Top image: still, ‘8 Girls’ by Terry

Welcome to Record Riot, our shiny new playlist series in which our pick of the world’s greatest vinyl shops make us a very special mix. We’ve butted heads with some of the maddest music obsessives out there to bring you the tunes that are rattling their speakers on high rotation – right now.

In an evolving musical landscape shifting towards intangible downloads, record stores hold an intrinsic position, in championing physical musical output they are both preservers and purveyors, functioning on a variety of different levels; places where musos can squabble, bands form and the culture of music can be seen, heard and held in your hands. Whether it’s where you bought your first record or simply a private haven amongst the chaos of life, these places are kindred – and that’s worth celebrating

Captured Tracks

Founded in 2008 by Mike Sniper (formally of Blank Dogs), this year marks Captured Tracks 10th anniversary. In those ten years, the label has cemented its status as a prolific and imaginative channel for new music and solid reissues, serving up hot slices by the likes of Mac DeMarco, DIIV, Craft Spells, Blouse and Wild Nothing.

To celebrate this major milestone, we asked the Captured Tracks boss to curate a playlist of tracks himself and the team from his Brooklyn-based store have been obsessing over. Having penned his own introduction, we’ll be quiet now and allow Sniper to guide you on this sonic journey. Set your speakers to max, and we’re off.

“At the shop and at the label, we listen to a lot of different music. The shop is a good physical space to show that off, as our used records far outnumber our new ones and soul and jazz get as much room as rock. My heart has always been in punk and indie but I find that you need to broaden the horizons to really enjoy the best of what that genre has to offer. The label group has expanded to have a electronic label, sign soul artists and reissue jazz records, so the shop is also a reflection of that. When you come through the tours there’s just as much chance that you’d hear Gil-Scott Heron or Mercyful Fate than you would DIIV, which I think is cool because we still cater to the people who love the label but there’s also people who shop there who don’t even know the label exists. Kinda perfect in my opinion!

Here’s some stuff I’ve been obsessing over.”

Ich Will Nix Älter Werden by Bärchen und die Milchbubis
“The early 80’s German/Swiss/Austrian scene is a constant source of new discovery for me, and I’ve been pillaging it for years and years. This song in particular is sort of a revelations. It’s so crazy catchy like the best DIY pop from the era from the UK. This is a hit in an alternate universe. One day I’ll do a compilation of this stuff… one day….”

Intergalactic Love Song by The Diddy’s (feat. Charles Earland)
“I’ve been sort of obsessed w/ this song for a minute, and cosmic soul in general. This has everything going for it, including a killer bass line, theremin, wah-wah guitar and ethereal vocals. It’s an extremely tough record to find, though there’s a more affordable (though not cheap) Japanese reissue from a couple years back. You can get the largely-same instrumental version on a Charles Earland Mercury 45″ for a few bucks though!”

St. Catherine by Arms of Someone New
“This was reissued by fantastic Dark Entries Records not too long ago. Arms of Someone New have that rare organic quality lacking from a lot of minimal/coldwave music, I think. This makes it a lot more palatable and fun to listen to, for me. Not sure “fun” is appropriate, but that’s the word I chose!”

8 Girls by Terry
“Terry is one of our favourite current bands, hailing from the country with arguably the best guitar music happening anywhere right now: Australia. I was lucky enough to see them in Melbourne when I was traveling there over the Summer. Every Terry record is essential, this is from their second 7″. If they toured more, they’d be pretty big I’d wager.”

Solar Sister by The Posies
“It’s hard to say The Posies were overlooked because they had radio/MTV play and sold a bunch of records, but I think they’re not given their just due. They clearly didn’t want to be lumped in with the grunge tag (see: Flavour of the Month) and should probably be more seen as America’s Teenage Fanclub. The recent slough of reissues (I hear this pricey LP is right around the corner to get the treatment) seems to be rectifying that. An artist on our label, Robert Earl Thomas, has been covering Flavour of the Month, too, so maybe there’s a zeitgeist.”

You’re A Melody by Aged In Harmony
“This reissue has been getting a lot of spins lately. Really nice Nile Rodgers-style guitar playing mixed with tasteful and lush orchestral arrangements.”

Lulu by Jackson MacIntosh
“This might be construed as shameless self-P/R since Jackson is on one of the Label Group’s labels (Sinderlyn), but I have been listening to this record a ton, like it was on another label I really liked (hii Bill and Lisa at Trouble in Mind). Jackson has a finely honed skill as a songwriter, nothing is forced, it’s all effortless (or sounds that way) and the melodies are weirdly focused and dreamy at the same time. I’ve been giving the record to “head” friends of mine who don’t listen to much modern music and they’ve been loving it. That doesn’t mean it’s a retro record, it’s timeless!”

Stand In For Love by Pandella Kelly
“As a Soul 45” collector, I’m always excited for the new editions of Eccentric Soul from my buds at Numero Group. The new Saru compilation does not disappoint. Been spinning this regularly, here’s a highlight track for me from it.”

Everywhere (Extended Remix) by Fleetwood Mac w/ Jellybean Benitez
“When you want to give yourself up to the most ridiculously commercial sounds possible while still being in control of your sanity, you go to Fleetwood Mac, and more accurately, you go to Christine McVie. This 1987 extended remix by Jellybean is only available on a UK 12″ but it’s heavenly and exact production might even make a Whitehouse fan smile.’

Love At Second Sight by The Manikins
“I recently had the pleasure of working w/ Neil Fernandes from The Manikins on reissuing this on our reissue label, Manufactured. It was really great to go back and listen to the first three singles which I’m still constantly playing. This is the A-Side to their 3rd single from 1980. The 2xLP reissue blasted out of the first press and we had to quick re-press.”

Enjoy Your Life by Oby Onyioh
“It’s a bit of a cop-out almost to put 80’s African Boogie on here because it’s so de rigeur these days, but it’s so good! The Doing It In Lagos comp that Soundway recently released is a great introduction to this vibrant scene, and highly listenable. This track is a highlight and fits right in with classic Patrice Rushen stuff.”

Wanted Dead Or Alive by Warren Zevon
“We weren’t going to get out of here without some Zevon. His debut LP from ’69 will apparently never be re-released, as per his wishes before he passed away. It’s a shame, because even though the LP is slightly flawed with a few unnecessary covers at label insistence, the original tracks are great and the record’s production has a grit to it not unlike early Beefheart and stuff like that. Apparently he was so upset with it that this is why there’s a six year gap between his 1st and 2nd LP.”

More Captured Tracks info here.