Trip #29: It Was All a Dream
Trip #29: It Was All a Dream
I used to read The Wax Museum magazine.
🎧 Listen along to this week’s trip! Spotify | Apple
Hello and welcome back to The Wax Museum, the vinyl and vibes curation newsletter, where we dig up grooves from the past, present, and future.
As always, let’s start with the best thing I heard this week, and that was the 2007 self-titled EP LSD and the Search for God. A lot of the music I discover is from new vinyl releases, and this is no exception; a 500 unit repress dropped this week on orange wax; it sold out in under 5 minutes (for info on vinyl drops like this, follow my Twitter account).
I’m a sucker for psychedelic shoegaze, and these guitar squalls deliver the goods. Highly recommended for fans of Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine.
Now, on to this week’s exhibits..
The FUTURE Exhibit: New Vinyl Releases
Highlighting records out this Friday, October 13th that I’m excited about.
New Albums
+++ (Crosses) - Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete. | The musical side project of Deftones singer Chino Moreno and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez prepares their second album, which boasts features from EL-P and The Cure’s Robert Smith.
Allah-Las - Zuma 85 | The Los Angeles surf rock band’s new album, which they will release on their label, is “in defiance of the algorithmic categorization and robotic sterility.”
boygenius - The Rest EP | The girls are back with a new four-track EP serving as an expansion of their AOTY candidate debut the record.
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - Live in London | Blues guitar star Kingfish drops his first live album. See Kingfish live when he comes to your town; I saw him open for Vampire Weekend and he blew me away.
CMAT - Crazymad, For Me (Orange Vinyl) | The second album from Irish musician CMAT is a concept album about a 47-year-old CMAT time traveling back to the past to prevent herself from being in a relationship that ruined her life.
The Drums - Jonny | On his latest album as The Drums, New York indie rocker Jonny Pierce attempts to heal from childhood trauma and the long shadow it casts over adulthood.
Goat - Medicine (Waxy Cap Vinyl) | The Swedish experimental band return to their roots on Medicine, returning to a slightly mellower psych-folk sound. Right before publication, the vinyl has been delayed a month until November 10th.
L'Rain - I Killed Your Dog | L’Rain’s third album and second for the Mexican Summer label is billed as a self-professed "anti-break-up" record and promises to be her boldest offering yet.
Land of Talk - Performances (Eco-Mix Vinyl) | Canadian outfit Land of Talk trades muscular guitar rock for understated piano on their fifth album.
Metric - Formentera II | Metric has gone 25 years without major label help as they release their ninth album and sequel to last year’s Formentera.
Offset - Set It Off | Offset’s sophomore, 21-track album contains guest features from Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Future, and Cardi B, among others.
Squirrel Flower - Tomorrow's Fire (Transparent Sea Glass Vinyl) | Squirrel Flower's third and most ambitious record to date features some star-studded contributions: drummer Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver), guitarists Seth Kauffman (Angel Olsen) and Jake Lenderman (Wednesday, MJ Lenderman), and bassist Dave Hartley (The War on Drugs).
Troye Sivan - Something To Give Each Other | Troye Sivan's third album is a “celebration of sex, dance, sweat, community, queerness, love and friendship.”
New Vinyl
Boldy James - Fair Exchange No Robbery | Detroit’s Boldy James teams up with Montreal producer Nicholas Craven in this 2022 underground rap hit.
Dinosaur Jr - Where You Been (Splatter Vinyl) | The critically acclaimed fifth album from J Mascis and friends celebrates 30 years.
Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirit | Gregory Porter’s Blue Note debut gets a 10th-anniversary triple vinyl set featuring the original album and a bonus LP of extra tracks and remixes.
MGMT - 11.11.11 (Blue Vinyl) | On November 11th, 2011, MGMT performed an original 45-minute piece at the Guggenheim Museum in New York; the band has finally released that performance as a live album.
Parannoul - After the Magic (Magenta Vinyl) | AOTY candidate After the Magic by the anonymous South Korean emo artist is a must-buy on magenta wax.
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon | First released as part of The Dark Side of the Moon 50th Anniversary Box Set, this is the first time the new remaster will be available on its own on LP.
Slint - Spiderland (Dark Blue Vinyl) | Slint’s second and last album spawned a whole new genre called post-rock; get this classic on dark blue vinyl.
Wiz Khalifa - Rolling Papers (Green Vinyl) | Wiz Khalifa’s platinum debut album featuring mega-hit “Black & Yellow”, arrives on appropriately colored green vinyl.
The PRESENT Exhibit: AOTY Leaderboard
Behold the 2023 Album of the Year Leaderboard. Standings change frequently; three new albums are added each Wednesday.
🎧 Full AOTY 2023 Playlist: Spotify | Apple (95 Albums and Counting…)
Sufjan Stevens - Javelin
Debuts at #17 on Leaderboard
Get Vinyl: Emerald | Orange | Lemonade | Turquoise | Black
Sufjan Stevens reaffirms his position as one of contemporary music's finest songwriters with his tenth album Javelin. This masterwork marks a return to Sufjan's introspective, stripped-back demeanor, reminiscent of 2015's Carrie & Lowell. Whereas that album bore the heavy narrative of his mother's passing, Javelin navigates another gutpunch of losing his best friend and partner Evans Richardson.
