Oblivions

Sounds like there may be some damage to the label. If you are the buyer, I'd reach out to the sender and ask them to open a claim/inquiry and see if they can intercept the package and have a human being try and make out the address and get this back on a deliverable track.

I remember being 13 and running a music review site and googling "punk message boards" to locate random forums to spam.

Luckily for me, all of you were also 13 or younger and the 30 year olds at that time didn't grow up on the internet so I was either ignored or encouraged. It was a great time to make something music related and then spam forums without contributing anything else.

All I ask is they go back 10 years to my own personal favorite era (The Con/So Jealous) despite it not being as nearly successful or current as their electro mainstream breakthrough era. Is that too much to ask, Tegan and Sara?

9 minutes ago, N8TRU said:

I put in my detailed claim response and I'm hoping for the best. Thank you for your kind response. Do you think I should still reach out over phone to them?

In this case, I think the worst PayPal can do to you is make you offer a refund upon return. It’s not the best result for you but you do get the item back and you aren’t responsible for return shipping costs. Also, unless you sold it for a premium, the seam split on a VG record shouldn’t knock too much money off your next sale, if any.

If PayPal asks you to do anything more than that, that’s when I’d give them a call. 

All that said, unless the buyer chills out, you might end up with bad feedback. If avoiding bad feedback and getting customers to walk away and leave you alone is a higher priority than “being right!!!”, sometimes a more reasonable partial refund is worth your while. 50% is wack though. I’d offer $2-3 bucks or 5-10%, whichever is higher, at most.

Dealing with buyers is a little like doing Jedi mind tricks sometimes. I’ve had to over apologize and be over sympathetic to walk some people off the ledge and back into a rational place where they’d accept a more realistic resolution. But some people are hellbent in doing things the hard way. I usually detach and cut off communication once they go full crazy or let me know they won’t accept anything but their unrealistic resolution. At that point, I let PayPal handle them and I just calmly provide my side of the situation to the claim and I’ve been lucky to never lose. Calling PayPal and speaking to someone is really helpful and better than simply writing a message via email or the resolution center. Sorry you had to deal with that buyer.

18 minutes ago, Derek™ said:

Alopecia is nearly a 10/10 record for me, and I really can’t seem to get into anything else they’ve released.  I don’t get it.

Elephant Eyelash and the Early Whitney EP are fun and shabby. Alopecia is a perfect lightning in a bottle record. Eskimo Snow is like a fun little extra EP. Everything else is really bad/boring.

Have you heard that Yoni & Geti LP?

At this point, I’m collecting all Twin Peaks soundtracks and scores on vinyl so I have to buy this.

Should have named the album I Am Hard To Get the Gist of With a Quick Skim Through, Only 3 of the Songs Even Had Lyrics and Not in Kansas is Just a Group Chorus Line Singing the Whole Time, Why Do People Like It So Much, I Rank It Even With Sad Songs.

2 minutes ago, timsimmons said:

I’m guessing transitional is a mix of one color and then the next group of pellets they drop in. 

This is what it’ll be.

Not a huge fan of SK or SV but I think lowering the stigma against little butts, whether they are musician butts or body double butts, is a noble thing. We should be proud of our booties, any gender, size, shape, or color.

1 minute ago, drewberinger said:

out of all the dope 10 year anniversaries for indie albums I'm sure glad VMP picked the most boring one.

They should have done a cool color variant of a Pixies or Shins album instead. #thenewburymodel

I really think they're gearing up to make some kind of jump, either by selling off the company or re-tooling into a company less focused on customer service and retention and more focused on acquiring new customers and leaning into turnover in the name of quantity.

Not to rain on anyone's dark parade or add more negative energy but what exactly is the danger/risk/issue that we are being warned about? That we might make an offer to this user and it will get rejected without an apology or counter offer?

Pearl Jam and Tool have at least 3 fans who would reply to lukewarm to slightly negative comments about those bands in a message board? Sounds like a persnickety bunch. 😄

Humiliation is the best National song that no one ever thinks about though. If I was in a band and we were on a National tribute album that’s the song I’d pick to make people think we were really cool and hip.

5 minutes ago, ntslash said:

This has by FAR the most filler of any National album. Name one moment of filler on Trouble Will Find Me. That album is flawless. 

NO. High Violet is their weak good album! 😡 Lol.

