Vinyl Love – Page 3 – Daykamp Music

June 17, 2011

Corin Ashley – The Abbey Road Session (2010)

Corin Ashley & The Chocolate Olivers
The Abbey Road Session (“Badfinger Bridge” b/w “Second Hand Halo”)
2010

What happens when you send one of Boston’s best pop songwriters across the pond to record at Abbey Road? Magic. Corin made the most of his time at the legendary studio and cut two of his finest songs to date.

The A side of this single is “Badfinger Bridge”. It’s a mid-tempo number that makes good use of Corin’s upper register and channels the energy of the surroundings. Echos of The Beatles and, yes, Badfinger are all over this thing. The song breathes. It is beautifully written and lovingly performed.

Corin cuts loose on the B side. “Second Hand Halo” takes the “Taxman” riff, pairs it up with a healthy dose of Squeeze songcraft and tops it off with a Wings era McCartney vocal. The bit at the end of the bridge that sounds like Queen blows my mind every time I hear it. And the cough! This is how you write a pop song, folks. Amazing.

Corin kept a journal about the experience of recording at Abbey Road. It’s a great read. You can check it out on his website. The vinyl is a 45 RPM, vibrant blue, small hole 7″. These songs are also available as a digital download. Get it!

Where to get it:

June 17, 2011

Mike Gent – “Victoria” b/w “Big Sky” (2010)

Mike Gent
“Victoria” b/w “Big Sky”
2010

Back in 2009, Mike Gent went into The Moontower with Scott Janovitz to cut a couple of Kinks covers. The songs were for “Do It Again”, a documentary about Geoff Edgers trying to reunite the band. What they came out with are faithful, passionate and inspired versions of “Victoria” and “Big Sky”.

Mike Gent plays everything here, save for some backing vocals on “Big Sky” by Scott Janovitz. The performances are spot on. The sounds are authentic. You can tell Mr. Gent has a deep rooted love for this music. It would be hard to overstate how cool this record is. It’s a must have for fans of Mike Gent or The Kinks. I suspect there’s a fairly large overlap with those two groups. I would imagine those folks are on their second or third copies by now.

As for the physical product, it’s a black vinyl, 45 RPM, big hole 7″ record with a cool fold out cover by David Plunkert.

Where to get it:

If you’re looking for a copy of this 7″, your best bet would be to contact Geoff Edgers, producer and star of “Do It Again”…

Do It Again

June 16, 2011

John Powhida International Airport – “Daddy’s The Man” b/w “Surrender To The Disco Knightz” (2010)

John Powhida International Airport
“Daddy’s The Man” b/w “Surrender To The Disco Knightz”
2010

There’s something wrong with John Powhida. Songs about junkie dads and disco decadence should not be this fun. In fact, those things don’t sound fun at all. Here’s the thing; junkie dads and disco decadence are fun. I just didn’t realize this until J Po and gang pressed these tunes on cool blue vinyl.

You’ll still be thinking “that’s just not right” if you listen a little too closely. Luckily, like most good music that is meant to make you move, you’ll probably be too caught up in the party to worry about the clean up. If you do happen to find yourself contemplating the stark contrast between what J Po is saying and how he’s playing it, then you’ll come to the same realization I did.

There’s something right with John Powhida.

Where to get it:

Bandcamp

June 15, 2011

Windmills By The Ocean – II (2011)

Windmills By The Ocean
II
2011

Windmills By The Ocean is heavy, dense and atmospheric. There is weight and heft to these songs. There is air and space.

The opening track, “Pagan Sun”, is a raging storm. Waves of distorted guitar wash over you. You are storm battered and weary. The clouds break momentarily as “Azure” opens. You can hear the siren’s song in the distance. Can you resist? Not likely. You wash up on shore. “The Circul” is the sound of your drained body collapsing in the sand. You’re dazed. You can feel it in your bones.

Side 2 opens with a parting of the skies. “Star” offers a glimmer of hope that you may weather this storm. No such luck. Despair returns. “Occul” finds the waves slowly swallowing you back into the turbulent sea. You smile as you give in and sink beneath the surface.^*

The 45 RPM, 12″ vinyl version of II comes in standard black as well as two limited edition variations: “Pagan Sun”, a black and red sunburst effect, and “Windmill”, the two tone gray version you see here. This is one of the coolest looking pieces of vinyl in my collection. A digital download version is also available.

Where to get it:

^*Yes, I know this is all a bit goofy, but that’s what Windmills By The Ocean does to me. Listen to II and you’ll understand.

June 14, 2011

MMOSS – i (2011)

MMOSS
i
2011

With i, MMOSS have managed to create an album that sounds like it came straight out of the late sixties. Like much of the music from that time, there are elements of folk and psychedelia in this retro-rock stew. The songwriting, instrumentation and production are spot on. Let your ears feast on the eclectic mix of guitars (electric, acoustic and bass alike), flute, organ, assorted percussion and who knows what else. “Grow Down”, “Woolgathering”, “Molly Molasses”, “Come What May” and “Kitty Sorrow” are a few of my favorites, but this album is best experienced as a whole. Put on some headphones, let the needle hit the record and just go with it.

This record is one of 125 pressed in cool brown vinyl. There is also a black vinyl version. i is also available in cassette and digital download formats.

Where to get it:

June 13, 2011

Hands And Knees – Wholesome (2011)

Hands and Knees
Wholesome
2011

The music of Hands and Knees has as much in common with the early years of this thing we call rock and roll as it does with the music of their modern day peers. Songs like album opener, “Throw Me From The Bridge Of Flowers”, make you want to stomp and clap along. These songs have got some swing and swagger to them. “Dancing On Your Tears” is infectious. “99” rips, with shades of Link Wray on electric guitar.

Listening to Wholesome, you just know the people making the music are living the music. The production suits the music well. The instruments sound like real instruments, with a nice vintage sounding reverb holding things together. No over-production here. “The Moonlight Is Wicked” is a perfect example. It sounds as if it were recorded with the band playing live in a living room somewhere. I’m right there with them enjoying every minute.

The vinyl version of this fine LP comes in two varieties. There’s a regular version and a limited edition run with screen printed artwork by Mike Swiatlowski. That’s the one you see in the photos. You can also download a digital version.

Where to get it:

Bandcamp