Lightning 100 is excited to present Blind Tiger Record Club On Air every other Monday following the615. Starting at 8 pm, you will hear B.T.R.C. founder, David W. Williams, and Product Manager, Rudy Newman, discuss albums released on vinyl each month. B.T.R.C. champions music from all genres and believes vinyl is king. It’s a great way to be in-the-know about new releases. Check out their records of the month, spotlight albums, new store additions, and more at BlindTigerRecordClub.com.
In addition to the spotlight album, Brent Cobb’s Keep ‘Em on They Toes, we are touching on four other terrific releases in today’s episode: Razzmatazz by IDKhow, Getting Into Knives by The Mountain Goats, and Letter to You by Bruce Springsteen.
Spotlight Album of the Month: Brent Cobb – Keep ‘Em on They Toes
Brent Cobb debuts his 3rd studio album, Keep ‘Em on They Toes on October 2nd with Ol’ Buddy Records and Thirty Tigers.
Back in 2016, Cobb released his first studio album, Shine On Rainy Day. The album hit it big at #5 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, #16 on folk, and #17 on country charts. He kept up the momentum with his second studio album, Providence Canyon, released in late 2018. Providence Canyon peaked at #2 on the Heatseekers chart. Both of these albums were produced by Cobb’s cousin and now legendary producer, Dave Cobb.
However, Keep ‘Em on They Toes is a step away from Cobb’s previous two albums. Back in Georgia, Cobb worked with producer Brad Cook, known for working with artists like Bon Iver, Sharon Van Etten, and Waxahachie. Brad Cook’s indie-rock influence added different shades and textures to this album than previous ones. It’s a deeply soulful album, and one of Cobb’s most personal. Cobb shares, “The last couple of albums have been about people & places, and I want this album to be about thoughts & feelings.”
In 2016, Lauren Tingle from CMT referred to Cobb as “blue-collar country”, which is a really great description of what Cobb does. You can hear a lot of elements in this album that fall into country, like banjo, fiddle, and mandolin. However, this album is a bit more quintessentially Americana in the way he blends in rock elements. The album includes a beautiful duet with Nikki Lane, “Soapbox”. The album’s ninth track, “The World Is Ending”, sounds as poignantly relevant as ever, despite being written in 2011.
Brent Cobb was gracious enough to sign all of his vinyl for club members, so be sure to claim yours at http://blindtigerrecordclub.com/.
I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME – RAZZMATAZZ
RAZZMATAZZ is the debut album by I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME, also known as IDKHow. It was released on October 23rd on Fearless Records.
IDKHow is a two-piece band consisting of bass player Dallon Weekes and drummer Ryan Seaman. Both members brought their past pop punk and rock influences to the band. Weekes was a member of Panic at the Disco from 2009 to 2017, while Seaman was the drummer for Falling in Reverse.
RAZZMATAZZ debuted at #11 on the alternative charts, #22 on rock, and #10 on emerging albums chart. The album mixes indie-pop with new wave, glam rock, and electronic. The album is heavily influenced by 80s music, and the album’s first single, “Leave Me Alone” has David Bowie written all over it. You can also hear Queen’s influence in the Bohemian Rhapsody-esque harmonies on the album’s tenth track, “Need You Here”.
Produced by Tim Pagnotta of early 2000s pop punk band Sugar Cult, RAZZMATAZZ has all those pop punk influences that make it a super fun listen. David McLaughlin from Kerrang! said the album is “packing the kind of addictive dopamine-like qualities that’ll make you want to keep pumping coins into the slot for another hit time after time again”.
Blind Tiger Record Club has the album on limited edition, clear peach swirl vinyl. Be sure to check the album out at http://blindtigerrecordclub.com/.
The Mountain Goats – Getting Into Knives
The 19th studio album (yes, you read that correctly) by The Mountain Goats, Getting Into Knives, came out on October 23rd on Merge Records.
John Darnielle founded The Mountain Goats in 1991. For many years of the band’s existence, Darnielle has been the sole consistent member; in some ways, it’s really the project of Darnielle who brings in other players. Some of those players include drummer John Wurster, bassist Peter Hughes, and keyboardist Matt Douglas. Legendary engineer Matt Ross-Spang produced Getting Into Knives. Ross-Spang has worked with impressive artists like Brent Cobb, Drive by Truckers, and Jason Isbell, to name a few. The band recorded the album with Ross-Spang at the historic Sam Phillips Recording Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.
Getting Into Knives is The Mountain Goats’ strongest album in years. Most of the band’s previous albums have been concept albums focused on a central theme. However, Getting Into Knives is a more traditional album featuring songs that are more like short stories. The album includes standouts such as “As Many Candles as Possible”, featuring the legendary Charles Hodges on Hammond B3 Organ, and “Rat Queen”.
Getting Into Knives is available at http://blindtigerrecordclub.com/ in limited edition double vinyl.
Bruce Springsteen – Letter To You
Letter To You by Bruce Springsteen was released on October 23rd on Columbia Records.
The Boss has done it again. Letter To You is the 20th album of Springsteen’s illustrious career. It’s the first album with the E Street Band since High Hopes in 2014. Bruce Springsteen has been incredibly busy over the past few years. Between his memoir, Born to Run, his companion album, Chapter and Verse, and his 236-show broadway production, Springsteen has done it all.
Now, The Boss is back with his band and arguably his best album in years. Letter To You debuted at #1 in current album sales, and #2 on Billboard Top 200. Letter To You deals with themes of regret, loss, aging, dying. It’s really personal lyrically, but also a celebration of all the people he’s been creating with over these years. Letter To You feels like the music that Springsteen and the E Street Band were making at beginning of their time together back in the 70s. The retail single, “Ghosts”, captures this nostalgia in the form of a rock and roll love letter to lost bandmates.
Among the many rave critical reviews of the album, Uncut Magazine perfectly captured the strength of the album: “The Boss looks back and strives ahead”.
Blind Tiger Record Club has Letter To You available at http://blindtigerrecordclub.com/ in a double vinyl LP pressing, 140 gram in a gatefold jacket with a booklet and an etching on side D.
Check out all these albums and listen to the full episode here!
