Record Store Day is this Saturday, April 16th. Since 2008, Record Store Day has become a day for vinyl-lovers to celebrate the unique culture surrounding the 1,400 independently owned record stores in the US and abroad.
Record stores are usually packed on the day of, so it’s essential to head out with a shopping list in hand. Special releases and promotional offers abound on Record Store Day, so look for deals on these five must-have records by female musicians released last year.
And because we love books, and because books and music have a long, intertwined history, we’ve scoured the internet for book-related quotes from each artist. Some self-proclaimed bookworms on our list (read: Julieta Venegas and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney) offer up great book recs, too.
1. Colleen Green – I Want to Grow Up
I Want to Grow Up is LA-based Colleen Green’s third album. In it sharp, straightforward, and self-deprecating lyrics meet punk-pop melodies.
* "Goldmine" Inspired by The Catcher in the Rye:
“There's a line in my song "Goldmine" [from album Milo Goes to Compton] that alludes to something Holden Caulfield says: ‘I told her I loved her and all. It was a lie, of course, but the thing is, I meant it when I said it.’ I've always felt like a hopeless romantic and always connected with that sentiment. The line in my song goes: ‘I can't help myself / When I see you I believe I need you.’” – Colleen Green
2. Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
Named a top album of 2015 by NPR and Pitchfork, Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit, by Australian musician Courtney Barnett, is a rocking tour-de-force in honest songwriting delivered with unmatched ease and cleverness.
* Favorite last line to a book:
"Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper." – Memoirs of a Geisha
3. Julieta Venegas – Algo Sucede
Algo Sucede, the eighth album by Mexican musician Julieta Venegas, is a vibrant blend of indie pop and Latin folk and was named one of the “10 Best Latin Albums of the Year” by Rolling Stone.
* Favorite author and why:
“There are many, but Juan Rulfo, a great figure of Mexican and Latin American literature, for his way of telling stories and Japan’s Haruki Murakami, who always puts me in a strange, beautiful world filled with metaphors.” – Julieta Venegas
4. Metric – Pagans in Vegas
A Canadian rock group spearheaded by Emily Haines, Pagans in Vegas is Metric’s sixth record and is a surging, dreamy, synth-laden immersive listening experience.
* Song inspired by a book:
“There's a character named Bucky Wunderlick in one of my favorite books about rock and roll called Great Jones Street by Don Delillo. The book captures the paranoia and vanity that goes with fame and examines the inexplicable power of music. . . . Bucky, I know you are a fictional character, but 'Front Row' [from the album Fantasies] is dedicated to you!” – Emily Haines
5. Sleater-Kinney – No Cities to Love
Sleater-Kinney’s first album after a decade’s long hiatus, No Cities to Love is bursting with powerful post-punk anthems like this one:
* One of band member Carrie Brownstein's top ten favorite books:
“Birds of America by Lorrie Moore. “Moore is one of the best short story writers of all time. She is a strange, wondrous and occasionally unmerciful storyteller while also being incredibly profound.”
We hope this list inspires you to go forth and shop locally this Record Store Day!