Mixtape #26: Goodbye Space Ladies

This is it, folks. My final contribution to Everybody Taste. I started this site in February of 2009 and over the years I've written roughly 1,200 posts. Everybody Taste started as an outlet to share music and work on my writing while I worked at a general interest magazine. It was never about quantity of material but, hopefully, quality. This little one-person site has led to a handful of amazing opportunities: interviews with the best bands in the world, articles published in magazines, countless new friends, and even a little record company, Analog Edition. But in the words of the band Christmas Island—whose song is featured on this 26th installment of ET's mixtape series—"I'm already 29 and running out of time." Technically, I'm 28, but I'm ready to make a mark or two on this bat-shit-crazy world before it completely passes me by.

This summer I tied the knot with my best friend, and now I'm set to open a market and coffee shop in the Fall called Little Red Fox. It's going to take every moment of my waking life to make this endeavor work, so I'm going cold turkey on the endless search for new music for a stretch. But if you're ever in DC, please stop on by for coffee, a beer, fresh homemade grub, and of course, all your favorite music. And Analog Edition isn't going anywhere just yet, so if you can, please keep supporting the label and the fantastic bands on it. In my absence, please also proceed to get your musical kicks via these consistently inspiring, tasteful, and wonderfully passionate folks: Aquarium Drunkard, Rollo Grady, We Listen For You, Castle Face Records, Burger Records, Father / Daughter, Mississippi Records, Italians Do It Better, and Woodsist. Now, here it is, ET's final mixtape: Goodbye Space Ladies.

Side A

Vic Godard & The Subway Sect - "Stop That Girl"

Brenton Wood - "Baby You Got It"

Hunx & Hix Punx - "Dream On (Little Dreamer)"

The Jags - "Back of My Hand"

Richard Swift - "The Bully"

The Rock*A*Teens - "I'm Your Puppet"

Sonny & The Sunsets - "Dark Corners"

Alex Chilton - "Hey! Little Child"

The Who - "The Kids Are Alright"

Side B

Alex Bleeker & The Freaks - "Who Are You Seeing?"

Bodies of Water - "Like A Stranger"

Christmas Island - "Twenty Nine"

Beaut - "Goodbye Judy"

Wyatt Blair - "Girls!"

Tomorrows Tulips - "Casual Hopelessness"

Damien Jurado - "Mountains Still Asleep"

The Blue Rondos - "Little Baby"

Chris Bell - "You and Your Sister"

Download:

Goodbye Space Ladies

or

Stream on 8 Tracks

Shark Week - "Baby Maybe"

The first time I heard DC four-piece Shark Week was back in November of 2011 at a show inside of St. Stephens Church. I remember being floored by a rip-roaring cover of Johnny Thunders' epic anthem, "Born To Lose." Unfortunately, I took frontman Ryan Hunter Mitchell at his word when he jokingly riffed on the band's surf-rock sound, telling the crowd Shark Week was from "Long Beach, California." A quick Google search that night turned up squat. Then in August of 2012 the band released its debut EP and I connected the dots: a young hair stylist is fronting one of the best bands in DC, and they sound like a bluesy and modern spin on The Kinks and New York Dolls, punctuated by the kind of energetic fits and howls you only hear in church and great soul-stirring rock 'n' roll. Or apparently, sometimes both simultaneously. I was hooked.

Now I'm beyond pleased to be helping the band press and release their first 7" dubbed Santurce: a two-song double A-side single recorded in the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico this past January. The two tracks were cut in the studio of Puerto Rican psych-rock outfit Fantasmes and show off a more versatile and soulful side to Shark Week. On "Baby Maybe," the 'oohs' and 'aahs' are cranked to the max while the drumming carves out a deep and insistent hip-swaying groove, muscular guitar riffs swing and shimmy, and Mitchell's signature full-throated delivery sinks its teeth into all the indefinite "maybes" and unknowns of a relationship on the brink with devilish delight.

Santurce is out July 30th. Pre-order digitally on iTunes or on vinyl from Analog Edition. 

Shark Week - "Baby Maybe"

Dig into the other A-side, "Go West," below.

