Ep. 6 – A Couple Good Finds… – June 20th, 2008

I went back to “Blast in the Past” today.  I cashed a check and had some extra money and some time.  I went back to BitP because i realized that i had only looked through half of their used CDs, there was another whole rack i had completely missed.  I walked in and again, the owner was chatting away nice and loud with his other old coworker… this man really amuses me, i think he was quite the party-er back in his day because there isn’t much of him left if you get what i mean…  so again, chuckling to myself i peruse the racks, this is what i found:

“[Untitled]” – The Benjamin Gate

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This album actually wasn’t on the list and before i got it today i had never heard it before.  I love “Contact”, the other album released by the Benjamin Gate so i decided this album was worth checking out.  So far i like it, very good lyrics – they aren’t cryptic, they come right out and talk about Jesus, and that’s really cool.

Price Paid: $5

“The Tick Tock Treasury”  – Joy Electric

I downloaded most of Joy Electric’s discography a few years ago and was into him for a while.  Joy Electric is an interesting project, its synth-pop music that is often reminiscent of early video game music.  (Another interesting fact is that Joy Electric is the brain-child of Ronnie Martin, brother of Jason Martin of Starflyer 59.  What amazes me is that both brother make very different music, but are both really good at what they do… anyway, i digress… )  This is either my favorite album of his, it’s between this one and “Hello Mannequin.”  Found this one today and was excited to pick it up.  Price Paid: $5

“Stereo Motion” – Stereo Motion

First heard these guys when i bought a flicker records compilation called “Flicker Rocks Harder” a few years ago.  I liked their songs so i downloaded there album.  They are comparable to the band “Jet” kind of a classic rock sound with some new influence as well.  Very solid record.  I was actually pretty surprised to find this one today.  Price Paid: $5

Again, succes… next time i will probably go back to Blast in the Past, atleast once more, but pretty sound i’m going to have to look for other record stores… i’ve found one more, but it is pretty far away, but hopefully i’ll make the trip one of these days… you never know, it might be worth it.

EP. 1 – First trip – June 3rd, 2008

I walk in the store and am just immediately overwhelmed. It’s like a dream come true. Now those of you who’ve been there might just be like, “geez Jake, it’s only record store” but you must understand the enormity of my obsession with music. I glance over a few of the vinyls even though i don’t even own a record player. I wish i did, i like vinyl. I move on, look through some of the new racks before finding the used section. Jack-pot, used indie, used metal… the sections most likely to hold the albums I’d been stealing for years. I found a couple rare albums that blew me away right then and there:

“Neon Horse” – Neon Horse

ok so this album is a masterpiece. The band consists of a bunch of people from old Tooth and Nail (record label) bands that are either not doing anything anymore or are starting to do less with the bands they’ve been with for years. Most notably is Mark Salomon, the lead singer of Stavesacre, my all time favorite band. Mark is the only member of the band that has appear in public, he has chosen to be the face of neon horse using the alias “Norman Horse” and appearing always in come sort of disguise. The others members of the band remain a mystery officially but i have a pretty good idea about a few of them. I am 98% certain that Jason Martin is the guitarist… or at least on of them… he is the guitarist of Starflyer 59, another band i love to death, and on some songs you can hear that influence come through. Also, the copywrites on ASCAP list Jason Martins name alongside Mark’s as the writer of all the songs. Other members i suspect are Ronnie Martin (of Joy Electric) on synth and Steven Dail (of Project 86) on bass.
The sound of this record is very very original, 80’s influenced rock that you just need to listen to to appreciate. These guys are pretty underground so i was shocked to stumble upon their album in a record store Roseville Michigan. Price Paid: $6

“The Balancing Act” – Cool Hand Luke

This record i got really into this last semester of sophomore year of college, so about two months ago. This is a compilation of Cool Hand Luke’s career as a band but it includes other unreleased songs as well. I had all of cool hand luke’s cd’s downloaded and was listening to them a lot last semester so when i stumbled upon their cd,. i snatched it up right away. Great band, mellow stuff infused with passionate vocals, a really good record.
Price Paid: $6