The Sword - Age Of Winters
It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years.
This whole era of metal was life-changing for me. The mid 00’s ushered in a wave of bands that I fell deeply in love with, The Sword chief among them. The stoner doom revival was a true high water mark for heavy music. For my money, “Freya” is one of the greatest songs of that era and I still feel a rush every time I hear it.
That track somehow ended up on Guitar Hero, and it was amazing to watch The Sword find a whole new audience and inspire a generation to seek out and enjoy heavy music.
So it’s pretty amazing to hold this 20th Anniversary Edition in my greasy mitts.
Remastered, with a few extra demo tracks included, pressed to this gorgeous “Rime and Frost” color vinyl, it comes housed in a deluxe, spot-gloss jacket featuring Conrad Keely’s incredible art, with a printed, poly-lined sleeve and bonus large die cut-sticker of the band’s iconic logo.
It’s a presentation worthy of an album that means so much to so many of us.
Jess will be holding it down at the shop noon-6pm today, stop by and see her. Or if you can’t make it down just hit the site and place an order for pickup or delivery. Happy Sword Sunday, everyone.
t.A.T.u.
- “All The Things She Said” 12-inch single
- 200 km/h In The Wrong Lane
Against my better judgment I have (temporarily!) buried the hatchet with the Bookbabies to bring you this post. Trust me, our rivalry is still HEATED, but sometimes you just have to scowl and bear it for the greater good.
If you lived through 2002, you undoubtedly heard “All The Things She Said”. It was an edgy but ubiquitous pop hit, smashing sales boundaries and breaking containment from their native Russia to become a global phenomenon.
It broke other boundaries as well, as Lena and Julia announced to the world that they were a couple, leading to their music and videos being banned in certain countries and courting the sort of controversy that sold millions of records. Ultimately, whether you trust that they were actually together or thought it was a marketing gimmick, it can’t be denied that t.A.T.u. shifted the paradigm.
And these songs are pretty amazing both as a wild mix of genre and a crystallizarion of early 00’s production and sound.
If you were born after 2002, you’re probably also familiar with “All The Things She Said” thanks to the track’s inclusion in a certain spicy hockey boys series, and its subsequent revival as a viral track across social media. (Amy and I *may* have already referenced this in a previous video…)
We just took in copies of both the single picture disc (loaded with remixes) as well as the full album in this crazy green and gold half & half splatter vinyl, with poster. Oh, and the Bookbabies probably have copies of Heated Rivalry they’d love to sell you.
It’s a beautiful day in the Village, come out and see us both, hit up 1861 for something to eat and grab a beer at Köerber while you’re here!
IT’S THE FRIDAY FLIP!!
• Neurosis - An Undying Love For A Burning World
Red and yellow swirl
• Ryan Bingham And The Texas Gentlemen - They Call Us The Lucky Ones
Indie Exclusive “Electric Smoke”
• 49 Winchester - Change Of Plans
Indie Excluisve *Autographed* gold vinyl
• Yungblud - Idols II
Clear vinyl
• The Sword - Age Of Winters
20th Anniversary Edition on “Rime And Frost” vinyl, with die-cut logo sticker
• Venom - Into Oblivion
On both clear & black smoke vinyl as well as limited clear, red, and black vinyl
• Broken Social Scene - Remember The Humans
Clear vinyl
• Social Distortion - Social Distortion
Black and white marbled vinyl
• Sleep Token - This Place Will Become Your Tomb - Take Me Back To Eden - Sundowning
• The Beach Boys - The Pet Sounds Sessions Highlights
• Black Veil Brides - Vindicate
Glow in the dark vinyl
• The Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn Part 1 - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Red vinyl
• The Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn Part 2 - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Tan vinyl
• t.A.T.u. - “All The Things She Said” 12” single picture disc - 200 KMH In The Wrong Lane (green and gold nugget half & half splatter)
• American Football - American Football (LP4)
Red vinyl
• John Williams - The Star Wars Trilogy
Half green, half white vinyl
• Kacey Musgraves - Middle Of Nowhere
Both “Whiskey” and Indie Exclusive “Rodeo Clown” vinyl
• The Black Keys - Peaches!
