I’ve been wanting to upgrade my vinyl record storage for a while now. I recently moved and decided to see what was available. I had been using cheap Ikea Kallax shelves for a while now and wanted to find something nicer.

The USM Haller shelves appealed to me in many ways except for one important one, price. They are asking $3500 for the one I was interested in. They tend to go way up from there as you add on more storage. That just wasn’t realistic for me.

I decided to look for alternatives to see if I could find the same look, at a comparable build quality, but at a much more attractive price.

My search turned up a number of options but many turned me off for various reasons. Mostly construction & build seemed off or cheap, or they were sold on suspect websites.

I then came upon this option on Amazon, which seemed to check all the boxes. It’s not cheap by any stretch, but compared to USM Haller, they are substantially more affordable.

While the price varies by size and style, the specific model I wanted was over 80% less expensive than a USM Haller.

I did some research before making the purchase. I did an image-match search and found what appears to be the same on eBay as well, such as here and here.

I felt better about my return options with Amazon if I ended up not being satisfied so I decided to take a chance with that one.

It arrived much sooner than the original expected delivery window. I received it 4 days after placing the order if my memory is correct. I caught the delivery driver laying putting it down rather hard. He didn’t know I was standing in the doorway. After it banged down a bit too hard for my comfort, he heard the front door open, glanced up and said, “my bad.” I took it inside and quickly dug into opening it up and seeing what I was about to get myself into.

Right from the start, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the parts. The poles are high quality, durable steel. Very attractive! Not cheap or remotely flimsy. The white panels were also on par with the original brand ones I’ve seen in my local DWR.

It came with decent instructions, albeit not perfect or overly explanatory, but they were adequate.

I was able to put it together without much frustration but there are times where you need to pay attention to photos and have an idea of the logic of how things need to assemble.

The only real confusion I had was with how the hinges attached. This is one area where the instructions lacked. It wasn’t hard or intricate but it wasn’t completely obvious. I was able to figure it out after a bit, and I’m sure I looked like a dog looking at its owner, with its head cocked at an angle, trying to understand the vague instructions. They simply slide into the appropriate side panel corner, with the screws loose, and then you tighten down the screws once they are fully seated as far as they’ll go into the corner. The metal rectangular piece serves as a little bracket that tightens down to hold the hinge in place. It’s a pretty simple in concept. The instructions say to loosen up the screws but they don’t really explain how much or what exactly that means. The screws were already loose and probably sufficiently so.

The one door wasn’t lining up as perfectly as the other so I reached out to customer support and they were very responsive, helpful, and genuinely concerned about my satisfaction. I realize this sounds exaggerated, or like a sales pitch, but it’s true. I felt like I was dealing with a local mom & pop shop who cared. They spoke decent English too, although I have no idea where they were located, but I assume not in the US.

The support rep also confirmed that each shelf can hold up to 66 pounds. Filling up each section with records would be heavier than that so I elected to not fill up the middle shelves all the way. I think having more weight on the bottom is pretty safe. The shelf construction feels strong enough to support it but I decided to not risk it on the middle shelves.

The naturally slick metal material makes the records want to slide around so I wanted to find a solution for that. I ended up buying large metal bookends and strong neodymium disc magnets to hold the bookends in place. I only used 2 bookends on each middle shelf but I put more on the lower ones to give all the records more support. I think I used 4 on each lower shelf, for 8 total on the entire bottom level.

Buying enough bookends and magnets wasn’t cheap, and added to the cost of the shelving solution, but I thought it was worth it. If you don’t have that many records then you may not need them.

One thing to note, and this wasn’t obvious from the description or photos, the locks do lock but they don’t give you a key. They told me that they are designed to be ‘locked’ by any thin metal item such as a coin. Their reasoning for this seemed like a cop out, “because customers easily lose keys”.

So they do lock if your only intention is to keep out toddlers or just someone being casually nosy, but if someone really wants to unlock it, it’s incredibly easy. You can buy locks that fit if you want to use a real key. There are sellers on eBay, such as this one, that sell locks and other parts, as well as nice quality felt that you can use.

In the end, I’m quite pleased with this purchase and will buy another piece from the same vendor again.

Here are some other cabinet styles from the same vendor I used. They come in other colors too.

Numero Group have announced the pre-order for a new compilation for Majesty Crush.

