Thursday, November 9, 2023

R.E.M. – Reveal and Accelerate [Vinyl Reissues]

It’s certainly been a great year to be an R.E.M. fan. Along with the extensive 25th anniversary reissue of 1998’s Up (their first post-Berry album) going on right now and all of the extra love given to “Strange Currencies” (from 1994’s Monster) during season two of FX/Hulu’s The Bear this summer, we also got an incredible reissue campaign from the band’s partnership with Craft Recordings that generated a quartet of late-era reissues on high quality, 180-gram vinyl: 2001’s Reveal, 2004’s Around the Sun, 2008’s Accelerate, and 2011’s Collapse into Now. I’ve previously published my reviews of the Around the Sun and Collapse into Now reissues, so now it’s time to get into Reveal and Accelerate

Back in the 2000-2001 era of the band, R.E.M. was undoubtedly in a creatively transformative period that saw the still-settling trio fearlessly evolve their sound with more synthetic textures and even more sun-kissed, California cool melodies and background vocals than they had ever played with before. Reception was somewhat mixed on Reveal's thoroughly inspired singles – “Imitation of Life,” “All The Way to Reno (You’re Gonna Be a Star),” and I’ll Take the Rain” – and, on paper at least, the LP seemed to fare a bit better internationally than it did in the states. Those looking for a more typical “R.E.M. rock” sound may have been initially disappointed in the joyously chill summer vibes of Reveal, but one need look no further than the band’s triumphant return to MTV Unplugged in May of 2001 to hear how harmoniously wonderful the Reveal tracks dance alongside the rest of their catalog: Their delicious one-two opener of “All the Way to Reno” into New Adventures in Hi-Fi’s “Electrolite” and “Imitation of Life” being sandwiched between ‘80s and ‘90s favorites like “Cuyahoga” and “Find the River” are two incredible examples of this from the Unplugged setlist. 

By the time the band started writing and recording what would become Accelerate in 2007, their impressively-honed instincts were drawing them to revisit some of the rowdier, less-polished corners of their sonic roots. With both the writing and recording stages proceeding at a much quicker clip than they had in decades, the resulting songs feel absolutely turbo-charged with energy and enthusiasm. Physical singles were released for the beautifully buzzy “Supernatural Superserious,” the slow-burn singalong “Hollow Man,” and the bass-forward ecstasy-inducing “Man-Sized Wreath.” The first two even included a pair of wildly tasty Beat Happening covers as b-sides: “Red Head Walking” on the former and “Indian Summer” on the latter. Much like the live Unplugged setting helped to showcase the new Reveal tracks back in 2001, their absolutely jaw-dropping episode of PBS’ Austin City Limits certainly highlighted how the new Accelerate songs not only played extremely well in a live setting but also blended effortlessly with so many songs from their quintessentially college rock back catalog: “Fall on Me,” “So. Central Rain,” and the 1986-outtake-turned-2003-greatest-hits-cut “Bad Day” just to name a few. (Side note: Guys, we seriously appreciate the Austin City Limits DVD release but please silencing the deafening wails inside us that long for a vinyl pressing of this arrestingly great performance to enjoy as an album.

As with this year’s previous reissues of Around the Sun and Collapse into Now, Craft’s 180-gram repressings of Reveal and Accelerate look – but most importantly sound – seriously amazing. All four of these reissues have been handled with such a level of care and quality that make them all worth picking up – a fact made even more evident to me by the lush sonic expanse found on this pressing of Accelerate (especially compared to the original CD version that my ears have been most used to hearing since its initial release). Both Reveal and Accelerate come in single-sleeve, side-open jackets with a lyrics-and-liners printed insert (paper for Reveal and glossier, thicker stock for Accelerate) and much-welcomed, plastic-lined inner sleeves. Both of my vinyl discs were extremely clean of any surface noise (or even any manufacturing dust) and honestly sound so good. Shout out to Memphis Records Pressing for a stellar job on all four reissues. Once again, Craft has done an amazing job partnering with R.E.M. for these reissues and I’m always so thrilled to not only upgrade my older album copies but to also have an elevated listening experience. I highly recommend grabbing a copy of these (especially Accelerate) while they are still available. 

