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David Hillier

@and.serenading

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followers

459

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Showing off me records, like a big show- off.
-
Six strings in @_fastblood and @valleyfortitude
Personal - @left_of_the_dial

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

The National - 'Boxer' LP
Beggars Banquet
2007 - US - Black

This has to be one of my favourite albums of all time. 'Boxer', and 2005's 'Alligator' would probably be both be in my top five.

'Boxer' carries a late-night, calm yet melancholy vibe through ten incredible songs, all so strong, it's nigh on impossible to pick favourites. I don't feel it's really possible for any record to be rated 10/10, as nothing is THAT perfect, but this is absolutely at least a 9.

I love Matt Berninger's syrupy, baritone voice so much. Each line is like a bite of a delicious treacle pudding. The drums are fucking amazing - so complex, yet somehow so subtle (listen to 'Brainy' as a perfect example of this). When comparing 'Alligator' to 'Boxer', the latter has a bit more instrumentation going on. The additional piano, strings, and horns, combined with the Dessner brothers' multiple layers of guitars all contribute to a perfectly crafted beautiful, soundscape. It's just breathtaking gorgeous.

HIGHLIGHTS: (idk... Let's go with...)
'Mistaken For Strangers'
'Slow Show'

@thenational
@beggarsbanquet

#thenational #beggarsbanquetrecords #indierock #vinyl #recordcollector by @and.serenading

13

0

a day ago

Joyce Manor - 'I Used To Go To This Bar' LP
Epitaph Records
2026 - UK & Europe - Clear wax

I play guitar in my mate Laura's band @valleyfortitude - FV is essentially her solo project. She is an exceptionally talented songwriter, who writes truly wonderful indie/power-pop songs, and I feel very fortunate and privileged to be part of of the band.

Speaking of privilege - we were invited to join the incredible Joyce Manor for a run of shows in UK and Ireland, which finished up in Glasgow on Sunday. The tour was a bit of a rollercoaster, but the highs greatly outweighed the ...not so highs . Our van broke down, which resulted in us having to pull out of the Dublin show. I've never been to Ireland, and had to come to terms with not getting to have my photo taken with the Phil Lynott statue!

These were BIG shows. I'm not sure I'll get to play a venue bursting with 1000+ people, in the likes of London's Electric Ballroom again. I'm very grateful to say the least.

Laura got up on stage to sing 'Big Lie' with Barry on the last night in Glasgow, which was so fucking cool.

ANYWAY... I picked up the new Joyce Manor LP, and as per usual, it's another class record. The band are the epitome of keep it short, simple - get in/fuck shit up/get out, and this LP is no exception. Luv it M8.

HIGHLIGHTS:
'Grey Guitar'
'I Know Where Mark Chen Lives'

@joycemanorofficial
@epitaphrecords

#joycemanor #poppunk #indiepunk #epitaphrecords #recordcollector by @and.serenading

47

3

3 days ago

Weyes Blood - 'And in the Darkness Hearts Aglow' LP
Sub Pop
2022 - Europe - Limited Edition "Loser Edition" on Clear

I first heard Weyes Blood by chance at Primavera Sound, Barcelona 2017 (maybe... could have been a later one). Me and Kat were walking to see someone or other and happened to be within ear-shot of Weyes Blood performing on another stage. Gripped by Natalie Mering's beautiful voice, we decided to go sit down on the hill, far back from the stage and listen to the rest of her set. We were absolutely taken in by her Haunting vocals, and ethereal orchestral arrangements. It was a lovely way to spend the day's golden hour, sitting on the grass, drinking wine in the Spanish sun.

I've just been listening to the record this morning, feeling nostalgic and missing my mum, as Natalie's voice reminds me so much of Karen Carpenter, her favourite singer.

HIGHLIGHTS:
'Children of the Empire'
'Twin Flame'

@weyesblood
@subpop

#weyesblood #subpop #artrock #recordcollector #baroquepop by @and.serenading

24

0

9 days ago

The Weakerthans - 'Reconstruction Site' LP
2023 USA & Canada
Limited Edition, Black/Red Apple, 20th Anniversary Edition
Epitaph Records

Love the wax colour. Looks like a massive sweetie!

John K. Samson is my favourite lyricist of all time. He can tell a story and conjure imagery to the mind like no other. He is true one-off and I can't think of anyone better. I love this band so much, and they have always been an important one to me. I'm so grateful I managed to see them live before they broke up. Me and Kat chose 'The Reasons' for the first dance at our wedding.

If you aren't moved by the 'Virtute the Cat' series, then there is definitely something wrong with you.

I had a look, out of interest, to see if Pitchfork had reviewed this LP. They did, and cloth-ears gave it a paltry 5.6. Fucking ridiculous behaviour. Taste-makers, my arse.