Driven by lust-fueled limerence and drifting far from conformity, Butterflies Don’t Go Away captures Majesty Crush’s transient, yet subversive mark on the landscape of American shoegaze to come. Tracked between 1991-1995, the quartet reimagined the collapse of the American rust belt as a late-night, nail biting fever dream/revenge fantasy. This deluxe 2xLP compiles their Love 15 album, singles, EPs, and rarities, all remastered from the original tapes, with thorough annotation and visual documentation in a 24-page booklet. An immortal transcendence if there ever was one.

Majesty Crush was filed and misfiled in one category or another throughout their brief but extraordinary career. They answered the call to open up for just about every dream pop, paisley, or shoegaze band that made it to the Midwest in the early part of the 90s… Mazzy Star, The Verve, Julian Cope, Chapterhouse, Curve and My Bloody Valentine just to scratch the surface. This linked them with a scene and a sound not necessarily their own…they were far too ambitious to gaze at any shoes, especially their own, and with a frontman, David Stroughter, who sometimes seemed to channel Syd Barrett, they were not hiding behind layers of guitar. Their less-told dimension is that they also shared stages and collaborators with uncategorizable locals like Laughing Hyenas, His Name Is Alive, and Jack White (in Goober & the Peas)… members also grew up around Motown royalty, and at any show you might find kin to Diana Ross, or P-Funk members, or Marvin Gaye songwriters.

Pre-order from Numero Group: Release date is March 29, 2024 – Begins shipping in mid-March

Tracklist:

Boyfriend *
Uma *
No. 1 Fan *
Brand *
Purr (Interlude) *
Seles *
Grow *
Pretty Head (Interlude) *
Cicciolina *
Penny For Love *
Skin (Interlude) *
Feigned Sleep *
Horse *
No. 1 Fan (EP Version)
Worri
Horse (EP Version)
Sunny Pie
Cicciolina (7″ version)
Purr (7″ version)
Space Between Your Moles
Seine
If JFA Were Still Together
Ghost Of Fun

[* from the 1993, Love 15 album]

Available again on vinyl for the first time since its 1998 release, it’s Swervedriver’s 4th album, 99th Dream!

Soon after its initial release, the band broke up and this classic LP was lost to the ages. Now reissued as a proper double LP, with a bonus 4th side of remixes from Alan Moulder (My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Lush, etc) 99th Dream is back in print.

99th Dream has been remastered and is being re-released as a limited-edition, ‘coke bottle green’ (available on bandcamp), extended double vinyl LP in a gatefold sleeve with three new Alan Moulder remixes! Also available is a red limited-edition.

The official announcement comes tomorrow, on 11/3/2023, and will be available for pre-order. The release date is expected to be Jan. 19, 2024.

https://swervedriver.bandcamp.com/music

Previously released albums may also be available here:

• deepdiscount
• popmarket

Curve were an English alternative rock and electronic music duo from London, formed in 1990 and split in 2005. Doppelgänger is their debut studio album from 1992 and is a continuation of the musical idiom established by the group on it’s three earlier EPs. Doppelgänger combines elements of dance music and alternative rock with the reverb-laden and distortion-heavy stylings of shoegaze.

The album reached No. 11 in the UK Albums Chart and spawned the two singles “Faît Accompli” and “Horror Head”.

Many credit Curve for heavily influencing Garbage’s sound.

Limited edition of 2500 individually numbered copies on translucent orange marbled 180-gram audiophile vinyl.

Available for preorder from many sites now, including:

• popmarket
• deepdiscount
• roughtrade

Proper Records has pre-orders up for Catherine Wheel’s first 3 albums, Ferment, Chrome and Happy Days.

The have a listed release date of August 18, 2023.

I’m curious if Chrome will have the original cover or will follow the 2017 reissue and use the image from the 1993 CDs, which was different from the original vinyl release.

The original 1993 UK record cover is on the left, above, and the 2017 MOV reissue on the right. Can you spot the difference?

Note: 2023.09.29 – We’ve ordered 2 copies of this press of Chrome, from 2 different stores, and 1 of Ferment and all 3 have manufacturing defects. There are tiny scratches on every single record that reveal themselves under a bright light and are definitely audible. Unless Proper Records does a repress to fix this, we can’t recommend this version unless perhaps you get it for an incredibly low price, like under $15-20. Others are reporting the same problem here.

