May 2021 - Vinyl Spins Challenge Thread

gaporter said:
DAY 8
TRIUMPH OVER ADVERSITY
Hayley Williams - Petals for Armor
Today is the one-year anniversary of this album's release, although the first two parts were released separately beforehand. Despite the three-part release cycle, I find the album does work best as a whole, but at the same time the separation of the three chunks of the album does serve a narrative point.

PFA is largely an album about emerging from a toxic relationship and the challenges that come with regaining control of your life and mental stability in the aftermath of it all. The album starts with its angriest, most bitter and forlorn songs, and throughout the course of the album, though the pain caused by this person may not be entirely gone, those driving emotions are replaced instead by a newfound love for herself and others in her life, and the desire to "bloom" and take full control of her life. It is one woman's document to self-recovery through the power of finding the strength to move forward and become better than you ever were before.

Petals for Armor is also the album I needed during quarantine. Though a lot of albums helped me survive the soul-crushing loneliness of lockdown, PFA is perhaps the only one that genuinely helped me keep my head on straight. I saw many parallels with Hayley's journey on the album and my own, having come out of a toxic relationship that ended rather poorly myself in 2018, which I find the lasting effects of still bother me to this day. In particularly weak moments of isolation during 2020, I would have no choice but to reminisce on the past and dwell on it, something that rarely leads to good ideas. Sometimes I would try to convince myself into reaching back out to that person, but I know from experience that all that does is cause all the pain and misery I experienced in 2018 to bubble back up to the surface. So I told myself not to give into those persistent thoughts and tried to tell myself I was stronger than that. And in those moments, I would revisit Petals for Armor and it would help me realize that I can move on and triumph as well, that I don't have to live under the thumb of depression and be haunted forever by ghosts of the past. A year later, this album still has great emotional resonance for me and I love it. It's a reminder to me that even when you've gone through the darkest period of your life, you can still come out on the other side and not only survive, but thrive - or in this case, bloom.

"I'm alive in spite of me
And I'm on the move
So come and look inside of me
Watch me while I bloom"
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There's not really an appropriate response emoji for this, but whatever the one is for "Hell Yeah, Thank You Music For Bring Able to Help Us When It's Most Needed" - I'd hit that one.
 
gaporter said:
DAY 8
TRIUMPH OVER ADVERSITY
Hayley Williams - Petals for Armor
Today is the one-year anniversary of this album's release, although the first two parts were released separately beforehand. Despite the three-part release cycle, I find the album does work best as a whole, but at the same time the separation of the three chunks of the album does serve a narrative point.

PFA is largely an album about emerging from a toxic relationship and the challenges that come with regaining control of your life and mental stability in the aftermath of it all. The album starts with its angriest, most bitter and forlorn songs, and throughout the course of the album, though the pain caused by this person may not be entirely gone, those driving emotions are replaced instead by a newfound love for herself and others in her life, and the desire to "bloom" and take full control of her life. It is one woman's document to self-recovery through the power of finding the strength to move forward and become better than you ever were before.

Petals for Armor is also the album I needed during quarantine. Though a lot of albums helped me survive the soul-crushing loneliness of lockdown, PFA is perhaps the only one that genuinely helped me keep my head on straight. I saw many parallels with Hayley's journey on the album and my own, having come out of a toxic relationship that ended rather poorly myself in 2018, which I find the lasting effects of still bother me to this day. In particularly weak moments of isolation during 2020, I would have no choice but to reminisce on the past and dwell on it, something that rarely leads to good ideas. Sometimes I would try to convince myself into reaching back out to that person, but I know from experience that all that does is cause all the pain and misery I experienced in 2018 to bubble back up to the surface. So I told myself not to give into those persistent thoughts and tried to tell myself I was stronger than that. And in those moments, I would revisit Petals for Armor and it would help me realize that I can move on and triumph as well, that I don't have to live under the thumb of depression and be haunted forever by ghosts of the past. A year later, this album still has great emotional resonance for me and I love it. It's a reminder to me that even when you've gone through the darkest period of your life, you can still come out on the other side and not only survive, but thrive - or in this case, bloom.

