Today is a big day. Not only is it Record Store Day which means "Vinyl, Vinyl, Vinyl" but Two Roads Brewing Company is having their Nor' Yeaster event which means "Beer, Beer, Beer". Now I understand that there isn't much to do with comics going on today but I feel like 2 out of 3 is good enough to do a blog about such a special day.
I got up at 8:00 this morning. I don't know how many of you reading this know me personally but I do not get up that early on a Saturday unless there is somewhere I desperately need to be. Today I need to be at The Telegraph in order to get my hands on some limited vinyl releases and whatever else catches my eye. So coffee is necessary, I only drink 2 to 3 cups of coffee at home a week, (the other multitude of cups I drink at work), so the coffee is not special so I won't waste you time with it's lack of flavor profile.
What is special is the black metal awesomeness that is Ash Borer's Blood Lands on smokey vinyl that I got in the mail yesterday. This album is blacker than the black coffee I'm drinking and is more effective at waking me up as well. I bitched on Facebook after I discovered Cold of Ages that no one had spoken the name Ash Borer to me but seriously if you are a fan of Wolves in the Throne Room, Krallice or the first 3 Alter of Plagues albums you owe it to yourself to listen to Ash Borer. They do a brand of black-gaze that is on par, if not better, than the 3 bands I just mentioned. Some of the angular guitar work they put on top of the wash of sound is just superb.
So while my special lady gets ready to head out I figured I'd grab a comic and read a bit. "X-Tinction Agenda" was the first trade paperback I ever bought. The X-Men are one of my first comic book loves and I used to have a subscription to X-Force when I was a young man. I've been digging through some of my old trades lately and came across this one and decided I'd see if it stands up. While it's not the most sophistiated of stories, (Cameron Hodge is setting up mutant work camps and the X-Men not getting along with the other X-Factions), it's still a pretty entertaining and worth while read. This is one of those super X-Team crossovers that were all the rage throughout the 90's, (I may reread "X-Cutioners Song" at some point as well), and though it may have been based in selling issues from the failing X-Books, it still makes things a little more interesting with an expanded cast of characters.
The big purchase of the the day was the collection of 10" Soundgarden "singles" from Superunknown.
While I've heard the A Sides to all these singles, (about 100 million times), I was intrigued by the B Sides and the stupendous art. The vinyl is all black so no fanciness there but the art for the individual sleeves is great. The "Spoonman" single had me mesmerized. Hi-lights musically include, "Cold Bitch", a throwback to an earlier Soundgarden sound that would have felt out of place on Superunknown but is a welcome respite on the collection of singles. An acoustic version of "Like Suicide", it's always been one of my favorite songs and this version is even more intimate and depressing. The original demo version of "Birth Ritual" is on the "My Wave" single and has the sound and fury of a good live recording without the crowd noise and sound bleed. My personal favorite is the cover of Devo's "Girl U Want" from the "Fell on Black Days" single. It's slowed down and way more melodic and moody. It's a perfect cover in the fact that it sounds like it could be a Soundgarden song but is also instantly recognizable as a cover. Just listening to these old songs on vinyl is a treat for me. I feel like I would have had a better appreciation for what Soudgarden was actually accomplishing with their singles. This was 1 of 2 special releases that I had heard about prior to Records Store Day that I got excited about. I was incredibly glad to be able to get my hands on it.
The other release I knew was coming out that I got excited about was the re-release of Cave In's Jupiter. Not only is this a landmark album that I was going hear on vinyl for the first time but it came with a bonus 12" that had 2 demo's on the A-Side and a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused".
The Zep cover rules, straight away, it is everything one would hope for if someone said to you Jupiter era Cave In covering Led Zappelin, spacey, long winded weirdness. As I listened to the actual LP I bought however I was surprised at the lack of mid range on the album. The thud of the kick and the rumble of the bass are there and the hi-end is clear as as a bell and sounds wonderful. The tonality of the bass and the crunch of the distorted guitars is all but completely lost. While the lighter and spacey parts sound extra crisp and interesting, much of the heavy has been stripped out of this record with it's lack of mid-range frequencies. Don't get me wrong, it's a great record and I'm glad I've got the vinyl version but I expected a much thicker and more intense listen and what I got was a magnifying glass on Brodsky's voice and guitar.
Something that I didn't expect to see but am super glad that I found was the Crosses ††† 10" on baby blue marbled vinyl. Crosses is an Alt-Electronica band, (I don't know if that's a thing at all...what do you call a rock band that's mostly electronic and atmospheric... I'm calling it Alt-Electronica), featuring Chino Moreno of the Deftones and Shaun Lopez of Far.
Picture the mellow and noisy moments of White Pony expanded into completely fleshed out songs and thickened up with more electronics and and effected instruments. All of that with Moreno doing his best soul-singer impression without ever leaving his comfort zone. Super mellow and moody music that really blurs the lines of rock. These are not bass thumping electronic songs, this is dense textures of sound layered on top of slow tempo, somber rock songs. Slightly psychedelic in it's swirling nature, Crosses is a project that has a very wide range of appeal if the fans of the genres they touch upon will open their ears a bit wider than they're used to.
