Vinyl Therapy: Wild Nothing (2016)

The beautiful new album by the band Wild Nothing, 

entitled Life Of Pause, has a gorgeous lenticular 3-D sleeve.

This release stands in the grand tradition of album cover art

as part of the listening experience. Not merely an avatar or a 

graphic image associated with an LP, this is a beautifully designed

and complete sleeve... front, interior and back following a concept.

Vinyl Therapy: Belle & Sebastian (2015)

Belle & Sebastian make a remarkable return to form with their stunning

 new album Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance. The sleeve photos have a 

glamorous yet haunting feel, which I would describe as Dystopian Roxy Music.

I'm never quite sure how many members B&S has at any given time.

Apart from their unique sound, I think this is part of their overall charm and

I'm very excited to see them perform live at Radio City Music Hall this June.

Vinyl Therapy: Portgual. The Man, The Black Keys & The Horrors

Above: Portugal. The Man's 2013 Evil Friends LP

Below: The Black Keys' 2006 Magic Potion LP

Both of these LPs were very thoughtful gifts from Dan Feldman, a student 

who surprised me with these two records just before graduating a couple of weeks ago.

Below: Luminous by The Horrors

Released in June of 2014, this is a fantastic progression

of their sweeping, atmospheric sound (with just a bit more groove).

Vinyl Therapy: Goldfrapp & Sheep, Dog And Wolf (2013)

The lush and darkly cinematic masterpiece that is Goldfrapp's "Tales Of Us" (above)

and the richly textured rock and folk-tinged opus that is Sheep, Dog & Wolf's "Egospect" (below).

Vinyl Therapy: New & Reissued LPs

Primal Scream's 2013 LP entitled "More Light"... A rock solid return to form for the band.

The lo-fi but beat-heavy swing and sway of Dirty Beaches' 2013 

release entitled "Drifters/Love Is The Devil" is a great late night soundtrack.

After seeing Courtney do her thing (live and up close) back in June, I realized that I didn't own a vinyl copy of Hole's 2010 album entitled "Nobody's Daughter". When it was released, I found it a disappointing and somewhat uneven affair. The production did not fulfill the promise and punch that the demos (which had leaked online several months before its release) had suggested. Well, it turns out that I like the overall sound and production much better on LP than I did on CD. I'm not sure that this album was necessarily mixed for the vinyl-buying market, but there it is regardless... It's a solid rock 'n roll listen for any fan.

I finally treated myself to the 2009 vinyl reissue of what is now considered an indie classic... 1998's "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel.  It's one of those rare albums that gains more and more of a legendary sheen as time intervenes.  As an album, it almost defies description, and to call it "indie" in an era where any musician in retro eyeglasses (who plays guitar and isn't a judge on a music competition show) could be described as "indie", but I'll say this... Once you hear it, you will never forget the places it takes you.

Angular, melodic, stark and striking... One of my favorite 2013 LPs: "Silence Yourself" by Savages.

Vinyl Therapy: Merchandise, Deerhunter & Sonic Youth

My favorite album sleeve of 2013 (so far): Totale Nite by Merchandise.

Bonus Item: Two 7" singles in the 2009 Sonic Youth Sensational Fix book.

My friends and I keep remarking that 2013 has been 

a fantastic year for music... and this is one of the many reasons:

Monomania by the prolific Bradford Cox and his band Deerhunter.