featured releases

DITCH BEST OF 2011 LISTS!

Yessir! The end is nigh… so we thought we’d reveal what made our musical year worthwhile. In these internet-fueled times, tastes are so disparate & splintered, it’s always remarkable to see titles pop up on more than one list… it kind of galvanizes an album’s value amidst all the chatter.

So yeah, have a gander. We’ll post on our Facebook as well, please feel free to leave comments or your own lists!

Listen here...

We got all yer Xmas needs covered!

Yes, the holiday season is completely upon us! This year was yet again another fruitful 12 months of music across a wide spectrum of genres & sounds… and we’ve got you covered, both on CD & vinyl.

This week marks the release of The Black Keys’ El Camino, easily one of the year’s most anticipated titles & sure to be a very popular Xmas gift (Note: the vinyl version of El Camino comes with a free CD copy of the album). On top of stuff like Adele, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes & Tom Waits (all available on CD & vinyl), there are tons of options for killer Xmas gifts this December.

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SPECIAL ORDERS!

We can special order a LOT of stuff. We’ve expanded our inventory a great deal since our move to Fort St, but we still cannot stock everything. So please, don’t hesitate to ask us if you don’t see something on our shelf. We will look into special ordering you titles that we don’t have on hand.

For enquiries, give us a call or email us at ditchrecords@shaw.ca

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RSD BLACK FRIDAY!!!

Pretty excited for RSD Black Friday tomorrow! We’re sure most of you remember how amazing Record Store Day was this past April – this Black Friday will be a nice addendum to that & a great way to officially start holiday shopping. Few points of note below…

BLACK KEYS FRIDAY COMPETITION

This contest is great… you win an AUTOGRAPHED TEST PRESSING (!) of the Black Keys’ new album El Camino PLUS a pair of free tickets to see the Black keys the next time they hit Vancouver. To enter, simply pre-order the Black Keys’ new album El Camino (released on December 6).

TITLES WE WILL HAVE IN STOCK

Here is a list of all the titles that we know we’ll receive. We will not receive every RSD title, but this is a healthy chunk for sure. NOTE: the titles with “**” next to them have not yet arrived, but will show.

Ryan Adams “Do I Wait”/“Darkness” 7” vinyl 3000 US **
Back-Wash Rhythm Band, The Golden Breed Band 12” vinyl 1200 US, 800 international
Beatles, The The Singles Box Set 7” vinyl box
Black Keys, “Lonely Boy” 12“vinyl **
Boris, New Album LP/CD **
Brendan Benson Upstairs at United, Vol 1 12” vinyl
Byrds, “The Times They Are A Changin’” 7” vinyl 1200 US, 1000 International **
Byrds, “Eight Miles High” 7” vinyl 1200 US, 1000 International **
Chris Cornell Songbook Double LP 2000 US **
Dr. Dog “Warrior Man” 7” single
Dream Theater Metropolis PT2: Scenes from a Memory 12” vinyl 3000 US
Miles Davis, Miles Davis Quartet 10” vinyl 1800 US, 1200 international
Justin Townes Earle “Slippin’ & Slidin’” 7” vinyl 1000 US
Grateful Dead, The Live Europe ’72, Vol 2 4 LP vinyl 3000 US, 28 **
Iron & Wine Morning Becomes Eclectic 12” vinyl 3000 US
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings Soul Time! CD 20,000 US
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings Soul Time! 12” vinyl 5000 US
Kings Of Leon The Early Vinyl 4 LP Vinyl box set 3250 US; 1200 international
Mr. Gasser & the Weirdos Hot Rod Hootenanny 12” vinyl 1200 US, 800 international
Mr. Gasser & the Weirdos Hot Rod Hootenanny CD 1200 US, 800 international
Mr. Gasser & the Weirdos Rods N Ratfinks 12” vinyl 1200 US, 800 international
Mr. Gasser & the Weirdos Rods N Ratfinks CD 1200 US, 800 international
Mr. Gasser & the Weirdos Surfink! 12” vinyl 1200 US, 800 international
Mr. Gasser & the Weirdos Surfink! CD 1200 US, 800 international
Nirvana Nevermind—The Singles 10” vinyl set 5000 US **
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Kiss My Amps Live 12” vinyl 5000 US
Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood Suger Sex Magik double 12” vinyl 5170 US **
Rolling Stones, No Spare Parts 7” **
Soundgarden Live on I-5—Before The Doors Soundcheck EP 10” vinyl 4000 US
Pete Townshend The Quadrophenia Demos Volume 1 10” vinyl 4000 US
Type O Negative Type O Negative Vinyl Box Set 12” vinyl set 1000 US
Various Artists Wheedle’s Groove: Seattle’s Finest in Funk & Soul 1965- 79 7” box set 2000 US
Wilco Speak Into The Rose 10” vinyl
Yardbirds “Ha Ha Said The Clown” 7” vinyl 1600 US, 1200 international
Yardbirds “Ten Little Indians” 7” vinyl 1600 US, 1200 international

