Sufjan Stevens New Vinyl Thursday

It’s Sufjan Stevens New Vinyl Thursday at The Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven. Check out this week’s list of new vinyl arrivals:

A Tribe Called Quest – Anthology

Bassnectar – All Colors

Weekly Review:

EDM mainstay Bassnectar’s first album in four years is a fascinating musical journey.
New Age opener “Interpret the Future” blends flutes with computer tones before giving way to the
dancefloor command “Open Your Mind.” Bird sounds and Planet Earth-style narration dot the throbbing
“Deep in the Jungle.
Elsewhere, Bassnectar tosses G-funk hip hop into the throwback “Rewind the Track,” the spirit of
reggaeton in “Nice and Easy” and operatic brass on a remix of Apashe’s “Uebok Gotta Run.” It doesn’t
take much imagination to picture the effervescent title song lifting the throngs when the summer
festival season returns.
While the second half of All Colors doesn’t expand the voyage, Bassnectar keeps the party going and the
energy high. There aren’t many moments across the hour-long album that don’t bring a smile and keep
the feet moving.
COVID-19 may have shut down the massive parties associated with EDM performances for now, but you
can turn off the lights, turn on All Colors, start dancing and feel like you are lost in a huge gathering.

Boston – Boston

Brent Cobb – Keep ‘em On They Toes

Beastie Boys – Licensed To Ill [Anniversary Edition]

Blink 182 – Enema Of The State

Bob Mould – Blue Hearts

Weekly Review:

The hardcore punk pioneer who wrote “In a Free Land” about Ronald Reagan’s America as a member of
Husker Du in the 1980s is back with a searing collection of righteous anger that holds a mirror up to our
country and smashes it over our heads.
After opening with the acoustic song “Heart on My Sleeve,” Mould and his backing rhythm section rage
through a baker’s dozen more protest songs with a ferocity rarely heard since his mid-‘90s album
Beaster.
Mould tackles the environment on “Siberian Butterfly” and the current climate of political nihilism on
“Racing to the End.” The subject of “Baby Needs a Cookie” is obvious and frequently Mould’s lyrics are
just as direct.
Blue Hearts is not a collection of subtleties. It is entirely possible Mould is screaming to the choir.
Arriving in a year that feels like it brings no end of bad news and frustration, it feels really good to have
Mould fired up and swinging back. Play Blue Hearts loud and often. It may be the only thing that gets us
through the first Tuesday in November. -Joel Francis

Beyonce – Lemonade [Yellow Colored, 180 gram Vinyl, Gatefold LP Jacket]

Black Crowes – Croweology

Weekly Review:

The Black Crowes never really fit in with the times. Their Stones-indebted, roots rock debut was at
strong odds with the grunge sound riding the airwaves. Croweology, their 2010 love letter to fans, found
the band performing their biggest songs in acoustic arrangements, more than a decade after the
unplugged format had peaked.

That against-the-grain approach is what makes the Crowes’ material sound fresh today. The
performances on Croweology are relaxed, untethered to any era. It’s not hard to imagine the band
perched on stools, performing the songs live.
Croweology is a generous collection, running more that two hours across three LPs. The Crowes run
through 22 songs, spanning their entire catalog. You might come for “She Talks to Angels” or “Remedy,”
but moments like the extended piano run on an eight-minute version of “Non-Fiction” are what will
keep you returning. -Joel Francis

The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Holes

The Cure – Pornography [180 gram Vinyl]

Chris Stapleton – Traveller

Cyndi Lauper – True Colors [Limited Edition, 180 gram Vinyl, Flaming Orange Colored]

Daniel Johnston – Fun

Def Leppard – High N Dry [180 gram Vinyl]

Def Leppard – Mirror Ball [180 gram Vinyl, Gatefold LP Jacket]

Def Leppard – On Through The Night [180 gram Vinyl]

Duran Duran – A Diamond in the Mind [Limited Edition, Live 2011]

Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP [180 gram Vinyl]

The Five Americans – I See the Light

Fitz & the Tantrums – Pickin Up The Pieces [Pink Colored Vinyl]

