{"title":"Kranky Records","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"collection--description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\nChicago-based Kranky specializes in experimental indie music. Notable artists include Low, Grouper, Tim Hecker, Stars Of Lid, Bowery Electric, and others.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n","products":[{"product_id":"grouper-dragging-a-dead-deer-up-a-hill-vinyl-lp","title":"Grouper: Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill Vinyl LP","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn early reference point for me getting into this album when it was released\u003c\/i\u003e (10 years ago, holy shit!) was \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.mom\/search?\u0026amp;q=My%20Bloody%20Valentine\u0026amp;filter=Brand\/Manufacturer\/Artist_fq:%22My%20Bloody%20Valentine%22%20OR%20Brand\/Manufacturer\/Artist_fq:%22Brian%20Eno%20%2F%20Kevin%20Shields%22\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMy Bloody Valentine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, which in retrospect is ridiculous. The beauty of \u003cem\u003eDragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill\u003c\/em\u003e (and most \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.mom\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=Grouper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrouper\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e albums) lies squarely in \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.mom\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=Grouper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLiz Harris\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e' songwriting, which she \u003cem\u003echooses\u003c\/em\u003e to soak in reverb and tape hiss as an artistic choice, but is every bit as alluring without it (if you’ve seen her live you know what I mean). The record begins with a wave of white noise to reset the palate, before Liz’s ghostly couplet of vocals and overdriven guitar strums wash up on the shore. Over the next 11 tracks, she delivers stirring hymns buried in ripples of acoustic guitar; each track slowly cascading into the next with cottony atmosphere for days. It’s as if some timid creature has descended from the woods and is playing gorgeous alien songs around your campfire, and you’re too captivated by her beauty to tell her to get lost. Harris’ subsequent projects have played with the formula a bit, adding and subtracting layers; inviting the listener in close before pulling away again. But \u003cem\u003eDragging\u003c\/em\u003e is the most sublime overall experience, with the sheer beauty of songs like “Fishing Bird (Empty Gutted In The Evening Breeze),” “Heavy Water \/ I’d Rather Be Sleeping,” “Invisible” and “We’ve All Gone To Sleep” subjected to varying levels of saturation and echo making for an intoxicating listen. She continues to release amazing records (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.mom\/search?\u0026amp;q=Grid%20Of%20Points\u0026amp;filter=Brand\/Manufacturer\/Artist_fq:%22Grouper%22\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eGrid Of Points\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e is stunning), but this is the one we always compare them to. Highly recommended.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eblack vinyl pressing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eincludes circular sticker drawn by Liz Harris\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003emusic label: Kranky 2013\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003ereviewed by edward james almost 05\/2018\u003c\/h6\u003e","brand":"Grouper","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl LP","offer_id":8649218490488,"sku":"lp-9642","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/4542\/products\/grouper-draggingadeaddeer.jpg?v=1762275053"},{"product_id":"grouper-grid-of-points-vinyl-lp","title":"Grouper: Grid Of Points Vinyl LP","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe latest Grouper record was recorded during a residency in Wyoming in 2014,\u003c\/i\u003e but interrupted when \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.mom\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=grouper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLiz Harris\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/a\u003efell sick. Rather than picking it back up later under a different set of circumstances, she accepted it for what it was and allowed the brevity of the work to further inform its meaning: “The intimacy and abbreviation of this music allude to an essence that the songs’ lyrics speak more directly of,” she says. “The space left after matter has departed, a stage after the characters have gone, the hollow of some central column, missing.” Like \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.mom\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=grouper+Ruins\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eRuins\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGrid Of Points\u003c\/em\u003e finds Harris quietly baring her soul over tender piano melodies without the lo-fi fuzz of earlier career-defining works, but reintroduces a touch of reverb and overdubbed vocal harmonies back into the mix. The result is a ghostly, disarming set of songs that feel once