Tucson’s Protagonist Music enlisted GGR to press the new Black Kites LP, Songs Written While Things Were Changing. The album went on sale in early August, and you can grab a copy from Protagonist Records here.
This is the band’s second full-length LP, and in Protagonist’s words, it is an “emotionally devastating assault both lyrically and aurally, you’ll need several listens just to take it all in!” The record is available on multi-colored vinyl or tradtional black, and all come with a digital download card too.
Being released by Hippies Are Dead Records, Grand Lake‘s Blood Sea Dream is a listening experience not to miss.
According to the band’s bio, Grand Lake makes music about something gigantic, something awe-inspiring, something sublime. They sink their anchor and it can’t touch the bottom; they look back and can’t see the shore. The music starts the voyage and they depart from the certainty they’ve once known. The mast unfurls and they set sail on the gigantic body of aqueous self, leaving behind concrete docks, concrete buildings, and concrete ideas.
We just finished pressing the ultra-deluxe 150 gram gatefold double LP for Magnolia Mountain — the band spared no frills on this beautiful package (if we don’t say so ourselves). Check it out here:
(Available for $25 at the band's website)
The respected Topshelf Records and Protagonist Music teamed up to put the debut LP from Oakland’s own Big Kids. A special package including a t-shirt is available from Topshelf. Special multi-colored wax is available from Protagonist Music.
According to Protagonist, “This record is be 9 tracks that capture the bliss of playing music with your good friends, touring in a shitty van, playing killer house shows, and seeing life through the prism of punk rock. Melodies and dirt, sing-alongs and feedback, relationships and ideas…all are represented here”.
The folks at SXSW just launched their PanelPicker online, which allows for anyone to vote on topics they would be interested in being finalized as panels at SXSW 2011. Voting is live until August 27.
GGR submitted its own panel proposal, and you can vote for it here. (you’ll have to register for a FREE panelpicker account first)
Regardless of whether you plan on having a record pressed here at GGR, or by any one of the fine pressing plants around the world, we feel strongly that the topics we proposed will be helpful to anyone — new or veteran — wanting to get records pressed.
Here is a description of our proposal:
With the recent increase in the number of albums being pressed on vinyl, there is more interest now than in a very long time among bands and indie labels on how to press their own records. Many of these bands and labels have been raised during the “digital generation”, and therefore can find the process of moving their music to the analog vinyl format challenging. In particular, music that has not been mastered specifically for the vinyl format can sound horrible– clips; distortion; and in some cases, skips can ruin the end listening experience. This panel introduces those who are interested in having their own music pressed on vinyl to the process and limitations of the format. From the very limitations of the analog sound spectrum, to the inherent specifications of those flat black circle discs– this panel will discuss every technical aspect of pressing a vinyl record from the start to the finish and all in-between.
QUESTIONS ANSWERED:
Remember– voting closes on August 27!
Local Northeast-Ohio (Akron) based Experimedia‘s first GGR pressing is Kansas-based Aaron Martin‘s Worried About The Fire. Former collaborator of artists as diverse as Machinefabriek and Dawn Smithson (Sunn O))), Martin originally devised ‘Worried about the Fire’ as the soundtrack to a short film and the record sees him deconstructing preexisting snippets, sketches and samples from various collaborations and solo performances. All prior restrictions were set aside as Martin forwent his regular live-approach, untypically using electronic processing and effects and editing the parts without limiting himself in any way. Still built around his set-up of cello, banjo, harmonica and organ, there is an unsettling installation-character to the work, with distant echoes of acoustic instruments shining through the ghostly fabric of these twelve short pieces. Mastered by 12k label-head Taylor Deupree, ‘Worried about the Fire’ has however not only turned out a dark and demure work, but also one of brittle beauty – ranging from the meditative cymbal-space of ‘Ice melts’ and the broken-Piano semblance of ‘Blue Light’ to the consoling Ambient-Folk of ‘Making Rope’.
The record was pressed on random color vinyl, so each LP is completely unique. You can grab a copy here.
We Are Hex‘s label recently approached GGR to press their new release….complete with a digital download bonus, you can grab a copy online, at shows, and at select independent retailers!
Aptly titled, Donavon Frankenreiter’s “Revisited” is not just a re-recording of his 2004 self titled album; it’s a complete reinterpretation…with a Hawaiian twist. Well, you still have time to soak it up before the summer is over…grab a copy today — it is available only at independent record stores or from Donavon himself!
Matt Taha from Cleveland’s futurepunk trio Filmstrip came by to grab his new [GGR-pressed] LP entitled Everything Can Change last week. If you happen to live in the Northeast, you can check out a show this month!
Matt Taha of Filmstrip
