Tuesday 29 March 2011

12 Inches of Sacred Love

Recently I have been thinking about packing this blog in. It has felt like more of a chore than ever & I have been starting to wonder what the point is. But this month I got sent two surprise packages in the mail from fellow nerds & it makes it all seem worthwhile...

Out of the blue a few weeks ago my good internet buddy & fellow record nerd Mike asked for my shipping address. He's mailed me countless things before, so god knows how he failed to keep a note of it. Must be slightly disorganised I guess. That's probably how he ended up dropping his ipod in the toilet.

Anyway, a week or so after I painstakingly typed my address out for the ten millionth time, a package rolled up. Inside I found a 12" that up to that point I did not know existed. There was a short note attached:

The record was/is another release by (my new favourite band) Sacred Love. This 12" is called 'Dividing Lines' and is, like their demo 7", also available from the fine folks at Youngblood Records. Or rather, it will be available at some point in the not too distant future. It's not out yet. This is some advance pressing with a hand assembled sleeve made for some tour. The regular version isn't even up for pre-order yet.

Must have been a short tour, because there were only 35 of these things made. In terms of numbers made, and excluding test pressings, this is the most limited Youngblood releases in my entire collection (and believe me, I have a pretty extensive YB collection!). I feel both lucky and honoured to own this one.

Overall I'm loving this record. It features four songs that average about a minute and a half in length, and then a final song that clocks in at five and a half minutes which really does showcase the band's ability & potential. The song starts off sounding like Iron Age for about 20 seconds, then jumps to a minute and a half of more typical fast hardcore a la Mindset, before slowing into a couple of minutes of something that sounds like one of my favourite 90s bands - Mean Season. All in all, this band is nothing if not interesting!

The only downside to this record is that there are only 5 songs on it. I'm really getting into this band now and I want more. However, because there are only 5 songs then the record is one sided, and for some stupid reason, unlike Mike, I love one sided 12"s. I prefer 12"s to 7"s generally, and (as dumb as it sounds) I love the look and the shine of a record without grooves. Just check out the reflection of my dope new shoes:

Finally, the record has an insert which features a funny/weird picture. It appears to be a dude in a Judge shirt at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, but I'm not sure who it is nor why the picture was included. Maybe someone can chime in and give us the lowdown?

Like I said, it's times like these that help keep me doing this blog. Not the getting sent surprise records, but the reminder that I have made genuine friends typing this dumb crap. Thanks Mike. Your generosity is appreciated & will definitely be repaid.

6 comments:

Mike said...

Dude, the ipod meets toilet incident was an embarassing secret! It's like you just announced to our 7th grade class that I started my period. I'm humiliated. Ha! Glad you dig the record. Thanks for the explaination of the blank b-side...it all makes sense now.

Brendan & Matt said...

its good to see there is comradery in the record game. I too have been following your blog for a while and am stoked when there is a new post.

jhulud said...

Great post. I have to say that I am feeling the same way lately but have been shown that there is a sense of close community even in this global age of the internet.

Anonymous said...

I love reading this blog. Check it every few days.
-Lacee

Mike said...

I can't say for sure, but I think that the guy in the Judge shirt is the singer for Sacred Love.

garrett bowman said...

dude in the judge shirt is the guitarist mitch olshankski!! best dude