The Butterscotch Cathedral - S/T LP - Orange Vinyl

Trouble In Mind (2015)

This Butterscotch Cathedral record is one that I had been looking forward to ever since I first heard about it.  I was admittedly late to the party when it came to The Resonars, but I really enjoyed the soaring British Invasion style harmonies.  Once I heard that Matt Rendon had another band and was putting out this album, I waited in anticipation and then ordered a copy the day it went on sale.

After spending some time with Butterscotch Cathedral, I have mixed feelings.  I'm not sure how to describe it other than I don't think it's bad, but I don't really enjoy listening to it. Many of the things that I like about The Resonars are here.  Huge vocal harmonies mix in to predominantly upbeat and catchy songs.  There's some nice guitar work and a rhythm section that can really get your head nodding from time to time.  At the end of the day, I think these positives get lost in the meandering psychedelic aspects of the album.

First off, this record is essentially three songs.  Side A is one song.  Though that song is then split up into seven sections.  On side B you have one song called "Loud Heavy Sun" and then a second song called "Lisa's Dream."  "Lisa's Dream," however, is then broken up into nine parts.  I'm not entirely sure why the album is arranged like that, but whatever, that's not a deal breaker. What does drag the album down for me is the way the band sinks into these overblown and self indulgent moments of oohing and ahhing complete with swirling noise and over the top guitar solos.  

We've got some machine gun sound effects here and little dream sequences there.  Looking for a call back to an earlier moment?  Yep, it's got those too.  While I can't say that the songs themselves are bad, I think the album is a little gimmicky and gets bogged down in extra noise that detract from the songs rather than enhance them.  I've ended somewhat bummed out by the record.  I wanted to like it more than I do but it looks like I'll just wait for the next Resonars album.

The Butterscotch Cathedral - Side A:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9cpSL0ke48

Negative Scanner - Ambitious People 7" - Brown Vinyl (/500)

Trouble In Mind (2014)

I've probably been a little harsh on Trouble In Mind records lately.  Though I certainly don't think that I've given too many of their recent 7"s what I would call bad reviews, I have been lamenting that they've been moving towards bands that I'm just not as into.  While I can appreciate diverse music and people having different tastes than me, it doesn't really change the fact that I've just been lukewarm on their recent flurry of psych tinged bands.  I am still committed to my goal of having the colored vinyl versions of their first 50 singles, but when you get something like Negative Scanner, you start to rethink if you really want to put an arbitrary cap on things.

Negative Scanner is punk rock.  No frills, downstroke heavy, Wipers with female vocals sounding punk rock.  It's so refreshing and honest.  There's a real trend these days with bands adding tons of extra layers of sound to their music and often time that either clutters things up or perhaps masks the band's shortcomings.  Negative Scanner lays it all on the line without any extra gimmicks.  From the pounding guitar of "Ambitious People" to the short, sweet and to the point "Evening News," this is rock and roll distilled to its most basic and enjoyable form.

This is why I buy all Trouble In Mind singles.  Even if I've never heard of the band, there's usually a pretty good chance I may discover something new.  And the collection of Trouble In Mind colored 7"s grows once again.

Negative Scanner - "Ambitious People":

http://troubleinmindrecords.bandcamp.com/track/negative-scanner-ambitious-people

Klaus Johann Grobe - Traumhaft 7" - Red Vinyl (/500)

Trouble In Mind (2014)

I picked up this Klaus Johann Grobe 7" along with the J.C. Satan record from yesterday to keep my Trouble In Mind 7" collection complete.  While the J.C Satan wasn't really my thing, I get how others like it.  This Klaus Johann Grobe 7" on the other hand, this is totally over my head.

The A-side "Traumhaft" is slow, pulsating and chock full of synth.  The vocals are pretty deep in the mix and the song just chugs along, never really going anywhere other than the one direction it started off.  B-Side "Nicht zu stoppen" is just as weird.  Lots of organ and echoey vocals that seem to just repeat themselves throughout the song.  On the plus side there is a moment that seems like a genuine chorus in this one.  I don't know, I just don't get it.  

I have bought a ton of Trouble In Mind records.  Most of them I love.  Even the ones that I don't love I still think are OK or at the very least good examples of a kind of music I'm not particularly into.  This is the first time that I actually flat out don't like something.  So it goes though, no one's taste matches up with someone else's 100%.  Even though this record is a dud, I'll still be first on line for the next batch of Trouble In Mind 7"s

Klaus Johann Grobe - Traumhaft:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNbS08kQBNY

J.C. Satan - Italian Summer 7" - Blue/Gray Vinyl (/500)

Trouble In Mind (2014)

I buy 7"s from Trouble In Mind like it's my job.  I have every single they have put out on the limited colored vinyl first pressing.  It's a fun little collection to be working on, but at some point I'm wondering if I'll need to start picking and choosing which ones to buy.  It's not that anything they're putting out is bad; but I feel like they used to do a lot more garage-y pop bands and not so many psych bands.  If nothing else, I'll surely complete the first 50 7"s and we'll see where we go from there.

