Trip #5: Excited to be Indicted
Exhibits featuring Ryuichi Sakamoto, boygenius, The Murder Capital, Larry June, The Alchemist, The 1975, Pusha T, Donald Glover, J Dilla, and much more!
Welcome to The Wax Museum, where we showcase vinyl from the past, present, and future worthy of being in your record collection. Enjoy your stay, new trips every Wednesday!
Your Museum Guide for Wednesday April 5, 2023
The FUTURE Exhibit (Upcoming Vinyl Releases)
The PRESENT Exhibit (2023 AOTY Playlist)
The PAST Exhibit (2018 Hall of Fame Playlist)
The RABBIT HOLE Exhibit
Exit Through the Gift Shop (Vinyl Giveaway!)
🎧 Listen to this Trip on Spotify and Apple.
The FUTURE Exhibit
Discover what’s upcoming in the world of vinyl.
Happy April. I was planning on using this space to list the vinyl I’m excited for this month, but prolific pianist and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto just died and he has a vinyl coming out in May that I would like to highlight.
The Oscar-winning composer’s final album, 12, is a moving collection of 12 musical sketches that he recorded as a sound diary during his battle with late stage cancer. The album was recorded between 2021 and 2022, and the tracks are sequenced by the dates they were written, creating a diary-like snapshot into the end of Sakamoto's life.
The music is minimal and atmospheric, with Sakamoto's piano and synthesizer playing at the forefront. Hearing his labored breathing throughout is a constant reminder and meditation on mortality. Thankfully there are some hopeful moments, suggesting Ryuichi found strength in his music during his darkest days.
Throughout his career, Sakamoto demonstrated an unparalleled ability to merge traditional Japanese music with contemporary Western sounds, creating a unique style that touched millions of hearts worldwide. With his range of styles and influences, he pushed the boundaries of what was possible in music, and inspired countless more to do the same.
Sakomoto’s management announced his death, and included one of his favorite quotes:
“Ars longa, vita brevis.”
“Art is long, life is short.”
Upcoming Vinyl Releases
Full list of vinyl releases, reissues, compilations
Coming Out This Friday April 7
The Beths - Expert in a Dying Field (Bone Vinyl)
Blondshell - Blondshell (Clear Vinyl)
Clint Mansell - Black Swan Soundtrack (Silver and Black Marble Vinyl)
Daniel Caesar - NEVER ENOUGH
De La Soul - De La Soul is Dead
Deafheaven - Infinite Granite (Granite Silver Vinyl)
Ellie Goulding - Higher Than Heaven
Grey October Sound - Lo-fi Ghibli
Jana Horn - The Window Is the Dream
James Horner - Titanic Soundtrack (Silver and Black Vinyl)
Kali Uchis - Isolation (5th Anniversary Blue Jay Vinyl)
Linkin Park - Meteora (20th Anniversary 4 LP Box Set, 9 LP Deluxe Set)
The Mamas and the Papas - The Mamas and the Papas (Violet Vinyl)
Manchester Orchestra - The Valley Of Vision
Neutral Milk Hotel - On Avery Island (reissue)
Various Artists - Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist Soundtrack (Yellow Vinyl)
Wednesday - Rat Saw God (Purple Vinyl)
Wednesday - Twin Plagues
Wednesday - I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone
Yaeji - With a Hammer
The PRESENT Exhibit
Tracking Album of the Year 2023. Two tracks from three new albums added each week! We only feature albums worth having in your vinyl collection.
This week features boygenius, The Murder Capital, and Larry June / The Alchemist.
♫ Full AOTY 2023 Playlist: Spotify / Apple ♫
boygenius - The Record | The Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker supergroup’s first album is unabashedly about celebrating their friendship; just very honest, raw songs about being in love with each other. Their chemistry is apparent on this press run, and jumps off the screen in the Kristen Stewart-directed film of songs “$20”, “Emily I’m Sorry”, and “True Blue”. The Record gets more rewarding with each listen and could end up high on the AOTY list.
