Bandbox Unboxed Vol. 35 – Torres
Prepare your turntable for heavy rotation spinners vinyl fans, ’cause Bandbox record club is out to bring the record store to your own front door.
Groove is in the Bandbox
That’s right music fans, Team Bandbox is offering a truly tailor made vinyl club experience every month by letting you fill your box with artists and albums that fit your own personal tastes. As their slogan goes, it’s pretty much like having the record store delivered to your front door every month. And Bandbox is currently boasting a record store style variety of artists with a treasure trove of exclusive pressings you really do not want to sleep on.
Having it your way really is the Bandbox mantra. Offering subscribers the choice of a single album from an artist you adore, and a fresh edition of Bandbox’s artist-specific fan zine showing up every single month, the B-Box service has effectively made it possible to do a little bin-diving from the comfort your very own home. And subscribers can now dig their vinyl+zine treasures for a beyond reasonable $29 a month.
Did I mention Bandbox even offers FREE SHIPPING for members? They do. And it’s the icing on the record club cake. So what’s in this month’s Bandbox? An indie diamond from the perennially overlooked rocker Torres.
Before we continue, you should know up front Bandbox’s format is designed to ease the nerves of folks wary of the record club scene. And yes, you can still choose to be surprised every month if surprises happen to be your bag. If you’re not feeling any of the album’s Bandbox is offering, you can also pump the brakes at any time by simply pausing your sub. It’s unlikely you’ll want to pause anything once you’ve signed up and experienced BandBox for yourself. Just know that your Bandbox experience will be every bit as amazing as you make it.
Let the Great World Spin
If you’ve been following the indie rock/indie pop scene for the past decade or so, the name Torres should be very familiar, ’cause she’s been cranking out immaculately orchestrated albums on the regular. And yes. Team Bandbox has not only featured one of Torres’ best, but pressed it on a super stylish, exclusive color-way, and boxed it up with fan-zine that gives new meaning to the term “deep dive.” Here’s a quick look.
We’ll get to that exclusive, colored wax shortly as it’s a legit work of art. But for now, let’s marvel at the artworks adorning the front and back covers of Silver Tongue, ’cause they’re both well worth a few minutes of gazing.
Before we dig the wax out of that sleeve, those who still like to take digital copies of an album wherever they go will be happy to know there’s a digital download code included with the very earbud friendly Silver Tongue.
Torres – Silver Tongue (2020)
You probably noticed that Silver Tongue is kind of a new record. I’m not typically a fan of recent releases getting featured for record clubs, if only because they’re usually available for much cheaper elsewhere. I’ll make an exception here, because it’s great to see Torres getting the spotlight. And If you know anything about Torres’ path to releasing Silver Tongue, you know it was filled with twist and turn.
The album was released by indie powerhouse Merge Records, and it was indeed the first Torres put out after being dropped by her former label 4AD. If you’re wondering why the latter dropped her, it seems Torres’ lone 4AD release – 2018’s brilliant Three Futures – never found much of an audience upon release. Per the artist herself, the lack of commercial success led the label to terminate a 3 album deal.
In doing so, the label missed out on the chance to release her far more successful followup. As you might’ve guessed, that followup was indeed 2020’s Silver Tongue. And one can only imagine the folks at 4AD were kicking themselves for letting Torres go after hearing it, because it’s her best album to date. And yes, with the backing of Merge, the album was also one of her most commercially viable.
Despite the relative success of Silver Tongue, and past Torres efforts like 2015’s Sprinter, she still feels like one of indie rock’s more egregiously overlooked talents. If you’re hot to get to know her music, the crunchy grooves, emotive moods, and often disarmingly introspective ditties that form Silver Tongue are about as solid an entry point to her sonic world as you’ll find. Likewise, this Bandbox edition is a sexy as you’ll see in the marketplace.
And hey, if you’re dying to know more about Torres’ work, or the make of Silver Tongue specifically, you’ll find all the info you need in the included Bandbox zine.
Oh, and about that wax I’ve been alluding to, I’ll just say the wow-factor is real with this one, folks.
Believe it or not, it sounds every bit as good as it looks, too.
It’s the Bandbox You Want and the Bandbox You Need
The vinyl boom is here to stay, friends. And if you’re one of the many who’ve found themselves fervently swept up in the madness, you’re already aware there’s a million and one ways to get your hands on some sweet, sweet wax. While I’d always encourage you to shop first at your local record store, subscription vinyl clubs really are an excellent way to help fill in/round out your growing collection.
The great thing about Bandbox is that they ultimately leave the decision-making up to you. So if you’re looking to snag a copy of your fave band’s most popular album on snazzy colored wax, you can totally that. And if you’re hot to take a spin with something you’ve never heard before, well, options abound in the Bandbox vaults. Happy spinning, gang!
A thousand THANK Yous to the folks at Bandbox for sponsoring this subscription. If you like what you’ve seen here, you can head over to the Bandbox website and sign up to have a sexy new Bandbox delivered to your own front door every single month. While you’re there, feel free to check out their podcast and merch section too! And be sure to check back soon to see what goodies we find in our next Bandbox!