Where bought? The most recent purchase and I bought it from some guy in Glasgow off Discogs. I think it was from his record shop, but I dunno what it is called.
A quick jump backward to catch A-C releases I missed out on. I'd imagine this represents the end of my Ariel Pink purchasing frenzy of the last year or so: the other two Odditties Sodomies volumes don't quite tickle me as much, and while I could find room for Underground, Scared Famous, Loverboy, and pom-pom, they'd probably have to be knockdown prices.
This one, however, is a record I have absolutely played to bits on Spotify. It drives me mad because arguably no one who has ten studio records or more should have a really great volume two of off-cuts, but here we are: I am feet first and up to my neck in the uncritical world of fandom and it feels good.
Side A is almost as good as any side A he's produced that isn't the first side of The Doldrums. Or maybe not quite as good as pom-pom (whose problem is that all of sides B & C are complete dross) but a high level of songcraft and fun. There's a great instrumental that recalls Del Shannon ('Something about Michael Landon'), two tracks that recall various shades of R&B ('Stray Here With You' and 'Gates of Xiong', which really recalls Michael Jackson), and a genuine oddity in 'Bolivian Soldier' (written by someone else, but not a cover).
Things peak gloriously with a two-song run that clearly recall the sights, sounds, and smells of teenage goth nights: 'Unwritten Law' is a cover of British group The Sound, while 'House of Yesterday' recalls The Cure in its bass-led euphoric gloom. These two tracks are the most recent thing on here, more recent than the material on most recent new album Dedicated to Bobby Jameson. If he's capable of this so late into his career then it must be accepted that this is a lifetime talent.
Side B is no pony either: the spacy instrumental 'The World is Yours', the Smiths cover 'This Night Has Opened My Eyes' (which appeared on 00s tour compilation Grandes Exitos), the gentle popper 'Go Go X2', and the double bill of John Maus collaborations 'Chart-Beep' and 'The Law' are all thumbs-up material. I could live without the super lo-fi 'Driving to your Grave' and the throwaway Mac Demarco collab 'Party Zone World', but it isn't heinous either.
That's it from Ariel Pink stuff. I promise.
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