Gin Blossoms – Congratulations I’m Sorry

Glass Animals – How To Be A Human Being

Glass Animals – Zaba

Green Day – Nimrod [Yellow and Clear Colored Vinyl]

The Handsome Family – Milk & Scissors

The Handsome Family – Odessa

The Hives – Live At Third Man Records

In This Moment – Blood

Ice-T – O.G. Original Gangster

Incubus – Make Yourself

J. Cole – KOD [Gatefold LP Jacket]

Jane’s Addiction – Ritual De Lo Habitual

John Coltrane – Giant Steps (60th anniversary edition)

Weekly Review:

John Coltrane’s fifth album is not his first masterpiece, but it is the one that established the jazz
saxophone player as a star.
Three weeks after wrapping up sessions with Miles Davis on his masterpiece Kind of Blue, Coltrane
commenced recording on Giant Steps with his group. The resulting seven songs are melodic and
accessible, yet challenging. Coltrane’s sheets of sound, a style of playing where he seemingly runs
through every note in the scale in an attempt to find the right one for the moment, stands in stark
contrast to Davis’ intentional legato style. The public’s embrace of Giant Steps further emboldened
Coltrane to explore even further, eventually pushing standard chord progressions into the stratosphere.
There are at least a dozen Coltrane albums that make an excellent launchpad into discovering the artist.
This 60 th anniversary edition stands out not only for the excellent outtakes on the second disc, but the
booklet containing unseen photos and an essay putting the album in context.
You may not want all 10 incomplete and alternate versions of the title song included on the super
deluxe CD edition, but the eight bonus cuts on the second LP in this edition help the album linger a while
longer, which is always appreciated.-Joel Francis

John Coltrane – My Favorite Things

Johnny Burnette – Rock ‘N Roll Trio

Jerry Joseph – The Beautiful Madness

Jimmy Smith – Prayer Meetin’ (180 Gram Vinyl)

Love – Forever Change

Lou Reed – New York (Deluxe Edition, With DVD, With LP, Boxed Set)

Mac Miller – K.I.D.S.

Mac Miller – Blue Slide Park

Marvin Gaye – Lets Get It On [180 gram Vinyl]

Metallica – Kill Em All [180 gram Vinyl]

Metallica – Ride the Lightning [180 gram Vinyl]

Misfits – Misfits Collection

Misfits – Collection 2

Nude Party – Midnight Manor [Limited Edition, Purple & Clear Colored, 140 gram Vinyl]

Ornette Coleman – The Empty Foxhole

Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard Of Ozz (180 Gram Vinyl, Remastered)

Outkast – Speakerboxx: The Love Below

Paul Simon – Graceland [25th Anniversary Edition, 180 gram Vinyl]

Phoebe Bridges – Stranger In The Alps

Primus – Pork Soda

Primus – Rhinoplasty [Red Colored, 180 gram Vinyl]

Prince – Sign O’ The Times (Deluxe Edition)

Prince – Sign O’ The Times (Super Deluxe Edition With DVD, Boxed Set)

Prince – Sign O’ The Times (Limited Edition)

Weekly Review:

It’s hard to believe Prince was considered a has-been when Sign O’ the Times was released as a double
album in 1987. The album 1999 and film-record combo of Purple Rain made Prince a star, but follow-up
albums Around the World in a Day and Parade, and the film Under a Cherry Moon were seen as
underwhelming at the time.
Across four sides of wax, Prince proved his critics wrong and showed there was no style of music he
couldn’t conquer. From the funk of “Housequake” and the pop duet “You’ve Got the Look,” to the
politics of the title song and the psychedelia of “Starfish and Coffee” there simply isn’t a bad track on the
album.
Now Sign O’ the Times has been remastered and bolstered by as many bonus tracks as you can afford.
Outtakes, b-sides, remixes and even two concerts from the era provide a nearly comprehensive peek
into Prince’s mindset at the time. The material is so rich that Miles Davis almost sounds like an
afterthought on his collaborations with Prince.

