British Sea Power 'Who's In Control?' (Rough Trade, 2011)

There seems to be a surprising amount of Record Store Day stuff knocking about after the event this year. Still, shouldn't complain as it means I managed to pick up a copy of the British Sea Power contribution, a nice double 7" in a gatefold sleeve.

Among the four tracks is 'Who's In Control?' which is a strident, firey rocker that rails at the state of advanced Capitalism that we find ourselves in. It's tempered with a hint of resignation though. "Oh, were you not told? Do you not know? Everything around you's being sold... Sometimes I wish that protesting was sexy on a Saturday night."

The guitars churn out a furious riff, the drums are like thunder and it occurs to you that the song would sound great bellowed out as a football chant. And, of course, it would be entirely appropriate for football fans to be singing about the things they know being bought and sold.

Classic Sea Power then.

Download British Sea Power 'Who's In Control?' (mp3) (Mediafire)

The View 'I Need That Record' (Record Store Day 7", 2011)

I have only very occasionally been a fan of The View's oeuvre over the years but this is their contribution to Record Store Day 2011. It's a spiky little number, a pretty faithful cover of The Tweeds' 1980 power-pop paean to record-lust.

Of course, today is Record Store Day. Check out the full list of participating stores. Happy shopping!

The Tweed's version is also the soundtrack to 'I Need That Record: The Death (Or Possible Survival) Of The Independent Record Store' a US documentary featuring Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, Fugazi's Ian MacKaye, Noam Chomsky, ex-Talking Heads Chris Frantz and Lenny Kaye of The Patti Smith Group. You can watch the trailer here.

I Need That Record by The View

LCD Soundsystem cover Franz Ferdinand for Record Store Day 'Live Alone' (Domino, 2011)

LCD Soundsystem join Debbie Harry, Peaches and Magnetic Fields' Stephen Merritt in an EP of Franz Ferdinand covers for Record Store Day.

LCD's version of 'Live Alone' is a louche, laid-back but funky take with James Murphy doing his best Alex Kapranos impression. It's a bit Roxy Music, a bit Bauhaus, maybe a bit Tom Tom Club. It sounds like something from the lost soundtrack reel to Pretty In Pink. In a good way.

LCD Soundsystem - Live Alone (Franz Ferdinand cover) by DominoRecordCo

Record Store Day goodies list - including Fleet Foxes 12"

Get in a lather over the list of UK goodies posted at the Record Store Day website.

Too many highlights but a few things jumped out at me on first look...

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Fleet Foxes (Got!)
Helplessness Blues / Battery Kinzie, 12" LIMITED TO 500 COPIES
On 2nd May 2011 FLEET FOXES will release 'Helplessness Blues', the much-anticipated follow up to their 2008 self-titled debut, on Bella Union records. The title track and 'Battery Kinzie' form the double a-side single released exclusively on Record Store Day 2011."Helplessness Blues" was recorded over the course of a year at Avast Recording, Bear Creek Studios, Dreamland Studios, and Reciprocal Recording. The album was mixed by Phil Ek and co-produced by Fleet Foxes & Ek.
Label: Bella Union

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James Yorkston (Got!)
'It's Lovely To Be Heard' 10" EP (Quantity: 500)
The Talking Diaries Of A Scottish Gent : Ransacked and elucidated by various salient friends Selections taken from his book 'It's Lovely To Be Here' with music from Jon Hopkins & King Creosote amongst others.
Label: Domino Records

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Midlake / Will Self (Not Got!)
Am I Going Insane (Black Sabbath cover) / The Happy Detective
Exclusive 12" release of the Black Sabbath cover version by Midlake taken from the latest Late Night Tales release on CD, compiled by the Denton, Texas band.
The B-side is the story written and read by Will Self, from the same compilation.
Label: Late Night Tales

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New Order / Joy Division (Not Got!)
New Order: Ceremony (Original Version) / In A Lonely Place (12" Version)
Joy Division: Ceremony (Previously released Heart & Soul rehearsal version) / In A Lonely Place (Unreleased rehearsal session)
All tracks remastered by Stephen Morris and Frank Arkwright 2011.
Design by Studio Parris Wakefield after the original design by Peter Saville.
Label: Rhino

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Nirvana (Not Got!)
Hormoaning, 12" Mini Coloured Mini LP
Label: Polydor

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Saint Etienne (Not Got!)
Saint Etienne on 45, 6 x 7" box set
7" One, Avenue (radio edit), Stranger In Paradise
7" Two, He's On The Phone, How I Learned To Love The Bomb
7" Three, Lose That Girl, Swim Swan Swim
7" Four, How We Used To Live Pt 1, How We Used To Live Pt 2
7" Five, Boy Is Crying, Northwestern
7" Six, Shower Scene, Aqualad
Strictly limited edition box containing six 7" singles. Each of these singles has never been on 7" before and the b-side tracks have not been on vinyl before


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Suede (Got!)
The Drowners/To The Birds, Limited Edition 7" single.
Restricted to 500 copies, the single features previously unreleased demo versions of both sides of Suede's 1992 double A-side debut single. To reflect the 'alternate' nature of the recordings, the picture sleeve features the original image in an altered colour scheme.
Label: Demon Edsel

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