One can not go to Record Store Day and simply buy special releases. There was more browsing and discovering to do, so I also picked up a few other pieces of vinyl that were not related to Record Store Day. Once I get in the buying mode and know that the money's going to get spent it's hard for me to put the demon back in the cage. So in order to make sure I diversified a bit I picked up Give the People What they Want by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings. When I found out that there was a retro soul movement happening a few years ago I was both shocked and elated. I love soul music and was always saddened to think that no one would ever do songs in the vein of Otis Redding or Smokey Robinson. Along with Eli "Paperboy" Reed and Black Joe Louis & the Honeybears, Sharon Jones is pretty much at the top of the heap of this movement. She's your new Aretha Franklin. She can be forceful and really push the "woman scorned" vibe and she can also play up the vulnerability and sensitivity. Far from pitch perfect Sharon's appeal lies in her passionate delivery and her brilliant work within simple melodies. Her backing band also cooks like very few others. Tight doesn't come close to doing them justice. I'd say they were like machines but that would downplay the human way that they feel a groove and play off one another. This sound just has a timeless quality.
So once I had these purchases in my hands I decided it was time to stand in line so I could check out and head up to Two Roads. The line was pretty darn long and everyone's hands were full so it was moving rather slowly. The new arrivals bin is pretty much within arms reach of where the checkout line wound around. So in order to kill some time I figured I'd see if there was anything interesting in there. Well of course there was and I ended up picking up the new Afghan Whigs album Do the Beast.
Before I even get into what a great album this thing is music wise let's check out the presentation, shall we? Crisp white vinyl with spectacular bright colored labels with pictures, gatefold with a bizarre and thought provoking photograph, matte black album sleeves with glossy black writing and a full giant sized lyric book. This is a product worthy of any collection just for those reasons. Besides the presentation the album is pretty phenomenal. Greg Duli has cemented himself as Alternative Rock royalty because of his work, not only with the Afghan Whigs but also the Twilight Singers and the Gutter Twins. One of the best lyricist in the game and has a mind-bending ability to engage crowds with his unique and sometimes completely off key vocal stylings. While this is not the original Afghan Whigs lineup, Duli has always been the one steering the ship and that's undeniable. There are flashes of the Twilight Singers coming through but you are still getting the more soulful rock sound of the Afghan Whigs. The guitars are simple but catchy and do what they must to keep the songs in the arena of driving rock n' roll. What really pushes the album into other realms are the string arrangements and piano interludes that take place throughout. The songs tend to come in like lions and out like lambs or vice-versa. It's that duality that has made the Duli, in all his projects, sound so honest and believable. Printed on 180 gram vinyl you real do feel the intricacies within the songs. This album will drag you along with it, it's possible it will depress the shit out of you or maybe you will find some light in the darkness but whatever it does you will turn the record over and you will play the next side. It gets under your skin in the very same ways as albums like Black Love did in '96.
The last record I bought I actually got after we came back to the Telegraph after going to Two Roads in order so see some bands play. Standing around a record store half drunk and having a great day is almost guaranteed a purchase. I happened to see they had the latest from Guided By Voices and said to my self "This will be a nice cap to the day. Just get this one last record".
This Guided by Voices album is very much like every other Guided by Voices album. There are a few songs on it that are great, fully formed, poppy 60's garage-y psych type things and the rest of the album is basement demo musings and ideas. It's an aesthetic that GBV has been cultivating since 1983 and I feel like you either buy in and you love them or they're a band you will continually skip over. I love them, I've got well over 300 songs of there's on my iPod and a couple of Robert Pollard's solo records and side projects. I feel like some bands make intentionally poor recordings in order to sound like GBV but the unprofessional sounding records is never been how I've seen GBV. They make spontaneous and stream of consciousness music and their recording techniques must be ready to go and set up at a moments notice. The few records that they were proper studio recordings missed the point of the band, the quirky and off the cuff nature is lost in such a sterile setting. Basically what I'm saying is that if you like Guided by Voices you will like Motivational Jumpsuit but it's not going to change any minds about them either.
ON TO THE BEER!!!
So this is what all the hub-bub was about at Two Roads Brewing Company. The release of 2 sours (Urban Funk & Krazy Pucker) and their Henry's Farm Doppelbock that was aged in Rye Whiskey barrels. It's no secret that I love visiting Two Roads, but being that it's about an hour from my apartment it's usually only for special occasions. A three bottle release is plenty special and well worth the trip but lo-and-behold they also had their Mai Bock and Belgian IPA, (brewery only releases), that I managed to sample as well. So that's a 5 beer roster that you can not get anywhere else but the tasting room. That's an extra special occasion if you ask me. Let's do this in order shall we?
Barrel Aged Henry's Farm
Doppelbock aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels
8% ABV
I started the day with what I was most excited about and what I knew for certain wouldn't ruin my palate for everything else. The original Henry's Farm is a great representation of the German Doppelbock. Bready, sweet and an ever-present yeast character make it true to the German style. It's barrel-aged brother is 1% more alcoholic, sweeter and richer. The extra alcohol and the spice of the rye whiskey flavors that come from the barrel give the finish of this beer a good kick and really round out the sweet vanilla and caramel flavors that come first. The barrel aged is a little heavier and darker than it's brother but not syrupy. I fell in love with this one so fast that I ordered a second to stand in line for bottles with.
Urban Funk
American Wild Ale
5.5% ABV
After 2 of a sure fire winner, I figured I had greased the gears enough to try the more adventurous side of the menu. Sours are a tricky breed. My general rule of thumb for sours is small doses, be open minded and be prepared for something that might not taste like beer. The pours weren't full pints so that was good and I tried to free my mind but I still don't know that I was prepared. This beer hits like a prizefighter. No messing around, no subtle hints of sour, just BLAM!!! right in the moosh. The nose is both musty and sharp. It starts kind of forest-floor-earthy but when it hits the back of your nose it stings. The taste is all tart, sour fruit and candy notes through and through. Not a cold weather beer, this is more likely to make you shiver than warm you up. There is part of me that found the beer refreshing but it's not an everyday thing. Beer like this shows how far left of center you can go with 4 basic ingredients. For fans of the genre this is a must, for experimenters it should be on your list, for the weak of mouth, stay far away.
Krazy Pucker
Berliner Weisse
3.8% ABV
I left the Krazy Pucker for last of the three beers that were being released today because I figured with a name like Krazy Pucker it would be the most taste bud ruining beer. I was worried about this beer from the get-go. German/wheat/sour/low ABV, none of this stuff is on my top 10 things I like about beer list. But let's be honest, I'm not going to go to a release party and not fully sample everything. Tasters be damned, give me a full pour, I'll find some redeeming quality to it. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not as difficult as I would have thought. It was not even close to as sour and abrasive as the Urban Funk. This is a summer beer through and through. I also usually hate summer beers but the Krazy Pucker was so specific in it's application that I found it quite enjoyable. Imagine drinking a very cold glass of lemonade, white wine and sprite, (not necessarily blended together but it is reminiscent of all 3), in one semi alcoholic package. The yeast does all the talking, no hop bite or malty sweetness, this is all wild yeast. It's not what I'd call a beer drinkers beer but if you're looking for a nice, dry, refreshing beverage to drink by the pool or ocean or lake or whatever, this is perfect. The ingredients and fermentation my make it beer by definition, the taste and appearance are not what you would expect from a beer. This is an animal all it's own and has a very specific time and place where it should be enjoyed. Glad I've got bottles of this for picnic time but now it was time to drift back into a more normal realm of beer.
Belgian IPA
7% ABV
A fairly popular style these days, the Belgian IPA combines the great citrus and pine notes of a heavily hopped beer with the great funky fruit flavors that Belgian yeast strains bring to the table. The light amber color and almost glowing white head make for nice presentation. The nose is a sort of musty pine scent. It's a smell that may not sound instantly appealing as something you'd like to imbibe but if you're into the wild yest flavors in a traditional Belgian beers and the bitter bite of American IPAs then this beer is a perfect marriage of the styles. The interesting bit about this beer is the fact that the taste is not the bright citrus of the west coast hops and the tropical fruit and banana flavors of some of the more popular Belgian yeast strains. This beer's flavor is much more dark and funky. Not quite sour or overly bitter but more of a black cherry and lingering mellow pine. Think coniferous forests after a downpour in the evening and you're close to the taste. Sadly after this, there was only one more "brewery only" beer left to try.
Hizzoner
MaiBock/Helles Bock
6.5% ABV
A lighter and easier to drink cousin of the traditional German lager, the Maibock is hoppier and designed for the springtime. Perfect way to close out the day in the sun with some terribly unhealthy french fry plates. You can't really tell because I was pretty well on my way to being drunk so my hand is all over the cup but it had a beautiful clean orangy red color to this beer. The nose is mostly yeasty as with many German styles. The body is lighter than some the traditional syle but not quite a summer drinker. I'd say it's about medium body, normal for a descent amber beer. Taste wise it's a lot malt sweetness with a bready yeast and quick hop finish. A great representation of the style. Now I'm not saying I didn't have any more to drink before I was driven home but I am saying that this is the last beer that I could only get at the brewery.
Thank you those of you that stuck with me through this exceedingly long winded diatribe. If I hadn't had so much fun on April the 19th 2014 I don't know that I would have bothered to write so much. The amount of different beer and music styles that I was able to experience in one day put me on the verge of overload. Thanks to Meg and my sister Kristyn for sharing in the festivities and dealing with my weird choice of songs on the way back to New London.
