Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs.
ARTIST : Bob Mould
RELEASE: Silver Age
BACKSTORY: The former Hüsker Dü frontman this week releases his first new album in three years, a 10-track set that Merge Records likens to the “punishingly loud, melodically sparkling pop/rock vein of the Sugar catalog.” In fact, Mould himself calls it “a companion piece” to Sugar’s 1992 debut Copper Blue (see full tracklist here).
BUY: Amazon.com (CD, vinyl, digital)
ARTIST : Various Artists
RELEASE: Spirit of Talk Talk
BACKSTORY: Fierce Panda Records and musical director Alan Wilder this week release, in the U.K., a 30-track, 2CD tribute album dedicated to hugely influential synth group Talk Talk that features contributions from members of The Arcade Fire and Grandaddy, as well as ex-Depeche Mode member Wilder’s Recoil project (see tracklist here).
BUY: Amazon.co.uk (CD, digital)
ARTIST : Various Artists
RELEASE: Fac. Dance 02
BACKSTORY: The Strut label this week releases, in the U.K., the second in its series of 12-mixes and other rarities from Manchester’s Factory Records catalog, featuring 24 tracks across 2 CDs by the likes of The Durutti Column, Section 25, Minny Pops, Quando Quango, Shark Vegas, The Wake, Thick Pigeon and Biting Tongues.
BUY: Amazon.co.uk (CD, digital)
I’ll be the first to say that in my entire life, i have never heard the words “Talk Talk” and “Hugely Influential” ever used in a sentence- ever. That includes both the music industry as well as the synthpop community. I did say “ever”, right? :)
Bat, you’d be right about their synthpop stuff. I’m sure what’s being referred to here is Talk Talk’s last two albums, Spirit of Eden & Laughing Stock. They influenced everyone from Radiohead to Elbow to David Gray. Talk Talk, and Mark Hollis specifically, are spoken of with reverence by all kinds of musicians. Give them a listen & you’ll see what I mean. Okay, done fan-girling here. :)