Along with the standard black version from Craft, the band also released a limited edition sky blue variant of Reveal and a black/white marble variant of Accelerate on their website. 

Here’s a helpful link to multiple purchase options for all four reissues: https://found.ee/rem-lpreissues 

(P.S. – Seriously, can we get that Austin City Limits episode as a full album release one day, gents?!?)

Friday, August 25, 2023

Basil Poledouris – Starship Troopers [Vinyl Debut]

When Starship Troopers was released in the late fall of 1997, it quickly became one of the most critically polarizing films of the 1990s. The futuristic sci-fi action film (set in the 2200s but based on a 1959 book) was a super-stylized, CGI-heavy “us vs. aliens” visual spectacle that ended up generating most of its headlines for the “is it social commentary or satire” discourse that plagued its initial roll-out and reception. While it didn’t fare all that well at the ’97-’98 box office, it ended up becoming a bit of a cult classic that spawned a surprising amount of sequels and spin-offs. 

One of the inarguable things Starship Troopers did get absolutely right was the music, as one can experience for themselves with the thrilling Basil Poledouris film score finally making its vinyl debut from Varése Sarabande and Craft Recordings. Prior to Starship Troopers, Poledouris was most well-known for his composition work on films like Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn, The Hunt for Red October, Free Willy, and his Emmy-winning work on Lonesome Dove. For Starship Troopers, he once again worked with director Paul Verhoeven – a familiar creative partnership as the duo had previously worked together on Flesh & Blood and RoboCop (for which Poledouris won his first of three BMI Film Music Awards). 

Much as he did with RoboCop (where he blended orchestral instrumentation with digital synths to evoke the cybernetic nature of Murphy/RoboCop), Poledouris found guiding inspiration within the film’s framework – most notably anchoring the villainous Arachnids around heavy drums and percussion, while also elevating the overall grand spectacle of the project with a hugely ambitious symphonic score recorded by the 97-member Hollywood Studio Symphony. Almost 30 separate musical cues appear on the soundtrack, including the unforgettable bombast of “Klendathu Drop,” the emotionally-charged back-to-back pairing of “Dizzy’s Death” and “Dizzy’s Funeral,” and the rousing 10-minutes-plus “End Titles.” Also appearing on this release is the song “Into It” by Poledouris’ daughter, Zoe Poledouris, who performed the song (along with a cover of David Bowie’s “I Have Not Been to Oxford Town”) in the film’s prom scene. 

This new deluxe edition of Poledouris’ Starship Troopers score from Varese Sarabande has some really great bonuses that make it more than worth your purchase. Right off the bat, its notable to mention that this is the first time it has been pressed to vinyl (in both classic black and a limited edition “Blood & Bug Juice” red/orange marble). The gorgeous gatefold packaging features some really stellar original art from Malachi Ward and I love the distressed accents throughout making it feel like a pulpy, old sci-fi paperback. (Ward’s fantastic artwork is also presented in a standalone fold-out poster that’s included). The interior also features a couple new liner note essays from director Paul Verhoeven and Zoe Poledouris. I was really impressed not only with the sonic quality of the pressing and the striking physicality of the packaging, but also in the thoughtfulness put into all the details of the new original art, liner notes, and poster. Don't miss this stunning release!

Starship Troopers can be ordered directly from Varése Sarabande here: https://varesesarabande.com/products/starship-troopers-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-deluxe-edition-2lp-black-vinyl






Friday, July 21, 2023

John P. Strohm – “This American Lie” [Music Video]

You may remember John P. Strohm from college rock favorites Blake Babies, his time in The Lemonheads, or as frontman of Antenna and Velo-Deluxe. He also released a trio of solo albums across the mid-to-late ‘90s and 2000s. Strohm has recently prepped his fourth solo album (his first in 15 years) – Something to Look Forward To – for a September 29 release on Propeller Sound Recordings (home to artists like Dex Romweber, the dB’s, Love Tractor, and others). 