Teen Mom 12" EP Giveaway

The latest release on our label Analog Edition came out this week: the six-song debut EP from DC fuzz-pop purveyors Teen Mom. We love this record and are excited as hell about releasing it to the rest of the world. To celebrate, we're giving away a copy of the nearly sold-out clear and a copy of the black 12" vinyl, along with a few other extra LPs we have lying around, like Chromatics Kill For Love 2XLP and Desire's II. To enter, simply "like" our brand spanking new Analog Edition Facebook page . We'll do two giveaways: one when we hit 50 likes and another at 100. Incentivize yourself below with a stream of the entire Mean Tom EP.

As always, if you dig what we're doing, any support you can muster is deeply appreciated. You can buy the vinyl here or get the album digitally from iTunes.

Teen Mom :: Mean Tom EP

Our own little record label Analog Edition is set to drop its 5th release on November 27th via DC trio Teen Mom. Comprised of Sean Dalby, Tom MacWright, and Chris Kelly, Teen Mom revels in the contrasts that make great pop music: sombre lyrics juxtaposed with bright jangly guitars; hushed honey-sweet melodies with dark heavy slabs of distortion; and manic racing drums served with funkified pops of bass.

The group's six-track debut EP is pressed and hand-numbered in an edition of 300 on 12" vinyl—250 in black and 50 in coke bottle clear—with artwork by DC artist Saman Bemel Benrud. Below, check out the racing guitar-driven first single, "I Wanna Go Out," and the music video we put together for it.

Pre-order the 12" vinyl from Analog Edition.

Teen Mom - "I Wanna Go Out" (from Mean Tom EP)

Analog Edition Sampler

Everybody Taste is going on break for a week. While we're out, check in with our imprint Analog Edition's free label sampler, which features a gorgeous ocean-slapping instrumental from Blake Mills; an alternate take of Stone Darling's "Baby Come Home" that has J. Tillman (Father John Misty) on drums and Joel Morales (Babies On Acid) on bass; a giant swelling beauty of experimental pop from Lands & Peoples; the hushed previously vinyl-only Breakfast In Fur track "Ghost Story"; and a tease at our next release with DC fuzz-pop extraordinaires, Teen Mom.

Breakfast In Fur :: Die Pfalz

One of our very favorite bands—and Analog Edition alumni—Breakfast In Fur have released three new tracks for the Team Love Records compilation, Die Pfalz. Though we're partial to the intimate bedroom-pop of Breakfast In Fur's EP—the whistling tea kettle, the menagerie of percussive instruments, the bright youthful chorusing voices on "Shine"—the band's creative ambitions are clearly growing, and they no longer fit inside the snug confines of home. "Whisper," "Aurora Falls," and "Setting Stone" are cinematic in scope as they swell and take-off rocket-like into grand affective sensory overloading moments. From the dark Joy Division-recalling pump of "Setting Stone" to the lyrical surges of "Aurora Falls" and masterful otherworldly charm of "Whisper," Breakfast In Fur is clearly a band on the rise.

Die Pfalz, the original name for Breakfast In Fur's hometown of New Paltz, also features fellow local outfits Shana Falana, Cycad, and Bloodletters. Grab the vinyl from Team Love. Breakfast In Fur's contributions are also available digitally from Bandcamp.

Breakfast In Fur - "Whisper" (from Die Pfalz)

Sound & Vision 004: Blake Mills

Our bud Blake Mills is featured on the newest installment of the web documentary series Sound & Vision. Mills released ET's favorite record of 2010 via Break Mirrors and is the very first artist to press a record with our vinyl imprint, Analog Edition. So you might say we're pretty stoked on the music he's been putting out. Now, thanks to an appearance on Conan and an endless list of high profile collaborations (including Sara Watkins' beautiful new record Sun Midnight Sun, which he produced), the rest of the world seems to finally be catching up. Sound & Vision's video is an artfully shot and cut portrait of Mills: you get to see him eat breakfast with his awesomely talented girlfriend Danielle Haim, meet the parents, practice with the Goldsmith bros, and hear legends like Jackson Browne and The Heartbreakers' Benmont Tench wax philosophical about just what it is that makes Blake so unbelievably great. Oh yeah, he also plays the guitar pretty decently. Check it out after the jump. (Photo)

Record Store Day Giveaway

In honor of every music nerd's favorite holiday, Record Store Day, we're giving away two complete sets of Analog Edition vinyl. To get a shot at the goods, all you need to do is head to your favorite record store tomorrow and purchase a piece of holiday wax. Send proof of your purchase via a photograph on your mobile device, a receipt, or a detailed textual description to matt@analogedition.com with "RSD Giveaway" in the subject line, and we'll pick two winners from there.