After a while, many of the anniversary reissues start to blur together and seem like a cash grab. This
collection is so good, both in quantity and quality, that it is worth purchasing again. -Joel Francis

Pink Floyd –  Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd – Animals

Pink Floyd – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn [180 Gram Vinyl]

Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon (180 Gram Vinyl)

Pink Floyd – The Wall (180 Gram Vinyl, Gatefold LP Jacket)

Pink Floyd – The Best Of Pink Floyd: A Foot In The Door (Gatefold LP Jacket, 180 Gram Vinyl)

Rex Orange County – Apricot Princess [Orange Colored]

Roger Waters – Us + Them [150 gram Vinyl, Gatefold LP jacket with Booklet]

The Rolling Stones – Steel Wheels Live [Limited Edition, Blue Colored, 180 gram Vinyl]

Radiohead – Ok Computer (180 Gram Vinyl)

Sade – The Best Of Sade [180 gram Vinyl]

Shy Boys – Talk Loud

Sufjan Stevens – The Ascension

Sylvan Esso – Free Love [Blue Colored Vinyl]

Strawberry Alarm Clock – The Best of Strawberry Alarm Clock [180 gram Vinyl]

The Syndicate of Sound – Little Girl

The Talking Heads – The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads

Tame Impala – The Slow Rush

Thelonious Monk – Palo Alto [Gatefold LP Jacket]

Todd Terje – It’s Album Time

Townes Van Zandt – Live at the Old Town [180 gram Vinyl]

Tyler The Creator – Flower Boy [150 gram Vinyl, Gatefold LP Jacket]

Various Artists – A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector (150 Gram Vinyl, Reissue, Download Insert)

The Velvet Underground – Loaded

Washed Out – Purple Noon

The Weeknd – House of Balloons

The Weeknd – Thursday

The Weeknd – After Hours

Weekly Review:

Abel Tesfaye’s fourth major label release as The Weeknd hits many of the same themes as its
predecessors. There are songs about drugs, women, women as drugs, loneliness and pity, many filtered
through the perspective of a villain. What makes After Hours stand out is the mixture of R&B, dreamy
pop and ‘80s new wave, and a sequencing that gives the album a cinematic feel.
Tesfaye embraces his roots, giving many songs the same names as hits tied to other eras. Even if “In
Your Eyes” sounds nothing like Peter Gabriel’s smash, the keyboards and big saxophone solo tie the
Weeknd track directly to the day-glo decade. On the other hand, the album-closing title track, a
downbeat confessional song, feels very much of-the-moment. Tesfaye’s ability to bridge these periods
and mold them into a cohesive soundtrack is a big reason why After Hours is so engaging.
The only missteps are when Tesfaye’s villainous persona is too cruel to elicit any sympathy, as on lead
single “Heartless.” Filled with cliches and feeling like an obligatory club track, it is a poor representation
of the album.
After Hours won’t just make longtime Weeknd fans happy – it is good enough and broad enough to win
him some new ones as well. -Joel Francis

FLASH SALE!

50% OFF Any 1 Record Store Day Release! – Thursday, October 1st ONLY!

Upcoming Events:

Turntables! We got ’em. From starter tables to audiophile, and everything in between, we have you covered. We are honored to once again be carrying a full line up of the award winning, top of their class, made in America, U-turn Orbits! We have all the colors- including the high performance walnut and maple. Get here fast for best selection. Get yours today!

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Here’s where we talk about the virus. We are all freaked out. We are all nervous and anxious. We are OPEN. If you want to come shop in person put on your mask and we will say hello, give you a virtual high five- a virtual hug if we know you that well- and we will keep our distance. We love all of our customers and are glad to keep this little bit of normalcy in these crazy times. With that being said, we will also offer various other ways to get your vinyl fix. We have always shipped music and we will continue to do so. We also offer curbside pick up. Call us, pay, call us when you are outside and we will deliver your freshly sanitized purchase to your car.

Thanks for reading this week’s Sufjan Stevens New Vinyl Thursday post! Mention that you did before you check out and we will take 20% off of ANY one item in the store! Offer good through 10/01/20.

Enjoy the music and we will see you soon. Your loving Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven staff:

Sherman, Gordon, Cat, Matt, Dylan, Doyle, Heather and Max

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