Something to Look Forward To has been described as being “shaped by life-altering loss and the subsequent reawakening of Strohm’s voice as a songwriter.” It was most deeply inspired by the passing of his close friend and fellow Antenna bandmate Ed Ackerson, who contributed to a handful of the album’s tracks. (You can read Strohm's touching Talkhouse piece on his relationship with Ackerman here: https://www.talkhouse.com/something-to-look-forward-to/). The album also features Strohm’s versatile musicianship across a variety of instruments – guitar, bass, drums, organ, keys, banjo – and boasts an impressive guest list: drummer Marshall Vore and bassist Harrison Whitford (both members of Phoebe Bridgers’ band) and singer-songwriters Erin Rae, Courtney Marie Andrews, and Kate Tucker as harmony vocalists. 

Ahead of the September 29 release of Something to Look Forward To, Strohm is debuting a new lyric video for “This American Lie,” the album’s second single. On the melodically melancholic ballad, Strohm’s vocals, acoustic, bass, and drums provide the lion’s share of the wistful musical mood. The track is further elevated by Ackerson’s ornamental keys, Alex Yaker’s underpinned piano, and Courtney Marie Andrews’ stellar background vocals. 


Something To Look Forward To can be preordered on CD and limited edition vinyl from Propellor Sound Recordings here: https://propellersoundrecordings.com/collections/pre-order-john-p-strohm-something-to-look-forward-to



Thursday, July 20, 2023

R.E.M. – Around the Sun [Vinyl Reissue]

Once again partnering with Craft Recordings, R.E.M. is reissuing a quartet of late-era reissues on high quality, 180-gram vinyl: 2011’s Collapse into Now and 2004’s Around the Sun (both out July 14), as well as 2001’s Reveal and 2008’s Accelerate (both out August 25). 

2004 was certainly an interesting year to be an R.E.M. fan. While news that the band was in the process of recording what would become their thirteenth studio album (Around the Sun) was swirling about, they graciously tided fans over by releasing one of the best concert films of their career, Perfect Square. Recorded the prior year at an outdoor summer show in Wiesbaden, Germany, Perfect Square is an incredible snapshot of the band’s impressive ability to retain global rockstar status in their post-Berry iteration. It certainly helped that the Perfect Square setlist was not only rich with older favorites (for example, opening with a fantastic ‘80s-‘90s one-two punch of “Begin the Begin” into “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?”) and updated classics (“Country Feedback” getting a stunning Peter Buck guitar solo and Michael Stipe peppering it with lyrics from Reveal’s “Chorus and the Ring”), but the cinematography of the day-into-night, “on the green” setting was a visually remarkable cherry on top. At the time, it certainly helped to drum up additional excitement for their forthcoming album as well. 

Then, as Around the Sun was being prepped for a fall release, the mid-tempo piano ballad “Leaving New York” was released as an early single to a surprisingly lackluster response. In fact, here in the states at least, “Leaving New York” received minimal radio play and became their first lead single from an album to not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart since 1985’s Fables of the Reconstruction. (It should be noted, however, that the song still became a Top 5 hit in the UK). Subsequent Around the Sun singles – the equally piano-heavy “Aftermath,” the trippy synths of “Electron Blue,” and the Beatles-like mix-metered bounce of “Wanderlust” – all faired the same; mid-level charting in the UK and veritable crickets in the US. Overall, critics didn’t much seem to know what exactly to make of the album. In later years, even the band themselves have been pretty blunt in their own assessments, with Stipe recalling that “in the process of recording, we lost our focus as a band” and Buck admonishing that it “wasn’t really listenable” because it was made by “a bunch of people that are so bored with the material that they can’t stand it anymore.” 

With all due respect to the band, Around the Sun has always been an “agree to disagree” situation with me because I think the album is packed with beautifully vulnerable songwriting moments and a charming, pro-level hand of restraint in the sonic coloring. As Perfect Square evidenced, the band still knew exactly how and when to crank into their singularly transcendent rock-modes and create idiosyncratic guitar-and-bass interplay riffing like few else. They had a celebrated two-decades-and-counting back catalog of it to pull inspiration from at any time. What they didn’t have yet was an album that managed to fully harness the confidence and ability to be intoxicatingly drifting and meditative without veering into aimlessness – which was exactly what many critics at the time failed to allow Around the Sun to be. As soon as Accelerate came out four years later, a general sigh of relief and chorus of “yes, they still got it” accompanied the well-deserved praise for that album’s genius (but that’s a story for another review). 

