If You're a Vinylholic & you know it, Listen Up.

It should be pretty evident by this point in time that I (Emz) am a vinylholic. Seriously, vinyl cures the soul whenever I'm feeling down, and there's nothing better than treating yourself by buying a new piece of wax for the collection at home. This past weekend I paid a visit to Amoeba Music in San Francisco, and as always - walked out an extremely satisfied customer.  Known as the "The Worlds Largest Independent Record Store", I consider Amoeba to be a staple if you're ever in SF (and don't forget to visit the original location in Berkeley along with the one in Hollywood, too!) 
I'm all about supporting your local record stores, but in case you happen to live in an area where there unfortunately isn't one, visit the Amazon links provided instead. I've never appreciated Amazon Prime this much until now.

 

Picture You Staring by TOPS (via Arbutus Records)

I've yet to catch this four-piece from Montreal in the flesh, but their sophomore release is filling the void until I do so. "Way To Be Loved" & "2 Shy" are essential tunes that will never grow old for these ears.

 

Peripheral Vision by Turnover (via Run For Cover Records)

I'm legitimately obsessed with this band, and could go on and on about how much I love Turnover's latest album, but that's already been taken care of.. 

Sprinter by TORRES (via Partisan Records)

This is Mackenzie Scott's (aka TORRES) second full-length, but this time around it's released via an independent record label based in Brooklyn/London. This record is raw to the bone, and . Sprinter was the May release for Vinyl Me Please, and i'm not sure how the VMP edition ended up at Amoeba, but there wasn't any hesitation from the first time my eyes recognized the cover. It's filled with extra special goodies, and at this current moment I'm already in the process of becoming a member, and I think you should too! For fans of Waxahatchee & Sharon Van Etten, dig into her discography ASAP. 

Middle America by Netherfriends (via Kilo Records, RIP)

Shawn Rosenblatt (who plays under the moniker "Netherfriends") released Middle America back in 2012, and in short, it's an eclectic mix of songs that are easy on the ears. Shout-out to Ethan from Source Weekly aka @ethos83 who introduced me to this album via "Columbus, Ohio." Each song is named after a different city, and the extremely cool part about that concept is "Middle America was recorded during a year long project in which Netherfriends wrote and recorded a song and performed in all 50 states."
 Pretty neat if you ask me. 

Brotherhood by The Chemical Brothers (via Virgin Records)

AHHHH. Did you know I'm a huge fan of The Chemical Brothers? It's true, it's very true indeed. I've been on the hunt for Brotherhood for what feels like forever, and it's a record that's filled with older gems such as "Do It Again", "Star Guitar", and my personal favorite "Galvanize." If you're looking for something to keep those feet tapping and the vibes flowing, this is the album for you. P.S. Don't ever pass up an opportunity to see them live, such as the upcoming Hard Summer 2015.

FRESHVIBESMONDAY #77

GET READY TO CUDDLE UP WITH THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST BECAUSE IT'S BOUND TO WARM YOUR MIND UP WHILE YOU'RE STILL GETTING OVER THOSE REGRETS FROM THE WEEKEND. Hope you dig it <3 P.S. Take advantage of the new changes to the blog, especially with the updated social media links in LYED's "About Me." 

 LOVE YOU, mean it.

Question that I'm shooting out those who are active listeners (because there's quite a few of you, would you rather us cut the chase and only post FVM on SoundCloud? Let me know what you're feeling in the comments below!!

ICYMI: The Bad Years was LYED's most recent "Friday Fascination." Believe me, their new EP is something to get fascinated about. Dig in now. 

Turnover - Peripheral Vision (or the next soundtrack to your summer.)

Turnover's Peripheral Vision appeared out of nowhere for me, and in a way I consider this to be an absolute blessing. My first taste of the Virginia four-piece was the first single "Cutting My Fingers Off" (which happens to be the album opener, an ace choice if you ask me.) With CMFO being the opening track, everything afterwards follows suit for the remainder of the record. Don't expect this album to cross multiple bridges, or pull rabbits out of the hat when you least expect it, but instead embrace how the band plays it cool by keeping the spotlight on one specific sound that's committed throughout the entire album.
Austin Getz (of Turnover) described the overarching theme to Pitchfork (in which Peripheral Vision received a score of 6.6) as, "I always remember things better than they were and miss people more than I should." 
Don't we all? 

(Grab the full-length release on iTunes, but if that's not your cup of tea - you can find everything including vinyl 
over on Amazon.)
Peripheral Vision can come off as a melancholic body of material, but at the same time it can be someone's "go-to" if they're looking for something mellow yet temporarily fulfilling. The band recently tweeted a well known lyric from Bloc Party's "Modern Love" (Do you want to come over and kill some time?) This could also be a Turnover lyric that I might have skipped, but I've absorbed this informal invitation as a way to approach the album. There's going to be an end result that can either please or dissatisfy your taste in music, but it's requesting your attention in a way that's not smothering unlike most album release tactics. 

Point blank: Peripheral Vision by Turnover is just what my ears needed, and you're going to be thinking the same once you listen to this album. It's proper release is May 12th (aka this Tuesday) via Run For Cover Records. Consider the release date of this album to be nearly perfect, as I envision this to be the soundtrack of summer for several individuals (including myself.) 
Don't forget, Turnover is on BandCamp, too.