[Editor's Note: Every Friday, our resident record store expert
Michael Chin checks in with his weekly report of what the hell people
who still buy records at local shops are listening to.]
See Also:
*Myspace Was Better Than Facebook (For Music)
*Top Five Hits: Fingerprints in Long Beach
*Top Five Hits: Left of the Dial in Seal Beach
Hey guys! It's been real, but a few life factors have caused the cancellation of this column. Sad faces all around, I know — but life goes on. For the last Top Five, we called Factory Records,
440 E 17th Street in Costa Mesa, (949) 722-8101. And for a fitting last top-spotter, we've got the Orange County music all star himself, the man who seems to be everywhere: Ty Segall.
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5. Cat Power, Sun LP (Matador)
Cat Power had the top spot last week, and this week it makes sense that Chan Marshall's return from a 4-year hiatus from recording after 2008's Jukebox would still be on the top five. Though on the back end, this half-soulful, half-electronic hybrid sound keeps Cat Power in the Top Hits game, and so this Sun keeps its rotation.
4. Seol, Ascensus
Oh jeez, it's Seol again. We last encountered Seol last year when their Forgotten Forest LP was featured in Factory Records' top five, and this metal group stuck because it was impossible to find a decent album cover image for. Now that we see them again, it's still just as difficult to find out anything about this band, save the eponymous song on the Ascensus LP — it's metal, dark, and I think the band might be Spanish. Still, this bit metal diamond in the rough still has us baffled.
3. Scorpio & His People, The Unforgiven 7″ (Thomastem Productions)
This funky soul hit comes straight out of left field, and I can't be more ecstatic about it. While Scorpio & His People are definitely not standard names in the music business, check out this 7″ for a little bit of wonderful past-blast soul amazingness. The record itself is decorated in what looks like a a crayon-drawn logo, but don't let that deter you from giving this one a spin.
2. Woods, Bend Beyond (Woodsist)
This album sets itself apart from Jeremy Earl and his cohorts' usual process of quick, imperfect recording in favor of attempting to capture the charm of live shows. Ahh, the ultimate endeavor. How can a recording reproduce the tangible connection of live music, and how can live music ever replicate the perfection of the recording? So many bands try and fail at this reproduction, but Woods' folksy pop cheeriness does move close to realization of that live sound. Though polished, its endearing sincerity slides into the two spot this week.
1. Ty Segall, The Hill 7″ (Drag City)
Somebody needs to tell Ty Segall to calm down. Coming off the release of Slaughterhouse with the Ty Segall Band and Hair in a collaboration with White Fence, Segall's upcoming Twins will be his third studio album released this year. How this California native (and Orange County music star) has so much time is a mystery to me, but he's not showing any signs of slowing down. “The Hill,” the single from his forthcoming release, doesn't suffer from Segall's volume of production, either — the psychedelic San Franciscan's done it again, and his 7″ graces the top spot this week.
