Record Store Day

I dropped by a few local record stores for Record Store Day and finally ended up at Sonic Boom. There was a bit of a frenzy though I was somewhat mystified. Most people were grabbing vinyls that could be purchased at any time, and only a few were looking for special releases made for this day. When I overheard two people discussing the merit of paper versus plastic inner sleeves, I knew I was deep in the Twilight Zone.

But I didn't come to argue analog versus digital, but to hear Language-Arts. Intrigued by a recent performance of this Grimes-esque singer/guitarist, I wanted to hear her with a full band. Turns out it was quite different, but a huge net gain. Without needing to loop her vocals or guitar, there was less of a drone feel to her music. In fact, with the addition of synth, bass, and a great drummer, her songs which sometimes seemed disjointed cohered into richer and more complex numbers. They also rocked, causing a bit of mental dissonance since she still bantered in a high-pitched little girl's voice. I wasn't the only one impressed by the performance as quite a few people came up after the set to pick up free download cards.