HIGHLIGHTS:
'The Reasons'
'Our Retired Explorer (Dines with Michel Foucault in Paris, 1961)'

@epitaphrecords

#theweakerthans #epitaphrecords #indierock #vinyl #recordcollector by @and.serenading

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25

18 days ago

Night Flowers - 'Fortune Teller' LP
Dirty Bingo Records
2019 - UK - Purple wax

Night Flowers were an incredible indie-pop band from London, via Hull, Grimsby, Derby, and Boston (USA), and I miss them greatly.

'Fortune Teller' is the follow-up to a personal favourite of mine - the shimmering, dream-pop mastepiece 'Wild Notion'. Although not too dissimilar from WN, 'Fortune Teller' takes the band in a slightly more 80s pop/rock direction, having probably taking influence from the likes of Fleetwood Mac, The Sundays, Belinda Carlisle, etc. anyway it's fucking great! Beautiful, romantic, nostalgic. I love hearing Sophia and Greg sing together. They have gorgeous voices in their own right, but they compliment each other perfectl in tandem.

BTW - I really want to own 'Wild Notion' on vinyl. I love it so much, but it appears that copies are like hen's teeth. If anyone is considering selling a copy, hit me up!

HIGHLIGHTS:
'Merry Go Round'
'Carry On'

@wearenightflowers
@dirty_bingo_records

Shout out @gregullyart @wineisallforme @nativetourist

#indiepop #shoegaze #dreampop by @and.serenading

22

3

21 days ago

jasmine.4.t - 'You are the Morning' LP
Saddest Factory Records
2024 - Limited Edition purple marble wax - signed

This is the debut album from Manchester- based singer/songwriter jasmine.4.t - it's a gentle and beautiful record, (yet at times packs a real punch). It's perfect listening for a chill Sunday morning. Jasmine's lyrics are themed around love and friendship, chosen family, and living authentically as a transgender woman.

Jasmine signed with Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory record having router with her bandmate in Boygenius, Lucy Dacus. Lucy played some of Jasmine's demos over the phone to Phoebe, who immediately called her manager to figure out how to sign her. The album features vocals from Phoebe Bridgers and Julian Baker, and was produced by the three members of Boygenius.

I had the pleasure of seeing Jasmine's three-piece band play the excellent @marrapalooza fest in Newcastle last year. The set was surprisingly heavy compared to the record, and Jasmine is such a sick guitarist! Loved every minute, and was excited to pick up a record after the show. I had brief chat with her at the merch table, and she was just lovely.

FFO: Boygenius, Sufjan Stevens, Elliott Smith

HIGHLIGHTS:
'Elephant'
'Guy Fawkes Tesco Disassociation' (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)

@jasmine.4.t

#jasmineft #indie #vinyl #saddestfactory #recordcollector by @and.serenading

17

3

a month ago

Fugazi - 'In on the Kill Taker' LP
2023 - USA - Reissue/remaster
Vinyl - Limited Edition - Crystal Vellum wax

The legendary 3rd album by DC's Fugazi. Released in 1993.

It was on the tour supporting the release of IOTK that they proper blew up, and were selling out massive auditoriums and arenas on the reg. They were approached by the President of Atlantic Records who offered them "anything they want" including their own subsidiary label and over $10 million. The band said nahh. Madness.

HIGHLIGHTS:
'Public Witness Program'
'Smallpox Champion'

@dischordrecords

#fugazi #dischord records #punk #posthardcore #recordcollector by @and.serenading

47

3

a month ago

The Stylistics - 'The Stylistics' LP
AVCO
1971 - Reissue - Club Edition - Black

This one is for my mum, Diane. It's her birthday. We lost her in 2015, and she would have turned 77 today.

I bought this record a while back, mainly to remind me of her. In the mid-2000s, she took up tap-dancing lessons with my auntie. I remember her telling me about them working on a routine to the song 'Betcha by Golly, Wow'. She loved it, to the extent from then on, she considered it her favourite song. She listened to it in the house a lot and would bring it up often when we talked about our favourite music. It is lovely tbf.

We were quite similar. She had a solid taste in music and like me, was a horror film buff. She was great and I miss her a lot.

HIGHLIGHTS:
'Betcha by Golly, Wow'
'Point of No Return'

@thestylisticsofficial

#soul #rhythmandblues #thestylistics #recordcollector #vinyl by @and.serenading

16

1

a month ago

Charli XCX - 'Brat' - LP
Atlantic Records
2024 - USA, Canada & UK
Clear With Black Swirl [Smoky Black Marble]
Limited to 3000 copies apparently.

'Brat' is so much more complex and varied than your average pop record. There is so much going on here! All of the songs sound different from one to the next, but are all unmistakably Charli, and the order of the songs make perfect sense, flowing into eachother seamlessly.

