Rhianna Greensmith
Like many other yearly events, Record Store Day (RSD) 2020 as we normally know it had to be cancelled.
Yet, instead of forfeiting the vinyl tradition celebrating over 200 of the UK’s indie record stores by releasing limited edition records for avid collectors to get their hands on, RSD have revamped the event by introducing a celebration of a similar nature split over three days. The first of which is this Saturday 29th August.
This year it’s a great way to support small independent record stores
Where the emphasis on this event is usually to celebrate live music and an excuse to hang with friends, this year it’s a great way to support small independent record stores and artists that have suffered financially due to lost work.
Amongst record stores participating is our very own Rough Trade on Broad Street up in Hockley. If you are in Notts this weekend and you’ve got a few summer pennies left over to spend, I’d highly recommend popping in and seeing what you can get your hands on.
As an avid vinyl collector myself, here are a few limited releases that I have had my eye on:
Live to Vinyl, The Big Moon
As ambassadors for the original RSD scheduled for April, I had to mention this offering by one of my favourite bands The Big Moon. Recorded at Metropolis Studios on the 5th March to a lucky studio audience this 12” vinyl consists of tracks Your Light, Waves and a cover of Fatboy Slim’s Praise You recorded live and pressed to vinyl there and then.
Although The Big Moon gals can’t be running around various stores playing shows and signing records as their ambassador role planned, this is still a one of a kind release that shouldn’t be missed.
Any Human Friend RSD, Marika Hackman
My most anticipated release of 2019 Any Human Friend is having a vinyl revamp for RSD, now a year on from its original release.
Four tracks from Marika’s saucy lil show-stopper appear on this record as acoustic numbers. The A side features ‘blow – acoustic’ and ‘the one – acoustic’ in which Marika’s self-assertion and risqué lyricism (take ‘all you f**kers want my dick’) make for a heady concoction when mixed with her angelic vocals in this stripped-back version.
A pretty rad track inviting discussion about female masturbation
Side B features ‘i’m not where you are – acoustic’ which, when listened in isolation from the almost arrogant-sounding bass of the studio version, becomes sad in its self-depreciation. Last comes ‘hand solo – acoustic’ which, may I add, is a pretty rad track inviting discussion about female masturbation.
Frankly, if you are looking for a new acoustic album for your collection that will leave you marvelling at its clever lyricism, I would recommend checking out this 10” hitting record stores this RSD.
Beautiful Faces / The Key to Life on Earth, Declan McKenna
Featuring two new songs from his upcoming album Zeros, this transparent purple 7” pressing is a must have for any indie-loving McKenna fans. Of ‘Beautiful Faces’ McKenna told NME ‘I wanted it to be a big song…Scary big. It very much relates to now’. The track depicts the struggles young people face today, for instance in the chorus he sings ‘beautiful faces smiling over us’, a potential allusion to the way that conventionally beautiful people seem to take precedence and almost be put on a pedestal on social media. ‘The Key to Life on Earth’, then, sees McKenna commenting on ‘hostile human relationships’ in which ‘happy go xenophobe locals have got it in for me’.
Although I might be cheating a little bit including this release as it drops on the September RSD, it is very much worth the look when the time comes around.
Record Store Day this year now falls on Saturday 29th August, Saturday 26th September, and Saturday 24th October.
Click here to see a full list of RSD August releases and, if you cannot make it to Rough Trade Notts have a look here to find your local participating retailer.
Happy record shopping!
Rhianna Greensmith
Featured image courtesy of Courtney Mault via flickr.com. Image license found here.
In-article images courtesy of @thebigmoon @thedeclanmckenna and @marikahackman via instagram.com.
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