Bleach re-released

It all started with this, yesterday afternoon:


Seeing a Nirvana song posted on a site that only features current releases was a treat. It ended up being a previously-unreleased, live version of a track from my favorite album, Bleach. Take a listen:

Reading further gave me the best news of the day (which was a tough feat; yesterday was pretty great!): For the 20th anniversary of its release (wow), SubPop is re-releasing Bleach as a double disc. The second disc contains the entire Pine Street session (remixed by Bleach's original producer), a booklet with a ton of previously unreleased pictures, and my favorite part: the vinyl is white. Apparently the original copy of Bleach was on white vinyl as well.


You can probably imagine by now that I pre-ordered it. I should be getting it by the end of the first week in November. That said, anybody want to buy my current vinyl copy? ^_~

Chromeooo

Chromeo
Originally uploaded by tokyohanna.

I was only halfway through track 3 on Chromeo's latest release, Fancy Footwork, before I ran to the design station to upload this photo and write. I don't know why some things take me so long, but better late than never? Get this album, guys. You will never stop dancing. The Fader put it well with "Gold-plated basslines and rhinestone-studded synths." I am now heartbroken that I missed them at Hiro a couple of weeks ago.

The tiniest snippet of background: Chromeo is two guys - friends since childhood. One is in Montreal, the other is in NYC getting his PhD in French Literature @ Columbia. One is Jewish, the other Arab: Chromeo seems to serve as a great example of music uniting people.

blonde benoit mew

Blonde Benoit Mew is the name of the playlist with the heaviest rotation on my iTunes. It has been this way for at least two months. It consists of three albums. Guess the artists.

Since I haven't updated in a while and I can't seem to come up with anything that seems even remotely smart, I'm going to use this entry to recommend the following three albums:

1 Blonde Redhead | 23. I have been in love with it since Valentine's Day. It was just released last week, so now is the time. The design and construction of the album is beautiful too, so I am going to recommend a CD (or vinyl, my God) over digital here. Really, the design is genius. This is music to drown to.

2 Benoît Pioulard | Précis. I experienced a state schema to the opening track of this album. This guy has a magical voice, he layers beautiful sounds on top of each other, and well, it's transcendent. Shoegaze at its best (mixed with some other things too). The album art looks exactly how the record sounds (the image in this entry). So it sounds like raindrops on a window (or twinkly lights in a forest), basically. Or the feeling that such a scene evokes.

3 Mew | And the Glass Handed Kites. Every single time I have heard an album or a set of songs, I prefer it to anything else by that band that I hear afterwards. Such was not the case for this Mew album. I first heard Frengers, and thought it was the best thing to ever be put together. Nope. This is it. The harmonies, voices and drum beats are impeccable. I also experienced a state schema while listening to this album and riding my new bike.

If you buy one three albums in the next three months, buy these. You won't be disappointed. promise.