Buzz Blog

Record Store Day April 17 isn't just a chance to support local indie record stores, or see a bunch of great live music. ---It's also a chance for your favorite artists to release oddball singles, live shows and newly vinyl-ized versions of old albums as Record Store Day exclusives. And we have some tips on must-haves this year.

You can find a lot of info about Record Store Day online, and Slowtrain Music has kindly listed a bunch of the exclusive releases for the day. And, of course, the new issue of City Weekly has a little story on some local Record Store Day happenings.

Here's what a couple of the City Weekly's resident music junkies are looking forward to scoping out on Saturday:

Dan Nailen's Most Anticipated Record Store Day exclusives:

The Platte, Bantam Brother EP—Salt Lake band The Platte's Andrew Shaw offers a winning take on tunes by seven fellow Utah artists, including tracks by Glade ("Crowd"), Tolchock Trio ("Factory") and Band of Annuals ("Don't Let Me Die"). Shaw will be performing at Slowtrain Music's Subterranean Lounge at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Built to Spill, "Water Sleepers"/"Linus & Lucy"—I'm a sucker for pretty much anything Doug Martsch does, and this live single has a limited run of 2,500 copies nationwide.

Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs box set—I'm late to the game on Magnetic Fields, but after getting to see Stephen Merritt and Co. live about a month ago, I'm obsessed. And this special edition of 10" vinyl seems appropriately old-timey, a match for the man.

Superchunk, "Misfits and Mistakes"/"Misfits and Mistakes (Meatwad version)"—This tune was originally recorded for Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters, but this new version is a picture disc(!) and autographed by all four members of the band(!!) Oh, and Meatwad himself sings the tune on the flip-side(!!!)

The Hold Steady, Heaven is Forever LP—I'm a psycho Hold Steady fan. I once canceled a vacation on a day's notice to drive to Billings, Montana, for a free MySpace show. And while I'm no vinyl junkie, I want to hear this new album before its "official" release on May 4. This vinyl exclusive gives me that chance.

Austen Diamond's Most Anticipated Record Store Day exclusives:

Passion Pit, "Little Secrets" 7"—This 7" vinyl cut has the album version of "Little Secrets" on one side and on the back the Felix Da Housecat Pink Enemy Remix. Passion Pit makes pretty good tunes to get a house party crankin'. That said, I'm curious how a dance remix on a 7" vinyl would work, especially if your thrift store record player doesn't have a repeat button.

Devil Whale EP—While the name is still to be determined, I imagine that Britton and company were sure about the edgy, rockfullness with subtle undertones that this local favorite always puts out. Their highly anticipated vinyl release will be out later this fall on Slowtrain Records—Slowtrain's first release—but this will tide everyone over in the meantime.

The Black Keys, "Tighten Up"/ "Howlin' For You"—The Black Keys have become a musical staple, accompanying me all the time, be it road tripping, skiing, cleaning the house or just rockin' out with the headphones on. They are a band that I'm confident I will never be disappointed with their new releases, and their timeless, bluesy sound works better on vinyl than most modern bands. With 50,000 copies available, this might be one that even folks sleeping in can get a hold of.

Bruce Springsteen, "Wrecking Ball" (Live @ Giants Stadium) b/w "Ghost of Tom Joad" (live, featuring Tom Morello)—I'm not of the generation that thinks Springsteen is God, but I think live is the best way to experience his music (also at a bar playing over the jukebox while you're drunk on cheap American beer). Anyway, for this vinyl cut, he's paired up with Tom Morello. Sweet! The only pair I'd rather have on a RSD release would be Henry Rollins and Burt Bacharach.

Great Lake Swimmers, The Legion Sessions—While my older co-workers here at CW think that vinyl is dead and lost its way for a reason, I stand firm in my love for the size and beauty of the artwork, the smell of old vinyl and the awesomeness of having a collection. That said, I should probably throw a CD on this list. The Great Lake Swimmers are Canada's best import since poutine (french fries covered in gravy and cheese)—both tug at your heart but for different reasons.

Record Store Day performance outside of SLC I'd go to:
Carolina Chocolate Drops @ Criminal in Atlanta, GA - Delicious! (Ed. note--They're playing the Living Traditions Festival right here in SLC May 23.