What this new 2023 vinyl repress of the long out-of-print Around the Sun might allow for is a collective reassessment of the album’s stunning vulnerability and self-assured meandering. While the original 2004 pressing of Around the Sun was already thankfully spread across two discs, the new 180-gram upgrade wonderfully grounds the sonic mix even further. Stipe’s vocals still feel securely nestled into the instrumental beds without getting muddied, and many of the piano and synth textures somehow feel a bit sharper. There was no remixing or remastering done for these reissues, but there’s definitely something about the vinyl quality that elevates the album’s overall sonic presence – especially in the background vocals of tracks like “Boy in the Well” and album closer “Around the Sun.” Once again, the impressive attention-to-detail work on the physical vinyl by Memphis Records and Kevin Gray of Coherent Audio can’t be overstated. The stalwart gatefold packaging feels nice and solid for the double-disc presentation, and the minimalist vibe of the cover art (subliminally echoing Stipe’s “lost our focus” assessment) carries through to the black-and-white, lyric-emblazoned printed sleeves. Overall, the stark-yet-sturdy production checks all the boxes; impressive
physicality without any gilded razzle-dazzle. Again, the most appreciated value to this welcomed and worthy reissue is the superb vinyl quality upgrade. 

Along with the standard black version from Craft, the band also released a limited edition opaque white variant on their website. 

Here’s a helpful link to multiple purchase options for all four reissues: https://found.ee/rem-lpreissues






Friday, July 14, 2023

R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now [Vinyl Reissue]

It goes without saying that 2011 was a deeply bittersweet year for R.E.M. fans. The highs of getting a brand new album (Collapse Into Now, their fifteenth studio album overall) bottomed out just six months later when the legendary outfit finally called it a day. But where Michael Stipe’s charming wave on the Collapse Into Now cover turned out to be a fittingly farewell gesture back in 2011, it has now transformed into a bit of a reconnective greeting as it adorns the 2023 vinyl repress of the long out-of-print album. This year the band has once again partnered with Craft Recordings for a run of high quality, 180-gram vinyl represses of a quartet of their post-Berry-era releases, including Collapse Into Now and 2004’s Around the Sun (both out July 14), as well as 2001’s Reveal and 2008’s Accelerate (both out August 25).

As far as final albums go, Collapse Into Now proved to be an incredibly strong closing statement from the band. The energetic back-to-back album kickoff of “Discoverer” and “All the Best” contain all of the best elements of the band’s singular magic – Stipe’s peerless vocal swagger, Peter Buck’s enchantingly buzzy guitar riffs, Mike Mills’ foundation-rattling bass and duet-like background vocals, and invitationally singalong choruses – seamlessly woven together in familiar-yet-still-fresh arrangements. The three commercially-released singles from the album – “Mine Smell Like Honey,” “Überlin,” and “Oh My Heart” – all have their own apropos sonic signatures, with the latter’s enduring timelessness being evidenced by its prominent placement last year in an episode of one of the most popular television show’s of the moment, Hulu’s The Bear. Collapse Into Now is also notable for boasting one of R.E.M.’s most robust guest lists – featuring incredible musical contributions from Patti Smith, Eddie Vedder, Lenny Kaye, Peaches, Joel Gibb, and others (including a robust horn section on a couple songs).

The first thing about the 2023 repress of Collapse Into Now that sets it above its original 2011 pressing is the quality of the 180-gram vinyl. You can not only feel the heavier weight when pulling it out of the sleeve, but also the sonic presence of the tracks feel more crisp and cohesive. The meticulous attention given to the vinyl album itself – cut by Kevin Gray of Coherent Audio and pressed at Memphis Records – comes through in both its physical feel and aural brilliance. The packaging is unembellished but certainly reliable enough; featuring a standard side-open jacket, white poly-lined inner sleeve, and single-page monochrome lyrical/liner printed insert. As far as standard reissues go, the impressive leveling up of the actual vinyl (both in physical durability and sonic quality) is worth the price of admission alone. Along with the standard black version from Craft, the band also released a “Milky Clear” variant on their website (limited to 1,000 copies).   
 
Here’s a helpful link to multiple purchase options for all four reissueshttps://found.ee/rem-lpreissues






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