Daniel Higgs – Beyond & Between
Zomes – Improvisations
Minutes – Self-titled LP
My Fictions – I Want Nothing
Weak Teeth – What a Plague You Are

For more information about each release, read on …

Daniel Higgs
Daniel Higgs traveled to Spain in May of 2011 to record this 7-song album in beautiful Sant Feliu de Guíxols. Fans of Daniel Higgs’ other works will not be disappointed. On this release, titled Beyond & Between, Higgs provided the cover art, sang and played banjo, and he was accompanied by Marc Clos on the vibraphone, marimba, flexatone, drum, tamborello, tamtam, gong, tar, bendir, timpani and vocals.

Zomes
Zomes is the solo work of Asa Osborne, guitarist of the much-beloved Lungfish. The songs on this record, titled Improvisations and released on Thrill Jockey, were self-recorded in 2010 and originally released on cassette only. For all those new to Zomes, I recommend listening loudly; this isn't background music. When Asa performs live, the music is at full volume, and I think the idea is to let the hypnotic/meditative sounds of Zomes wash over you completely.

Minutes
It feels a bit awkward to bring up my own band here, but this is a new release, we carry it, and I really do want people to know it’s out in the world, so I’ll try to make this quick and painless:
Minutes just self-released a self-titled LP that is limited to only 300 copies. It’s available through the Dischord site for 11 bucks. It’s a rock record. We (the band, that is) really like it, and we hope you will, too.
(Just as with the Soccer Team records and the Minutes 7 inch, some recording nerds out there may find it interesting to know that this record was made using a Tascam 388. Full disclosure … we used a Tascam 424 cassette recorder as well.)

My Fictions
This is a five-song 10 inch from My Fictions, titled I Want Nothing and released by Flannel Gurl Records. It’s fast-paced hardcore from Lowell, MA. Lots of remarkably precise drumming and guitar parts on this one. According to the liner notes, their guitarist, Tyler Bradley, recorded, mixed and mastered this album, while the layout was done by their bassist, Bryan Carifio. It’s pretty great to see a band do so much behind-the-scenes work for their own release; it usually means a lot of love went into the process. Keep in mind that this record spins at 45 RPMs. I made the mistake of listening at 33 at first, and … well … let’s just say I heard a very different record.

Weak Teeth
This is another release from Flannel Gurl Records, and this particular album is by a band from Providence, RI, called Weak Teeth. The album is titled What a Plague You Are , and like My Fictions, Weak Teeth play some pretty fast-paced hardcore. Lots of parts, lost of precision. Along with song-writing, it's apparent that Weak Teeth spent some quality time on their song titles and liner notes, so make sure you spend some of your own time with the album insert. I get the feeling they’d be offended if you referred to their songs as “track 1” or “that 3rd song on side A” (the latter of which is actually the gem on the record). Also, don’t let the typical 12 inch format fool ya’… This one spins at 45 RPMs as well.

Thanks for reading.

-Ryan