Javelin is a harmonious amalgamation of Stevens' career: we’ve already touched on the raw vulnerability from Carrie & Lowell, but you also get some of the cinematic grandeur of Illinois to the electronica from Age of Adz. The album is a roller-coaster of emotions, at moments heart-wrenching and at others, exquisitely uplifting, epitomizing Stevens' unique gift of melding disparate sounds into a cohesive, memorable project.
Spanish Love Songs - No Joy
Debuts at #22 on Leaderboard
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
Spanish Love Songs' fourth album No Joy continues their deep dive into the contemplation of life's fleeting nature, framed by Dylan Slocum’s distinctly raw vocals which, this time, steer the band from their punk roots to a more anthemic and expansive sound. Slocum remarks, "This is the closest we've ever gotten to translating what I hear in my head with more clarity."
Produced by the band and Collin Pastore (Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, Illuminati Hotties) and mixed by Carlos de la Garza (Paramore, M83, Best Coast), the album flies by with huge melodic hooks and head-nodding grooves for days. The electrifying performances, bleak lyricism, and diverse sonic palette, especially on the A-side, are executed with finesse, making it well worth your time.
Paramore - Re: This Is Why
Debuts at #78 on Leaderboard
Get Vinyl: Nothing announced yet.
Quickly I’d like to touch on Paramore’s remix album they realized this week, Re: This Is Why, which I actually liked more than the original. I may be in the minority but I love remix albums, especially when the songs get reworked and rewritten like they do here. The list of contributors is insane: Panda Bear, the xx’s Romy, Bartees Strange, Julien Baker, Wet Leg, Foals, Zane Lowe, DOMi & JD Beck, Remi Wolf, the Linda Lindas, and Claud. If that was a festival, I’d buy Tier 1 tickets.
The PAST Exhibit: 1994’s Must-Have Vinyl
Each week we look at a year gone by to find 10 timeless albums that are must-haves in your record 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 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995
🎧 The Essential Vinyl Playlist: Spotify | Apple (290 Records and Counting…)
Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
Get Vinyl: Black | VMP Splatter | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
Ready to Die, the debut album from Notorious B.I.G., showcases Biggie's impeccable flow as he navigates crime, ambition, love, and the looming shadow of death with a poetic grace few could rival. The album’s cohesive narrative, coupled with the perfect balance of gritty realism and radio-friendly bangers, puts Ready to Die in the discussion for the greatest hip-hop album of all time.
Tracks like "Juicy" aren't merely songs; they're enduring anthems that’ll stand the test of time. "Big Poppa" showcases Biggie's smoother, more playful side, with its sultry beat and infectious chorus, encapsulating the effortless charm Biggie personified. And if nothing else, “Big Poppa” may improve your fastball, especially if you are coached by Keanu Reeves.
Green Day - Dookie
Get Vinyl: Baby Blue | Super Deluxe | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
Green Day's Dookie erupted onto the scene with a blistering blend of punk energy and pop sensibility, signaling a revival of punk rock into mainstream consciousness. Billie Joe Armstrong’s unique voice and raw guitar riffs, Tre Cool’s frenetic drumming, and Mike Dirnt’s pulsing bass lines provided the soundtrack of restlessness and anxiety for a generation coming of age.
It spawned five hit singles that are still hugely popular today: “Longview,” “Basket Case,” “Welcome to Paradise,” “When I Come Around,” and “She.”
Green Day just dropped a 30th Anniversary of this landmark album, which you can get on Baby Blue vinyl, as well as a Super Deluxe Box Set. This 6 LP collection includes a wealth of rare and unreleased material, including the legendary Woodstock ’94 performance, 17 unreleased demos, six studio outtakes, and a 17-track unreleased club show from Barcelona in 1994.
Nas - Illmatic
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
Nas’ debut album drops listeners into the dangerous streets of Queensbridge, New York, capturing life in the projects with a clarity few had achieved before.
With Nas' intricate wordplay and vivid narratives, songs like "N.Y. State of Mind" and "Life's a Bitch" painted visceral panoramas of his environment. The production from heavyweights like DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Pete Rock, layered jazz-infused samples with boom-bap beats, creating a time capsule for 1990s New York.
Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs
Moving away from the lo-fi aesthetic of their debut Slanted and Enchanted, Pavement’s sophomore effort saw the band adopting a more polished and expansive sound without sacrificing their distinctive, irreverent edge.
Standouts like "Cut Your Hair" and "Gold Soundz" illustrate the band's knack for crafting immediately catchy and enduringly profound tunes thanks to its jangling guitars and off-kilter melodies. I’ve been blasting this all week and can attest that its timeless allure remains undiminished.
Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
Weezer's eponymous debut, often called The Blue Album, heralded the arrival of a band that effortlessly melded earworm hooks with geek-rock aesthetics.
The album became a multiplatinum success due in large part to its music videos for the singles “Say It Ain’t So,” “Undone - The Sweater Song,” and “Buddy Holly,” the latter two of which were directed by the legend Spike Jonze. “Buddy Holly” weaved Weezer into Happy Days footage, becoming an instant MTV staple.
