control and completely out of control, creating a raw, vulnerable energy. The highlight is lead single “The Clutch,” which sounds melodically similar to Big Thief’s iconic “Not”; the two groups share the same producer Sam Owens. Palehound continues to surprise a decade in, and it’s great to see them as sharp and creative as ever.
Local Natives - Time Will Wait For No One
Get Vinyl: Canary Yellow | Black | Discogs (colored variants)
The fifth album from Los Angeles indie rock band Local Natives, Time Will Wait For No One is their “mantra of reassurance in response to relentless changes.” The Memento Mori-esque album emerged from a tumultuous phase where the band teetered on the edge of oblivion and almost broke up. The result is a sprawling and diverse record, serving as both a homage to the band and a celebration of the bonds that unite them. I earnestly and selfishly hope the fellas stick around for many more years and continue serenading us through the coming storms.
The PAST Exhibit: Essential Vinyl of 2004
Each week we look at a year gone by to find ten timeless albums that are must-haves in your vinyl collection. All vinyl are easy to find unless otherwise stated.
Archive: 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | This week is 2004
🎧 Full Essential Vinyl Playlist: Spotify | Apple (190 Records and Counting…)
Green Day - American Idiot
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (colored variants)
American Idiot is a “punk rock opera” concept album centering around Jesus of Suburbia, an anti-heroic American teenager from a lower-middle-class background. This record is a huge departure structure-wise with lengthy, chapter-like compositions, including four tracks over seven minutes. American Idiot reflects the disillusionment and rage felt by a generation coming of age amidst 9/11 and the Iraq War. Unfortunately, 20 years have passed, and the lyrics are as timely as ever.
Outkast - Speakerboxxx / The Love Below
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs
Outkast's epic, 39-song, 2 hour-and-15-minute double album is essentially two solo projects packaged as one. Big Boi's Speakerboxxx is a funky Dirty South party record, while André 3000's The Love Below explores funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and R&B, with only brief instances of hip hop. They also collaborate and co-produce some songs on each other's records, creating a cohesive Outkast experience.
The video for “Hey Ya!” is regarded as a classic, with its reverse British invasion take on the Beatles' 1964 landmark appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (colored variant)
Is “Float On” one of the all-time greatest indie rock tracks? I’m willing to debate it. “Float On” is sandwiched between “The World At Large” and “Ocean Breathes Salty,” all three bangers with unconventional structures that make this such a revered and timeless record.
The Walkman - Bows + Arrows
Get Vinyl: Discogs (colored variants)
Passion seeps through The Walkmen’s second album Bows + Arrows, a perfect late-night album packed with emotional intensity and atmospheric storytelling that resonates on a visceral level.
Unfortunately, this vinyl has been a tough one to buy for retail. A gorgeous white pressing with OBI strip was recently released on their site, but quickly sold out. Reports show you can still buy this one on their current tour. Just a few months ago, the band reunited to play for the first time in over ten years.
Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (colored variant)
Stars third album Set Yourself on Fire makes the short list of must-have vinyl records for indie-pop enthusiasts. The soothing harmonies of vocalists Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan can’t be beaten. Opener “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” blew up here in the States, while “Ageless Beauty” was a breakout hit in their native Canada.
Jimmy Eat World - Futures
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (colored variants)
Jimmy Eat World hit its creative peak with Bleed American and Futures, both landmark alt-rock albums of the early 2000s. Futures’ potent blend of catchy rhythms, bombastic guitars, and dark lyrics has made it a lasting record.
This vinyl desperately needed a repress for over a decade, with OG copies going for hundreds of dollars. Luckily a huge repress just occurred and can be found online or at your local shop in the $25 range.
MF DOOM and Madlib - Madvillainy
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (colored variants)
Madvillainy is the only collaboration between rapper MF DOOM and producer Madlib, and is regarded as DOOM’s magnum opus. The album's complex and unconventional production and DOOM's dense lyricism and distinctive flow created a genre-defying cult classic that challenged traditional rap norms.
While the standard black vinyl is available in the high $20s, there have been a few colored variants pressed, most recently in the Turntable Lab x Stones Throw box set, on beautiful “meat grinder” red wax.
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (colored variants)
The staying power of Hot Fuss is both incredible and understandable, with one of the best A-sides in history, featuring “Smile Like You Mean It,” “Somebody Told Me,” “All These Things That I’ve Done,” and “Mr Brightside.” The latter is the second most streamed song on Spotify from the 2000s.
Tegan & Sara - So Jealous
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs | Still Jealous | Discogs
Instantly loveable is the best description of Canadian twin sisters Tegan & Sara’s fourth album So Jealous. Infectious hooks and memorable melodies like opener “You Wouldn’t Like Me” and lead single “Walking with a Ghost” earned them critical acclaim and a devoted fanbase. In 2022, the duo released Still Jealous, a reworked version re-recorded acoustically with Tegan and Sara singing each other's songs.
Kanye West - The College Dropout
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs
The College Dropout is the debut studio album by Chicago rapper Kanye West. Its enduring impact lies in bringing social commentary, vulnerability, and artistic ambition to the forefront of mainstream rap, which paved the way for his illustrious and controversial career.
In 2022, jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy was released on Netflix, showing a raw behind-the-scenes look at The College Dropout and Ye’s struggle to be accepted as an artist and not just a beatmaker. During this time, he had a near-fatal car crash resulting in his jaw wired to his face in reconstructive surgery. Two weeks later, he recorded “Through the Wire” with his jaw still wired shut.
The RABBIT HOLE Exhibit
Welcome to the non-music wing of the Museum. Take a trip down the pop culture rabbit hole with new recommendations each week.
📺 Videos from all trips can be found here.
Barbieheimer Double Feature | This weekend, the two most anticipated films of the year hit cinemas: Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. The serendipitous alignment of the bombshell and the bomb has brought delight to cinephiles and memes to the masses, thanks to the synchronicity of their simultaneous releases.
This has brought back the double feature in a big way. Early this week, over 40,000 AMC Stubs members alone purchased tickets to both films on the same day. There’s the possibility that hundreds of thousands will be at the theater for 5+ hours this weekend.
This begs the question: what’s the perfect viewing order? Are we going with heavy subject matter and then decompression, or will we assault our eyes with bright pink before staring at a nuclear explosion? *update I deleted the OG poll on accident, it was Oppenheimer/Barbie in a landslide!*
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Thanks for visiting! If you want to support this newsletter, consider becoming a paid subscriber for $5 a month (or $40 a year) so I can keep making these. As a bonus, paid subs are entered into this month’s vinyl giveaway! The contest ends tonight at midnight!
The winner will choose one of four sealed vinyl. Since we are currently focusing on the mid-2000s in the Essential Vinyl exhibit, we will be giving away the following:
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III (VMP Black & Red Galaxy Double Vinyl)
Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This To Memory (Bandbox Pink & Blue Vinyl)
Amy Winehouse - Frank (The Sound of Vinyl Pink Vinyl)
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (Walmart Grey Vinyl)
Additional paid benefits will be coming soon, including member only posts, a private DJ room, discord, WhatNot auctions, and perhaps a handpicked vinyl club. Stay tuned!
Lastly, if you collect vinyl, you must follow Twitter’s #1 vinyl deal finder. We just hit 10,000 followers! Expect about five to ten tweets a day. Be sure to turn on notifications because some deals go fast.
Leave a comment card on your way out, and we’ll see ya next Wax Wednesday!
Gotta be Oppenheimer first for me, definitely feel like I’ll need a Barbie palate cleanser afterwards
Love Local Natives!