Christmas Comes Late

The past week has been a kind of slapback-echo of Christmas for me, as I rounded up the gift cards I received over the holidays and picked out what to buy. I'm sure many people blow any credit-related Christmas spoils on Boxing Day, when prices are low and the high of the holidays is threatening to fade. However, I quite like waiting until long after the holidays to relive some of the magic.

My birthday is in January, so I have the unique opportunity to spread the gifts and festivities over a rather long period of time. Only now, long after Christmas and several weeks after my birthday, I finally decided to redeem my final set of gifts, ending my extended holiday season. So I went to the record store.

Into The Music was my destination - a vast trove of vinyl old and new, in Winnipeg's historic Exchange District. After combing through nearly every new record in the store and searching hundreds of used records in the soul and rock sections, not to mention a lengthy stay in front of the bargain bin, I came away with my treasures.

I picked up the soundtrack from The Kids Are Alright by The Who, Play Deep by The Outfield, Moe Koffman's Greatest Hits, and a few intriguing selections from the bargain bin. However, the crowing jewel was Antony & The Johnsons' Cut the World. Here's a sample (although it's not the same as vinyl - and I know how hipster that sounds):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNBUGxBpHbQ

Cut the World is a live album recorded with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra, and gives stunning reinterpretations of some of the band's more popular songs, as well as the previously unheard title track. The recording itself is superb - this was no afterthought re-editing of a board mix. This was obviously a staged event, organized for the purpose of recording this beautiful collaboration. It's an absolute must-hear for any Antony & The Johnsons fan.