Kathleen Edwards : Failer.

Posted by: Minky on 21 January 2004

Sorry to not post this on "Nik's head" but I'm not sure that the people I want to talk to are regulars on that thread.

My favorite CD store is shutting its doors for the last time at the end of the month. Turnover has halved in the last year. The internet and MP3s are touted as the prime suspects but I think that the problem is more that people aren't prepared to pay a premium to subsidise a shop with better service and lower turnover. The poor buggers were spending all of their time dishing out musical passion to people who would then nip round the corner to the cut-price stores.

Anyway, they are having a clearance sale and I was talked into buying a copy of the above mentioned album because it was dirt-cheap and sounded OK in the shop. Imagine my surprise when I found myself listening to a female Ryan Adams. Same tortured alt.country songs, same exposed underbelly, same affecting way of using an imperfect voice.

I really really recommend this album. If you like Whiskeytown, the emotional rawness of Lucinda Williams, the riff-based loveliness of the songs on Roseanne Cash's last album, the fragility of Beth Orton, you can't go wrong with this one. Promise.

P.S. Not giving a toss about the survival of the remaining CD stores that specialise in crap music and rudeness, I just ordered 6 CDs from Amazon. They arrived in 10 days and including P&P cost roughly half of what they would have been had I ordered them locally (given that they were all "imports"). Joy. It's life Spock, but not as we know it.
Posted on: 21 January 2004 by J.N.
I also have 'Failer'.

Beautifully atmospheric. The album has been championed by Bob Harris on his Saturday night prog.

One does indeed wonder about the future of the likes of HMV shops, let alone the struggling independent retailers who can't hope to compete with the buying power and number shifting of the big boys.

I'm always amazed at the number of people in CD shops.

There is of course, nothing to beat physical browsing in our increasingly virtual world.
Posted on: 21 January 2004 by Minky
quote:
Originally posted by J.N.:
There is of course, nothing to beat physical browsing in our increasingly virtual world.

Not to mention human contact. The way things are going we'll be tele-commuting to work, buying everything on-line, having inter-web sex and virtual bungy-jumping and we'll never need go outside or interact with other members of our own species (now called "wetware" I understand).
Posted on: 21 January 2004 by redeye
Mr Minky

Please tell me you're not talking about Real Groovy?

red
Posted on: 21 January 2004 by Minky
Redeye,

Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, NO. I'm talking about me old muckers Seamus and Colin Morris at Fisheye discs (RIP).

P.S. As a fan of Tift Merritt you should have a listen to Kathleen Edwards.
Posted on: 22 January 2004 by joe90
I really liked 'Failer'.

I hope she puts out another album.

Have you tried John Mayer 'Heavier Things'?
Once you get past the pop singles its actually ok...

Joe90
Posted on: 23 January 2004 by greeny
quote:
One does indeed wonder about the future of the likes of HMV shops, let alone the struggling independent retailers who can't hope to compete with the buying power and number shifting of the big boys.

I'm always amazed at the number of people in CD shops.

There is of course, nothing to beat physical browsing in our increasingly virtual world.


Like most people on this forum I buy a fair amount of new music, but despite this and working in the IT industry and having been web enabled for years I have never bought a CD (or DVD) on line.

I actually enjoy thumbing through the racks and get a real buz at finding sought after albums cheap. I very rarely pay more than £10 for a CD. HMV and virgin always have one sale or another on, No CD's at Music Zone are over £9.97 (and most back catalogue is currently 4.97). New releases are often no more than £10 at Release or Selectadisc or else are available in 4 for £40 (or similar) at Virgin.

Since Xmas I have bought:
8 CD's (mostly new release) from Release for £75
7 back catalogue stuff from Music Zone for £35
Plus assorted others in sales from HMV/Virgin average price £8.


I find the buying experiance online somewhat stale and the prices only slightly cheaper. If I was after somthing very specific that I couldn't find in the stores at a good price than I might be tempted, but so far that has not arisen.
Posted on: 25 January 2004 by jayd
Minky-

Bought it. Love it. Thanks for the recommendation.

Jay