Vinyl Collective

We are excited to announce that on May 26th, we will be re-releasing Kay Kay and His Weathered Undergound’s debut self-titled album. The groundbreaking first album will see release for the first time on CD as well as a repress on vinyl. This re-release will happen in time for the band’s upcoming tour with Mewithoutyou and Dear Hunter.

When we originally released this album in early 2008, we had decided to release the album on vinyl only. The band had no cares to have their album released on CD and were absolutely excited about releasing their album on vinyl before any other format. That first pressing is pretty much out of print. We figured that this album was so incredible that everyone should have a copy whether they collect vinyl or not. I have always likened them to what the Beatles might have sounded like if they had grown up in the Seattle indie rock scene, but even that description doesn’t completely explain the depth of what they do. This record defies classification, genre pigeonholing, or band comparisons. It is just fucking brilliant. I ask that no matter what kind of music you listen to, please give it a listen.

Check out an mp3 from the album, the song is called “Hey Momma”. You can download it as an mp3 here.

The sometimes 13 piece band from Seattle started around the time Gatsby’s American Dream were calling it quits. Kirk and Kyle from Gatsbys had already begun writing songs that would later become Kay Kay during some of Gatsby’s final tours. Since the release of this ablum, the band has built a great following in Seattle, been on tour with Rx Bandits and Portugal the Man, and even performed on the Carson Daly show.

The gatefold artwork on the vinyl has been updated with a beautiful center-fold collage. The CD packaging promises to be one of the greatest CD packages we have ever released. I am so excited to re-introduce the world to such a brilliant band.

We will be posting pre-orders for the re-releases on Tuesday, April 28th.

During the Only Thunder / Revenge tour, the band got snowed in on their way to Casper which lead to a second date in Denver. During this 2nd night, both bands performed covers with their good friend Nick Krier (from the excellent band, Mustangs and Madras) on vocals. Only Thunder performed “Unsung”, a Helmet Cover and The Revenge performed “New Noise” by Refused. Both covers are excellent and Nick did a great job on guest vocals. You can even see Andy Thomas out front singing along which leads me to ask, who was playing drums?

Our friend Geoff Allen shot the videos, he has a lot of other great videos from Austin Lucas, Chuck Ragan, Mike Hale, Gaslight Anthem and more. Check them out here.

We’re finally getting back on the podcasting horse over here at VC. You may have caught some of the recent Under The Influence Podcasts, if you haven’t there is a streaming player below with all of them. However, the best podcasting duo ever have been reunited. Justin has returned from luthier school (according to Andy he was training to be a Buddhist monk in the Alps) and the two finally sat down to record a full new podcast. They’ll be bringing you tracks from records that we carry here at VC such as Fear Before, Minor Threat, Mastodon, and many more. It’s a great way to get a preview. You can stream it directly from the player below or ever better subscribe to our feed in iTunes. That way you’ll get the episodes directly delivered to you. Just click on the VC Podcast button below and iTunes will fire up.

Vinyl Collective Podcast

Under The Influence Podcast

Subscribe in iTunes

YOUNG WIDOWS / MELT-BANANA split 7″ (YW 7″ series)

VOLUME 2! (up 3rd is Pelican!!!)
Following on the heels of their breakthrough, “Old Wounds”, Young Widows have assembled an all-killer-no-filler split single series of four 7-inch singles, accompanied by a handful of favorite friends and artists on the flip of each release. Those artists include Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Melt-Banana, Pelican, and a final mystery artist to be named later. All songs are new and exclusive to this series, and each single is limited to a one-time pressing of 2,000 copies. The artwork fits together to form one large puzzled image. This is the first single, with Bonnie “Prince” Billy.

We should have copies by mid May.

CONOR OBERST AND THE MYSTIC VALLEY BAND “outer south” dbl LP (w/ mp3s)

While touring in support of last year’s debut “Conor Oberst”, Conor and The Mystic Valley Band began writing new songs. The result is the first album credited to this group. Oberst’s songwriting and delivery remain an engaging presence, but the addition of songs by Taylor Hollingsworth, Nik Freitas, and Jason Boesel make for a multi-textured and colorful collaboration. The Mystic Valley band also includes Macey Taylor and Nathaniel Walcott.

Pre-order will arrive the first week of May.

