A Few of the Latest Additions to My Record Collection

AT THE RECORD STORE SERIES

Feb 12, 2025

Note: This series is back for 2025—and hopefully, in a bit more of a consistent fashion. I love seeing what people pick up on their crate-digging excursions and assume (hope?) that many of you feel the same way.

KA—

One of the joys of crate digging is walking into a store (or up to a sale) with absolutely zero idea what you’ll walk away with. I am a compulsive list maker in almost any other corner of my life. The Notes app on my phone is easily one of the most used.

But not here. I long ago learned that making a list of records I hoped to find was an exercise in futility. Sure, I might want a new release, but honestly, that’s only about one in ten…if that. Instead, I just go where the stacks take me. Going on “vibes” might be a weird strategy, but it usually works out.

There is an old tagline for garage sales that describes them as everything you want and nothing you need. That’s occasionally applicable here, but I’m just irrational enough to “need” a record when I see it—never mind that 30 seconds prior, it wasn’t even something I’d thought about.

The list below includes some of the things I’ve picked up recently. Some were at a record show here in town. My favorite record store opened a second location (relatively) nearby, and I made sure to grab a couple of things from there on opening day as well.

Below—in no particular order— is the list of what made it back onto the street with me.

Cheatahs- S/T

I’ve long championed this record, while having zero luck finding it. For whatever reason, I’ve decided I need to find records in the wild, but I kept coming up empty even after caving and checking places like Discogs or Wichita Records. I finally (finally!) found this at a recent record show and was so excited I didn’t even take it out of its sleeve to make sure it was in decent shape (it totally was). In our recent Top 100 series, I put this at 57, so it seems only natural that I should own a copy of it.

Describing the record then, I noted:

If you’re not a fan of bands like My Bloody Valentine, Ride, or similar shoegaze bands, you likely have never heard of Cheatahs. MBV’s Loveless set the bar that everything before and after it is measured against. Cheatahs aren't reinventing the wheel here, but they’ve done such a good job with what they’ve got that it’s impossible to ignore.

There is industrial fuzz and weapons-grade reverb here. Again, those are table stakes for a shoegaze record. But there are also plenty of hat tips to outside-the-genre bands—some post-punk and even some dashes of emo.

All of that goes double when playing on one’s home stereo.

New Order- Movement

I’m not a completist when it comes to bands, but if I had to pick one, New Order would be it. I know that will surprise exactly no one reading this. I’ve bought more than one variant of a single based on a new mix or some other minor detail. “Oh, the flower on the cover of this version of the True Faith 12” is slightly more yellow? Sign me up!”

For all my fanboying about the band, Movement was a record that didn’t easily land with me. It took years for me to chip through its icy vibes and see it for what it is- a fantastic record made by a band in a really weird place in their lives. This was in great shape and priced to move. Maybe it hadn’t landed with the previous owner, either? I dunno- either way, I didn’t wait to find out.

Aretha Franklin- Who’s Zoomin’ Who?

A discount bin find. I grabbed it on a whim and was not disappointed. No, I’m not kidding. Maybe the biggest of her records from the 80s and one of many comebacks, pivots, etc. Does it sound dated? Yeah, kinda, but it dates back to a fun era for me, so here we are.

The title track, “Freeway of Love,” and “Sisters Are Doing it for Themselves,” are all at least as good as you might remember, and even the deep cuts here aren’t bad. This isn't a no-skips release, but it's not too far off from one, either.

Einstürzende Neubauten- Halber Mensch

For picture day my sophomore year, I rocked up in a Neubauten shirt- something that took my mom years to get over. I say this not because it’s a funny story (though I think it is) but because this band has been in my life for a long time.

Spoiler alert: I’m old.

People tend to have 1 of 3 reactions to hearing this: They either love them, find them unlistenable or have never heard of them. No one I’ve ever met thinks they’re “okay,” or can take or leave them.

For my money, the closer they get to dance-y, the better. Tracks like Yü-Gung (Fütter mein Ego) scratch that itch for me. This record turns 40 later this year, and it still sounds like it came from the future.

The Cure- Entreat

“Do you like Disintegration? ‘Cause this is basically a live versi—”

Sold! I didn’t even let him finish that sentence before putting this record in my stack. Record sales are a prime example of not knowing you must have something until you find it. Five minutes earlier, I literally had no idea this record existed. Now I had to have it. An original pressing of Disintegration is—and remains — a white whale for me. In the meantime, this’ll do.

Stereolab-Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements (Reissue)

Another record I’d been on the hunt for. I finally found this at the same sale as the Cheatahs record. It might’ve been the same booth?

This is the record with the monolithic 18(ish) minute Jenny Ondioline, a song that samples a hifi test record. Ironic then that many of the first batch of copies had to be destroyed due to poor production.

Transient… is another one that made my top 100, and writing it up, I described the LP as:

Describing a record as demanding of your attention is often shorthand for saying you have no idea how to describe it. In this case, that’s half-true— if anything, it feels like a bunch of different labels apply: experimental, distorted, noisy, Karautrock-y…the list goes on. Meanwhile, Laetitia Sadier and the late Mary Hansen’s vocals flutter across the top of this mangled landscape like two butterflies over a pile of twisted metal. Transient…is a mind-bending journey for anyone willing to ride along. Those that do are rewarded with incredible tracks like the 18+ minute “Jenny Ondioline.”

Listening to it at home ahead of writing this, I’d only double down on those thoughts. This one demands your attention and rewards you for breaking out the good headphones.

So how about you? Found any good records lately? Have any thoughts on the ones I picked up? Share your thoughts in the comments!

On Repeat Records

Discussion about this post