Trip #32: Here We Are Now, Entertain Us
Three artists who disappeared for years are back with AOTY contenders, the Best Records of 1991, and we finish spooky season with Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now.
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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.
This will be the last “Trip” of 2023. Subscribers will still receive at least one weekly e-mail, but it’ll be on random music topics I want to discuss, as well as some Best of the Year lists.
Speaking of, I am busy finishing a 100+ page e-book that will be out sometime next month. Paid subs will receive this book as a membership perk. If you like vinyl and new music, you won't want to miss it!
🎧 Listen along to this week’s trip! Spotify | Apple
Now, on to this week’s exhibits..
The FUTURE Exhibit: New Vinyl Releases
Highlighting records out this Friday, November 3rd that I’m excited about.
New Albums
Actress - LXXXVIII (Deep Blue Vinyl) | Darren Cunningham, who used to be a striker for West Bromwich Albion F.C., has made experimental electronica for the past 15 years under the moniker Actress. His new album incorporates the game of chess, as seen in the track titles corresponding to moves on a chess board.
bar italia - The Twits | The London three-piece release their second full length of 2023, less than six months after their acclaimed Matador debut and Wax Museum AOTY contender Tracey Denim.
Cold War Kids - Cold War Kids (Blue Vinyl) | The band's singer and songwriter Nathan Willett describes their tenth album as “our self-titled record. Everybody gets one. This felt like the right time because the sound of this record is the sound that makes Cold War Kids unlike any other.”
Hotline TNT - Cartwheel | Hotline TNT’s second album from former Weed frontman Will Anderson comes courtesy of Third Man Records. Single “I Thought You’d Change” is in constant rotation.
Jimmy Buffett - Equal Strain On All Parts (Key West Blue Vinyl) | The late great Jimmy Buffett’s final album features some well-known friends, including Paul McCartney, Emmylou Harris, Angelique Kidjo, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Jockstrap - I<3UQTINVU | Georgia Ellery (of Black Country, New Road) and electro producer Taylor Skye are Jockstrap; this is a remix album of their 2022 debut I Love You Jennifer B.
Lol Tolhurst x Budgie x Jacknife Lee - Los Angeles | The Cure's Lol Tolhurst, Budgie from Siouxsie & The Banshees, and producer and multi-instrumentalist Jacknife Lee join forces for Los Angeles, a sprawling piece of work featuring LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, Bobby Gillespie, U2’s The Edge and more.
Marnie Stern - The Comeback Kid | Guitar genius Marnie Stern returns with The Comeback Kid, her follow-up to 2013’s The Chronicles of Marnia.
Semisonic - Little Bit Of Sun | Minneapolis rockers Semisonic return after a 22-year hiatus.
Spiritual Cramp - Spiritual Cramp | Here comes the long-awaited self-titled debut from San Francisco punks Spiritual Cramp, featuring production and mixing from Carlos de la Garza (Paramore, M83).
The Struts - Pretty Vicious (Violet Vinyl) | British rockers The Struts drop another round of their arena-filling sound.
New Vinyl
Allman Brothers Band - Bear's Sonic Journals: Fillmore East, February 1970 (Orange Sunshine Vinyl) | Legendary audio engineer slash LSD chemist Owsley “Bear” Stanley recorded this set of shows at the Fillmore East in Manhattan.
Belle & Sebastian - The Boy With The Arab Strap (Clear Blue Vinyl) | Belle and Sebastian’s acclaimed third album returns on limited blue vinyl and blue tint cover to celebrate 25 years.
Billy Joel - The Collection, Vol. 2 | This 11 LP box set brings together Billy’s successful 1980s albums — Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain, An Innocent Man, The Bridge, and Storm Front — alongside 1993’s River of Dreams, and the first ever vinyl pressings of 2001’s Fantasies & Delusions and Live from Long Island.
Bob Marley - Catch a Fire (50th Anniversary Vinyl) | Bob Marley’s fifth album turns 50 with a new set that includes the studio album, Live at the Paris Theatre in London (previously only ever bootlegged), a bonus disc of alternate, extended, and instrumental Jamaican tracks, and much more.
Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You (Copper Colored Vinyl) | Finally the Wax Museum AOTY contender comes to vinyl after multiple delays.
Coheed and Cambria - The Second Stage Turbine Blade | The debut album by American progressive emo band Coheed and Cambria gets a much-needed reissue as previous copies were going for big money.
Dave Matthews Band - Before These Crowded Streets | The highly sought-after third album from DMB gets a remaster for the 25th-anniversary featuring lacquers cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.
Editors - The Back Room (Clear Vinyl) | Editors 2005 debut gets a reissue pressed on limited clear vinyl.