Get Vinyl: Black Vinyl | Blue Vinyl | Silver Vinyl | Target Orange Swirl Vinyl
The Murder Capital - Gigi’s Recovery | Irish post-punk quintet The Murder Capital have created an exciting second album that doubles as a cathartic experience. James McGovern’s intense voice, the dueling guitars, and spooky pianos create plenty of crescendos throughout Gigi’s Recovery. Album highlights include “Crying”, “Return Your Head”, “Ethel”, and the title track.
Larry June and The Alchemist - The Great Escape | The Alchemist has been a cheat code the last few years, producing hit record after hit record with an all star roster including Freddie Gibbs, Armand Hammer, Roc Marciano, and Boldy James. Now matched with San Francisco’s Larry June, The Great Escape is smooth West Coast funk with features galore: Action Bronson, Ty Dolla $ign, Wiz Khalifa, Joey Bada$$, Slum Village, to name a few. With this and 2022’s Spaceships on the Blade, Larry June has leveled up and it’s exciting to witness.
Get Vinyl: The Great Escape black vinyl | Spaceships on the Blade colored vinyl (out next Friday April 14)
The PAST Exhibit
Ten songs from a previous year get inducted into The Wax Museum Hall of Fame. The following albums are all vinyl collection essentials.
2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | This week is 2018
♫ Full Hall of Fame Playlist: Spotify / Apple ♫
The 1975 - “Love It If We Made It” | A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships - “Love It If We Made It” is doom-scrolling in song form by Matty Healy and company. This state-of-the-union address for our fucked up world might as well have been written yesterday. Looking at the lyrics, nothings changed in five years as we stare down the barrel of a Trump vs Biden rematch:
“I moved on her like a bitch!” / Excited to be indicted / Unrequited house with seven pools / "Thank you Kanye, very cool!" / The war has been incited / And guess what, you're all invited / And you're famous / Modernity has failed us.
MGMT - “Little Dark Age” | Little Dark Age - Groovy number by MGMT that really nails the timelessness I’m trying to achieve with this Hall of Fame, as it manages to be both retro and futuristic. Bonus points for the harpsichord solo!
Let’s Eat Grandma - “Falling Into Me” | I’m All Ears - UK teens (at the time) Let’s Eat Grandma packs “Falling Into Me” with layers of bass and synths and guitars and even a saxophone solo across this trippy six minute rocketship. Be sure to give “Hot Pink” a listen from this album as well.
Pusha T - “If You Know You Know” | DAYTONA - DAYTONA was the first of five albums produced by Kanye West in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the spring of 2018. A new seven-track album was released every week, including Ye, Kids See Ghosts, Nas’ Nasir, and Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E..
This was my favorite of the five, featuring Pusha T in his zone, waxing poetic about the crack game on top of Kanye’s sample rich production.
Pusha pulls no punches, most notably on closer “Infrared” by attacking Drake for having ghostwriters and Lil Wayne for going through the motions being trapped in Birdman’s Cash Money contract. Birdman and Lil Wayne eventually settled their long dispute a few months after being embarrassed in DAYTONA.
In December 2022, Pusha left his job as president at Kanye’s GOOD Music label due to Ye’s antisemitic and “White Lives Matter” statements. He’s since started his own label, the Heir Wave Music Group, and you can bet it won’t be anything like Cash Money.
Kamasi Washington - “Street Fighter Mas” | Heaven and Earth - You just feel cooler after listening to “Street Fighter Mas” by the tenor saxophone wizard Kamasi Washington. Heaven and Earth is two and a half hours of contemporary jazz funk. The 5 LP vinyl box set is worth noting for a secret LP hidden in the package; this LP The Choice features an additional 40 minutes of music, culminating in a gorgeous rendition of The Five Stairsteps’ “Ooh Child”.
The Beths - “Future Me Hates Me” | Future Me Hates Me - The debut album by New Zealand indie rock band The Beths is heavy on the energy and attitude. Aside from the title track, be sure to give “You Wouldn’t Like Me”, “Not Running”, and “Little Death” your time as well.
