Tomorrow, April 21st, 2012 marks the third Saturday in April, which to music lovers and connoisseurs means the now-hallowed Record Store Day. Founded to try and combat corporate take-over of local music retail establishments and drive consumers back to the brick-and-mortar establishments that have been a mainstay in indie culture since the 1960’s, Record Store Day has never been bigger and never included so many varied artists. The releases are all exclusives that can only be found in participating stores, so check the official website to see which ones closest to you will host the day’s activities and carry these titles.
Below you can find Glide Magazine’s Top 10 releases for Record Store Day. We’d love to hear your thoughts, comments and your own personal favorites in our comment section below. See you bright and early tomorrow morning!
The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends 2LP
Never to be outdone, experiential dream rock group The Flaming Lips have teamed up with a star-studded group of fellow musicians for their Record Store Day exclusive. The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends is a limited-edition, multi-colored double LP featuring collaborations with the likes of Yoko Ono, Bon Iver, My Morning Jacket, Nick Cave, Neon Indian, Erykah Badu and more. Supposedly there will only be one pressing of the set, so this is absolutely one of the must-have items for the year. Check out Chris Martin of Coldplay with the Flaming Lips to preview the record below:
Beach House – Lazuli 7”
Baltimore-based dream pop duo Beach House is set to release their fourth album Bloom via Sub Pop Records on May 15, but they’re offering a beautiful blue vinyl 7” of their new single “Lazuli” with the vinyl-only b-side “Equal Mind,” and it’s limited to 2,400 copies. Stream the first single from Bloom, “Myth,” below:
Sara Watkins & The Everly Brothers – Split 7”
Warner Bros. Records introduced the “Side by Side” vinyl series last year, where they pair up contemporary artists on their roster with iconic influences from the past, performing the same song. This year, they’re offering a split 7” with the Everly Brothers’ classic “You’re The One I Love” and then Sara Watkins’ reinterpretation of the track, with Fiona Apple on guest vocals. The song will be featured on Watkins’ upcoming full-length album, Sun Midnight Sun, available later this spring. Listen to a track from that album, “When It Pleases You,” below:
Destroyer – Rubies (double-LP reissue)
Destroyer‘s Rubies will be released on vinyl for the first time in the US tomorrow. The double-LP reissue will be pressed in limited quantities on ruby red vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day and will include a free download of the entire album. Side 3 features “Loscil’s Rubies,” a 20-minute bonus track remixed by Scott Morgan, who also remixed the bonus tracks on 2011‘s Kaputt double-LP. Listen to “3000 Flowers” from Rubies below:
The White Stripes – “Hand Springs/Red Death at 6:14” 7”
As they’ve done previously with earlier Record Store Day iterations, record company Third Man will re-release two stand-alone songs from the White Stripes’ early days. Both from the year 2000, “Hand Springs” was originally released with The Dirtbombs, and “Red Death at 6:14” was on the Jack White-produced “Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit compilation. The 7” will come in black-and-red swirled vinyl.
Tegan & Sara – Get Along (White 12" LP)
In late 2011, Canadian-based folk/rock duo Tegan & Sara released their first full-length live album, Get Along, which featured severely stripped-down versions of songs that spanned their entire catalog, such as old favorite “Divided,” hit singles “Back in Your Head” and “Alligator” and live gems “Monday Monday Monday” and “The Ocean.” For the first time, however, they’re releasing this live disc stand-alone from the accompanying DVD, and printing it on white vinyl. Check out a track from the album, “I Won’t Be Left,” below:
St. Vincent – Krokodil (Red Vinyl 7”)
While the somber pop sheen of much of St. Vincent’s last release Strange Mercy mixed with her grasp of irony and lyricism added a delightfully sinister charm to the songs, rarely do we get to see Annie Clark wail and let loose. On this single, she offers two non-album tracks, “Krokodil” and “Grot” that showcase her impressive guitar skills and demonstrate a side to her artistry that will be fairly new to many. Watch her perform “Krokodil” from last week’s Coachella as she crowd-surfs:
Ryan Adams – “Heartbreaker a Stranger” (7” Colored Vinyl)
Late last year, Ryan Adams joined a star-studded group to perform at LA’s lovely Disney Concert Hall in tribute to Bob Mould’s musical legacy. There, he performed two Bob covers that will see their release tomorrow on this split 7” single: “Heartbreaker a Stranger,” and a re-worked and thoughtfully re-shaped version “Black Sheets of Rain.” Watch him perform “Heartbreaker a Stranger” from that show in LA below:
LCD Soundsystem – “Losing My Edge” 12”
The groundbreaking and utterly infectious debut single from the now defunct LCD Soundsystem, “Losing My Edge,” is getting a glorious reissue for tomorrow’s Record Store Day, and it’ll be the first time the song is available in a picture sleeve. For more LCD Soundsystem goodness, check out the trailer for “Shut Up and Play the Hits,” a film about the band that screened earlier this year at South By Southwest:
Sinead O’Connor – How About I Be Me (And You Be You?) (LP)
Earlier this year, Sinead O’Connor released an incredibly impressive studio album amidst a flurry of controversy (big surprise!) that sadly dulled the impact of the record. For tomorrow, O’Connor will put out the excellent How About I Be Me (And You Be You?) on vinyl for the first time, and hopefully will gain a few new fans to hear this great album. Listen to some of the songs from that album below, courtesy of One Little Indian Records:
