Record Store Day: High Fidelity – Young British Artists

It’s Record Store Day! It’s finally here! As music fans all over the world head to their local store to get their hands on some special edition purchases, we catch up with Young British Artists as the band members each discuss a record that changed their view of music.

Young British Artists are releasing a limited 150 run of vinyl for Record Store Day, with their track ‘Salad Days’ as the A side and the B side hand etched by a member of the band.

Scott Walker – Scott 4

Leo Scott talks about ”Parallel Pop Music”

I was introduced to Scott 4 late on and have only owned it (a re-press) for a few years. I have rinsed it but can never tire of it. It is the record I associate most with the time since I finished Uni and moved to Manchester. It is the end point of Scott Walker’s transition from 60′s pop star to enigmatic cult figure, yet it is the pop elements which ground the record and halt its descent into becoming a weird, esoteric over-indulgence. The stranger aspects of the record – the composition, arrangements and lyrical content – outnumber those more commonplace associated with a pop record. Still, when paralleled with his vocal performance and natural ear for a hit, these elements are not at odds with each other but complement one another and the result is a masterpiece, equal parts soothing and cathartic as it is exhilarating and uplifting.

Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

Ben Phillips talks about ‘the American indie, college rock template’

This was the first Pavement album I properly got into. I had listened to Wowee Zowee before but didn’t really ‘get’ it at the time, probably due to it being the most far-out Pavement album. Crooked Rain is more accessible and contains the song ‘Gold Soundz’, which is pretty much my/everyone’s favourite Pavement song. I will never tire of Stephen Malkmus’s laid back guitar noodling, and every song on this album sounds effortless, sunny, and, well, just plain cool. This all left a big impression of me at the tender age of 17.

My Bloody Valentine – Loveless

Sebastian Mariner discusses the album that taught him that “learning guitars could be different”

Like a lot of people, when I fell in love with Loveless I instantly obsessed over its sonic craft for a considerable period.

I was around 16 when I first heard ‘Only Shallow’ on Pitchfork’s list of tracks of the 90’s and bought the album on my next visit to Rounder Records some 2 days later.

I first listened to Loveless hanging out with my girlfriend at the time whilst reading catcher in the rye like any self respecting clichéd teenager would do. I distinctly remember getting distracted from the book and having to devote my full attention to the album, not fully understanding what was going on but being intrigued by sound. I think I listened to that record a subsequent 5 times that night.

What I love about Loveless (as so many do) is the depth of the sound and the ability to swim in the layers of noise. Loveless creates a space for you to sit and observe even though the record is so sonically dense the fact that Shields manages to do this with the humble guitar is totally awesome.