Lupe Fiasco - The Cool (Gold Vinyl) | The Cool, a white whale for hip-hop vinyl collectors, finally gets a wide release on colored wax.
Mogwai - Colored Reissues | New reissues include Happy Songs for Happy People on green vinyl, Rock Action on red, Mr Beast on clear, and The Hawk is Howling on white.
Neil Young - Time Fades Away (Clear Vinyl) | Neil’s first live album turns 50 years old.
Oasis - The Masterplan (Silver Vinyl) | 1998’s The Masterplan is a compilation album of B-sides that never made it on an album until that point.
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 (100+ Albums and Counting…)
Corinne Bailey Rae - Black Rainbows
Debuts at #13 on Leaderboard
Get Vinyl: Clear Smokey Black | Black | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
Like most, my first exposure to Corrine Bailey Rae was the 2006 sunny breakout hit “Put Your Records On.” Since then, I’ve been a fan of her covers, most notably Coldplay’s The Scientist and Bob Marley’s “Is This Love.”
With her fourth album and first in seven years, Bailey Rae has taken the boldest step of her career. This isn't just an evolution; it’s a full-blown reinvention. This left turn feels analogous to fellow AOTY contender Let’s Start Here by Lil Yachty, traversing multiple genres and audaciously defying expectations.
The constant switches in style speak to the rich tapestry of influences Bailey Rae has been dipping into. Black Rainbows may challenge listeners, especially with a front half that seems intentionally jarring with shifts from garage rock to experimental jazz to glam-punk. But like navigating through a complex novel, the payoff is worth it. By the time we hit the middle, we groove with the album's rhythm and the Black Rainbows B Side is one of the best of the year.
In particular, standout track "New York Transit Queen" is delightfully Santigold-esque, transporting listeners through the bustling streets of New York at breakneck speed.
Bailey Rae has forged something that demands patience but repays in rich dividends. It’s sophisticated chaos, a cacophony of genres that somehow finds harmony. And in a year hungry for musical revelations, Black Rainbows stands out as the sound of an artist truly reborn.
Crime in Stereo - House & Trance
Debuts at #23 on Leaderboard
Get Vinyl: Electric Blue | White and Silver | Black
Good things come to those who wait. After a 13-year hiatus, Crime in Stereo, the melodic hardcore/emo pioneers from Long Island have emerged from the shadows, presenting an album that's both a throwback to their roots and a reflection of the present times.
Don’t be misled by the title - Crime In Stereo hasn’t shifted to EDM. Instead, the title encapsulates the constant grind of end-stage capitalism. Guitarist Alex Dunne’s explains:
It’s my feeling of having bought a house and having a child and being in that classic, post-modern, middle-aged, suburban ennui, where all your energy and focus goes to maintaining your bank loan so you can still possess and live in this house so your fucking family isn’t out on the street. But that feels like you have these blinders on and are in a trance, just focused on the constant anxiety and stress of your living situation.
Hammering that home is lead single “Hypernormalisation,” a reference to the superb Adam Curtis doc. The catchy, riff-heavy piece is a rousing anthem that taps into the disillusionment many feel amidst the chaos of this overarching system that mostly operates on a perpetually derailing track.
Kristian Hallbert's vocals serve as a powerful anchor throughout the album, with a range and emotion that's not only matured but is arguably better than ever. The guitar and pedal work is also commendable, complimenting the core melodies.
House & Trance is a 36-minute ball of energy that isn’t just a trip down memory lane; it’s an exploration of today’s reality, beautifully wrapped in the nostalgic embrace of a band that's lost none of its edge. Highly recommended.
Sampha - Lahai
Debuts at #31 on Leaderboard
Get Vinyl: White | Black | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
Six years after his Mercury Prize-winning debut Process, neo-soul artist Sampha returns with Lahai, a meditative exploration of self-discovery and the transcendent.
Lahai marks a departure from the anxiety-inducing beats of his debut. Instead, the album opts for delicate production and an emotional slow burn. From start to finish, Lahai feels like a serene journey towards celestial realms, with Sampha's ethereal vocals acting as a guiding beacon.
The lead single “Spirit 2.0” and the standout track "Jonathan L. Seagull" both namecheck Richard Bach's novella Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which tells the story of a seagull yearning for more than just the mundanity of his existence, longing to freely soar and grasp the full power of his wings. Within Lahai, Sampha ponders the zenith of his own ambition, inquiring "how high can one truly ascend?" while considering fear vs. comfort.
Lahai gracefully oscillates between exhilarating peaks and contemplative lows, making it one of the most interesting releases of the year. One can only hope we don’t have to wait six more years for Sampha’s next musical chapter.