removed by a sheet of white linen dividing the room, but still more close than we’re used to. Her lyrics are still pretty much indecipherable, something we’ve come to accept over a painful decade of trying to extract meaning from her work (although she was kind enough to include the lyrics to “Birthday Song” here). “Once a song has left me I want it to belong to whoever finds it. I write a song about feeling isolated. Listeners know the song is about their mother dying, the birth of their child, the way their last relationship ended. All these things and more. An open door.” Closing track “Breathing” is one of the most stirring \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.mom\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=grouper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrouper\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e songs to date; after a minute and a half of her dreamy incantation and restrained piano, she quietly lets herself out (presumably for another 4 years) behind the sound of a freight train that chugs along for the final two minutes. The record's outer sleeve features an original drawing from Harris' \u003cem\u003eDouble Object\u003c\/em\u003e series, and includes a double-sided black \u0026amp; white insert. Recommended.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eblack vinyl pressing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ecover drawing by Liz Harris\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eincludes double-sided b\u0026amp;w photo\/lyric insert\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003emusic label: Kranky 2018\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003ereviewed by edward james almost 05\/2018\u003c\/h6\u003e","brand":"Grouper","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl LP","offer_id":8649218523256,"sku":"lp-9643","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/4542\/products\/grouper-gridofpoints.jpg?v=1762275053"},{"product_id":"bowery-electric-beat-vinyl-2lp","title":"Bowery Electric: Beat Vinyl 2LP","description":"\u003cp class=\"faq-quote\"\u003e\"The second album from New York City's \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.mom\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=Bowery+Electric\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBowery Electric\u003c\/a\u003e was released in late 1996, less than 15 months after their self-titled debut, but it found them having traveled light years musically in the interim, the group having seemingly decided to see how far they could take the guitar\/bass\/drums\/vocal setup into the atmosphere. Every aspect of their approach had been refined and focused: squalling, distorted guitars had been transformed into hazy, sensual sheets; the live drums transmuted to sampled rhythms more in debt to the blossoming down-tempo sound of the day; bass lines reduced to their most basic diagrams; vocals submerged to become one with the narcotized fog of the instruments; even the lyrics were reduced to a few minimal lines used sparingly so as not to overshadow the dynamic. Beat is a lush and dense mantra of shadowy percussion, barely-there vocals and immersive drones that envelops the listener in an opiated blanket of sound. The second in a trio of albums released by the core duo of Lawrence Chandler and Martha Schwendener, Beat is without doubt their definitive artistic statement. Coming 20 years to the day of its original release, this is the first time this album has been available on vinyl in almost two decades, and the first ever U.S. vinyl release.\" - Kranky\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eblack double vinyl pressing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ehoused in gatefold sleeve\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eoriginal release year: 1996\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003emusic label: Kranky 2020\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Bowery Electric","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl 2LP","offer_id":32973055197274,"sku":"lp-11812","price":32.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/4542\/products\/boweryelectric-beat-20th-blackvinyl-1.jpg?v=1762279419"},{"product_id":"grouper-aia-alien-observer-vinyl-lp","title":"Grouper: AIA Alien Observer Vinyl LP","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSublime 2011 release from Liz Harris aka Grouper.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cem\u003eAIA Alien Observer\u003c\/em\u003e was released on the same day as \u003cem\u003eAIA Dream Loss\u003c\/em\u003e as part of a lush album dyad of languishing, lo-fidelity, eyes-down folk, with \u003cem\u003eAlien Observer\u003c\/em\u003e offering more song-based fare and \u003cem\u003eDream Loss\u003c\/em\u003e favoring textural and atmospheric works (or at least that’s how I have them tagged in my brain… like any \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.mom\/search?\u0026amp;q=Grouper\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrouper\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e material, it defies categorization). If you’re not familiar, this album’s as good a starting point as any. Push through the soupy, 7-minute opener “Moon Is Sharp” into the hair-raising utopian clearing that is the title track. “She Loves Me That Way” is another real standout. Just stunning from start to finish. Includes two printed inserts featuring drawings by Liz herself. Recommended.