Pre-order links:

US

• popmarket (ferment, chrome, happy days)
• deepdiscount (ferment, chrome, happy days)

UK

• ebay.com presale
• https://propermusic.com/collections/catherine-wheel
• https://www.limitedadditionrecords.com/search?q=Catherine+Wheel
• https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/artist/catherine-wheel
• https://www.normanrecords.com/artist/1831-catherine-wheel
• https://www.horizonsmusic.co.uk/collections/all/artist_catherine-wheel
• https://www.juno.co.uk

Lush, the British alternative rock band formed in London in 1987, is often hailed as one of the pioneers of shoegaze and dream pop. Comprising Miki Berenyi, Emma Anderson, Phil King, and Chris Acland, Lush created ethereal and atmospheric music that resonated with a generation of listeners. Through their mesmerizing melodies, lush harmonies, and evocative lyrics, the band established themselves as a significant force in the alternative music scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Their albums have seen limited reissues, a box set titled Origami in 2016, and a Ciao Best Of in 2015, until now.

With a release date of 8/11/2023, multiple Lush vinyl reissues are available for preorder now.

Spooky (1992 debut studio album produced by Robin Guthrie) and Split (1994, produced by Mike Hedges) in their original sleeve designs.

Lovelife (produced by Pete Barlett + track feat Jarvis Cocker) uses the artwork from the 2016 boxset to keep 1996’s collectible tracing-paper sleeve exclusive to initial pressing.

https://lush.ffm.to/splitspookylovelife

Order Here:

• Popmarket (Spooky, Split, Lovelife)
• DeepDiscount (Spooky, Split, Lovelife)

A defining album of the 90s, Last Splash by The Breeders turns 30 this year.  To celebrate, the band have returned to the original tapes to give it its first-ever remaster, and by doing so have also unearthed two lost tracks that will delight fans.

Recorded by the ‘classic’ Breeders line-up of Kim Deal, Kelley Deal, Josephine Wiggs and Jim Macpherson and featuring singles ‘Cannonball’ and ‘Divine Hammer’, Last Splash was “an alt-rock classic” (Pitchfork’s Top 100 Records of 1990s) on release; a fast seller too, quickly attaining Platinum status in the US.

Despite having had the boxset treatment on its 20th birthday, the album was still left to be remastered so 10 years on, the original ½” tapes were taken out of the archives and have been lovingly worked on by Kim Deal, Benjamin Mumphrey and Miles Showell (Abbey Road).

Never sounding so good, it means for its 30th anniversary the album is getting the ultimate vinyl pressing.  Entitled Last Splash (30th Anniversary Original Analog Edition), this new version has been cut at half speed at Abbey Road by Miles Showell, now spanning two LPs and running at 45rpm.

Furthermore, this anniversary edition also contains an exclusive, one-sided etched 12” which excitingly features two brilliant and previously unreleased tracks – ‘Go Man Go’ and ‘Divine Mascis’ (‘Go Man Go’ is a track that Kim co-wrote with Black Francis while ‘Divine Mascis’ is a different version of ‘Divine Hammer’ with Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis on lead vocals).  Both tracks originate from the original sessions and were left forgotten until the sessions were exhumed to create this new master.

The attention to detail continues to the album’s art, which equally celebrates Vaughan Oliver’s iconic sleeve.  With Vaughan sadly no longer with us, his long-time design partner Chris Bigg has gloriously reimagined the album’s sleeve for this new version.  Coming in a beautiful wide-spine sleeve, there’s also a nod to other classic 4AD records with a 10” lyric booklet being created which also unseen portraits from the original album shoot by Kevin Westenberg.

Order Here:

• popmarket
• https://shopusa.4ad.com/last-splash-30th-anniversary-edition

Track List

A1. New Year
A2. Cannonball
A3. Invisible Man
A4. No Aloha
B1. Roi
B2. Do You Love Me Now?
B3. Flipside
C1. I Just Wanna Get Along
C2. Mad Lucas
C3. Divine Hammer
C4. S.O.S
D1. Hag
D2. Saints
D3. Drivin’ on 9
D4. Roi (Reprise)

12”
A1. Go Man Go
A2. Divine Mascis

Tour Dates

In honour of the album’s 30 years, the band will be hitting the road in September for a special run of shows performing Last Splash in its entirety.  They will be joined by Belly (formed by original Breeder Tanya Donelly), Screaming Females and Horsegirl in select markets.

