LWA Blog

This week's Record of the Week, courtesy of the Randomizer, is Rush's 1981 release, Moving Pictures. This excellent 2019 reissue is what's on my turntable this morning.  What to say, what to say, what to say. These guys have helped soundtrack my journey for a very long time. I still remember the day me and Jim S. were hanging out, riding bikes. We were about 12 or 13, in junior high school. We ended up at his house and he says let's listen to some of my brother's records. He disappears for a moment and returns with an armful. The first...

Welcome to the long (Memorial Day) weekend edition of Record of the Week. This week's album (brought to you by the Randomizer, of course) is iamamiwhoami's 2012 release, Kin. This version is the one on my turntable this morning.  If you're unfamiliar with iamamiwhoami, this album is a trip. It's electronic and it walks a line between experimental and accessible pop, while dipping into ambient at times. I found out about it just before it released, via the series of videos that were dropped every couple weeks leading up to the album. It was totally cryptic, nobody knew the identity of the...

Welcome to this week's edition of Record of the Week. Somehow, we're out here still rollin' along. This week, the Randomizer serves up a 1981 classic, The Police's Ghost in the Machine. This is the copy that's on my turntable as I'm typing this out. I picked this up for $7 during lockdown when I decided to make it my mission to get all the Police records for less than $10/each. I only remember because the sticker is still on it. So, yeah, shout out to Econo Jam Records in Oakland who played a big role in completing my mission. They...

Welcome to this week's edition of Record of the Week. This week, the Randomizer serves up a 2020 EP, Phoebe Bridgers' Copycat Killer. This is the copy that's on my turntable today. My copy is actually a 2021 reissue, the original sold out super quick and I was too slow on the trigger. Thankfully, it was given another pressing and I was able to grab this one.  This EP collects 4 songs from her album, Punisher (released in the summer of 2020), and reimagines them with strings. I haven't listened to this in a while, I like these versions well enough...

Welcome back to Record of the Week. We've got a good one this week, Sparklehorse's 1995 debut album, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. This 2011 reissue is the one spinning on my turntable today. My first Sparklehorse was 1999's It's a Wonderful Life. I had heard of them at the time, but hadn't heard the music. I remember reading that PJ Harvey, Nina Persson and Tom Waits were guesting on the upcoming album (It's a Wonderful Life) and I was like holy crap, thee of my faves! That's how I got into the world of Sparklehorse, and I went backwards from there.  Vivadixie pretty much lays...