RIFFLANDIA 2011

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Tickets just went on sale for this mammoth Victoria event & we are super excited to see Rifflandia stretch its legs a little bit. This year, the 4 day event will include Royal Athletic Park, a massive addition that is sure to really hammer home the true spirit of a festival.

This year’s lineup *isn’t finished yet*, but already it’s a fantastic cross section of all genres & styles. Mother Mother, Broken Social Scene, Cold War Kids, Daniel Wesley, City & Colour, Awolnation, De La Soul, Cave Singers, J Mascis, Nosaj Thing, Besnard Lakes, AraabMuzik, Blackalicious, Machinedrum, Sage Francis, Tokimonsta, Ra Ra Riot & MOOOOORE will pack Athletic Park & the regular Rifflandia night time venues over four days/nights of amazing music.

This year there are more ticket options than previous years – we strongly encourage you to visit the Rifflandia website’s ticket page to help decide which option best suits you. Couple of points of note:

  • individual day passes for Fri/Sat/Sun are only available via Rifflandia.com. These passes will get you into Royal Athletic Park for one day only.
  • There is a limited amount of SUPERPASSES. The Rifflandia Super Pass gets you into the park during the day AND all of the evening events as well – these passes are going quick, so have a good look at THIS PAGE: if there bands playing during the day AND night that you really want to see (ie/ you REEEEAALLY want to see both Sage Francis & Mother Mother), then we strongly advise you snatch up a Super Pass pronto to save you the hassle down the line. Honestly, it’s an amazing $165 value.

Click here for some of the bands that we’re excited about & that some of you might not be familiar with…

Listen here...

FREE FUCKED UP SHOW July 21!

Fantastic event put together by the fine folks over at CFUV & Club 9ONE9 – a FREE Fucked Up show, with local support from The Sentimentals (Dreamboat & Fatso), No Eulogy & Watcher. Fucked Up are winners of the Polaris prize & have a huge rep as intense live performers – needless to say, these guys are amazing & nobody should sleep on this!

There’s no tickets, just be there early Victoria!

Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming

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(Dunham) CD & LP
The canon of soul music is filled with stories of struggle & perseverance, but few match Charles Bradley’s tale of triumph over the everyman grind of urban America. Raised in Brooklyn, Bradley has wandered the US for much of his 64 years, falling between performing as a soul singer & peddling his wares as a trained chef. Despite a life filled with near-misses at a music career, a late-in-life relocation back to Brooklyn found Bradley on stage, occasionally performing his James Brown-inspired routine as Black Velvet.

Bradley’s raw soul & energized vocals began to draw quite the devoted following & caught the attention of Gabriel Roth of Daptone Records. After losing his brother to a horrible murder at the hands of his own nephew, Bradley reconvened & with the help of Thomas Brenneck, began weaving his tales of hardship & heartbreak into some classic soul originals. The result is No Time For Dreaming, a powerful, gritty album packed with raw emotion & the familiar sounds of life’s trials & tribulations. The music here is provided by The Menahan Street Band, who do a brilliant job of framing Bradley’s classic vocals with stone cold grooves & sincere soul balladry. Easily one of 2011’s most endearing stories, it also happens to be one of the year’s best records. It goes without saying that fans of Sharon Jones should pay full attention.

CHARLES BRADLEY PLAYS LIVE AT CLUB 9ONE9 ON SEPT. 3!!!

Tickets on sale now!

