A week before Christmas, I stopped by the Electric Fetus after work to perhaps buy a new CD. I say 'perhaps' but lord knows if I go into Duluth, MN's only decent record store thinking about buying an album than I'm no doubt leaving with something. I looked over the new release section, the only album really catching my eye was Glory In the Meeting House, and improtued album recorded by local blues guitar hero Charlie Parr and The Black Twig Pickers (a group I've never heard of) this past May. Tempted, I quickly remembered that I had purchased Charlie Parr's album When The Devil Goes Blind a little over a month ago and not given it the time of day. I drifted over to the CD listening stations, which by the way are excellent at the Fetus, and listened to the first three tracks off of the new My Chemical Romance album. It sounded pretty good to me, fun and enthralling, and though I had no inclination to purchase the disc that day I put it in the back of my mind as a possible Christmas present for someone. Days later, I actually convinced one of my best friends to purchase it as a Christmas present for his girlfriend, and on Christmas Eve Eve, unable to find Robyn's new album or commit to La Roux in Target's wasteland of a CD section, I purchased it for my brother's special friend.
Headphones off, I wandered over to the Fetus's Used CD section, a gold haven of great albums for nearly fair prices. Now before I gave you, the reader, the impression that I had come to the Fetus to browse, admittedly yes going to buy something, but unknowing in what that purchase might be. That it turns out, was a lie. I actually did have an album in mind and I wanted to buy it used for $6 instead of new for $15. The album in question was Iron Maiden's self titled debut album or if they didn't have that it's sequel Killers. I wanted the album for two reasons: 1). It was a heavy metal essential I had never heard in its entirety and 2). Paul Di'Anno, Iron Maiden's original singer on the first two records, was playing Station 4 in St. Paul on the December 26 and I was hoping to go. My girlfriend would crush that hope a few days later, which is a shame because Di'Anno was performing the entire album Iron Maiden front to back in addition to playing a number of tracks off Killers. Not to mention Impaler, a band that has been part of the Twin Cities metal scene for 28 years, is opening. Oh well....anyway, the problem with the Used CD Section is that although it's full of hidden treasures and wonders waiting to be discovered, if you go there looking for a particular album you probably won't find it; and I didn't. So I just started flipping through CDs and finally landed on a gem, Pantera's badass 1992 album Vulgar Display of Power. Yes, this would do quite nicely.
It was around this time that I noticed the music being played over the Fetus's soundsystem. It was some kind of Folk music, and I didn't recognize the singer. That's another think I like about the Fetus, the employees are allowed to play whatever records they want while they work so you never know what you might hear as you shop (two weeks earlier I had stopped by the Fetus to kill time before catching a bus and heard Bob Dylan's excellent Bootleg Series Vol 9 on the PA). I could have just left than and there with the Pantera record, but I was enjoying the music and had no place to be, so I figured maybe I'd find a second used CD to purchase. I browsed through the large Used Section meticulously, finding interest here and there but nothing I absolutely had to have. Than I hit the "J"s and found Judas Priest's 1982 classic Screaming For Vengeance, a record many hold as Priest's finest work. Thus far my personal album catalog only contained two Priest entries, British Steel and The Essential Judas Priest, so this would have been a great addition.
I had two solid hard rocking selections in my possession now, and I should have been content enough to make the purchase, but I found myself having a hard time focusing on my bounty. Instead my mind was locked on the music overhead, it was really good. I made my way towards the register where they usually list what CD is being; pertending to be browsing at the magazine rack. Hmm Johnny Flynn, never heard of the chap. I returned to the CDs and looked for him. Not in the Folk section, not in the Pop/Rock section, it appeared that the Fetus had no other discs by Mr. Flynn (I guess I could have asked). Enthralled by the music, I continued to browse the store and randomly began flipping through the holiday albums. Even though I wasn't really in the spirit, Christmas was fast approaching and I've always enjoyed a good Christmas album. Nothing, nothing, Elvis, nothing, nothing, and than I saw it, A John Prine Christmas. Being as this was the first without my father, a huge John Prine fan, I knew I had to buy it. Back to the selves for Pantera and Priest, maybe another day, and I was finally ready to make my purchase.
Ever curious about this Johnny Flynn fellow and his wonderful music, I asked the clerk what we were listening too. He informed me that Johnny Flynn was a young folk singer from the UK. He also said that the album we were listening to, Been Listening, was his personal pick for album of the year though he slightly preferred Flynn's previous album, 2008's A Larum. This is 100% the reason real record stores, like the Electric Fetus, are a billion times better than those big names (I'm looking at you Best Buy/Walmart/Target); you discover new music and can have meaningful conversations with the employees about the music they're into. I was now determined more than ever to purchase this Johnny Flynn album.
I listened to A John Prine Christmas solidly for a three or four days (not to mention all day Christmas) quite enjoying it, though I felt the $12 price tag was a little steep for an album with only eight songs but fuck it, it's John Prine. Exactly a week before Christmas, after a drunken casino bachelor party in my honor, my buddy and I headed over to the Mall of America for some Christmas shopping. Yes this is the same friend I convinced to by the My Chemical Romance CD, this is actually the day that it happened. FYE was out fist stop and loe and behold they had the Johnny Flynn album my ears were hungry to hear. They also had a cool plush Prince doll, but I couldn't justify the purchase. So I bought the Johnny Flynn album and it's been in my stereo ever since; it's fucking amazing. Best album of the year hands down. Oh, you don't believe me? Well have a little taste of the video below, it's not my favorite track off the album but it's still kick ass awesome.
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