The "Buddy Holly" video was included on the Windows 95 installation CD-ROM, resulting in a skyrocket in popularity. The band members didn’t understand the implications of this, as none of them had computers. Drummer Pat Wilson explains:
“I was furious because at the time I was like, 'How are they allowed to do this without permission?' Turns out it was one of the greatest things that could have happened to us. Can you imagine that happening today? It's like, there's one video on YouTube, and it's your video."
Soundgarden - Superunknown
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
Superunknown, Soundgarden's crowning achievement, weaved unique time signatures and alternative tunings to craft an ambiance that's as mysterious as it is magnetic. From the haunting melancholy of "Black Hole Sun" to the thunderous riffs of "Spoonman," Chris Cornell's unparalleled vocal prowess shines throughout, delivering angst-ridden melodies that never come off as juvenile or passé. A timeless classic of the grunge era.
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs
The Downward Spiral is Trent Reznor’s visceral exploration of the human psyche, backed by industrial sounds, ambient textures, and raw emotional catharsis. Tracks like "Closer" and "Hurt" encapsulate the album's duality of abrasiveness and introspection, establishing jarring and mesmerizing tension.
In 2002, Johnny Cash covered “Hurt” to commercial and critical acclaim, accompanied by an affecting video featuring images from Cash’s life. Reznor praised Cash's interpretation of the song for its "sincerity and meaning," going so far as to say "that song isn't mine anymore.”
Tom Petty - Wildflowers
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs
Tom Petty's Wildflowers, his first of three produced by the legend Rick Rubin, is a songwriting showcase, combining intimate lyrics with well-crafted melodies that capture the essence of American rock.
For Wildflowers, Petty switched from MCA to Warner Brothers, but he needed to deliver one last track before leaving his contract. During these recordings, Petty was on such a hot streak that this afterthought of a song, which became “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” became one of Petty’s most enduring hits.
Jeff Buckley - Grace
Get Vinyl: Black | Gold | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
Jeff Buckley’s only album Grace is a vocal masterpiece. Buckley's angelic, multi-octave voice, both vulnerable and powerful, elevates standouts like the cover "Hallelujah" and the title track to otherworldly realms. The album's beauty is rendered all the more poignant by Buckley's untimely death by drowning, cutting short a promising career that had only just begun to unveil its potential.
Portishead - Dummy
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (colored variant)
Portishead’s debut album Dummy was ahead of its time with its fusion of trip-hop, jazz, and electronica; the result is a haunting and hypnotic experience thanks to Beth Gibbons’ sultry vocals over Geoff Barrow’s beats and Adrian Utley’s guitar work.
Over a decade and a half has passed since Portishead graced us with an album. Yet, with a recent live performance in May 2022, after a seven-year hiatus, one can only hope that these icons will soon bless us with at least one more album.
The Rabbit Hole Exhibit
Welcome to the non-music wing of the Wax Museum. Take a trip down the Internet rabbit hole to see what I found interesting this week.
It’s October, so that means Spooky Movie Season! We watched two horror flicks this week: No One Will Save You (2023) and [•REC] (2007).
No One Will Save You | No One Will Save You delivers a brilliantly conceived alien invasion tale that should've taken theaters by storm but instead found its way directly to Hulu, a questionable call from Disney executives to say the least.
A mix between Home Alone and Signs, we watch as Brynn Adams, brought to vivid life by a virtually silent yet powerfully expressive Kaitlyn Dever, battles extraterrestrial invaders. The film deviates from the “less is more” monster approach, opting for visibility over theater-of-the-mind suspense. The result is a riveting thriller full of heart-stopping tension. Dever's nearly wordless performance cements this as a must-watch, making it a standout in the year's horror lineup.
[•REC] | Wow this was intense. [REC] elevates the often-overused found footage genre to thrilling heights, with a claustrophobic grip that doesn’t let go until its bone-chilling final set-piece. The camera work here isn't just sensible—it's vital, amplifying suspense and creating some well-earned jump scares. If you like to grip your seat (or possibly the person next to you), [REC] comes highly rec-ommended heh. And if nothing else, it stands as a cautionary tale about the perils of kissing dogs on the mouth. You can stream [REC] on Amazon Prime.
Want to follow along? Here’s the rest of the Spooky Movie Schedule:
Oct 18 - Jennifer's Body (2009) and The Thing (1982)
Oct 25 - The Ninth Configuration (1980) and The Exorcist III (1990)
Nov 1 - Don’t Look Now (1973) and Trick 'r Treat (2007)
Exit Through The Gift Shop
If you would like to support The Wax Museum, become a paid subscriber for just $3.33 a month and be entered into our monthly vinyl giveaway.
This month is very exciting as we are giving away the Smashing Pumpkins double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, a highly sought-after vinyl CLASSIC. You have until October 30th to enter, and the winner will be notified on Halloween.
Lastly, if you collect vinyl, you’d be foolish not to follow the Internet’s #1 vinyl deal finder. I tweet about five to ten deals 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 week!