Record Pics

Up From Below (2009) by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros on Compact Disc.

This band gets a lot of flack for its role in the Stomp Clap Hey genre, especially for the single “Home”—which did gangbusters.

But this is a good album. Hearing that song in context with the rest of the record—instead of bleeding out on FM radio—shows what the band is really good at: folk rock with psychedelic instrumentation and singalong choruses.

I also think this CD sounds excellent.

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Today’s cassette is Exmilitary (2011) by Death Grips.

I was hyped to play this one—but one of the reels was defective. The tape bunched up, jammed the capstan, and nearly ate my Walkman. I managed to save the player, but the cassette itself is toast.

Fantastic album, though. Now it’s basically a keepsake—more decor than playable media. Might hang onto it, might not.

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Talk Talk Talk (1981) by The Psychedelic Furs – 12” 33RPM LP.

My wife hates this record. But I can’t help thinking if she’d been born just five years earlier, she’d be all over it.

Because this album really was a moment in time. “Pretty in Pink” wasn’t just a standout track—it was iconic enough to inspire the film of the same name.

I’ve always had a soft spot for The Psychedelic Furs: sharp post-punk, unmistakable vocals, and pure early-80s atmosphere.

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Today’s cassette is Uncut (1979) by The Powder Blues. The Powder Blues, they’re local legends out here in Vancouver.

They make a certain kind of boogie-woogie blues style, which was kind of the rage in the 1930s and ‘40s, but they add a little bit of rock into it. The result is some peppy and danceable blues numbers—highly original, smooth, and it’s a lot of fun when you’re going for a walk.

This was their breakout album. I don’t think they’ve ever made an album better than this, but a lot of people remember it—good times. And sometimes you could catch a show by The Powder Blues every so often in Vancouver, though I haven’t seen one myself, but it’s good that they’re still going strong today.

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Today’s cassette is Memory Eternal IV (2025) by 회사 AUTO.

Future funk drifting into vaporwave—sometimes even tipping into the avant-garde. Hazy, woozy, but always fun. It really does feel like you’re replaying a half-forgotten memory.

The cassette itself is a stunner. XDR and Dolby B recording. The shell printing is gorgeous—easily one of those tapes you show off just for the design.

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Today’s cassette is Melodic Memories (2025) by Corrout.

Yesterday I got a package from Coraspect Records with two tapes inside—this being one of them. The presentation alone was worth showing off. Not only do you get a standard plastic case with a J-card, but also a gorgeous cardboard slip envelope. And the cassette itself? Printed with rainbow gradients and bold lettering—absolutely stunning.

The sound quality stands out too. This was recorded with XDR (Expanded Dynamic Range), which gives it a clarity and punch you don’t always get with modern cassette releases. It really highlights the production.

The music matches the packaging. Future funk at its finest: upbeat, silky, and full of energy. It’s the kind of sound that fuels my workouts, and this album nails that balance of pep and polish. Listening to Melodic Memories on my Walkman during a stroll was a perfect experience.

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Just got a package from Coraspect Records.

Any guesses on what’s inside?

This isn’t a setup—I genuinely have no idea what they sent me.

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“Mud Puddle” / “We Come to Learn” (2014) by Il Sogno Del Marinaio — 7” 45RPM single.

Italian math rock with Mike Watt holding down the bass. It veers toward surf at times, but mostly it’s just three musicians messing around and discovering grooves. The playfulness is the point — and it’s fun to hear.

Pressed on brown vinyl, back when colored wax was more of a novelty than a marketing gimmick.

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Today’s cassette is The Mission soundtrack (1986) by Ennio Morricone.

I’ve never actually seen the movie. Doesn’t matter. Morricone is one of the greatest film composers of all time—best known for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, but his work spans decades and genres. This one leans more orchestral, with sweeping strings and haunting choral arrangements. It’s dramatic. Almost sacred.

Also, a fantastic tape for showing off what cassettes can really do. This one’s on Type II (Chrome), and it uses it. The dynamic range is outstanding—subtle passages stay crisp, crescendos never break apart. If your deck’s up to the task, it’ll reward you.

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Today’s cassette is the self-titled EP (2012) by Snowbeast.

It drifts between folk, emo, and noise—sometimes acoustic, sometimes electric, always raw. The sound hits in a visceral way, like it’s peeling something back.

And the cover art? Perfectly surreal. A faceless figure, unsettling and unforgettable.

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“Final Orbiter” (2025) by Aimless Orbiter

Yes, I recorded this myself—direct from Apple Music to cassette. And I’m proud of the result. This Maxell Type I sounds full, warm, and surprisingly bassy. Honestly? It came out better than some commercial recordings I own.

I did this because Final Orbiter doesn’t have a physical release. No vinyl. No CD. Just digital ephemera. And in a world where albums vanish off streaming without warning, I wanted a version I could actually hold.