For the A-side "Italian Summer." J.C. Satan are working with a big time 60's vibe.  While it leans more towards a mid tempo flowery children sort of vibe, it's just not quite catchy enough to keep my interest.  The mellow verse does lead into a louder, fuzzier chorus, but I just need a bit more oomph.

The flip side, "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" definitely is a bit more heavy handed with the psych touch.  The song kind of drones on with a guitar that sounds like it's underwater. As far as this sort of thing goes, J.C. Satan is decent enough at it, but it's just not really my cup of tea.

People's Temple - Brand New Thing 7" - Purple Vinyl (/500)

People's Temple - Brand New Thing 7" - Purple Vinyl (/500), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Trouble In Mind (2013)

I wasn't expecting too much going into this 7" as I wasn't really the biggest fan of the People's Temple full length that came out on HoZac earlier in the year. I was mostly picking up this 7" to keep my Trouble in Mind singles collection complete. While certainly not a record I see myself going back to over and over again, I ended up liking the songs more than I anticipated.

In particular the A-side, "Brand New Thing," builds a gentle vocal melody over the strumming of acoustic guitars. Not ground shattering, but it's a nice simple song that doesn't fall into any of the cheesy psych cliches that so many bands are doing these days. While I wouldn't call it a must buy or anything, it's a nice little record to just kick back and relax to.

People's Temple - Brand New Thing:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_RaN-TlE04

Morgan Delt - Barbarian Kings 7" - Purple Vinyl (/500)

Morgan Delt - Barbarian Kings 7" - Purple Vinyl (/500), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Trouble In Mind (2013)

Another pick up from the folks over at Trouble In Mind records. It's probably well known that it is my intention to buy every one of their singles on colored vinyl. I've had a good run of it so far; though I can't say I end up liking every release that they put out. I tend to lean towards the garage and power pop bands they work with, but Morgan Delt isn't part of that crew.

Morgan Delt is playing a low key, laid back dreamy form of psychedelic rock that's just completely lost on me. I can appreciate the bands that have that Sgt. Pepper's era psych vibe to them with tons of harmonies and wacky instruments going on in the background, but Morgan Delt simply isn't that interesting. The vocals are monotone and washed out. The songs themselves are so slow. It feels like music that would be played in a movie when one of the characters is having a weird dream.

Though I love the label and their 7" singles; Barbarian Kings is not a record I would buy if I wasn't trying to keep the collection complete.

Morgan Delt - Barbarian Kings 7"
morgandelt.bandcamp.com/album/barbarian-kings-b-w-black-t...

Mirrorism - Night Flight 7" - Dark Red Vinyl

Mirrorism - Night Flight 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Trouble In Mind (2013)

Trouble In Mind really hit me with a one-two punch with their latest batch of singles. Between the Proto Idiot 7" I wrote about a few days ago and this Mirrorism 7", this is one of their stronger batches. Records like this are the reason I always buy every single they release, odds are I haven't heard of the band, but the potential for greatness is always there.

Mirrorism are from Italy and fill the A side of this single with jagged guitars and yelped vocals. Not always my thing, but the band does it well enough that I'm engaged. It's the B side, "Exit The Loop," that really grabs me. A bit more of a straight up rocker, this is the kind of song that you instantly sit up and take notice of when the needle hits the wax.

Other than a demo tape, this 7" is all the band has to offer currently. Though I expect that to change pretty quick once word gets out about this band.

Mirrorism - Exit the Loop:
mrrrzm.bandcamp.com/track/exit-the-loop

Record Store Day Haul #10: V/A - Trouble In Mind Compilation 7" - WhiteVinyl (/2000)

Record Store Day Haul #10: V/A - Trouble In Mind Compilation 7" - White Vinyl (/2000), a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Trouble In Mind (2013)

Yes, I am still going with Record Store Day releases. I have a few more to get to, but will finish up this week. I've also received everything that friends picked up for me in other parts of the country (& world) and mailed over, so I'll be able to go straight through all of the Record Store Day records I bought without having to skip a day.

Every year Trouble in Mind puts out a Record Store Day 7" of bands from their label doing cover songs. It becomes an annual hunt as the stores by me never stock it. But, each year I do manage to track down a copy. It's always an important record to pick up as I am sitting on a complete collection of Trouble In Mind 7"s on colored vinyl (been buying since day 1!) and need to keep it complete.

That being said, this yearly compilation is never anything particularly exciting. This year, I really like the Resonars song, but the other three bands (Jacco Gardner, Mmoss & Maston) just don't do anything for me. When Trouble In Mind is doing pop or garage rock they can do no wrong, but they also put out a lot of throwback psych bands. The psych revival thing is just going completely over my head. I don't think the bands are necessarily playing anything bad; I just don't like psych (or the kind of music everyone seems calling baroque or chamber pop).

Still, happy to keep the 7" collection going and you know I'll be on the hunt once again come Record Store Day 2014.