R.I.P. 2019 (2019-2019)

There was so much good new music this year, this was a hard list to make. Longtime favorites of mine like Beck, Deerhunter, Chaka Kahn, Neil Young  and Panda Bear all released albums this year and even they didn’t make my list. So let’s dig into my top 10 albums of 2019!
– Matt Carroll

10. Gus Dapperton Where Polly People Go To Read
– Super-catchy pop music. Definitely pretending to be vaporwave, but give the kid a break.

9. Hanna Diamond Reflections
– PC Music’s crown jewel finally releases her debut a few years too late maybe, but it’s still a great album. Hannah’s music is vapid in the best way possible.

8. Girlpool What Chaos Is Imaginary
– Just a good, quiet album. Post-ASMR?

7. Cass McCombs Tip Of The Sphere
– Cass is a peerless songwriter. He’s been quietly releasing amazing albums for several years now and he’s never really got the recognition that he deserves. This album is a good introduction if you’re new to his world.

6. Kim Gordon No Home Record
– Headline: Kim Gordon (of Sonic Youth) made a record with trap beats on it. Sold!

5. Solange When I Get Home
– Everyone slept on this album, give it a spin you rubes!

4. (Sandy) Alex G House Of Sugar
– A really solid indie rock album with unexpected IDM flourishes (!) and a few other surprises.

3. Chris Cohen Chris Cohen
– This is the best Yo La Tengo album in years.

2. Boogie Everythings For Sale
– No, not A Boogie wit da Hoodie. Just Boogie, and yes he’s on Eminem’s label (cringe). This is still my favorite hip hop album of the year.

1. Brittany Howard Jaime
– This is the album I was always hoping she would make.  She really expanded on her usual palette of sounds with Alabama Shakes. A fantastic solo debut.

 

I would also like to shout-out my favorite vinyl reissues of 2019:

  1. Patrice Rushen Remind Me (The Classic Elektra Recordings 1978-1984)
  2. The Cardigans catalog
  3. Prefab Sprout catalog
  4. Janet Jackson catalog
  5. Warp Records WXAXRXP30

 

Just Keep Repeating To Yourself: It’s Only Music, It’s Only Music……

Well damn, what a year for heavy, disgusting music! If you’re like me then you like your music to sound like it just crawled out of the sewer, much like a C.H.U.D. ready to destroy humanity as we know it. There were so many gore drenched releases this year that making a top 10 was a complex task. However, without further ado I present to you my favorite albums of 2019, better get a vomit bag  – Mikey

10. Witch Vomit Buried Deep In A Bottomless Grave  review

09. Nightfell A Sanity Deranged  review

08. Mortiferum Disgorged From Psychotic Depths  review

07. Profane Order Slave Morality  review

06. Cerebral Rot Odious Descent Into Decay  review

05. Mylingar Doda Sjalar  review

04. Blood Incantation Hidden History Of The Human Race  review 

03. Tomb Mold Planetary Clairvoyance  review 

02. Fetid Steeping Corporeal Mess  review 

01. Pissgrave Posthumous Humiliation  review

Pearl Jam is back

We have a limited amount of copies of the RSD/Black Friday title, Pearl Jam “MTV Unplugged”.    Stop & get the copy that you couldn’t get on Black Friday weekend.

$26.97, in-store purchase only thru this weekend(December 20-22)

Other RSD/Black Friday titles that have come back in stock

Arcade Fire, $12.97
Louis Armstrong  Live in 1956, $28.97
Lewis Capaldi  Hold Me While, $11.97
Jerry Garcia, GarciaLive vol 1, $80.97, down to probably our last copy
Hold Steady, Four on Ten, $17.97
JB’s, More Mess, $30.97
Nick Lowe/Wilco, $11.97
Dave Matthews Band, $124.97
New Pornographers, Stand-Up, $8.97
Charlie Parker, Magnificent, $30.97
Regrettes, Holiday-ish,$6.97
Paul Westerberg, Stereo/Mono $33.97
Wrens, Silver, $30.97

Perfect for that last minute gift.

Holiday Shopping Coupon

Get a coupon to use at Pure Pop in January with any purchase over $40 from now til Christmas.

How it works?

When your total purchase at Pure Pop is over $40 get a coupon for 15%* of your purchase that you can use in January 2020.

Example $50 purchase, would get you a $7.50 coupon.

Note-this would apply to Gift Certificates, both purchased in-store or online.

*Maximum $15 coupon per person*

On the Horizon: Emilie Kahn – “Outro”

“Synths and electronic beats paint a top coat of groove across the record. “Don’t” has a serious late-night smoothness to it, while “Island” features a sound drop and summer-festival drift. The click-beat of “Three” revels in the movements of modern pop, but breaks into dreamy harp territory, as though Khan wants to prove the extent of her breathtaking range. If 10 000 didn’t convince you, Outro showcases Kahn’s fearlessness.” – Read the full review on Exclaim!


