Vinyl Pickups

With this (NOT) lovely, seemingly endless pandemic now going on for over a year, my vinyl purchases, outside of one moment of retail therapy, have come at a trickle. Still, I have bought some cool stuff, but none of it really exists if I don't post pictures of it for other people to see. Here are my vinyl pickups over this endless COVID season.

I had to kill some time at Target the other day, and saw they had one copy of a Target-only, purple vinyl edition of one of my favorite all-time albums, Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York. I guessed the pressing quality wouldn't be great, as these Target-only albums don't have a great reputation, but I was surprised to find the reviews on Discogs shockingly positive--in that the reviewers were all shocked at how great this edition sounded. I knew the album had been pressed on 180, but the reviewers insisted that somehow this purple Target version sounded better than any other version of MTV Unplugged in New York. Well, I just listened to it, and I don't know how, but this Target exclusive Nirvana vinyl is not only beautiful, but sounds incredible. What a find!

I've wanted a vinyl version of Deftones' White Pony since its release 21 years ago. One of my favorite all-time albums, White Pony felt like the modern (in 2000) version of the progressive rock stuff my parents used to get blasted and listen to back in the 70's. I grew up seeing the sweet-looking vinyls for those albums, so it only seemed fair that my favorite trippy, atmospheric rock album should have its own vinyl place on my shelf. Well, I finally found a decently priced copy, and I have opinions. That opinion is that I think I actually like the way this sounds on a CD in my car better than I do the vinyl version, though I have a lot of appreciation for the vinyl version, as well. While the packaging is pretty straight-laced, the pressing for White Pony is a bit wild, with the electronics pushed a little down in the mix, and the bass sounding like Chi Cheng (R.I.P) is standing a few feet away from you playing his parts. It's not that the bass is louder per se, it just has more of a clear, natural, less-compressed sound. Unfortunately, as a negative counterpoint, the cymbals are a bit hissy. I'll listen to this version as a fun alternative, probably often, as I still spin White Pony all the time.

I've been a Haley Williams fan since she did an incredible guest spot on a Chariot song. I wasn't very into the stuff she did with Paramore pre-2013, but I've thought that everything they've put out since then has been golden. Petals for Armor is her first solo album, and I dig the majority of it. It's pretty introspective stuff, and the only tracks I don't really vibe on are a small handful that have a more dance party feel. That's more a matter of genre preference than a comment on those songs' quality. This vinyl version is beautiful, with some great arty photographs of Williams, and cool packaging. The records also sound great overall, very clear, with Williams voice ringing out like a bell, and a heavy bass presence (though there are a few times the bass almost seems to distort Hayley's voice).

REZN is a trippy hard rock band I dig, particularly on their 2018 album, Calm Black Water. I didn't enjoy 2020's Chaotic Divine quite as much, but I did pre-order the vinyl. The artwork is very cool, again, in line with the 70's progressive rock stuff in my parents' collection. The pressing is heavy, heavy 180 gram (seriously, these records weigh a ton), and the mix is brilliant, with the lows sounding especially rich and thumpy, though I did find a bit of static and noise.

Look I get that I'm a demographic considered the majority, and as that demographic I've tried to at least make an effort not to be a turd to my peers that aren't. Since he's in the same demographic, lives one state over, and seems to have similar interests, I'd hope Norma Jean-frontman, Cory Brandan Putman, would do the same. In 2020, Cory most definitely did not, and has, at least for now, found himself cancelled. What a bummer for his band. They recorded my favorite album of 2019, All Hail, and I eagerly purchased the album's vinyl version in early 2020. When it arrived, I googled the band for something, saw what Cory did, and immediately lost my enthusiasm for my new pickup. Holy cow, though, is the vinyl packaging and artwork, by Brandan Putman himself, a thing of beauty. It may be the most beautiful record in my collection. The album also sounds great, with lows, mids, and highs all perfectly balanced.
Dammit, Cory.

I'm not going to even pretend like I don't love The Matrix Reloaded and its corresponding soundtrack. I've had a soft spot for both for the last 18 years. They're as 2003 as you can get, and considering the summer they released happened right before my senior year of college (which got to have two summers!) that is just fine by me! I found this incredible, double-gatefold, three record, coke-bottle green Record Store Day-edition of the sountrack while out LP-hunting with my very good buddy, Jordan. I'm happy to report, it sounds phenomenal--whoever mastered this truly put the care into it it deserved--and it's now my go to for The Matrix Reloaded audio content. Also, the packaging and records look amazing, including the Side 6 Keanu etching. My favorite pickup in this post! It also randomly came with the insert for The Matrix Revolutions, which I don't like as much, but I guess I'm going to have to get that one now too.
And finally, I think I found this record in a box my mother-in-law was throwing out, but who can really be sure? All I know is, it is a strange treasure that I will never, ever open, yet still admire in its shrinkwrap. Of course, I'm talking about this Kajun Kountry promotional album from a Lafayette-based, long defunct radio station. Cool. Wait, I just realized what the initials for this album are.
Not cool!