Tracks Of The Week: Record Store Day Special

In celebration of Record Store Day tomorrow, for this week’s Tracks Of The Week I’ve collected a few of my favourite releases for the big day. Along with a track that I just had to include, released next week…

This may not be a Record Store Day release, but I couldn’t not mention The Kut upon first hearing them this week: three extremely cool women delivering snarling, refreshingly aggressive rock with ferocious energy.

Taken from their latest EP, ‘Bad Man’ rages with a rip-roaring vigour and a seething angst that’ll leave the most dedicated of Riot Grrrls wanting more. As furious beats race alongside raw, impassioned vocals and dark riffs, ‘Bad Man’ hits you with an incredibly welcome frenzy of fervent emotion and gritty, grunge-infused power.

The track also contains some of the best, and most concise, lyrics I’ve heard in a while: “He was a bad, bad man, he was just another f***ing prick. F*** off!”

The Kut’s new EP, Rock, Paper, Scissors is out 20 April, pre-order and listen in full here.

A characteristically dark offering, Mark Lanegan’s special RSD release flows with his distinctive enchanting deep drawl, oozing all the eerie undertones you’d expect from the prolific singer-songwriter. However, ‘Needle Of Death’ also offers rather more gentle, upbeat melodies in juxtaposition with Lanegan’s characteristic alluring darkness. Another perfect blend of eerie beauty and evocative lyrical storytelling that has cast me under the spell of this captivating crooner yet again.

‘Needle Of Death’ will be released as a split single along with Lanegan’s close friend, Duke Garwood’s ‘Fresh As A Sweet Sunday Morning’.

Format: 7″
More Info: Black Vinyl
Label: Heavenly
Quantity: 500

One of my favourite artists around right now, Australian singer-songwriter and all-round cool dude, Courtney Barnett, has released her favourite song from her new album Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit in celebration of RSD this year.

‘Kim’s Caravan’ seems to show a more mellow and reflective side to Barnett than what we may have become used to, and – with a rather dark tone – discusses the very serious issue of the disintegration of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Released alongside an appropriately eerie video, ‘Kim’s Caravan’ reflects Barnett’s desire to address ‘real’ issues in her music – “People wanna hear about real… Well, people that I want to listen to my music should wanna listen to real stuff.” It’s real alright, and it’s really great.

This RSD release comes complete with a B Side cover of John Cale’s ‘Close Watch’.

Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: mom+pop
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release

Every Foo Fighters fan’s dream: a special Record Store Day release with a never-before-released track on it. I haven’t actually been able to listen to said track, ‘Empty Handed’, but the excitement alone about its release, along with two tracks from Foo Fighters’ first album, and a rare cover of ‘Kids In America’, is enough to warrant its place in my Tracks Of The Week…

Grohl remembers recording the songs in the laundry room in the basement of a friend’s parents’ house in the early ‘90s, and describes ‘Empty Handed’ as an experiment in singing, songwriting and guitar playing. In typical modest fashion, he goes on to say that he never really intended anyone to hear these recordings: “ “When you’re in a band with the greatest songwriter of your generation, you don’t want to be the guy saying, ‘Look at my songs, too.'”

I’m sure it sounds great, and – with ‘Alone + Easy Target’ and ‘Big Me’, along with the Kim Wilde cover – I’m pretty sure this 10” is at the top of every Foos fan’s RSD list. Unfortunately, I doubt I have either the money or the patience (getting up early on a Saturday?!) to be one of those lucky few hundred who manage to get their hands on it…

Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: RCA
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release

Other releases I’d like to get my hands on if I had the money and dedication this Record Store Day include Honeyblood – ‘The Black Cloud/No Big Deal’, Caitlin Rose (Kid Wave) with Ben Romans Hopcraft (Childhood) – ‘Been Thinking About You All The Time/Listen To Her Heart’ and Pulp Freaks.

Enjoy tomorrow’s festivities! Find out more here.

Mari Lane
@marimindles