The PAST Exhibit: 1991’s Must-Have Records
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.
We are now halfway done with this project to list the 10 best records from each year as we make our way to 1960!
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 | 1994 | 1993 | 1992
🎧 The Essential Vinyl Playlist: Spotify | Apple (320 Records and Counting…)
Nirvana - Nevermind
Get Vinyl: Super Deluxe 8 LP Set | Silver | Black | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
Nirvana's second album Nevermind and the first to feature the trio of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl popularized the grunge sound, characterized by distorted guitars and the quiet-loud dynamic that became emblematic of 90’s rock music.
While the entire album kicks ass, the first three tracks "Smells Like Teen Spirit," “In Bloom,” and "Come As You Are" received heavy radio and MTV rotation, propelling the album to multi-platinum status and the band to superstardom. Cobain especially became an unwitting spokesperson for Generation X with his angst-filled lyrics, raw charisma, rebelliousness, and ultimately, self-destruction.
The Nevermind album cover, featuring a baby swimming towards a dollar bill, became one of the most recognizable images in rock history, symbolizing the innate human drive (or capitalistic conditioning?) to chase after money from the very beginning of life.
In 2008, a massive fire burned down a Universal Music Group storage facility in Hollywood. It was only later revealed that this warehouse housed 500,000 original master recordings. Although Universal initially announced that the Nevermind masters were lost in the fire, it was a relief to discover this wasn't the case. The 30th Anniversary vinyl box set, remastered from the untouched analog tapes, is a testament to that, delivering an authentic sound. This 8-record set also features four complete concerts from the "Nevermind" global tour.
Pearl Jam - Ten
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
If Nirvana popularized grunge, Pearl Jam cemented grunge’s place in the mainstream and demonstrated the depth and versatility that the genre could achieve. The sound of their debut Ten is rooted in classic rock, with anthemic tunes like “Alive,” “Jeremy,” and “Black” setlist staples 30+ years later.
Here’s a fun fact. While recording their debut, Eddie Vedder and crew still needed a name for the band. During recordings they would open up packs of basketball cards. Mookie Blaylock’s card popped up during a session, they stuck the card into a cassette case, and eventually started performing under that name. They had to change the name for legal reasons, but they named their debut Ten after Blaylock’s jersey number as a nod to their original band name.
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (colored variant)
My Bloody Valentine's Loveless is considered a masterpiece of the shoegaze genre, featuring a sound unlike anything heard at the time. With layers upon layers of distorted guitars, frontman Kevin Shields employed a technique called "glide guitar" where he manipulated the tremolo bar while strumming. This, combined with the buried, dreamy vocals, produced a sonic wash that feels overwhelming and otherworldly.
The making of Loveless was exhaustive, with recording taking place in 19 different studios over the span of two years. Shields was on a quest for the perfect sound and the right equipment. Each studio had its own set of acoustic properties, equipment, and technicians, and this allowed MBV to experiment with different recording techniques. The financial toll of this was immense, with some estimates reaching £500,000. Creation Records, the label that released Loveless, nearly went bankrupt due to the production process. Worth it? Hell yeah.
Slint - Spiderland
Get Vinyl: Dark Blue | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
On the flip side, Slint’s second and final album Spiderland emerged from a mere weekend's worth of basement sessions, with lyrics hastily put together in the final moments. The band's unsure footing post-recording was evident when they included a shoutout for female vocalists on the album's rear cover, only to break up before the record's release.
Spiderland wraps listeners up in an eerie, nocturnal aura, matching the iconic album art. Brooding rhythms, haunting guitar sequences, and storytelling delivered in an unsettling whisper all combine to create a masterclass in atmospheric tension.
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory is a seminal piece in hip-hop's golden era, marrying jazz-tinged beats with the lyrical brilliance of Q-Tip and Phife Dawg. Each track is a rhythmic tapestry of thoughtful socio-political reflections and nimble wordplay.
Among its gems is the final track "Scenario," one of hip-hop's most iconic posse cuts, highlighted by the fiery contributions of a then-emerging Busta Rhymes. Their dynamic performance on the Arsenio Hall Show was a defining moment that amplified their reach and greatly expanded their fanbase.
Metallica - Metallica
Get Vinyl: Some Blacker Marbled | Black | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
Metallica's self-titled album, often called The Black Album, marked a departure from the band's thrash metal roots, offering a more polished sound that would cement their place in rock history. Tracks like "Enter Sandman," "The Unforgiven," and "Nothing Else Matters" remain some of their most recognizable songs in their expansive discography.