Peach vinyl
• The Cramps - Bad Music For Bad People - Psychedelic Jungle - Songs The Lord Taught Us
• Michael Jackson - Thriller
• Ingested - The Architect Of Extinction
• Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds - Mutiny After Midnight
• The Claypool Lennon Delirium - The Great Parrot-Ox And The Golden Egg Of Empathy
On both green vinyl and Indie Exclusive cloudy green & gold
I’m here until 7, come see me!
We’ve got two free tickets to giveaway to this Sunday’s Mountain Stage, courtesy of Jessica Blankenship, one of our favorite people and the Executive Director of the Kentucky Music Hall Of Fame & Museum!!
Here’s the scoop:
“We are back at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV THIS SUNDAY, May 17!
Paul Thorn Band joins us with his blend of Southern roots, soulful grooves, and heartfelt storytelling. Plus, host Kathy Mattea will welcome singer, guitarist, and Asleep At The Wheel frontman Ray Benson, “neo‑traditional” country artist Sunny Sweeney, and Brooklyn singer-songwriter Andy Friedman.”
If you caught Sunny Sweeney when she played The Loud a few years back, you know she’s one you won’t want to miss among this stellar lineup.
To win, all we ask is that you comment on this post and give the Kentucky Music Hall Of Fame & Museum a follow.
American Football - American Football (LP4)
The latest from American Football dropped a couple Fridays back and we were finally able to source a few copies for you.
It’s an astonishing return from the band who have matured like a fine wine over the years, blending their landmark Midwest emo sound with increasingly jazzy time signatures and deconstructed post-rock atmosphere. Moody, introspective, it’s everything you’ve ever loved about them, just a little more seasoned. Older, wiser, perhaps.
Along for the ride are Caithlin De Marrais of Rainer Maria, Brendan Yates of Turnstile, and the oh-so-dreamy Wisp. The guest spots add depth to the proceedings while aligning perfectly with what Kinsella and company set forth in LP4.
American Football has always been autumnal music for me. Both in terms of the season, and the thoughts and feelings the band calls to mind. And I needed a little fall right now, on a grey spring day. Maybe you do too?
We’ve got the Indie Exclusive “Goldenrod” vinyl in stock as well as the red vinyl pressing. Stop in and see me, I’ll be here until 7. Or if you can’t make it down, hit the site and lock in an order for delivery or pickup.
Tri-State Living - The Music Issue
Along with record stores, magazines have always been one of my favorite places to learn about music. Whether it was finding new bands or seeing interviews and features on the musicians you already loved, it was a way to connect with music beyond the albums and songs pre-internet and social media.
That’s one of many reasons I am very happy to be holding this copy of Tri-State Living in my hands, and to have copies in the shop for y’all to pick up (free!)
You get features on:
• Sasha Colette & The Magnolias
• Laid Back Country Picker
• Kindred Valley
• Torches From Above
We love these bands, and are proud to have had three of them play our Block Party (we’re comin’ for ya next year Sasha!) and to have TFA on our record label, Outer Orbit Records. This issue is a reminder of the tremendous wealth of talent in our area, and how lucky we are as a community to have such incredible musicians in our backyard.
Big thanks to Heath for making this happen, and to all the amazing artists featured for doing what you do.
Swing by and pick up a copy, and look at some records while you’re here. I’ll be here until 7.
Parlor Greens - Emeralds
Their last album was one of my absolute favorites of 2024, and I was eagerly awaiting the release of Emeralds. It delivers on all counts, a treasure chest of bold and expressive funky instrumental gems.
The trio masterfully work their way through a platter that lends itself as easily to soulful introspection as it does to cinematic high-energy moments. It’s everything I want out of this genre and then some. Background music as foreground, the soundtrack to a life I wish I were living.
We’re stocking the gold vinyl (I believe this is the Indie Exclusive) and I can’t recommend it enough for fans of jazz, instrumental music, funk, and soul. Stop in and see me, I’ll be here until 7.
Frozen Soul - No Place Of Warmth
When I was a kid, one of my favorite GI Joe figures was Iceberg. I always loved the Arctic figures, but there was something special about him. Reading his file card, I learned he was from Texas and he HATED the heat. When he was young he saved up his money to buy himself an air conditioner. Having just moved to Texas, I related infinitely, and I longed for the cold snowy weather and a place where I wasn’t sweating all the damn time.
