We're steaming through my record collection at this point, I hope that you've had a look at all my other posts to see what other records I have and as always I'd love to hear about your collection through my Twitter (@KMMReviews) or in the comments below.
Coldplay - X&Y
Coldplay X&Y is one of my favourite albums by them, Speed of Sound is the first time I was introduced to the band by my Dad. That song absolutely blew me away, I love the structure of that song and just the way it feels like an arena song. It's simply perfection. And then songs like Fix You, one of the most beautiful songs ever and the song Talk which is just absolutely fantastic. This is arguably my favourite Coldplay album and it comes in a really nice slipcase for the record, it feels so well made.
The inside of the gatefold is some sort of equalizer/music board, it looks pretty cool and then you just look away and forget about it, Another thing that astounds me about this record is the weight of the whole thing, it really feels like you're holding something special.
The records are 180gm which means that the pressing is simply perfection, they are housed in these record sleeves which contain arguably the most awkward pictures ever, they look like they caught the band off guard. Not to mention I wish one of them wasn't yellow, it doesn't fit with the album and you can see it poking out.
The record also comes with this pretty nifty poster, I have nowhere to put this and even if I did I don't think I would put it up but then again it's a nice thing to include. It shows once again the effort that was put into the record.
As you can see by the sticker on the sleeve it says Limited Edition which I'm quite sure it isn't as it's only £20 on Amazon, It also states the weight of the vinyl which was a big swinger when I bought the record.
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Another Coldplay record is on here, you're probably sick of looking at them by now but I'm not tired of listening to them, so that;s the way it goes. Viva La Vida is arguably the best artwork of any record I own, It annoys me that the sticker isn't on the back, it's the way I like my vinyl. This cost me about £18 when I bought it a while ago, it was roughly about when vinyl started to get big again so price inflated through the roof.
The inside of the gatefold is a stark contrast to the cover, it's quite plain and simple with just a picture of the band individually, a common theme throughout Coldplay records evidently. Although I have to say I love the simplicity of this inner gatefold, and that the colour scheme continues, it's a lot more aesthetically pleasing.
Not to mention that the record comes with this artbook, it's nothing particularly special, some of the pieces in here are quite nice and intriguing but apart from that it seems like a complete waste of time, I love it when they include books that detail things about the album and what it took to make it, some stories about the songs and the band, that would be more worthwhile.
The record is once again 180gm I believe, and I have to say this one of my favourite pressings, I think it really amplifies the music on vinyl, the songs on this album were just created for this format especially some of the more mellow numbers like Violet Hill.
Danny Brown - XXX
Danny Brown is the most obscure rapper I listen to, his music is dark and intriguing not to mention incredibly self reflective. Now his mixtape/album here was released when he was 30 (hence the name). It just makes you wonder the hardship he went through in those early years to get to this point, Not to mention the drugged out, trippy songs on this album really set the Detroit rapper apart from his competitors.
Red.
The pressing of the record is really nice, I haven't gave it too many spins because I've simply just never got round to it, and Danny Brown is one of those artists that you really have to be in the mood to listen to. But I recommend listening to this project, it really is a great project.
Danny Brown - Old
And obviously I own Old on vinyl aswell, for me this is my favourite Danny Brown project. I know that many people opt for XXX when askeed but for me it's this. Danny Brown really gets to be his own artist on this one, you can see that he is making the music that he really wants to make and he's really introspective at points about his addiction and his problems but then he's just having fun on others such as Dip and Kush Coma. For any rap fan this is a must listen to.
Danny Brown smoking on the inside of the gatefold is pretty obligatory of him. Also, the pressing of this album is one of my favourite hip hop pressings that I own, possibly due to the fact that it may be my most played Hip Hop record so I've fooled myself into thinking it's the best, but still in my opinion this is a great album and you definitely need to go and check out Danny Brown's music if you haven't already.