record get!!!

remember local natives???

the last time i had a bundle of new records to go over was back in november!!! that was forever ago. i haven’t been buying many records because… i dunno, i guess i haven’t been discovering a lot of music that has wowed me into divorcing myself from my money.

on record store day, we went to three (3) different record stores with two friends. i actually didn’t get anything i wanted that day*. you’ll notice that there is a record that’s conspicuously absent that, if you’re a dedicated reader, you would assume i would already have in my possession. i only saw one (1) copy of the crux that day. it was at the first record store we went to, young ones in kutztown. i should’ve taken it as a sign, but i really wanted to get my copy from the record store we’d gone to for the listening party. so, i abstained… and then i didn’t see it again the rest of the day. so, BOO.

i got gorilla manor and give up at young ones. it’s a pretty big store with a really great selection, especially in the indie section. in my opinion. i got lonely people with power at compact disc center in bethlehem, the same store we went to for our listening party. and i got the 45s at spin me round in easton, which is also sizable. it’s hard to walk into a bad record store, i think. most of them are pretty solid across the board. i’d say the “worst” one i’ve been to is this little hole-in-the-wall my friend megan swears by. she took me there once. i hated it.

gorilla manor - local natives

this is a fucking throwback classic. my sister showed me local natives way back when. i played the fuck out of it when i was younger. i saw it while we were browsing young ones and it struck me. i was like oh, i remember you. i bought it on a whim. i haven’t spun it yet, but i did listen to the album via spotify a few days later. it felt like going home. not quite as potent as listening to bon iver, but still. it’s hit after hit: “wide eyes,” “sun hands,” “camera talk,” “CARDS & QUARTERS”!!!!!!!!!!! TAKE ME BACK!!!!!!!!

i have not kept up with local natives’ output since. it was 2012 when i got into them, so hummingbird released pretty shortly after. that has some bangers on it, too. “black balloons”? “breakers”??? ugh. and they put on a good show! i saw them with my sister and two of her friends at the former electric factory and it’s still probably a top 20 concert for me. i mean, i don’t have a strong concert-memory, but yeah! note to self: good idea for abbiestack, concert retrospective.

best song? my favorite was always “cards & quarters,” but at my big age i think my favorite might be “cubism dream.” or “who knows who cares.” both so good.

give up - the postal service

if you know you know, besties. gorilla manor is a throwback classic, give up is fucking… i don’t know. a throwback classic but harder. we all know it. we all love it. what more is there to be said? like i reported before, i bought this and gorilla manor at the same time. i was feeling nostalgic, i guess. the CD i had when i was thirteen had a scratch that always prevented me from listening to “sleeping in.” i began to habitually skip when i’d see the 3 come up on my walkman’s little display. best song? “brand new colony.”

lonely people with power - deafheaven

every record round-up post i’ve done has had a deafheaven record in it. what a fun coincidence. it’s almost like i like them or something. i have listened to this—i didn’t just buy it blind—and i enjoyed it! i thought i was going to do a full review, but i might just do a write-up in my april round-up. i don’t know if i’m confident enough in my abilities to do a track-by-track review justice. best song? i only listened to the album in full the once so far, but i did sob to “doberman” late at night when i was feeling depressed and i think that made me immediately and permanently imprint on it.

preacher’s daughter - ethel cain

i preordered preacher’s daughter in january when i saw it go up because of course i did… and after a long wait, she finally came home. i did not get the variant with the missing poster, SIGH. but i’m happy with it. i’m waiting for a day when i don’t have a shift and leo and i are the only ones home so that i can spin it loud and proud. i’m truly so excited to have it in my hands. if i wasn’t waiting on my copy of two star & the dream police (ETA MONDAY!!!) to arrive so i can put it on display, preacher’s daughter would be there. decide has had pride of place for over a year now, but it’s mike’s turn. best song? ugh, it always changes. my de facto favorite is “hard times” because it hurts so bad.

“guess” by charli xcx featuring billie eilish

i don’t usually buy 45s! leo has a few, but i don’t think i have any? i didn’t see this until we went to spin me round. i’m unsure if the other two stores had them, but if they did, they were gone by the time we showed up. spin me round had a whole bunch of them, and at one point i overheard the clerk saying that they’d forgotten to put them out at the start of the day. lucky me. :)

“pink pony club” by chappell roan

i bought this because “naked in manhattan” is the flip side and that’s one of my favorite chappells.

*i really wanted the peanuts RSD poster that customers received with a purchase of those little easter egg-shaped 45s