So I’ve always loved Frozen Soul’s frosty approach, in defiance of all things in their home state of Texas. And the Mr. Freeze of death metal bands are back with No Place Of Warmth, another chilly platter of cold gold.
This time they’ve got an assist from a few friends, including the unexpected appearance of Gerard Way on the title track. If you’ve heard me wax on about Way before, you know I fell sort of backwards into appreciating him through his outstanding comics writing. So while it was a surprise to see him here, it wasn’t unwelcome, and the weird sci-fi feel of this one (it’s gotta be a John Carpenter’s The Thing reference, right??) is complemented by his presence.
Also along for the ride are Rob Flynn of Machine Head and Devin Swank of Sanguisugabogg. It’s great to see some variety amidst the old school death and slam here, but it still feels entirely cohesive. These aren’t stunt spots, but rather very real contributions that flesh out the overall experience of No Place Of Warmth.
If you’re already a fan, lock in. If you aren’t yet, this just might get you there.
Happy Metal Monday, Orbiteers. The shop is closed on Mondays, but feel free to pop in an order and we’ll have it ready for you tomorrow, or on its way to you if you need it shipped. Choose from the translucent light blue or the yummy Indie Exclusive cobalt ghost colorway.
The Dead Milkmen - Big Lizard In My Backyard
The Dead Milkmen were foundational to my developing musical tastes as a teenager. They weren’t the first punk band I listened to, but they taught me a lot about what punk could be.
They weren’t mohawked tough guys or leather jacket wearing goons. They weren’t singing about taking on “the man”. They were just a bunch of weirdos who wrote songs about whatever the hell they wanted.
Sure, they took small-minded stereotypes to task and railed against the sort of popular culture that had them feeling like outsiders, but they also embraced absurdism in a way that felt completely random and chaotic. I fell in love with it all.
I can’t remember if it was Craig, Aaron or Keith that first loaned me this cassette, but it ruled my Walkman for months after. I too didn’t want to go to the beach (no fun!) and at the time I had never heard anything as electrifying as when “Bitchin’ Camaro” kicks in to high gear.
It was messy, fun, and clicked with me in all the ways that I felt alienated from the world. When Big Lizard got announced as a Black Friday 40th Anniversary RSD release, I was ecstatic at the chance to finally own a copy on vinyl. It had been out of print forever, but that was a super limited pressing and a deluxe package with a hefty price tag. So it’s awesome to finally have this single disc RSD Essentials pressing on the shelf at a more reasonable price point.
It’s pressed to “Bitchin’ Camaro” red vinyl and includes the remastered audio engineered for the 40th Anniversary edition. Stop by and grab a copy, Jess will be here noon-6pm.
(And thanks to Jamie for the hat, Gary for the hook-up, and Aaron, Keith, and Craig for being such good homies back in the day!)
TODAY - NOON
Join us as we celebrate the release of Social Distortion - Born To Kill, the band’s triumphant return to rock n’ roll glory!
We’ll have posters and bumper stickers free for attendees, and anyone who purchases the album will receive a bonus 7” record.
We have limited copies of the Indie Exclusive version of the album available, so get here soon if you want to snag one along with the 7”!
We will also be raffling off this autographed print! Just stop by the counter and fill out a ticket with your name and number and we’ll pick a winner at the end of the day.
We’ll start Born To Kill at noon for the listening party, and I’ll be playing Social Distortion all day (and Mike Ness’ solo stuff) so stop by and party with us!
#SocialDistortion #BornToKill #ListenToSocialDistortion #ListenTogether
TOMORROW - SATURDAY - MAY 9TH - NOON
Come party with us for the release of Social Distortion’s triumphant new album Born To Kill!
We’ll have stickers and posters for everyone and a chance to win an AUTOGRAPHED 12”x12” cover art print!!
Those purchasing the album will also receive an exclusive bonus 7” record, and we plan to have the Indie Exclusive version of the album available.
It’s been 15 years. Let’s throw down.
#SocialDistortion #BornToKill #ListenToSocialDistortion #ListenTogether
Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
We just had this one walk into the shop on a trade.
If you’re a fan, you know these represses have been elusive, released only through Ocean’s site, our buddy Dylan hit us off with this sealed copy and a stack of Weeknd LPs.
Pop by and check it out along with the other fresh used that’s hit the shelves this week.
