STACK #209 Mar 2022

MUSIC FEATURE

CHART Vinyl

FROM HERE TO DAMNED ETERNITY: CREEPY LOCKED GROOVES

W hat happens when a vinyl record reaches the end of its playtime on a manual turntable? Well, just silence, with maybe a repeated pop every 1.8 seconds if there's a dust-speck on your LP. This is because of the record's 'locked groove', a closed loop of sound at its innermost ring. It catches the needle and sends it round and round endlessly, so that your stylus doesn't stray off the vinyl and onto the label sticker. (This can of course happen accidentally, and you'll know it by the demon-scream scrape of needle on paper.) But why should an artist leave silence when they could put something into that groove, which will play on forever (until either you lift the player's tonearm, or an EMP shuts down the world's electricity)? A handful of artists have done exactly that, and the best examples make use of the groove's inherent repetition to create some creepy effects. STIFF LITTLE FINGERS INFLAMMABLE MATERIAL (1979) Compared to The Clash and The Ramones upon its release, Inflammable Material chronicled the civil unrest and heartbreaking hardships which this Northern Irish band saw slithering through the veins of their homeland. In some cleverly designed symbology, Side B's locked groove contains the sound of a rotary phone ringing on and on and into eternity. It lands as a persistent question unanswered, and let's face it: punk is all about asking 'Why?'.

1. KORN

Requiem

2. HARRY STYLES Harry Styles

comes the wobegone voice of Fozzie Bear – he's been forgotten about completely, and locked inside. When he realises he's all alone in the dark, he begins a mournful, repeated cry for help... help... help. Traumatic as hell. PINK FLOYD ATOM HEART MOTHER (1970) The last track on this beautifully sprawling, number one album from England's finest prog-weirdos is titled Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast . It's a soundscape-with-dialogue assemblage which features the band's roadie Alan Styles preparing, chewing and commenting on his own breakfast. As it closes out, we hear the sound of a dripping tap – a sample captured and intended for rhythmic experiments by guitarist Roger Waters – which then slots into the locked groove, plinking on without end. It comes across as vaguely sinister and melancholic, inviting subjective interpretation from the listener in a very fitting conclusion for the seminal LP.

PROTOMARTYR ULTIMATE SUCCESS TODAY (2020) Detroit post-punk-art-rockers Protomartyr released their critically acclaimed fifth album during the onset of the pandemic, though it was written well before anyone had heard the word 'COVID'. Its lyrics seemed to mirror the apocalyptic nature of the world's stage at the time, sifted through with dissonant guitars and singer Joe Casey's idiosyncratic baritone. In the locked groove of Side A is an ominous wasteland soundtrack: flies buzz, insects trill, and no other form of life stirs... for the rest of time. Let's hope they're very wrong. THE MUPPETS THE MUPPET SHOW 2 (1978) After Kermie and the gang have finished their raucous renditions of The Pig Calypso , Happy Feet and, of course, The Muppet Show Theme (interspersed with sketches and other adorable slivers of banter), we hear that cute li'l frog and Miss Piggy leaving the theatre to go to dinner. After a second or two

3. QUEEN

Greatest Hits

4. NIRVANA Nevermind

5. NIRVANA

MTV Unplugged in New York

6. ADELE 30

7. ALT-J

The Dream

8. BOB MARLEY Legend

9. LIME CORDIALE 14 Steps to a Better You 10. TAYLOR SWIFT Lover

On The Record Radar

OUT 8/4

OUT 3/6

MICHAEL BUBLÉ HIGHER ON JB-EXCLUSIVE TRANSPARENT, AND REGULAR BLACK VINYL

TASH SULTANA MTV UNPLUGGED: LIVE IN MELBOURNE ON LIMITED. EDITION PINK SWIRL VINYL

WET LEG WET LEG ON TRANSLUCENT YELLOW, TRANSLUCENT GREEN, AND REGULAR BLACK VINYL

NORTHLANE OBSIDIAN ON JB-EXCLUSIVE RED VINYL

OUT 25/3

OUT 22/4

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