STACK #262 August 2026

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VERA BLUE # 1 MY FIRST ALBUM

What’s your all-time favourite album and why? Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by The Smashing

Pumpkins because it is an epic and, having seen the band live in the last few years, they still hold their own so magnificently. The songs remind me of great memories in my own life. Do you have a vinyl collection? If so, how did it begin, and expand? I have! I’ve had to take out a separate insurance policy on it because it’s the most valuable (financially and emotionally) thing I possess. My first purchase myself was MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular but my dad had also contributed some of his Police and Beatles records to the collection to get me started. I now have almost 500 across various genres. What do you enjoy most about working in music at JB? I applied for a job at JB BECAUSE of my love for music back in 2012 and was the CD and DVD coordinator in that store. I love working with other staff who have both similar and different music tastes, and I have grown my own collection of favourite bands because of them. I love talking about music, I love physical media, and I’m proud to work for a company who still holds it so dear. Now as an Ops Coordinator there is nothing better than unloading a truck and coming across a box of fresh vinyl to unpack.

The first albums I really fell in love with weren’t ones I bought myself. They were Paint the Sky with Stars by Enya and Talk on Corners by The Corrs, both of which I discovered in my parents’ CD collection when I was 11 or 12. I became completely obsessed with Enya’s Caribbean Blue , convinced I was some kind of little woodland fairy. It felt so magical and transportive. At the same time, I was captivated by The Corrs. I went through a phase of absolutely loving Irish jigs, and there was something so joyful and alive about that music. My sister and I would dance around the living room as toddlers, pretending we were in Riverdance or Lord of the Dance , convinced we were one of Michael Flatley’s dancers. I can hear little traces of both artists in what I create. Enya gave me a love of atmosphere, escapism, and creating worlds, while The Corrs sparked my fascination with melody, folk influences, and the violin. I don’t think I realised it then, but those albums quietly planted the seeds for the artist I would become.

AUGUST

’ s ROVING REPORTER

Photo credit: Dave Jenkins Jr

CLAIRE AITKEN @ JB Bundaberg, QLD

What’s an early, cherished music memory? Listening to my dad’s War of the Worlds record and thumbing through the vinyl booklet at the artwork. Which recent album do you currently have on repeat? Paul Dempsey’s Shotgun Karaoke Vol II.

Modern Rituals by Vera Blue is out Aug 21 via Island

In the hotseat this month isTOBY DUNDAS from The Temper Trap, who have just released their first album in ten years.

STACK

with Melbourne Football Club in the AFL era. Song you wish you’d written? The Stranglers – Golden Brown . If you weren’t a rock star, what would you be? Unemployed musician. Last album you bought? Ecca Vandal – Looking for People to Unfollow .

Five words to describe yourself: No good at counting.

Aside from yourself, which musician would you most like to be? David Bowie. What’s the most ridiculous item you’ve ever put on your rider? Lottery tickets. Your funeral song? Godspeed You! Black Emperor – F# A# ∞ (the whole album). Happiness is… A temporary state.

Your all-time favourite album? Radiohead – OK Computer .

What did your most memorable school report say? Toby is no longer required for the school band. What would be your Hard Quiz expert subject? Let’s go

Sungazer by The Temper Trap is out now via Mushroom

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32 AUGUST 2026

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