August
3rd – Knitting Factory, Boise ID, US
4th – Spokane Arena, Spokane WA, US *
6th – Wildlands Festival, Big Sky MT, US
8th – USANA Amphitheatre, West Valley City UT, US *
10th – Lake Tahae Outdoor Arena at Harveys, Stateline NV, US *
25th – 26th – Ghost Ranch Music Festival, Abiquiu NM, US

September
7th – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland OH, US ^
8th – KEMBA Live!, Columbus OH, US ^
15th – Riot Fest, Chicago IL, US
17th – Sea.Hear.Now. Festival, Asbury Park NJ, US
19th – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach VA, US *
20th – Fillmore, Philadelphia PA, US %
21st – Fillmore, Silvery Springs MA, US %
23rd –  Kings Theater, Brooklyn NY, US %
24th – House of Blues, Boston MA, US %

October
3rd – Talking Stick Resort, Phoenix AZ, US *
5th – Don Haskins Center, El Paso TX, US *
6th – 8th – Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin TX, US
13th – 15th – Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin TX, US
19th – The Wiltern, Los Angeles CA, US #
20th – Observatory, San Diego CA, US #
22nd – Henry Miller Library, Big Sur CA, US #
23rd – The Warfield, San Francisco CA, US #
25th – Paramount, Seattle WA, US #

* – with Foo Fighters
^ – appearing with Horsegirl
% – appearing with Screaming Females
# – appearing with Belly

Rhino Records is launching a new series of the exclusive premium vinyl series, Rhino High Fidelity (Rhino Hi-Fi). They claim, “These high-end, limited-edition vinyl reissues of classic albums represent the pinnacle of sound and packaging.”

The first two Rhino High Fidelity albums are available today exclusively at Rhino.com – The Cars (1978) by The Cars and Coltrane’s Sound (1964) by John Coltrane. Each Rhino High Fidelity title is limited to 5,000 individually numbered copies and retails for $39.98. (Order)

The Cars’ debut reissue is cut From The Original Analog Master Tapes.

To ensure consistent sonic excellence, Kevin Gray will cut lacquers for all Rhino Hi-Fi releases, and Optimal will press the 180-gram vinyl records. The releases boast high-quality glossy covers and “tip-on” jackets, an old-school aesthetic that evokes the golden age of vinyl.
 
Kevin Gray says, “It will be an honor to master this series! There is so much variety to explore in the Rhino catalog – everything from Jazz to Rock to R&B. Rhino has a very deep catalog spanning across 5 decades. The possibilities are incredible! I look forward to all of it.”
 
Another hallmark of the new Rhino High Fidelity series is exclusive content. The Cars features a new interview with guitarist Elliot Easton about the gear used on the album, plus producer Roy Thomas Baker’s tracking notes for “Good Times Roll.”
 
Upon hearing the Rhino High Fidelity pressing, Easton said, “It’s like being in your studios. It’s like listening to a studio playback… It just blew my mind.” He then reflected on the making of the album, “We felt like we were doing something that hadn’t been done before, like we were breaking some ground and making some sounds that hadn’t been recorded before. That was very exciting. It was just completely the chemistry of the five of us. It’s nothing you can calculate or plan. It just either happens or doesn’t. It’s magic.”
 
Coltrane’s Sound includes notes and images from the master tapes along with an archival essay by legendary producer Tom Dowd, the recording engineer on this album, and hundreds of other classics on Atlantic Records.
 
Dowd recalled “It was amazing, even after an hour of solid playing [Coltrane] would be as calm and composed as when he first started. Normally when someone works this hard, they tense up. Not John. As I observed him playing, I could not detect any of the joints of his hands or fingers. He didn’t seem to have any bones. He played with “feathers.” His technique involved complete confidence, control, and composure.”
 
Rhino High Fidelity will take full advantage of Warner Music’s vast music catalog, creating superlative versions of landmark albums from the worlds of jazz, blues, rock, pop, and beyond.
 
The Rhino High Fidelity series will continue to release two classic albums quarterly, each with the same audio and packaging quality of the initial pair in strictly limited editions. The next round of Rhino High Fidelity releases will be announced in the coming weeks.

Pasteboard was a Japanese Shoegaze band based in Saitama. It was formed by Makoto Igarashi and Mihoko Tanoue.

They only released one album before switching to another project, Roly Poly Rag Bear.

7th Heaven is releasing their only album, Glitter, on vinyl. It goes on sale tomorrow, April 14th.

It’ll be available in black and galaxy blue swirl, 100 of each. It’s also getting a cassette release. There will be exclusive t-shirts as well.

Available via the 7th Heaven links here when it goes on sale at 10:30 AM PST.

Check out this Spotify playlist for more Shoegaze, both classics and new.

When it comes to technology, usually people want the latest and greatest.

So why are vinyl records making a comeback? For some people, it never went away.

Larry Potash goes deep into the modern revival of wax tracks in this piece for Backstory.