Here’s another album with a pursuit-of-perfection recording process, taking over a year to complete with a financial cost of over $1 million. This coincided with personal turmoil for band members Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Jason Newsted, each of whom was going through a divorce. Hammett noted this influenced their performances, as they channeled feelings of guilt and failure into the music to transform it into something positive. Despite the troubled production, or perhaps because of it, The Black Album became a cathartic masterpiece.
Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
Bandwagonesque, the third album by Scottish alt-rockers Teenage Fanclub, stands out as an indie rock gem in an era dominated by grunge. The album’s melodic brilliance lies in the catchy hooks and jangly guitars reminiscent of Big Star and The Byrds. Famously, Spin Magazine ranked this one #1 over Nevermind, a decision that raised many eyebrows but perhaps gets less crazy over time.
Primal Scream - Screamadelica
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs (multiple colored variants)
From one Scottish rock band to the next, Primal Scream’s third album ditched their indie rock sound in favor of a more electronic vibe. Screamadelica was a product of the burgeoning UK rave culture of the time, marrying traditional guitar riffs with electronic beats and 60’s psychedelic undertones. This eclectic mix was recognized when Screamadelica was awarded the first-ever Mercury Prize in 1992, establishing it as a significant and influential piece of work.
Guns N’ Roses - Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II
Get Vinyl: Use Your Illusion I | Use Your Illusion II
Guns N' Roses' twin releases, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II represent one of the most ambitious undertakings in rock history. Released simultaneously, the two albums departed from the raw edge of their debut Appetite for Destruction, venturing into more expansive territories both musically and thematically.
With a combined total of 30 tracks spanning two and a half hours, the Illusions showcased the band's diverse range, from epic ballads like "November Rain" to ferocious rockers like "You Could Be Mine" to energetic covers like “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and “Live and Let Die.”
Massive Attack - Blue Lines
Get Vinyl: Black | Discogs
Massive Attack’s debut Blue Lines is generally regarded as the first “trip hop” album, featuring a fusion of hip-hop rhythms, soulful melodies, dub influences, and atmospheric soundscapes. Emerging at a time when electronic music was gaining prominence, the album offered a more subdued alternative to the rave scene and captured the zeitgeist of early '90s urban Britain.
The Rabbit Hole Exhibit
Welcome to the non-music wing of the Wax Museum. Take a trip down the rabbit hole to see what I found interesting this week.
The Wax Museum Spooky Movie Club finished October with Don’t Look Now (1973) and Trick r Treat (2007). Right off the bat, I’ll rank the eight previously unseen movies watched this month:
The Exorcist III
Don’t Look Now
The Thing
The Ninth Configuration
[•REC]
No One Will Save You
Jennifer’s Body
Trick r Treat
What a month of cinema! The top three all get five stars from me and will be repeat viewing. The rest besides Trick r Treat were all highly entertaining. I didn’t vibe with Trick r Treat, a Halloween-themed patchwork of tales that might appeal to fans of the season, but like Halloween candy, it offers little depth and leaves a fleeting impact.
On the other end of the spectrum, with much to dig into, is Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now. Roeg you may know as the director of David Bowie’s The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Don't Look Now is a haunting psychological thriller starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie as a married couple who travel to Venice for work following the accidental drowning of their daughter. The couple encounters two strange sisters, who inform them that their daughter is attempting to contact them to warn them of danger.
Watching Don’t Look Now you can’t help but see the towering influence it had on numerous classic movies that followed. A testament to its enduring impact is the way its elements have been borrowed, referenced, and celebrated by directors of different styles and eras. Ari Aster, for instance, mentioned Don't Look Now as the film he was "referencing most" while crafting his grief-meets-the-supernatural horror Hereditary.
Don’t Look Now’s avant-garde use of color, with red as a symbolic and foreshadowing element, has been mirrored in several films. Dario Argento employed a similar color palette a few years later in Suspiria, while most famously, Steven Spielberg also used a child in a red coat as a poignant symbol amidst the black and white palette in Schindler's List.
Furthermore, the intimacy of the film's infamous sex scene was mirrored by Steven Soderbergh in Out of Sight. Even in the realm of zombie horror, Danny Boyle paid direct homage in 28 Days Later. The list goes on and on.
Lastly, the music by Italian composer Pino Donaggio is *chef’s kiss.* The melancholic and suspenseful score complements the movie's haunting tone. Pino would go on to collaborate with Brian de Palma on a bunch of classics like Carrie (1976), Dressed to Kill (1980), Blow Out (1981), and Body Double (1984). Naturally, you can get the vinyl on “red raincoat” wax.
That’s it for now, see you all next week, byeeee!