Here's what you're getting: Lands & Peoples' freshly pressed debut Pop Guilt (limited to 300 hand-numbered copies), 7"s from Blake Mills and Stone Darling, a 10" EP from Breakfast In Fur, and one of the last four copies of our inaugural Analog Edition Zine. Find your participating neighborhood record stores here.

Lands & Peoples - "Ghosts" (from Pop Guilt)
Lands & Peoples - "I Tried" (from Pop Guilt)

AE004: Lands & Peoples :: Pop Guilt

I first wrote about Baltimore band Lands & Peoples back in 2009 when I was living in Portland, Oregon. I immediately asked for an interview, because I was so mesmerized and enamored with the vast and transportive sonic landscapes the group seemingly conjured out of everyday instruments.

Lands & Peoples have now been one of my favorite bands for years, and I couldn't be more excited to be releasing their debut LP, Pop Guilt, on Everybody Taste's own imprint, Analog Edition. Pop Guilt's 11 tracks are the group's strongest and most fully realized to date, weaving honeyed pop hooks through intricately designed and immersive instrumentals as the group blurs the lines between infectious pop and experimental music.

The cover art, designed by Christopher Muccioli of fellow Baltimore band Secret Mountains, is a photograph of a melted vinyl record and it's meant to embody that dichotomy between pop and experimentation: a vehicle for straightforward recorded music that's been warped and turned upside down.

Recorded with Chris and Mickey Freeland (Lower Dens, Wye Oak) at Beat Babies in Baltimore, mixed by Mat Leffler-Schulman (Future Islands) at Mobtown Studios, and mastered by Paul Gold (Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective) at Salt Mastering, Pop Guilt's arsenal of expertly delivered sonic goodies includes everything from violin and a quietly plucked acoustic to growling swells of electric guitar and room-shaking crashes of synthesizer. The band’s defining element though is the soaring and dynamic pipes of members Beauregard Cole and Caleb Moore (the two dudes with the butt cuts). While the two Oxford, Mississippi transplants and best friends since the 11th grade play drums, guitar, and a handful of other instruments on the record, it’s their distinctive voices and head-turning harmonies that cut through every song’s heady tapestry of sound to lend Pop Guilt its brightest and most indelible pop color.

Pop Guilt will be released digitally and on a limited run of 12” white vinyl March 27th. The vinyl, pressed in an edition of 300 hand-numbered copies, features inserts with original art by Baltimore's Stephen Matthew Booth and free digital download codes. All pre-orders will receive immediate access to a digital download of the album.

Pre-order Pop Guilt from Analog Edition.

Lands & Peoples - "Ghosts" (from Pop Guilt)

If you live in DC or Baltimore, the record release show is tonight at Soft House. Details here.

Blake Mills & Danielle Haim cover The Beatles & Bob Dylan

Los Angles shredder and songwriter extraordinaire Blake Mills—whose 2010 record Break Mirrors inspired the creation of our own Analog imprint—has been keeping busy touring with and opening for Lucinda Williams, playing shows with his former bandmates in Dawes, and recording a few exceptionally sharp covers with fellow musician (and girlfriend) Danielle Haim. Over on Mills' new website, you can snag an ace rendition of The Beatles' "Come Together," which features some killer guitar and percussive work by the pair. For Amnesty International's Chimes of Freedom compilation—which features 76 Bob Dylan covers by artists as varied as Patti Smith, Pete Seeger, and My Morning Jacket—Mills and Haim contributed an even more stunning cover in the form of Dylan's "Heart of Mine," an overlooked track culled from the 1981 born-again era record Shot of Love. Fuck She & Him, it's Haim and Mills time. It's not easy taking on behemoths like The Beatles and Dylan, and these two seemingly do it with ease: artful, confidant, and classy every step of the way.

Purchase Amnesty International's Chimes of Freedom compilation here. 

