Vinyl me please

Vinyl Me, Please May Unboxing – Courtney Barnett ‘The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas’

Good things comes in 12 inch packages. Delivering limited edition vinyl pressings of new and classic albums directly to your doorstep, VMP operates under a simple philosophy: The Album Lives! With a carefully curated catalog of new and hard to find releases, the subscription service is more than just a record club, it’s a lifestyle choice for folks who wish Record Store Day could happen every month… in their living room.

Here’s how it works. You send Vinyl Me, Please some of your hard-earned money (a 3-month membership will set you back about $119) and they send you one carefully selected album they feel is Essential to any record collection. Yes, it really is as easy as it sounds. You even get FREE SHIPPING. Each custom pressing (often on colored vinyl!) also comes with killer extras like original artwork and informative listening companion booklet. 

You’ll have membership privileges in the VMP store too, which means you can grab a copy of previous VMP selections from the archives – including their April Classics pick Odetta and the Blues – or choose from a slate of super-limited releases pressed exclusively for Vinyl Me, Please. The store is open, and Team VMP are dropping fresh new selections to their stock every single week. Do not miss out.

Word to the wise, while the store is open to the public, most of the more covet-worthy stock is only available to subscribers. Members are privy to reduced “Members Pricing” as well, so joining the club definitely has its rewards. If you’re peckish about relinquishing control of your record collection to complete strangers, know that VMP’s Swaps Program is in full effect. That means you can flip any VMP pick you’re not interested in for a past featured album from any track (including Essentials, Country, Classics, and Rap/Hip Hop). My advice? Don’t overthink it. Do your turntable a favor and sign up today.

As for May, I did a little swapping and got my hands on one of VMP’s earliest Essentials selections, The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas by indie rock stalwart Courtney Barnett.

Vinyl me please unboxing
Geek insider, geekinsider, geekinsider. Com,, vinyl me, please may unboxing - courtney barnett 'the double ep: a sea of split peas', reviews
Geek insider, geekinsider, geekinsider. Com,, vinyl me, please may unboxing - courtney barnett 'the double ep: a sea of split peas', reviews

For The Love Of Vinyl, Please DO NOT BEND

As some of you may or may not know, the actual Vinyl Me, Please Essentials pick for May of 2023 is Stevie Ray Vaughan’s blues-rock classic Texas Flood. And all I’ll say of that album is that 1) if you’re a fan of Texas-based blues-rock, Texas Flood is about as Essential as it gets, and 2) I’ve never been a big fan of that sub-genre, or Vaughan’s work in general, so I went ahead and swapped for something a little more my speed.

As is typically the case, the Vinyl Me, Please Swaps catalogue was full of album’s that fit that bill. And I was particularly excited this month as Courtney Barnett’s The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas was available for swapping as I missed out on the album during its initial Essentials run. That run indeed came way back in the early days of Vinyl Me, Please, with A Sea of Split Peas serving as just the 15th album to be featured by the subscription service, doing so long before the Essentials tab even existed.

If you’re wondering why VMP is re-issuing the album in 2023, it’s because they’re celebrating their on 10th Anniversary this year, and doing so by bringing back some of the O.G. Albums of the Month via sexy new pressings. And yes, their re-issue of A Sea of Split Peas is about as sexy as a reissue can get, boasting a tough Tip-on gatefold sleeve, and a stunning new vinyl colorway to boot.

Now, if you’re an indie rock fan, the name Courtney Barnett is no doubt well-known to you as she’s been a major player one the scene for the better part of the past decade. And if you’re familiar with her work, you know this 2013 release collects a pair of her 2012 EPs, How to Carve a Carrot Into a Rose, and I’ve Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris. Recorded in DIY fashion in her native Australia, the EPs collect a wide variety of songs meant to showcase Barnett’s unique sonic sensibilities more than serve as a proper recorded album.

As such, the 12 tracks assembled on The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas unfold with little rhyme, reason, or unifying themes. There is, of course, plenty of first-rate rhyming, reasoning, and wordplay throughout. And as far as unifying themes go, coupled with her delightfully jangly, sub-psychedelic guitar work, Barnett’s uncanny ability to turn wordy phrases into giddy sing-a-long jangles serve as a prelude for what she’s done with each of her ensuing albums. Rest assured, if you dig what Barnett’s been doing in the past decade, or are merely looking for a good starting place in her discography, this is the collection of songs you need.

Cover Matters

With its decidedly lo-fi DIY vibes, it seems only fitting that The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas arrives adorned with artwork inside and out from Courtney Barnett herself.

Geek insider, geekinsider, geekinsider. Com,, vinyl me, please may unboxing - courtney barnett 'the double ep: a sea of split peas', reviews
Geek insider, geekinsider, geekinsider. Com,, vinyl me, please may unboxing - courtney barnett 'the double ep: a sea of split peas', reviews
Geek insider, geekinsider, geekinsider. Com,, vinyl me, please may unboxing - courtney barnett 'the double ep: a sea of split peas', reviews

A cool thing about Vinyl Me, Please’s 10th Anniversary reissues is that they’re all numbered, foil-stamped editions of 3000. Say hello to number 856 of The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas.

Geek insider, geekinsider, geekinsider. Com,, vinyl me, please may unboxing - courtney barnett 'the double ep: a sea of split peas', reviews

As always, there’s a few vital stats about the album on the old hype sticker here.

Geek insider, geekinsider, geekinsider. Com,, vinyl me, please may unboxing - courtney barnett 'the double ep: a sea of split peas', reviews

Unfortunately, the reissues do not come with the standard Essentials fare, i.e. an OBI, listening booklet, or album-inspired artwork. But you do still get a sticker designed by an actual Vinyl Me, Please subscriber. And this one from Fred Estrada is beyond adorable.

Geek insider, geekinsider, geekinsider. Com,, vinyl me, please may unboxing - courtney barnett 'the double ep: a sea of split peas', reviews
Geek insider, geekinsider, geekinsider. Com,, vinyl me, please may unboxing - courtney barnett 'the double ep: a sea of split peas', reviews

And yes, you also get this absolutely astonishing “Split Pea” colorway.

Geek insider, geekinsider, geekinsider. Com,, vinyl me, please may unboxing - courtney barnett 'the double ep: a sea of split peas', reviews

As as the album’s title proclaims, there are indeed two of those beauties tucked away in the sleeve.

Geek insider, geekinsider, geekinsider. Com,, vinyl me, please may unboxing - courtney barnett 'the double ep: a sea of split peas', reviews

And they’re each primed to rip. it. up. on any turntable around.

Geek insider, geekinsider, geekinsider. Com,, vinyl me, please may unboxing - courtney barnett 'the double ep: a sea of split peas', reviews

Give Vinyl Me Please a Spin

How’s it sound? Like bouncing around inside the head of wiley wordsmith with ADD who somehow wrangles her every meandering thought and feeling into aesthetically pleasing sonic jaunts. And I mean that in the absolute best possible fashion.

Anyway, I cannot thank the kids at Vinyl Me, Please enough for re-issuing Courtney Barnett’s The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas after so many years. It’s honestly an album I’ve come close to buying a dozen times or so since I first heard it. But as much as I’ve lamented not having it in my collection over the years, I’m glad I waited it out, ’cause I cannot imagine any other pressing looking, or sounding quite as good as this one.

A big THANK YOU to our friends at Vinyl Me, Please for sponsoring this subscription. Don’t forget to check out the Vinyl Me, Please website and sign up to get some choice wax delivered right to your door each and every month! Be sure to check back next month to see what vinyl treasure Team VMP sends our way!

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