So did you buy anything on Record Snore Day? I didn’t. Not least because there is no record store of any interest within reach. Hasn’t been for years. Does this bother me? Not in the slightest.
I admit that sometimes I envy people like Brogues who have stores such as Monorail on their doorstep. But that’s quite rare, isn’t it? How many stores like Monorail are there in the UK after all? Not many I’d wager. And certainly not in remote rural outposts like Exeter. We might be getting a shiny new John Lewis’, but an independent record store/venue/bar/cafe? You’re havin’ a laugh.
Not that I’d frequent it much if such a thing were to exist: it probably wouldn’t even open until 11am on a Saturday after all. By which time I would have been to town, done what needed to be done and be safely back home, drinking coffee in the The Geek Lair and listening to the latest of my spectacular Unpopular mixes.
So no, I did not buy anything on Record Bore Day. But you know what? I tend to buy records on other days too! One of which arrived this morning - the eponymous album by Solid Home Life, on beautiful blue/green vinyl. Filled with quirky downbeat gems, it’s a record of rare laid back warmth that reflects the social way in which it was largely recorded. For around a core of Greg Olin and Lindsay Shief there circulate a bunch of friends drifting in and out, contributing charming organ riffs and sax solos. Spacious and pared back, the songs are nevertheless sprinkled with perfectly poised decoration: a pinch of fairy bells here, a touch of tremulous tambourine there. A minimal guitar line meandering around a clarinet refrain. Just gorgeous.
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