"I'm alive in spite of me
And I'm on the move
So come and look inside of me
Watch me while I bloom"
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This album is perfect. I need it on vinyl!
 
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gaporter said:
I agree! 😉 I admit sometimes I just stream it instead, because although I'm glad I sprung for the box set, it isn't the most convenient album to spin, being spread across three 10"s 😅
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I stream it while cooking dinner all the time 🤷🏼‍♀️
 
Day 9: No Jazz

Hallelujah The Hills - Have You Ever Done Something Evil (2014 - Re-Vinyl Records)
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Great band out of Boston that remains criminally under heard. Love this album. They're somewhere out of, or adjacent to, the school of Pollard and Pavement, but they feel more like a breathing organism of a band instead of one constantly threatening to fall apart mid song. A propulsive rhythm section, tasteful synth leads, some occasional horns and a liberal helping of gang vocals , really not sure where you want to throw it genre-wise but it definitely ain't jazz!

Ryan Walsh writes fantastic lyrics, and also wrote a very well recieved book about Astral Weeks ( I still have to get around to reading).

 
Day 9: No Jazz Sunday - A returning favourite from my last outing. Play me anything so long as it isnt jazz...

Maren Morris - Girl

I was trying to figure out what the opposite of Jazz was, and I think country is probably pretty close?haha I just picked this one up recently and we've been listening to it a lot so I figured it fit the bill.

 
Day 9: No Jazz Sunday - A returning favourite from my last outing. Play me anything so long as it isnt jazz...

The Wallflowers - Red Letter Days

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Today for Mother’s Day, I am playing stuff my wife likes, which does not include jazz.

Edit: Sorry, just saw that you want me to play something for you. I’ll play uhhh... the Chavez record that I got for $7 yesterday next, even though my wife is not a fan.
 
Day 9: No Jazz Sunday

Various Artists - Stay Holy!

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The screenprinted Sun Ra is definitely what caught my eye in the shop, but jazz this is not! The price was right to take a chance on this psych rock compilation released to celebrate the Cardinal Fuzz Sonic Attack segment of Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia 2015, and I absolutely love it!
To date this remains my only psych rock record, but I expect that to change before too long.
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Day 9: No Jazz Sunday - A returning favourite from my last outing. Play me anything so long as it isnt jazz...

Celeste "Not Your Muse" (2021 Polydor, 12-track version)

Just came back in from tuning-up the lawn mower for the season and mowing the lawn for the first time this year. Decided to chill a little with some modern soul that caries the flame of Sharon and Amy. This pressing is quiet and beautiful too: mastered by John Davis - who does the (non-VMP) Gorillaz releases - and pressed at Optimal. I just love "Tonight Tonight" and "Stop This Flame"!

(@Hollywood lookie, lookie what showed up on my doorstep this Friday!)

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Turbo said:
Day 9: No Jazz Sunday - A returning favourite from my last outing. Play me anything so long as it isnt jazz...

Celeste "Not Your Muse" (2021 Polydor, 12-track version)

Just came back in from tuning-up the lawn mower for the season and mowing the lawn for the first time this year. Decided to chill a little with some modern soul that caries the flame of Sharon and Amy. This pressing is quiet and beautiful too: mastered by John Davis - who does the (non-VMP) Gorillaz releases - and pressed at Optimal. I just love "Tonight Tonight" and "Stop This Flame"!

(@Hollywood lookie, lookie what showed up on my doorstep this Friday!)

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Nice! Where did you get it from?
 
Day 9: No Jazz Sunday

I just let Random Discogs pick something for me...at least something I haven't played in a while.

Deftones ‎– Around The Fur
Maverick ‎– 48531-1, 1997/2011

Pressed at Record Industry

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