Alternative/Indie

[Article] Vinyl demand is so high, a record label opened its own factory to keep up

/ Rudy Carrera / Leave a comment

Vinyl’s resurgance is a cause for celebration. I’m even considering investing in an audiophile-quality turntable to enjoy choice slabs of plastic on cold nights like this evening’s (okay, by California standards!).

Endgadget reports that Fat Possum Records has decided to invest in their own plant to satisfy demand. From the article:

Jack White and his Third Man Records imprint aren’t the only ones benefiting from the vinyl boom. Oxford, Mississippi-based Fat Possum Records took matters into its own hands, building a pressing plant to meet the demands of its avid collectors. After using other record makers and encountering issues with backorders and the headache of international shipping, founder Matthew Johnson (with a hand from others) bought used equipment and set up shop in Memphis. The plant is modest compared to other more established operations, but with the new setup, the goal is to crank out 13,000 to 14,000 records a day — plus it’ll keep everything in-house. Fat Possum’s vinyl releases include LPs from Modest Mouse and Waylon Jennings. If you’ll recall, White’s Lazaretto is the best-selling vinyl release in two decades, serving as more evidence that the classic format refuses to die.

These are wonderful days to be a vinyl junkie.

[Video] Anastasia (Анастасија) – Na Rjekah Vavilonskih (By The Rivers of Babylon)

/ Rudy Carrera / Leave a comment

One of the greatest bands in the history of Balkan alternative music, Anastasia were fronted by singer Goran Trajkoski (Gotra), who went on to sing for Macedonian legends Mizar, as well as making incredible music as a solo musician. He is also an old friend who is as decent as he is talented.

Here is a sample of what you’re hearing, which is based on a text from the Holy Bible (David’s Psalm 137:1) in historic documents connected with destruction of Jerusalem by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II in 588 BC.:

На реките Вавилонски
таму седевме и плачевме
сеќавајќи се на Цион
На врбите среде него
ги обесивме нашите харфи
Таму нашите поробувачи ни бараа песни
нашите мачители се радуваа викајќи:
Пејте ни од песните ционски
Како да пееме песни господови на земји туѓински
Ако те заборавам тебе, Ерусалиме
нека се заборави десницата моја
Нека си го голтнам јазикот
ако не се сетам на тебе
ако не го издигнам Ерусалим
над мојата најголема радост
Сети се Господи на синовите едомски
кога дента во Ерусалим викаа:
разурнете го, разурнете го до темели.
Ќерко вавилонска, опустошена
блежен нека биде тој што ќе ти го направи тебе
она што ти ни го направи нам
Блажен нека биде тој што ќе ги земе децата твои
и ќе ги удри од камен.

In English:

By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion.
Upon the willows in the midst of it
We hung our harps.
For there our captors demanded of us songs,
And our tormentors mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
How can we sing the LORD’S song
In a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand forget her skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
If I do not remember you,
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.
Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, “Raze it, raze it
To its very foundation.”
O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one,
How blessed will be the one who repays you
With the recompense with which you have repaid us.
How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones
Against the rock.

[Podcast] A Miscellany of Tasteful Music – 02-02-2014

/ Rudy Carrera

A Miscellany of Tasteful Music – 02-02-2014 by Rudy Carrera on Mixcloud

Ten tracks from all over the world. This week, we start with a cheesy-listening number from Italy, some Acid Jazz from Austria, Brazilian Psychedelia, Indie from England, Ambient music from both Italy and Canada, Rock-In-Opposition from Belgium, Turkmenistani percussion-prog, an operatic piece from the Volga River (there’s a hint!), and a little bit of Mambo to wrap things up. For more on us, visit our page at http://amiscellany.info or friend me personally at my personal Facebook site and make comments or suggestions!