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eblack vinyl pressing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eincludes 2 printed inserts w\/ artwork by Liz Harris\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003emusic label: Kranky 2019\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003ereviewed by Le Big Mac 09\/2021\u003c\/h6\u003e.","brand":"Grouper","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl LP","offer_id":39539414859866,"sku":"lp-12444","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/4542\/products\/grouper-aia-blackvinyl-1.jpg?v=1762280770"},{"product_id":"low-christmas-vinyl-lp","title":"Low: Christmas Vinyl LP","description":"\u003cp class=\"faq-quote\"\u003e\"First time vinyl release for this classic \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.mom\/search?type=article%2Cpage%2Cproduct\u0026amp;q=Low\u0026amp;_=pf\u0026amp;pf_v_artist_manufacturer=Low\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eLow\u003c\/a\u003e holiday recording. We would suggest that few bands from an ostensibly 'indie rock' background should release Christmas music, if not out of respect for the holiday or material then at least out of a sense of self-esteem. Low, however, were made for this. Their attention to musical detail combined with the heavenly vocal harmonies of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker are perfectly attuned to both traditional carols like 'Silent Night' and more contemporary tunes such as 'Blue Christmas.' \u003cem\u003eChristmas\u003c\/em\u003e contains a selection of seasonal songs, including four originals by the band, mostly recorded at Low's 20º Below studio in Duluth, MN. 'If You Were Born Today' and 'Blue Christmas' were released as a 7\" single in 1997 on the English Wurlitzer Jukebox label, while 'Taking Down The Tree' is taken from a 1998 compilation of live recordings issued by the Dutch VPRO radio station.\" - Kranky\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eblack vinyl pressing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ehoused in gatefold sleeve\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eoriginal release year: 1999\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003emusic label: Kranky 2010\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e.","brand":"Low","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl LP","offer_id":40422711853146,"sku":"lp-14761","price":25.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/4542\/files\/low-christmas-blackvinyl-1.jpg?v=1762284784"},{"product_id":"tim-hecker-harmony-in-ultraviolet-vinyl-2lp","title":"Tim Hecker: Harmony In Ultraviolet Vinyl 2LP","description":"\u003cp class=\"faq-quote\"\u003e\"Harmony in Ultraviolet is \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.mom\/search?type=article%2Cpage%2Cproduct\u0026amp;q=Tim+Hecker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eTim Hecker\u003c\/a\u003e's sixth album. It is a continuation of Hecker's interest in spectral communications, noise, impressionist musics, thresholds of listening pleasure\/pain, and the limits of digital composition. This album is a significant development of his song-craft, challenging the usefulness of descriptors such as ambient, drone, metal, noise and even electronic music. If references are necessary it could be described as a sonata for the elements, songs of crackling embers, tidal pools, spruce skylines and autumn winds. Gerhard Richter's abstract paintings are also a fair orientation. Materially speaking, it is a record of whirring drones, whispering fissures, dense disintegrating chords, late-night noise and truth-telling harmonics. Yet this record follows no overarching process, no underlying narrative. It is both a homage for the Italian partigiani and also not at all. It is songs about ghost writing and midnight whispers but then again it isn't. In many ways this album can be viewed as a work of total destruction, embracing indeterminacy as an aesthetic ideal. At the time of original issue, there was a small run of a few hundred vinyl copies done by a small German label, but this was pressed on an inferior sounding single LP which was much too short for the length of the album, not to mention the wide dynamic range of the recording. This new version is mastered at 45rpm over four sides for maximum sound quality\" - Kranky\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eblack double vinyl pressing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eremastered audio\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ecut at 45RPM\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eoriginal release year: 2006\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003emusic label: Kranky 2024\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e.","brand":"Tim Hecker","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl 2LP","offer_id":40732479520858,"sku":"lp-14970","price":31.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/4542\/files\/timhecker-harmony-blackvinyl-1.jpg?v=1759292241"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/4542\/collections\/Screen_Shot_2024-03-23_at_9.32.07_PM.png?v=1711244220","url":"https:\/\/www.turntablelab.mom\/collections\/kranky-records.oembed","provider":"turntablelab.mom","version":"1.0","type":"link"}