Bon Iver - Bon Iver

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(Jagjaguwar) CD & LP
Even amidst the sparse arrangements & minimal aesthetic of For Emma, Forever Ago, it was always apparent that Justin Vernon had a keen sense of tonality, dynamics & texture. On the eponymous second full length from Bon Iver, Vernon’s affinity for free noise, synths & vocal manipulation come to the forefront – this is not the paired down affair of For Emma – instead, horns, harmonizing & 80s-inspired ballads rear up & colour Vernon’s already-stunning songs.

His connecting voice – whether clean or auto-tuned – maintains the intense intimacy of past projects, but songs are stretched out to cover new ground, from skronky free-jazz jams to the sweeping, epic 80s emotionalism of “Beth/Rest”. A massive step left from For Emma, Vernon has managed to evolve Bon Iver’s sound into something cohesive, emotional but at the same time, experimental. No doubt one of 2011’s best.

Information on Matador's Fucked Up BUY EARLY GET NOW...

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On June 7, Fucked Up will release the follow up to their Polaris-winning Chemistry Of Common Life. The new record, entitled David Comes To Life, will be featured in Matador’s cool-ass Buy Early, Get Now program. There’s free tunes, exclusive stuff…

Details are below…

BUY EARLY, GET NOW: DAVID COMES TO LIFE “What Do I Get?”

  • CD or 2xLP of David Comes To Life, available for collection at a trusted physical retailer available on or after June 7th.
  • 4 Bonus 7“s of 8 extra non-album songs available for collection on or after June 28th.
  • Instant download of 5 non-album songs available beginning April 26th.
  • A full 192k album stream & hi-quality album download in 4 parts over 4 days from May 10th-13th.
  • Download of Record Store Day Exclusive “David’s Town” compilation from June 7th.
  • An exclusive poster on June 7th.

HOW IT WORKS

Customers pre-order the album here at Ditch & are given a voucher with a unique code stamped on the front. This voucher has three portions to it, the retailer keeps one as proof of the pre-order & the customer the other two. The customer then goes to www.buyearlygetnow.com and enters the unique code that is printed on the voucher to register for the extras (ie. streams, downloads and 7”s).

It is imperative that customers register at www.buyearlygetnow.com to guarantee receipt of the extra material. If they do not register, delivery of the 7”s cannot be assured.

Instantly upon registering, the customer will receive 5 non-album tracks. Then between May 10th & 13th a download of the album will be available in four parts over four days. On release day, June 7th, they will receive a download of the Record Store Day exclusive release, David’s Town. Additionally on June 7th, the customer will return to the retailer where they pre-ordered and redeem the first portion of the voucher to pick up either their CD or 2 LP and the exclusive poster.
On June 28th the customer will take the third portion of their voucher back to the store to receive their 4 exclusive 7”s.

RSD at Ditch Records!!!

Record Store Day 2011 is here!!!

PLEASE VISIT OUR FACEBOOK EVENT FOR DETAILS & PHOTOS!!!

Y’all know the deal so we’re just going to list the finer points of what will make tomorrow soooooo special…

  • FREE coffee from Street Level Espresso (morning ONLY)
  • IN STORE PERFORMANCES [10:30am – Aiden Knight/6pm – Bankrobber/6:30pm – Himalayan Bear]
  • FREE Aaaargh! Recrods titles with purchase [Elephant Island, Chet & Aaaargh Comp]

RSD TITLES IN STOCK

Here is a comprehensive list of all of the RSD titles that we have ready for April 17. Again, we cannot hold any of these, it’ll all be up for grabs on a first come, first served basis.