The music itself is downtempo electronic that feels like a deep-space transmission. Cosmic pads, slow pulses, cold reverbs. It’s in perfect orbit with its name—like drifting too far from Earth. And like a lot of amazing music these days, almost no one’s heard it.

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“Shackles” / “Fucked Up” by Madcowboys backed with Colin Decker Free Fall’s “Broken and Used” / “We Didn’t Push You” (2009) – a 7” 45 RPM split EP.

Canadian punk that leans noisy but still slips in bits of pop and emo melody. It’s mostly three-chord thrash, yet every so often you get a curveball — like horns cutting through the fuzz. The recording is lofi, the energy isn’t.

Peppy as hell. The kind of record that makes you want to chug a Red Bull and hit a half-pipe.

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Today’s cassette is Furusato (2024) by Chris Peters.

The J-card screams “forgotten underground Japanese import”—but that’s misdirection. What’s inside is ambient stitched with musique concrète and a faint vaporwave pulse. Released just last year.

Only two tracks here, but they sprawl across 36 minutes. Less like songs, more like an extended sound-tour. Surprisingly listenable, especially if you let it wash over you.

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“Nowhere Existence” (2007) by Doldrums – 7” 33RPM EP.

Four tracks of sludge/grindcore. Or if you want the blunt version: black metal, but punkier. The guitars and bass lock in tight, the blast beats are razor-precise, and the vocals are shrill screams instead of the usual cavern-growls. It’s chaos, but controlled chaos.

What I always find funny is how “extreme” music like this actually goes down easier than so-called “easy listening.” Elevator jazz makes me want to leap out the window—this? I could spin it all afternoon.

Solid EP, and one of the few relics from this Denver outfit. A short, sharp shot of noise that still holds up.

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Today’s cassette is Desired’s self-titled album (2016).

Future funk at its finest—pulled from the DNA of Japanese city pop, American R&B, and French house. Thick grooves, neon basslines, and enough disco-era swagger to keep you moving. What surprised me is the geography: Desired isn’t from Tokyo or Paris, but Ekaterinburg, Russia. Didn’t expect that.

This tape? My own handiwork. Recorded straight from Bandcamp’s lossless FLACs. The artist actually gives the whole thing away for free:

https://desired.bandcamp.com/album/desired

Why go DIY? Because physical copies of this album are unicorns. Even a VG cassette will easily run you $100 on the secondary market. My Maxell cost two bucks. Hit record, engage Dolby NR, and I’d argue this sounds better than the official run.

I’ll probably whip up a J-card eventually. And yes, I deliberately went with Type I over Type II. The album is heavy on bass, light on highs—normal bias handles that balance better.

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“Whites” / “Hand of My Hand” (2002) by Sleetmute Nightmute – 7” 45RPM single.

Chaotic no wave from Portland—discordant guitars, shouted vocals, rhythms that lurch and snap into place. It’s loud, it’s abrasive, yet the playing is sharper than you’d expect.

Like so many underground bands, they flamed out early. Some singles, a handful of shows, and now a cult that won’t let go.

The vinyl pressing leans into lo-fi, almost proudly. It feels intentional, like they wanted the rough edges baked in. And for 2002, that was right in step with what “authentic” was supposed to sound like.

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Today’s cassette is The Fleeting Light of Impermanence (2019) by The Appleseed Cast.

One of the last great emo survivors—still expansive, still willing to slip math rock rhythms under their soaring guitars. The lyrics are thoughtful, almost pained, and yeah… it makes me want to dye my hair black again. Middle age creeps up, but this band hasn’t dulled.

On tape, though? This one’s tricky. A good deck gives you shimmering highs and layered textures. Play it on a bargain-bin portable and it collapses into mud—more so than most cassettes, since the mix leans heavy on high frequencies. Part of me wants to dub it onto a nice Type II just to see if the music breathes differently.

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STREET DAD (2002) by Out Hud on CD.

The early 2000s were the moment when indie kids figured out you could strap on a bass, plug in a sequencer, and still look cool on the dance floor. Out Hud were right there at the front—same Sacramento-to-NYC orbit as !!! and The Rapture—but they ended up releasing this gem on Kranky, a label otherwise known for drone and ambience.

This album is all groove, no chatter. Punk, funk, and dub rhythms locked down by Phyllis Forbes on drums, Nic Offer holding down bass (before !!! made him famous), and Molly Schnick’s cello cutting right through the synth haze. Pitchfork crowned it Best New Music with a 9.0. Spin called it a synth-pop idyll. Everyone heard something different—neo-disco, post-rock, even ABC-meets-A Flock of Seagulls. What mattered was the momentum: this thing actually moved.

