Here at THE VINYL DISTRICTwe're good consumers. All Mp3's are posted to promote and give exposure to the music and are linked for a limited time. Please download to preview, then head promptly to your local vinyl vendor (or - OK, CD store too) and fork over your hard earned cash. You'll appreciate the piece of mind.
Got something you think we should be listening to or reading? thevinyldistrict (at) gmail.com
TVD and the folks behind Record Store Day would like to remind you that Black Friday needn't be spent at a dreadful, overcrowded mall. Your local mom and pop record retailers should just as easily be considered among your 'must shop' stops this coming Friday—and Saturday on something called "Small Business Saturday."
The Record Store Day team has assembled a number of exclusive vinyl releases for the day and you can find that list right here.
Here's some background direct from the RSD site:
"Word is out that your local indie record store may just be the place to be this Post-Thanksgiving-Shopping-Melee-Day, also known as Black Friday. And that’s because indie stores across the country will be the place to get special releases created just for you, for giving and getting this holiday season, and they’re scheduled for release on Black Friday.
Now, this is not Record Store Day, Jr. or RSD 11 or Son of the Return of Record Store Day. This is just a group of special releases that you can only find at record stores. Some of them are uber-limited, some of them are available at record stores before they’re available anywhere else. But they’re all special, and they kind of fly in the face of what Black Friday has become, which is “I have to shop, let’s see how fast and cheap I can get it over with.”
The magic of these pieces is that every one of them is something someone will really LOVE to get, and you’ll really ENJOY giving. And you’ll have the extra nice feeling of supporting a local independently owned business during the holidays."
At the moment it's a bit unclear whether DC's shops have been able to put their hands on any of the Black Friday exclusives, but why not pay the stores over there in the left column a post turkey visit and find out?
Our Seven Days of ROIR Records Vinyl Giveaways continues today with Suicide's classic, "Half Alive."
What the critics said when "Half Alive" was released on ROIR cassettes close to 30 years ago:
“Suicide recorded some amazingly seductive and terrifying music. Their profound influence on a generation of younger bands is readily apparent. They are the source point for Soft Cell, Erasure, Bronski Beat, Yaz, Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, you name em’.” —All Music Guide To Rock
“Half-Alive consists of live tracks circa 1978, plus a hand full of unreleased lo-fi studio gems from 1974-1975. Suicide warrant legend status. They found their most fertile reception outside America in the form of Soft Cell, Woodentops, Spacemen 3, Sigue Sigue Sputnik. They should have been the American “Kraftwerk.” —Spin Alternative Record Guide
“They were ahead of their time. Rev’s repetitive wall-of-noise keyboard and pneumatic rhythm machines with Vegas’ Presleyish vocals provide a link to the rock n’ roll tradition, with a form of controversial art performance on stage.” —Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of RN’R
“A pounding reminder of industrial dance music’s early beginnings. They produced a unique obsessively American electronic music of enormous energy and enduring influence – throbbing sequencers and “Morrisonesque” vocals: Awesome.” —Trouser Press Record Guide
“Suicide’s acid triggered visions from the NOO YOIK gutters. Electro-boogie rears its psychic-savage walking bass head.” —Sounds, UK (FOUR STARS)
“The most interesting ROIR cassette yet. Contains tracks from their live assaults, including the London Marquee in ’78 when they were probably at their most psychotic.” —Zig Zag, UK
“The first real IRT-lurking move anybody had made since the Velvet Underground. Suicide’s music is truly the sound of NYC for me.” —Lester Bangs (from Liner Notes)
“One of the half dozen most important acts in rock n’ roll. They are the real thing.” —Roy Trakin (Now an Editor of Hits)
“Lester Bangs liner notes place Suicide in its proper historical context: A document of a force of nature – the filthy loud subway station heart of NYC. Suicide pioneered everything from synth-pop to industrial disco – low rent electronic angst-fest. Vega runs rough shod over the whirring blast of Rev’s homemade synth.” —Rolling Stone Record Guide
The rules for our seven days of ROIR giveaways are simple—tell us your ROIR story or sell us on why a particular LP should be yours in the comments to this post and the most compelling to any degree will find the record in his or her mailbox in time for the holidays.(Please note - we can only ship within the US.)
We'll close all seven contests on Monday, November 29 and remember to leave us your email/contact info—important!—so we can notify winners!
It's our weekly Twitter #MusicMonday recap of the tracks from last week that the folks in the press offices and PR agencies want you to be hearing. We post—you decide.
