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There’s nothing quite like taking home some fresh vinyl and putting it on the turntable for the first time. It’s a total experience. Each month we pull together a collection of reissues, JB-exclusives, or just straight-up classic long players to add to any burgeoning collection. Words Zoë Radas, Paul Jones

G FLIP ABOUT US (2019) A glitchy, torch-lit bedroom, the casual twirl of a drumstick in-hand, and then a keyboard bassline which seemed full of exciting promise; we watched the opening moments of G Flip’s debut video About You (released on Valentine’s Day 2018) waiting to see what the young Melburnian was serving. Heartfelt vocals followed a sparse but deep beat, and then came the galloping drumfill that was heard around the nation: G Flip had arrived, ushering in a moment which became a movement around their frank, romantic and vibrant songs. For someone as obsessed with rhythm as G Flip, their first album showcased a falcon’s grip on melodic pop hooks which were both meaty and fluid as rain. G’s vocals belted boldly or came in ultra-close, as in exhilarating single Bring Me Home (the video for which is a must-see, documenting a marathon drumming session: ”I wrote an emotional song so I wanted to pair it with just as emotional a film clip,” they said of the brutal six-hour jam). Dreamy but totally full-bodied, About Us was such a bright career kick-off you didn’t have to be Zoltar to know it was just the beginning for the disarmingly down-to-earth musician. TOP TRACK: About You FAST FACT: The animated, heart-eyed face on the bass skin of G Flip’s drumkit (visible throughout the About You clip) is called JeRoMo, named after the musician’s beloved, now-passed drum teacher.

OASIS (WHAT’S THE STORY) MORNING GLORY? (1995) DOUBLE ALBUM Some albums remind us of a specific time and place, while others define a time and place. (What’s the Story) Morning Glory is in a unique position – it does both. In the shade of Definitely Maybe , sole songwriter Noel Gallagher had tapped a bountiful vein, confining juggernaut tracks like Acquiesce and The Masterplan to B-sides. Seizing the moment amidst a surge of political and social change, the Gallagher brothers delivered a banging follow-up just over a year later. The release of singles Some Might Say, Roll with It and Morning Glory before the long player dropped had already conquered the summer for the band, but the best was yet to come. Abandoning the plug-straight-into-a Marshall sound from its predecessor, Noel unveiled a more mature understanding of song composition, borrowing styles, and techniques, from bands like The Beatles, the Stones, R.E.M., and The Stone Roses. (What’s the Story) Morning Glory ’s track listing is a veritable A-Z of Britpop: stonking opener Hello throws down a marker before putting a foot through the door, and is bookended by the sonic comedown closer, Champagne Supernova . In the middle, global hit Wonderwall sidles up to live favourite Don’t Look Back in Anger , and the beautiful Cast No Shadow gives way to the quintessentially English She’s Electric . (What’s The Story) Morning Glory ? was the high-water mark for Oasis; it remains a potent testament to a time when playing guitars in a rock and roll band was all that mattered. TOP TRACK: Some Might Say FAST FACT: Original drummer Tony McCarroll only featured on one track, Some Might Say , before he was sacked and replaced with Alan White.

TALKING HEADS REMAIN IN LIGHT (1980)

Absconding to the Bahamas, Talking Heads reworked their writing modus operandi, recording instrumental tracks first for when Brian Eno

CHART Vinyl

In mid-2013, most pop culture fans could peg Donald Glover as Troy from TV series Community : a not-terribly-bright but enthusiastic former jock who enjoys hijinks with bestie Abed. More deeply engaged musos were aware of his six mixtapes under the name Childish Gambino. But it wasn’t until Glover released Because the Internet – his astonishingly innovative R’n’B album which commented on the complexities of internet culture – that the artist’s rap moniker hit wider awareness. And moreso than a ’hit’, it was a collision, blowing listeners away with an elastic manifesto on isolation and online/offline authenticity. The transcendent, future-synth sound of single 3005 was bursting with punchlines and introspective arrived to sit behind the desk. It was an inspired decision. Drawing upon new wave and world influences like afro-funk, reggae, and calypso, the eight songs that emerged from the sessions pushed the boundaries of innovation with a fusion of synths, juiced-up beats and pulsating basslines. In a leap of modernity, the band used loops and samples to layer the tracks, each of which followed a different path of evolution. The result is astounding. Remain in Light became a hugely influential album and is, in fact, a near perfect record. TOP TRACK: Born Under Punches FAST FACT: The band had to expand from four members to nine to tour the album.

1. TAYLOR SWIFT 1989 (Taylor's Version) 2. TAYLOR SWIFT Midnights 3. TAYLOR SWIFT Red (Taylor's Version) 4. TAYLOR SWIFT evermore 5. THE LAST DINNER PARTY Prelude to Ecstasy 6. TAYLOR SWIFT Folklore 7. KANYE WEST My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 8. ARCTIC MONKEYS AM 9. TAYLOR SWIFT Speak Now (Taylor's Version) 10. TAYLOR SWIFT Fearless (Taylor's Version)

CHILDISH GAMBINO BECAUSE THE INTERNET (2013)

observations, while Crawl included myriad references to internet memes alongside horror film samples, a tickering beat, and one repeated, ominous, electronic note. Ironic, experimental, and wrapped in anxiety, Because the Internet was the year’s most fascinating breakout, and indicated that Glover was absolutely capable of building a career that straddled stage and screen. TOP TRACK: 3005

FAST FACT: Glover is the star of one of the internet’s most enduring memes. The image in which his Community character Troy stands, horrified, in a burning loungeroom while clutching a pizza (from 2011 episode The Darkest Timeline ), remains a popular meme template 13 years later.

74 MARCH 2024

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