CiTR Pop Alliance Compilation Vol. 2 (w/ Slam Dunk, Apollo Ghosts, My Friend Wallis…)
Adele “Rolling In the Deep” Columbia 10” vinyl 4000
Bad Brains “Pay to Cum” ROIR 7” vinyl 1500
Bad Brains God Of Love Maverick LP + 7” 2000
Big Star Third (Test Pressing Edition) Omnivore LP 1000
Blitzen Trapper “Maybe Baby” b/w “Soul Singer” SPP 7” 1500
Built To Spill Ripple WBR 7” picture disc 3000
Busdriver ATM Polyvinyl 7”+MP3 1000 Record Co.
Kate Bush Hounds of Love Collector’s Edition Audio Fidelity 10” pink vinyl 1000
Caribou Swim Remixes Merge 12” + download card 1000
Country Joe & the Fish Electric Music for the Mind and Body Vanguard 12” vinyl 1000
Cults “Abducted” b/w” Go Outside (remix)” ITNO/Columbi 7” Vinyl 2500 a
Daft Punk Tron Soundtrack Walt Disney Vinyl Records
Death Cab For Cutie Atlantic Records Presents: Death Cab for Cutie In Atlantic 7” 3000 Living Stereo! (RSD Exclusive)
Deerhoof FriendOpportunity Polyvinyl LP+MP3 1000 Record Co.
Deerhoof/Xiu Xiu Almost Xiu Xiu, Almost Deerhoof Polyvinyl 7”+MP3 2000 Record Co.
Deftones Covers WBR Vinyl 3000
Derek & The Dominos “Got To Get Better In A Little While” & ”Layla” [7” UMe 7” vinyl 2500 Vinyl]
Beth Ditto EP Columbia 12” EP 2000
John Doe & Jill Sobule A Day at the Pass Pinko Records 4 panel eco-wallet
DOM “ThingsChange”/“Jesus” Astralwerks 10Inch 1000
John Fahey Requia (and Other Compositions for Guitar Solo) Vanguard 12” vinyl 1000
Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues b/w Grown Ocean SPP 12” 3000
Foo Fighters MediumRare RCA LP120gram
Gorillaz TheFall Virgin LP 2000
Grateful Dead Grateful Dead(LP) Rhino Vinyl 3000
Green Day/Husker Du I Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely WBR 7” 3790
Grinderman Evil ANTI- 12” 1000
Grinderman Palaces of Montezuma ANTI- 12” 1000
John Hammond So Many Roads Vanguard 12” vinyl 1000
Jimi Hendrix “Fire” b/w “Touch You” Legacy 7” Vinyl
Mississippi John Hurt The Immortal Vanguard 12” vinyl 1000
Skip James Today! Vanguard 12” vinyl 1000
Jenny & Johnny/Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels Love Hurts WBR 7” 3450
Kings of Leon Holy Roller Novocaine RCA 10” Red Vinyl
Lady Gaga Born This Way IGA 12” picture disc 5000
Ray Lamontagne Live Fall 2010 RED 12” Vinyl
Lower Dens “Deer Knives” b/w “Tangiers” SPP 7” 1000
Mastodon Live At The Aragon WBR 2LP + DVD 3000
Mastodon/ZZ Top Just Got Paid WBR 7” 3540
Midlake/Will Self Am I Going Insane – 12 inch Late Night 12” Tales
Mumford & Sons/Laura Marling/Dharohar Project Glassnote 10” Vinyl 3500
Nirvana Hormoaning UMe 12” 4000
Opeth “The Throat Of Winter” Roadrunner 7” 1000
Ozzy Osbourne “Flying High Again” b/w “I Don’t Know(Live)” Legacy 7” Vinyl
Pearl Jam “Immortality” b/w “Rearviewmirror” Legacy 7” Vinyl
Queen “Keep Yourself Alive” b/w “Son And Daughter” Hollywood Vinyl Records
R.E.M. THREE: First Three Singles from Collapse WBR 7” Set 3250 Into Now
RHCP/Ramones HavanaAffair WBR 7” 3585
Sonic Youth Whore’s Moaning UMe 12” 4000
Regina Spektor Four From Far Sire 7“33 1/3 RPM light blue vinyl 3350
Bruce Springsteen “Gotta Get The Feeling” b/w “Racing In The Street” Columbia 10” Vinyl 8000 Street Band
Television Live At The Old Waldorf (2LP) Rhino 2LP white Vinyl 3000
The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations”/“Heroes&Villains” Capitol Double10inch 5000
The Black Angels Another Nice Pair Light In The 12” RED Vinyl + Download 2500 Attic Card
The Black Angels Phosgene Nightmare Blue Horizon 10” colored vinyl 5000
The Decemberists Live At Bull Moose Capitol CD 2500
The Doors “Riders On The Storm” Rhino 7” 2500
The Flaming Lips Heady Nuggs: The First 5 Warner Bros. Records WBR Vinyl Box Set 5790 1992-2002
The Red Krayola “Hurricane Fighter Plane” Snapper Music 7” yellow vinyl 1000
The Republic Tigers “Merrymake It With Me”/“Whale Fight” ATL 7” colored vinyl 2000
The Rolling Stones “Brown Sugar” UMe 7” Vinyl Single 5000
The Velvet Underground “Foggy Notion” Sundazed 7 “ vinyl 1000
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Reprise WhiteVinylLP 2500 Heartbreakers
Tom Petty You’re Going To Get It! Reprise Blue Vinyl LP 2500 Heartbreakers
Various Artists Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars 12” vinyl
Vivian Girls I Heard You Say Polyvinyl 7”+MP3 2000 Record Co.
Wild Flag “Future Crimes” b/w “Glass Tambourine” Merge 7” + download card 1200
Yardbirds “Goodnight Sweet Josephine” Sundazed 7 “ vinyl 2000