Blake Mills & Danielle Haim - "Come Together"

Blake Mills & Danielle Haim - "Heart of Mine"

Best of 2011: Analog Edition Records

We couldn't really recap 2011 without mentioning Everybody Taste's venture into the world of vinyl pressing with our very own imprint, Analog Edition Records. Analog Edition started out of a desire to press what we still consider to be the best record of 2010 onto vinyl: Los Angeles guitarist Blake Mills' spectacular Break Mirrors. Thanks to the folks at Blake's label Record Collection, we ended up with a double A-side 7" featuring two of Break Mirrors' best tracks, the two-chord foot-stomper "Hey Lover" and the Fleetwood Mac-tinged "Winter Song." From there, Analog Edition teamed up with promising New Paltz, New York band Breakfast In Fur to release its warm and dreamy debut EP—a collection of songs colored with washes of psychedelia and a sense of child-like wonder—onto 10" vinyl. The third release of the year came again from Los Angeles, this time with Stone Darling's "I Stopped Missing You Today" 7": while the A-side pop-informed break-up single hammers away with deep fuzzy guitars and sledgehammer drums, the flip side "Angeline" is a wash of wide-open harmonies, tumbleweed rolling drums, and vintage heartache-riddled country storytelling. Analog Edition also released its first music zine with contributions from some of our favorite bloggers, labels, and artists, including Infinity Cat, Mississippi Records, Rollo Grady, Aquarium Drunkard, Sonny Smith, Lord Huron, and Levek.

Divine Providence, The Deerplacements, and The Derivative Argument

Divine Providence may not be Deer Tick's Mona Lisa or magnum opus—personally, I'm still partial to War Elephant and Born On Flag Day—but it's still a hell of a record. For the past 7 or so years, the John McCauley-fronted Providence band have been building a loyal and increasingly large fan base around rabid, fearsome, and often unpredictable liveshows. Divine Providence is the band's first attempt at capturing that raw energy on record.

The first time I saw Deer Tick live was at a free show in Portland. The band ripped through three sets over three-and-a-half hours, playing both armfuls of originals and classic covers by the likes of John Mellencamp, Ritchie Valens, Tom Petty, and The Replacements. The set ended with a sloppy rendition of The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends." Alls those beers and Jack and Cokes had caught up with the band by the final song, and instead of finishing it, former guitarist Andy Tobiassen kicked McCauley from on top of an amp down into the drum kit with a loud crash. It was an aptly disheveled rock and roll finish for a night that had me believing again in the power of dirty guitars, pounding drums, and narrative storytelling.

More Humans - "Dracula"

Keeping up with the Halloween cheer, here's a killer cut from DC's own More Humans—the angular guitar-driven bloodsucking funk of "Dracula." The track comes off the band's Demon Station EP, due out shortly on 10" vinyl via local label Cricket Cemetery. The record release show for Demon Station is this coming Saturday, November 5th at St. Stephens Church in Columbia Heights. Analog Edition's own Breakfast In Fur will also be on the bill, making the journey down from New Paltz, New York to DC as part of their string of east coast tour dates. If you're in the area, be sure to stop on by. We'll have plenty of Breakfast In Fur's beautiful debut 10" on hand. More info on the show here.

Buy Demon Station on vinyl and digitally via Bandcamp.

Stone Darling - "Baby Come Home"

Los Angeles band Stone Darling—whose first 7" we released on our own Analog Edition imprint this past August—have posted a new song, "Baby Come Home," on Bandcamp. The track is the first taste of Stone Darling's debut EP, due out in November. Paige Stark's pristine vocals—boosted here by a backing coat of sugary harmony—cut beautifully through the mix of electric guitar, drums, and organ, creating a sense of longing and loss that recalls classic love-torn country anthems. That's what this is after all—classic.

Buy the band's I Stopped Missing You Today 7" from Analog Edition.

Analog Edition Giveaway

In honor of Analog Edition's third release—Stone Darling's white vinyl pressed I Stopped Missing You Today 7"—we will be giving away two complete sets of our catalogue to loyal readers of Everybody Taste. This includes our Blake Mills 7", Breakfast In Fur 10", a copy of the Analog Edition Zine, and the new Stone Darling 7" (plus a kickass sticker of our logo). To enter, please use the buttons below to either 'Tweet' or 'Like' this post and then send an email to matt@analogedition.com with 'giveaway' in the subject line.