Kendrick Lamar, SZA - “All The Stars” | Black Panther The Album - “All The Stars” is the lead single of the Kendrick Lamar-produced Black Panther soundtrack, which may go down as one of the best soundtracks in history. The chorus here is an uplifting call to action to embrace our inner strength and achieve our wildest dreams.
illuminati hotties - (You’re Better) Than Ever | Kiss Yr Frenemies - illuminati hotties are a Los Angeles indie band created and fronted by Sarah Tudzin, who also engineered boygenius’ The Record. Their debut album Kiss Yr Frenemies is filled with pop hooks and catchy fun lyrics. Excited to see them at Pitchfork Festival in a few months!
Migos - “Stir Fry” | Culture II - Hip hop trio (now duo, RIP to TakeOff) Migos’ Culture II is a double album consisting of 24 tracks and a stunning amount of guest collaborators. “Stir Fry” is the highlight, featuring a Pharrell beat he made a decade earlier intended for T.I., but Migos was in the right place right time and they created a grease fire of a hit that won’t be forgotten.
Car Seat Headrest - “Bodys” | Twin Fantasy - Frenetic, pulse-pounding stream of consciousness banger from lo-fi rockers Car Seat Headrest. Great song about teenage love, drunken dancing, and the anxiety and awkwardness of it all.
The RABBIT HOLE Exhibit
Get sucked down the pop culture rabbit hole with new recommendations each week.
📺 Videos from all trips can be found here. Shuffle for optimal enjoyment. 🔀
Cycles | While listening to the newest Alchemist joint The Great Escape, I was reminded of this short film he scored called CYCLES by Jason Goldwatch. This 16 minute montage is a psychedelic acid trip through life on and off Earth. I loved every second of it and here’s hoping we get blessed with more Alchemist film soundtracks.
ARTICLE - Inside Donald Glover’s New Creative Playground by Mark Anthony Green in GQ: Nice longread about what Donald Glover’s been doing since Atlanta finished. The Renaissance man has purchased a large farm in Ojai, California that he’s converting into his new production company/incubator/cultural library. He’s also looking to give standup one more try, which is very welcome news.
DOCUMENTARY - The Legacy of J Dilla: J Dilla emerged in the mid-1990s underground Detroit hip hop scene as a cofounder of the group Slum Village, who we mentioned earlier on The Great Escape. His death in 2006 at age 32 was a shock to the music world. This new doc by the New York Times charts his influential career, as well as the battle over his legacy between his family and the executors of his estate. Watch starting Friday, April 6 on FX and Hulu.
THE MASTERS: Hello friends, it’s Masters week! Break out the pimento cheese sandwiches and the Arnold Palmers (John Dalys if you want to add vodka) for golf’s Super Bowl. You can watch The Masters completely free Thursday to Sunday at Masters.com and CBSSports.com. To get you in the mood, here’s arguably one of the most famous golf shots in history.
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Vinyl giveaway from my personal collection to a paid subscriber.
Thank you for visiting The Wax Museum. New trips every Wax Wednesday!
Before you go, if you would like to support my Vinyl on Sale deal Twitter and this newsletter, I'd love for you to subscribe! As an added bonus, you’ll be put in the running for a new vinyl giveaway each month.
The winner will be picked THIS WEEK, and will chose one of four vinyl. You will be contacted via the email you signed up with. There’s only a few paid subscribers so far; your odds will never be better!
These vinyl are all AUTOGRAPHED, sealed, and have long sold out.
Alvvays - Blue Rev | This Newbury Comics exclusive was limited to /300 and signed by the whole band.
Magdalena Bay - Mercurial World | Deluxe edition pressed on silver with black swirl "mercury" colored vinyl, limited to /500 and autographed by the duo.
Alex G - God Save The Animals | The album that landed on plenty of Best Of 2022 lists, signed by Alex G.
Soccer Mommy - Sometimes, Forever | Limited edition pink splatter vinyl with a signed postcard by Sophie Allison.
Thanks for visiting fill out a comment card on the way out, and we’ll see ya next Wednesday!
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