Record Store Day: Saturday April 16, 2011


We’re super excited for this year’s upcoming RSD! Last year was a crazy day to say the least, but this year will be that much sweeter now that we’ve moved to our new larger location on Fort St.

We’ve already been fielding calls re: RSD titles & many of you likely have questions about what will be available etc. We cannot guarantee stock on any of the RSD titles, but we encourage you to email us your wish lists, so we know which titles to order heavy on (thus increasing the likelihood that we’ll receive said titles). Last year we missed out on some key releases, but were also surprised to receive some of the more boutique releases, so you never know…

Below are a few points that hopefully answer some general questions any of you might have pertaining to RSD 2011…

THE NEW DITCH RECORDS ON RECORD STORE DAY

With our new larger location, Record Store Day is shaping up to be pretty crazy this year, sooooo… couple of points:

  • We’ll be opening earlier & staying open a bit later than usual; 10am (maybe earlier!) to 7pm
  • We’ll be having some special in-store performances from a couple of local bands that are near & dear to our collective hearts. Stay tuned!

THE MORNING OF APRIL 16th…

Last year we were caught a little off guard by how many people lined up outside the store in the hopes of nabbing that special RSD title. It was a bit chaotic (albeit FUN!) & so this year here’s how we’ll work it:

  • every RSD title we receive will be in a browsable box at our new improved (read: larger) counter/till area.
  • the lineup at the door will be honoured meaning, the person at the front of the line will get to browse the RSD titles first.
  • duplicate purchases will not be allowed (ie/ multiple copies of the same title)

RECORD STORE DAY RELEASES

The list of RSD-related titles is HUGE this year, so many that listing them all would just be silly. For those interested in perusing everything available, download this PDF. Otherwise, here’s a list of some of the things that caught our eye…

Built to Spill – Ripple – Picture disc 7”
Death Cab For Cutie – Death Cab for Cutie in Living Stereo 7”
Flaming Lips – Heady Nuggs: The first 5 Warner Bros. Records 92-02 5LP Box
Grateful Dead – s/t Mono – LP
Mastodon – Live At The Aragon – 2xLP
Opeth – The Throat of Winter 7”
Regina Spektor – Four From Far – 7”
Television – Live at the Old Waldorf – 2xLP
Blitzen Trapper – Maybe Baby/Soul Singer 7”
Caribou – Swim Remixes 12”
Grinderman – Palaces of Montezuma 12”
Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity LP
Deerhunter – Memory Boy – White vinyl 7”
Fucked Up – Town Comp LP
Peal Jam – Immortality – 7” Vinyl
Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan in Concert: Brandeis University 1963 LP
Kings of Leon – Holy Roller Novocaine – 10”
Nirvana – Hormoaning – 12”
Rolling Stones – Brown Sugar 7”
Daft Punk – TRON Legacy – 10” EP
Decemberists – Live at Bull Moose CDEP
Syd Barrett – Introduction To Syd Barrett LP
Skip James – Today! LP
John Fahey – Requia & Other Compositions For Guitar LP
Gorillaz – The Fall LP
Black Angels – Another Nice Pair LP
Boris – Attention Please LP
Os Mutantes – Everything is Possible: World Psych Classics LP
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues/Grown Ocean 7”
Foo Fighters – Medium Rare LP
Neurosis – Sovereign LP
Bad Brains – Pay to Cum 7”