Update: Winners have been chosen. Thanks for participating and helping spread the word!

AE003: Stone Darling - "I Stopped Missing You Today" 7"

I've been raving about Los Angeles band Stone Darling since I first heard "All I Wanna Do" back in March. Now, I'm ecstatic to announce this burgeoning rock and roll troupe is releasing its first 7" on our very own imprint, Analog Edition. Pressed on white vinyl in a limited edition of 500, this single is comprised of the hard-hitting, straight-for-the-pop-jugular A Side "I Stopped Missing You Today" and the expansive and harmony-washed slow-burner "Angeline" on the flip side. The front cover photograph is by the amazingly talented Lauren Ward.

You can pre-order the 7" now at Analog Edition. Orders will ship out in late August.

Stone Darling - "I Stopped Missing You Today" (from "I Stopped Missing You Today" 7")

Los Angeles folks: Stone Darling plays the Satellite every Monday in August and the shows are all FREE. The residency kicks off August 1st with help from the Fleet Foxes' J. Tillman.

Analog Edition Zine: Rollo Grady Interviews Aquarium Drunkard

Every week, one article from the print edition of the Analog Edition Zine will be added online, until all 64 pages are available.

This week, check out Carter Smith of the excellent Rollo Grady interview Justin Gage of everyone's favorite music blog, Aquarium Drunkard. After the jump, listen to a selection of tracks from Gage's Autumn Tone Records label while you read about his take on running a music blog and his advice for other blogger-started labels. If you missed it last week, you can also read Jason Dean's history of the 90s Lo-fi rock 7-inch and an interview with JEFF The Brotherhood's Jake Orrall on his family's label, Infinity Cat Records.

Analog Edition Zine: The Role of the 7" in 90s Lo-fi Rock

Every week, one article from the print edition of the Analog Edition Zine will be added online, until all 64 pages are available.

This week, check out "The Role of the 7-inch in the Lo-fi Rock Movement of the Early 90s or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Hiss" by Jason Dean of the daily blog, 7 Inches. In his detailed and insightful history, Dean argues that "Lo-fi democratized the music of the time, a musical revolution as important as the psychedelic evolution of The Beatles or The Ramones' invention of punk rock."

After the jump, read Dean's article and listen to a selection of the lo-fi cuts he discusses by bands like The Mountain Goats, Smog, and Pavement. If you missed it last week, you can also read an interview with JEFF The Brotherhood's Jake Orrall on his family's up-and-coming Nashville label, Infinity Cat Records.

Analog Edition Zine: Issue No. 1

The first issue of the Analog Edition Zine is now up in the Analog Edition store. Limited to an edition of 100 physical copies, the 64 page booklet is a collection of interviews, artwork, and articles featuring labels Mississippi Records, Infinity Cat Records, and Father/Daughter Records; bloggers Aquarium Drunkard, Rollo Grady, Tympanogram, 7 Inches, Knox Road, Folk Hive, and Hugh Willett; and bands Sonny & The Sunsets, Lord Huron, and Levek. The rad cover artwork is by the ultra-talented Kaitlin Van Pelt of Breakfast In Fur.

You can now watch a video preview of the zine and read the first 1/3 of it as an online magazine here. Every week, an additional article will be added to the web edition until all 64 pages are online.

Head to the AE store to grab yourself a copy. All orders will ship straight away.

Announcing Analog Edition Records

Dearest Readers,

It is with great pleasure that I announce the launch of Analog Edition Records. Our goal is to help elevate great music we've encountered on the internet by giving it a personalized analog home on the music world's most timeless format: vinyl records. The idea arose out of a simple comment I made here on Everybody Taste. I was responding to a commenter about the artist I had reviewed, Blake Mills, when I enthusiastically wrote that I hoped someone would re-release his music on vinyl. After I’d finished typing, I thought, can I do that? And thanks to Mills and the good folks at his label, Record Collection, I am. Analog Edition currently has two releases—a 7” and 10”—making their way through the pressing plant with hopefully many more to come.