Another excellent tour video from Joey, Jon, and Chad. This time, the tour brings them to Munich where they have a fantastic show with an amazing turnout. People are singing along (so loudly, sometimes they don’t even have to sing), Snodgrass gets a great shower, and everyone seems to be having a blast. Snodgrass is actually home and he said he is counting the days til he goes back sometime this fall.

HARVEY MILK “Life… the Best Game in Town” dbl LP black vinyl
HARVEY MILK “Life… the Best Game in Town” dbl LP red rocket pink vinyl
HARVEY MILK “Life… the Best Game in Town” dbl LP silt vinyl
HARVEY MILK “Life… the Best Game in Town” dbl LP white w/ purple haze vinyl
XASTHUR “All Reflections Drained” dbl LP black vinyl
XASTHUR “All Reflections Drained” dbl LP red vinyl

Descriptions from our friends at Hydra Head:

Fast forward to the here and, like, now, and Harvey Milk are celebrating their own renaissance by lauding the virtues of Life… the Best Game In Town. Spearheaded by the alternately burly and angelic vocal stylings of Milk mastermind Creston Spiers, Life… is both tumultuous and grueling, resonating with the glorious slow-motion radiance of Total Dirge Power. In layman’s terms: Yet another classic. Oh, and did we mention that they’ve since been joined by legend Joe Preston? Well, they totally have.

All Reflections Drained is just another step in Xasthur’s slowly evolving descent into psychic isolation and misanthropic bleak darkness. All of the usual symphonic contempt is present; bordering on blurred misery and solitary beauty. Recorded in 2007/08, All Reflections Drained marks yet another crucial transition for Xasthur, with the inclusion of guest vocalist M.H., but to say it is the next logical step would be an uneducated statement. Malefic’s musical progression is as reclusive and unsettling as the man himself, and thats a good thing. Any attempt to rationalize Xasthur’s extensive catalogue is simply an exercise in dissonance. This music is agony, not entertainment.

GREEN DAY “Insomniac!” LP

With all these Green Day reissues on vinyl, not only does it bring me back to a time in place that I remember fondly, but it also reminds me of how much of a dumbass I was. You see, when this album originally came out in 1995, Green Day had become one of the biggest bands out of nowhere and becoming that successful in Punk Rock was very taboo. In the mid to late 90′s (and probably even earlier), being a fan of punk rock meant you could not like bands that became commercially successful. If a band signed to a major or had a big hit single on radio, the band was considered a sellout. When Dookie came out in 1993/94, this was my first exposure to punk rock (I was a college freshman) and I ate it up. 2 years later, I considered myself a veteran punk rocker and therefor could not like Green Day. I know, I know, this was a fucking stupid mindset, but because I was brainwashed as such, I could not like Insomniac no matter how great the album was. Even today, I couldn’t tell you what songs are on this album and thanks to this re-issue, I will be listening to this album with fresh ears and maybe a little smarter.

How do you feel “Insomniac” holds up to Green Day’s other albums? Having a bit of a Green Day gap in listening, my favorites are Kerplunk, then Dookie, then probably American Idiot.

This is a pre-order, we shoudl have copies by mid May.

WILCO “Summerteeth” 180 gram double LP w/ CD
WILCO “Being There” 180 gram double LP w/ CD
WILCO “A.M” 180 gram LP + CD

I became a big Wilco fan as many did with the release of Yankee Foxtrot Hotel and the book and documentary that followed the making of this unbelievable album. I became a fan again when they released “Sky Blue Sky” which could be my favorite Wilco album. I will admit that I don’t know these earlier records as much, but I am excited to check them out with the re-release of these three albums on wax (180 gram plus CD). Any suggestions which one I should start with? We expect these pre-orders the first week of June/late May. Complete your Wilco collections with these records.

NEKO CASE “Middle Cyclone” 180 gram double LP

I absolutely love Neko Case, and this new album could be my favorite which is tough to proclaim since so many of her albums are absolutely amazing. Her voice is out of this world and the songs are just so good. I remember seeing her years and years ago because I was a big fan of her singing on the New Pornographers “Mass Romantic” and I was blown away by her solo material. Since that time, she has gotten better and better. This new album is finally coming out on vinyl, Anti is putting it out as a 180 gram double LP. We expect to have copies around the middle of June so please keep that in mind when purchasing available items with this pre-order.

Also note that I will shortly be posting pre-orders for the Wilco vinyl re-issues.