38 minutes ago, Shitty Rambo said:

I understand what you're aiming for with the stand up comedy thing, but that's a pretty inaccurate comparison, especially with this band. Even when The National was, "layered guitars and Matt yelling," they were significantly more creative and progressive than other bands in their genre/scene. Hell, the earlier more rock focused stuff isn't even my favorite material by them, and let's be fair, this new experimental sound they've been leaning into for the last 2 albums certainly isn't the weirdest/most off-the-wall music that exists right now. There are pop artists doing similar, if not weirder, things in 2019.

 

Basically what I'm getting at is that loving this album doesn't put anyone at a higher echelon of taste or understanding of artistic integrity. This band has a vast catalog of music that varies significantly, different segments of that will stand out to different people and there ain't a damn thing wrong with that.

 

I will continue to try and find something special about this record. Hopefully I do. Gave it another listen at work but started half way through, @Kanye West must have a different version of this album than I do because I was immediately greeted with minutes of filler/electronic/atmospheric ambience. That's fine if that's you're thing, just not something I'd go out of my way to listen to.

To be clear, with the standup thing, I was more referencing the effortful nature of everyone playing guitars and filling every second with action vs. the confidence of knowing you can be concise and powerful and use space and silence. Less a comment on the artistic quality and more on replacing energy and effort with skill and confidence.

I agree that it’s about personal taste/investment/interest and it’s not a matter of intelligence or being an enlightened listener. I know it’s technically boring and not the most immediately rewarding sound and I don’t think everyone should be forced to struggle with it until they give in. I wouldn’t want to be forced to listen to War on Drugs albums until I “get” why people love them. I’m cool taking them at their word.

I get why people might find the last two albums boring, even by National standards, but I think they're achieving what they're aiming for at a super high level. Matt pausing for an extra half-second between a compound word and then a sudden flourish of drumming followed by one of the twins slapping a guitar with a violin string for 3 seconds might sound like very sparse and dull music but it gives me as much of a rush as hearing 3 minutes straight of layered guitars and Matt yelling. It's like watching a stand up comedian who used to hump the stool and act out every joke, 10 years later with more experience and skill, standing still behind a mic stand and slaying a crowd with three words and a perfectly timed facial reaction. I like Alligator and Boxer but I'm really really glad that they didn't put out 5 more albums of guitar-focused rock at that same volume with more variations on the orchestral cacophony crescendo. IMO, SWB and IAETF have given the band another 10 years of quality career fuel if they want it.

1 minute ago, iameasytofind said:

first time i saw the national was 2007 when they opened for Arcade Fire's Neon Bible tour. what a double bill if you look back at that now. i hadn't heard of the national at that time, but did download (illegally i must say) alligator at the time hoping i could enjoy the opening band a bit more, as I do in most shows.

i remember from mistaken for strangers, matt was recalling the early days of the band when they would be playing free shows in tiny clubs in the city and still nobody would show up. i'm so pleased that this band has come such a long way since through their craft.

 

There's the famous story of how they headlined a tour with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (during CYHSY's hype bubble period) and the crowds were large but they'd all leave after CYSH finished. So, eventually on that tour, the band switched places and opened for CYSH.

My first National show was around 2005 at the Troubadour in LA. Matt had the flu but it was still a good show. Baby Dayliner opened up for them. I had no idea that'd be the last time I could see them in a small venue.

It's wild how much I love this album, front to back, and how absolutely boring it is to everyone I know who isn't an existing National fan. I talked it up to a friend who is a casual appreciator of the National as being this new version of the band that is broken open and more spacious and experimental than ever and he was like "This sounds pretty much like the last album but like they wanted to make it about the vocals and they lost that fun energy."

1 hour ago, pepperonigin said:

Anyone have any luck, either now or in the past, e-mailing the official store? Contacted them a few days ago about a big gash on one of the records for a replacement but no word yet. I'm sure they're busy (especially now) but just curious.

My Cherry Tree Vol 1 had a bubble on the grooves that caused skips and they replaced it immediately. I think that site warning is to scare off people who might be tempted to view a tiny corner ding as an opportunity to get a free 2nd copy and as something they can revert back to if they’re stuck with a customer who is asking for something they can’t reasonably provide. I’d expect them to help you and give them a few more days and check back in.

Alligator

IAETF/Sleep Well Beast

TWFM/Boxer/Cherry Tree EP

High Violet

SSFDL

Virginia EP

S/T

First six are a few degrees of separation from each other and then HV is a step down and SSFDL is another step down.

N/M

If you missed this and want a physical copy, Scotty M is releasing both his solo albums (and some of his other side project stuff) on his new tape label: https://pressonrecords.com/