Format/Delivery




On the Horizon: And The Kids – “When This LIfe is Over”

“When This Life Is Over conveys an authentic depiction of developing affective awareness. One of the realizations evoked by adulting is that life will force individuals to follow paths they don’t want to undertake. And the Kids see the aversion and in “Butterfingers” reflect on “a shitty life so they could have the best” and keeping “a shitty job so we could all hang out”. So often, wadding through the muck is the only avenue to actualization. At no point does the band wallow in defeat or ennui. Rather, they push listeners to conceptualize the uplift encased in life’s drudgery. The band’s belief in obtaining happiness is framed by music and the unrelenting need to “…sing loud / Hoping not to be sad / That’s why I sing loud / Hoping we could drown it out.” Much as “Butterfingers” pushes for triumph, so does the subsequent track “Champaign Ladies”. And the Kids provide the twin discourses, “Life is a bastard / It wants to kill you” and “Don’t let go / Doing wrong but feelin right.” There’s liberation in the realization that nothing is exact and the idea of what’s right is confined by subjectivity.” – Read the full review on Pop Matters


Format/Delivery




1980

So we will be celebrating our 40th anniversary at the start of next year.  As a promotion, we will be highlighting each year we have been open for a limited time, starting with 1980.

Check out the special year by year section (new & used/cd &vinyl) that has been carved out just as you enter the store.  All new cd/vinyl in the 1980 section will be 15% off regular price.

For fun & possible inspiration, listed below are some employee favorites from albums released in 1980.  Please submit your own top list in the comment section below or on the matching facebook post.  We give out a $15 gift certificate to 2 random people who post their favorites.

Mike C

1.Roky Erickson and the Aliens(self-titled)
2.Talking Heads Remain In Light
3.X Los Angeles
4.XTC Black Sea
5.Pretenders(self-titled)
6.Dire Straits Making Movies
7.Devo  Freedom of Choice
8.Pete Townshend  Empty Glass
9.Bob Marley  Uprising
10.Soft Boys  Underwater Moonlight

Mike B

1.John Foxx Metamatic
2.K. Leimer Closed Systems Potential
3.Various Artists Wanna Buy a Bridge?
4.John Hassell / Brian Eno Fourth World Vol. 1 – Possible Musics
5.B.G. Gilbert / G. Lewis 3R4
6.Curlew Curlew
7.Talking Heads Remain in Light
8.Cabaret Voltaire Voice of America
9.Captain Beefheart Doc at the Radar Station
10.Young Marble Giants Colossal Youth

Mikey

1.Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
2.The Cramps Songs the Lord Taught Us
3.Ramones End of the Century
4.Motörhead Ace of Spades
5.Angel Witch Angel Witch
6.Judas Priest British Steel
7.X Los Angeles
8.Black Friday Jealous Again
9.Circle Jerks Group Sex
10.Iron Maiden Iron Maiden

Sophie

1.Talking Heads Remain in Light
2.Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac Live
3.Billy Joel Glass Houses
4.Bruce Springsteen The River
5.Hall & Oats Voices

Matt

1.Steely Dan Gaucho
2.Joy Division Closer
3.Prince Dirty Mind
4.Soft Boys Underwater Moonlight
5.The B-52’s Wild Planet
6.Talking Heads Remain in Light
7.Feelies Crazy Rhythms
8.Dire Straits Making Movies
9.Young Marble Giants Colossal Youth
10.Devo Freedom of Choice

 

 

On The Horizon: Claypool Lennon Delirium – “South of Reality”

cd $11.99
pink vinyl $25.99

release 2/22/19


Format/shipping




“As Lennon tells Rolling Stone, the song’s dark lyrics document “the lascivious exploits of famed JPL rocket scientist Jack Parsons, the man who not only helped America get to the moon with liquid fuel technology, but was also a Magister Templi in Aleister Crowley’s cult, the Ordo Templi Orientis.” He added that Parsons “sadly passed away in a violent explosion during a secretive alchemical experiment at his house in Pasadena.” – read more in Rolling Stone

Rhino “Start Your Ear Off Right” vinyl with Free Poster

Special vinyl releases on Tuesdays in January

Get a free 2019 calendar with purchase of any of the following.

1/08/19

Television-Adventure-red vinyl
Alice Cooper-Greatest Hits-silver vinyl
Aretha Franklin-Aretha’s Gold-gold vinyl
Monkees-Greatest Hits-orange vinyl

1/15/19

Jimmy Rogers All-Stars-Blues Blues Blues
ZZ Top-El Loco-pink vinyl
Gram Parsons-GP-with 7″ single
Crosby,Stills,Nash & Young-So Far-white vinyl
ZZ Top-Tejas-purple vinyl

1/22/10

Joni Mitchell-Blue-blue vinyl
Little Village-Little Village-blue vinyl
Grateful Dead-Skeletons From the Closet-white vinyl
Warren Zevon-Warren Zevon

1/29/19

Buffalo Springfield-Buffalo Springfield-mono
Buffalo Springfield-Buffalo Springfield Again-mono
Lupe Fiasco-Lasers-red vinyl
Ramones-Road to Ruin-blue vinyl

contact us about pre-ordering or reserving a copy of any of these titles