When I first heard it, I thought this was the start of a revolution. That indie rock was finally going to dance for real. Instead, it was more of a blip—but what a blip. Even now, the long glide of “The L Train Is a Swell Train…” or the dub churn of “Too Much Information” sounds fresh, not frozen in 2002.

Picked this up for $2.99 at Audiopile. CD plays great. I remember DJs dropping this in sets—it always got knowing nods from the right heads. An underground relic that deserved to be much more.

Today’s cassette is Love (1985) by The Cult.

One of the defining post-punk albums of the 80s—dark, spacious, and big enough to fill arenas. The breakout hit was “She Sells Sanctuary,” a song that practically defined alternative radio. But for me, the standout has always been “Brother Wolf / Sister Moon”—moody, hypnotic, and haunting.

This copy still plays without a hitch, and it’s perfect walking music. The kind of album that makes the city around you feel cinematic.

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Today’s cassette is Do It Yourself (1979) by Ian Dury & The Blockheads.

That title is the band in a nutshell. One of the most punk bands that didn’t sound punk at all. Instead of buzzsaw guitars, you get jazz, funk, R&B—but it’s all delivered with the sneer and swagger of the snottiest teenager. That’s why punks loved them.

The Blockheads weren’t amateurs thrashing in a garage either. These guys were tight. Slippery grooves, eccentric rhythms, horns blowing through the mix. They could turn on a dime from slinky to stomping and back again.

Found this copy at a flea market today. Tape runs smooth. Plays beautifully.

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The Star / Lick Baby (1996) by Santo — 7” 45 RPM single.

Santo were a somewhat local pop-punk outfit from Victoria, BC. And when I say pop-punk, don’t think Blink-182 radio gloss—this is still very much in the indie trenches, raw edges intact. Both tracks bounce along with that scrappy mid-90s energy, peppy and fun without ever tipping into sugar rush territory.

The vinyl itself is translucent green, which is a surprise flex for 1996. Back then, vinyl was in a commercial coma—CDs had eaten the world. Colored pressings like this were practically novelties, and finding one today feels like striking gold in a thrift bin.

For 99 cents, I wasn’t about to leave it behind. Glad I didn’t.

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Pretenders (1980)—the self-titled debut.

This album introduced Chrissie Hynde to the world. If Debbie Harry was Betty—the blonde you could imagine dating, charming, and accessible—then Chrissie was Veronica. Dark-haired, commanding, and always a step ahead. She wasn’t here to please. She was here to conquer, and she did it with style.

The standout track is “Brass in Pocket,” but really, every song brims with energy. It’s punk, but not in the cartoon way. No shouting to prove a point. No racing just to be fast. Instead, songs gallop with a steady intensity, and then slip into moments of sly subtlety. That understatement is what makes it feel more punk than half the hardcore bands screaming down the block.

Of course, the shadow lingers: two of the faces on this cover would die of overdoses within a few years. But what an album they left behind. Many still argue this was the first great record of the 1980s. Hard to disagree.

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Today’s cassette is Blue Skies (2022) by Dehd.

It’s dream pop, but not the washed-out kind. The guitars are crisp. The production is spare. Every element is intentional. Jason Balla and Emily Kempf trade vocals throughout—sometimes layered, sometimes solo—and the contrast between them gives the songs weight. Emily’s voice especially cuts through. It’s jagged, direct, and doesn’t play nice.

There’s momentum across the whole album. Tracks got the pep. Even though it’s short, it leaves a clear impression.

As for the cassette itself: this is one of those rare new releases that sounds better on tape. The format adds grit in the right places. Nothing gets dulled, just grounded.

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CD copy of It’s Blitz! (2009) by Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

This is the album where they reinvented themselves. Less punk snarl, more art-pop polish—but still unmistakably them. Critics ate it up, and fans mostly did too. I get why: tracks like “Zero” and “Heads Will Roll” are stone-cold classics.

But the mastering? Brutal. Crushed dynamics, loudness pushed way past the red. It’s exhausting to sit through with headphones. And yet, the bonus tracks—four stripped-down acoustic cuts—sound phenomenal, simply because they’re allowed to breathe.

Proof, once again, that louder doesn’t mean better. If you’re going to live with this album long-term, the vinyl is almost certainly the way to go.

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Today’s cassette tape is Lovin’ Every Minute of It (1985) by Loverboy.

This one is mostly remembered for the hit single This Could Be the Night, which climbed all the way to #10 on Billboard. But the whole album is packed with high-energy hard rock that occasionally drifts into full-on hair metal territory.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Loverboy. They were never the coolest band, but they had a playful streak that made them fun. Plus, they’re a hometown act—straight out of Vancouver, Canada.

This particular cassette shows its age. The case is scuffed, the plastic scratched, and the tape itself has a couple of quick dropouts. Still, it’s a blast to throw on while out walking, imperfections and all.

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