The lyrics are incredible, and show so many different sides to Charli: the epitome of the party girl at her most confident and assertive , but also the dark side to the party girl.

Charli is brutally honest, and not afraid to be vulnerable and show her raw humanity. She sings about not only the positive aspects of her life, career, and fame, but also her many insecurities - such as, admitting she often feels concerned about how the pubic percieve her, and how she presents.

Charli opens up about some cringe stuff like calling up the papprazzi (everyone does it apparently), confessing her envy and jealousy when comparing herself to her female peers in the industry.

There is nostalgia in her lyrics, but she is also self-aware or her growing older, and wondering if she should wind her career down and become a mother.

'Brat' is mutli-layered record featuring a lot of tonal shifts. The album is full of hard hitting club bangers, bur with a sadness and deep introspection to them below the surface. One of songs is a solemn tribute to her friend and past-collboarator, SOPHIE. Where she explores the complexities of her grief.

I should mention that AG Cook's production is ridiculously good, too.

This is probably my favourite pop record of all-time. I absolutely love it.

HIGHLIGHTS:
'Sympathy is a Knife'
'Rewind'

@charli_xcx
@atlanticrecords

#hyperpop #dancepop #charlixcx #atlanticrecords #recordcollector by @and.serenading

28

7

a month ago

Sunny Day Real Estate - 'Diary' - 2x LP
Sub Pop
2023 US & UK - 2X LP (Curacao blue transparent / Yellow transparent)
Limited Edition - Reissue/ remaster

A lovely recent pressing of one of the greatest, and most influential "emo" albums of all time. It has to be in my top ten albums ever in general. Where do I even start!?! The drumming? The guitar interplay? Jeremy Enigk's gorgeous, haunting vocals? The band's overall passion and chemistry in a performance that still sends a chill down my my spine 25 years after I first heard it? ... Fuck me, I'm old 😞

This album is a fucking masterpiece.

HIGHLIGHTS:
'Song About An Angel'
''48'

^ gone with a couple of the less obvious songs. To be fair, they are all fucking excellent.

@sunnydayrealestate
@subpop

#sunnydayrealestate #diary #emo #recordcollector #subpop by @and.serenading

52

0

a month ago

Momma - 'Household Name' LP
Lucky Number
2022 - UK and Europe - Red wax

Momma is an indie band based in Brooklyn, NY. Since 2015, singers and principle songwriters Allegra and Etta have been honing their fucking excellent modern take on the early 90s' alt/"slacker-rock" sound. Their third album, 'Household Name'. It's the best thing they have done so far IMO and easily one of my favourite records of 2022.

I love the catchy, layered vocals and the plethora of awesome guitar riffs present in every song. The production is super smooth, especially the lush, fuzzy guitar tone, which is 🧑‍🍳😘

FFO: The Breeders, Pinback, Wednesday

@momma.band
@luckynumbermusic

HIGHLIGHTS:
'Speeding 72'
'Motorbike'

#mommaband #indierock #altrock #recordcollector #luckystars by @and.serenading

25

1

a month ago

Bell Witch / Aerial Ruin - 'Stygian Bough Volume II'
Profound Lore Records
2025 - USA, Canada, Europe - 2X Vinyl LP on black

I was fortunate enough to catch these a couple of years ago at Damnation Fest, and also this year, at The Cluny this (where I also picked up this LP). 40 Watt Sun opened for them. It was my first time hearing 40WS. I'm not sure if their live set is usually a full band thing, but that night it was just Patrick Walker, alone, playing acoustic guitar and singing. His shoegaze/doom/trad-folk inspired set felt raw and intimate. It was pretty breathtaking stuff. I've been listening to his old band, Warning loads since my introduction to his music that night. Also absolutely mint.

Stygian Bough blew me away. They were fucking incredible. SB is a supergroup of sorts - basically, what you'd expect from Bell Witch, with of Aerial Ruin (Erik Moggridge) playing guitar and singing over it.

'Stygian Bough Volume II' is a phenomenal record. Atmospheric, funeral doom with drums, that create a deeply brooding, ominous vibe, and the most ridiculously intricate bass playing - to the extent that when seeing them perform live, it is nigh on impossible to work out what he is actually doing! The record is already beautiful and haunting, but Aerial Ruin's contribution adds a real gentle, vulnerability, not too dissimilar to the aforementioned 40 Watt Sun. Proper gorgeous stuff.

HIGHLIGHTS:
'Waves Became the Sky'
'King of the Wood'

@Bellwitchdoom
@aerialruin
@profoundlorerecords

#bellwitch #aerialruin #stygianbough #funeraldoom #recordcollector by @and.serenading

19

8

2 months ago