Derek™

There are moments that definitely overstay their welcome a bit, no doubt. With all the guest vocals, part of me doesn’t exactly register it with the rest of their discography. I know it’s not at all a “side project” for them, or anything like that, but it’s tough to directly align it with something like Alligator or High Violet. For me, anyway. That being said, I’d probably rank it above the S/T, but nothing else.

Hard disagree, but I think Rambo is in a similar boat with you. But I think that’s about it.

No real debacle. Just your classic case of a mockup raising the bar a little too high compared to the final product.

Yeah, that totally missed the mark. But I wouldn't hate that configuration with white and purple, if they can pull it off. Guess we'll see. Whatever that marble / swirl was limited to, it seems to be sold out as well. At least from the band's site; I think it's still up at a few other spots for anyone late to the party. It's amazing to me that the VMP version is nearly double the cost... but not at all surprising when you consider VMP's recent pricing trend with their exclusives.

I can only vaguely recall but that was supposed to be a splatter that had a pretty ambitious mockup, right? I think it's still available in their webstore under the CT exclusives, too.

It's $50.00 in their store.

Also, before anyone jumps on my shit, I am not advocating that you splurge your “government payout” on vinyl. Be responsible and plan accordingly, etc. etc. etc. I’ve cut way back on vinyl in general this last month, just as a precaution. You’re all adults and shouldn’t need any posts chiming in about how to save or spend your money. It’s ridiculous that I’d even write this paragraph, but after so many years of seeing people sweat whether or not a $20 pre-order will “last until payday”, I figured I’d err on the side of caution and throw this out there.

I actually like that marbled version the best, honestly. VMP’s is a close second but that price tag is wild, and there’s already been a few nice variations of purple / violet colorways from the first press. Bull Moose has this up for $47 and change, on a “clear and purple marble” variant. I think it could be their interpretation of the white-purple marble, or maybe an actual indie exclusive. Doesn’t ship until June, so a safer bet for most folks who are concerned about our nation making it ‘til then. Stimulus checks will be distributed by then, too, if that’s a thing you qualify for. Gotta’ prioritize — this album’s a top National record for me, and those b-sides are A+.

I think this version is a white / purple split, not clear.

I never reached out, the e-mail just rolled in this morning (about 20 hours after I jumped through all the hoops on their website).

I had no luck with the “authorizing payment” screen that seemed to load indefinitely. Ended up receiving an e-mail this morning with a direct link to access, for what it’s worth.

So Vol. 2 is truly a triple LP? Seems like a substantially generous increase of material compared to Vol. 1. Part of me wonders if it’s actually 1 LP that’s randomly inserted as black, grey, or green. That’d be something else, eh?

This is now up on their bandcamp, if you’re still looking for a copy. https://lightningbolt.bandcamp.com/album/hypermagic-mountain

EMF = Elder Man Flatulence. Great opener.

I really just want a pre-order, man.