YouTube is turning out to be quite a repository for vinyl weirdness. Enjoy my latest discovery in the Twilight Zone of turntabling–the gent in this video purchased a vinyl record stamper via eBay and decided to see what would happen if he tried to press a record with it using a whole mess of wood glue.
A vinyl stamper isn’t the machine that cranks out the LPs, it’s the “mold” for an individual record–the recorded music etched into the metal surface, ready for a load of melted vinyl to be poured into it and pressed. Since theoretically any liquidy substance that dries into a hardened form could be used, why not try making a 12-inch LP with wood glue? The results? Edisonian, but interesting nonetheless.
I just got my copy of A New Deal on vinyl–the new record by Tim Larson and the Owner Operators. This Chicago band has been toiling away in and out of the Windy City for quite some time now and the new vinyl is, quite frankly, a triumph.
A full review of the vinyl is coming, but for now let me just say that Larson and company have perfected something I like to call Economic Noir. It would not be unfair to compare the lyrics to the storytelling and world-weariness of Stan Ridgeway, but the music is in its own league altogether.
A New Deal is a combination of dark, brooding southern sounds (without sounding corn-fed or just off the Dukes of Hazzard farm) with some excellent swampy guitar work, plus more than a hint of Angelo Badalamenti. I am sure that’s not intentional, but it certainly is welcome. If you’ve ever seen the evil barroom scene in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, you’ve got a good idea of the vibe that comes off some of these tracks.
The album is a flat-out commentary on life in post-Bush America, with the 2008 housing crisis firmly in mind. But this record does not preach or climb up on a soapbox whatsoever. A lot of that sort of thing (from lesser artists) can be tiresome, but A New Deal writes from the trenches and sounds a lot more like looking for hope in the middle of the chaos rather than rolling over and waiting for the wolves.
I’ll save the full review of A New Deal for later, but here’s some of my favorite work from that album, live in Chicago. This stuff is HIGHLY recommended. The video doesn’t even do it justice, but consider it an apertif for the main course. Tim Larson and the Owner Operators play The Double Door in Chicago 8PM on Wednesday August 24, 2011.
Big thanks to all who came out to the Turntabling Table this weekend and chatted, bought rare and unusual vinyl, and talked about all things record-related. Turntabling is plotting more convention appearances even as I write this. Everyone who came to the table really made the weekend special–THANK YOU for your support.
I wanted to take a moment to remind people that I am currently in search of more record collections to purchase. Any kind of bulk vinyl for sale is potentially of interest as I have a continuous need for more titles–especially 80s goth/industrial, soundtracks, new wave, odd/bizarre and otherwise unclassifiable records. Feel free to get in touch about any vinyl you might be interested in selling: jwallace@turntabling (dot) net.
Thanks again for your continued support!
Joe Wallace
YouTube is a never-ending source of amusement on the vinyl junkie front. This video will no doubt offend the utterly humorless record collecting basement dweller, but for those of us who can’t be bothered taking ourselves THAT seriously, this is amusing as hell.