Today's idea - Record Store Day

Today Resident, the infamously indie toting record store, is repeating their Record Store Day as part of the Brighton Festival of Shopping and as part of a country-wide phenomenon. As an "awesome celebration of all that's great about record stores" it's immensely busy and hectic (perhaps less-so in the shoe-gazing section). Excuse our cheap jokes.

Importantly, a number of titles are being produced for early release exclusively for the day and will be hitting only 100 shops, so if you're a music fan you'll probably want to politely queuing/rudely elbowing (depending on your shopping style) for some great CDs.

You can find a list of exclusive titles - and it's pretty long, prepare yourself.

There's a couple of rules:

• As you can see, some of the releases are stupidly limited & with over 100 shops taking part, you can see that there won’t be a lot to go around of some of these titles. You’ll have to get up early & get yourself down here for opening time (9am) if there are things you are desperate to get your hands on – the early birds were very much the winners last year.
• These RSD titles will only be available in the shop – no releases are being sold online or as mail order for this event
• There are strictly no preorders / reservations for anyone – no matter how hard you plead!
• Only 1 copy of any release per customer

On a personal note, it might be a good opportunity to grab that new Blur track titled "Fool's Day", the first track from the group on over seven years, that's been hitting the press all week.

Today's idea - Pav Tav & Resident Free Gigs

Sorry all, but Resident's just emailed to alert that Alexander Wolfe is canceled due to illness. Pav Tav meanwhile, is still on!

Tonight there's two free gigs about town; one at The Pav Tav and one at Resident Records. We can't decide quite which to go to at the moment.

At 6pm today ex-Brighton-Resident singer/songwriter/arranger Alexander Wolfe will be celebrating the launch of his debut album 'Morning Brings a Flood' with an in-store session. Likened to Guy Garvey, with songs echoing Elliot Smith, Nick Drake, and in the more raucous moments, Jeff Buckley. "You're in for a treat," say Resident, "We can't recommend the album of his live performance highly enough." He's brought along his cellist too, which should be a bit special.

Have a listen on his myspace.com/alexanderwolfe or find him on Spotify. It's free as usual, starting at 6pm.

On the other hand, for more lengthy music, The Pav Tav is holding a free folk pop show downstairs in Pav Tav. Admiral Fallow cites the fairly traditional influences of Tom Waits, Elbow, Low, Midlake, King Creosote, and Springsteen, and brings a clarinet, flute, double bass (and four voices) to the Pav Tav's traditional indie line-ups. Have Tav HQ describes them as "Joyous, heart-filled, orchestral-tinged and beautifully well crafted songs."

Previously they've been toting support in the form of Guillemots' Fyfe Dangerfield, chosen as support with a certain amount of lauding and rave reviews afoot. "Join us on a lazy Monay night with support from the fantastic Aaron King AND Paul Steel," the Pav Tav invites.

starts 7.30pm
ends 10pm
free entry/

Which would you pick?

Today's idea: Peggy Sue at Resident

The journey of Peggy Sue is a great lesson to bands who occasionally feel hemmed in by the geographical constraints of their early days; playing the same damn venues to the same, familiar audiences. Peggy Sue - the band who, recently signed to Wichita Records and this week released a brave, complex and beautiful debut album, 'Fossils and Other Phantoms' - once consisted of Rosa Rex and Katy Klaw, and traded as Peggy Sue and the Pirates. They seemed to play in Brighton constantly; bringing amateurish, good humoured folk to a band of amused but slightly perplexed punters.

For every moment that their two, perfectly calibrated voices soared, there was another where one drummed clumsily on the back of a stool while the other warbled about being Superman. For those of us who fell totally in love with them back in the early days, their lack of seriousness and musical skill wasn't problematic at all, and an early tide of interest led... nowhere fast. Something - their own ambition, in retrospect - stopped them from recording an album, and instead they added a drummer, began building their reputation nationally, and began crafting more complex, dark songs which counterbalanced their quirkiness and personal chemistry with heavy, heady lyrics about skin, bones, and broken relationships.

All of this has culminated, finally, in their new LP. It's brave not just because the band have come so far from their early days, but because there's not a thing about their sound they haven't worked on. Their arrangements are richer and more confident, their lyrics more beautiful, their old songs ruthlessly jettisoned in favour of newer tracks. In many ways they're an unrecognisable band, having long transcended the likes of Jeffrey Lewis who once inspired them.

Having been unsatisfied, then, with the role of local heroes, Peggy Sue have rowed out further and created real, substantive waves. They're back in Brighton tonight, however, and you can catch them at the perpetually wonderful Resident Records. It's free, and they're onstage at 6.

Today's idea - Thomas White in-store at Resident

Another in-store gig from Resident is on with Thomas White tonight. Described as a Brighton-based multi-talented artist, this doesn't honestly set him aside from the crowd but you're likely to recognise him as the man behind the formation of the Electric Soft Parade and Brakes, or for work as a 'hired hand' musician for british Sea Power, Patrick Wolf, and Sparks. He's been about a bit.

Today's a promotion for his forthcoming second album, "a blaze of kaleidoscopic, yes finely nuances, psych-pop, from Syd Barrett-style haunted whimsy to 70s soft rock and heavier riffing."

It's at 6pm, and you can have a listen on his MySpace. As Resident says: "It's free, just turn up."

Today's idea - Husky Rescue instore at Resident Records

Today Husky Rescue are playing a lovely live set in Resident Records. The tiny store tends to fill quite politely with Brightonians, all peering down the aisles straight into the faces of the playing bands. It's very nice.

You can listen to the band on Myspace. Tonight's ticket-less and free although their sold out gig shortly after is popular, so best to be on time if you want nice standing places. Be there for 6pm.

"This will be a stripped back, intimate acoustic set from the Finns. We are big fans of the band & love their Scandi-dream-pop – perfect to draw in the Spring. Come & see for yourself………"

Today's idea - Field Music at Resident Records

Newcastle's Field Music ploughed, in the mid 2000s, a line of beautifully executed art-pop and split, without fanfare, after 2007's splendid 'Tones Of Town'. Their main constituent parts, the brothers David and Peter Brewis, went on doing exactly what they were doing before - crafting elegant, deliciously inventive songs - under different names (David's School of Language made a fine, noisy record in 2008, which was matched by Peter's clever, Paul Auster referencing concept record as The Week That Was the same year). Then, in late 2009, they reconvened as Field Music and have just released their new LP, 'Measure' - which is tremendous news.

Initially criticised for being a touch bookish and distant as a live proposition, these days the polite, undemonstrative brothers are a failsafe bet for a night out (any band with a drummer as good as David is worth seeing, unless they're in U2 or something). Tonight they play a short, completely free set at Brighton's matchless Resident Records, in the North Laine. They're on at 6pm and will hopefully delve into their wonderful back-catalogue as well as playing some new songs. No need to get tickets, but you'd be well advised to get their early.

Their sound - which you can check out in the video below - is intensely musical; gorgeous Geordie harmonies, abrupt tempo-changes and unusual time signatures, with orchestration which varies from lush and pastoral to aggressive and loose.

Today's idea - Erland & The Carnival live (and free) at Resident

For those of you trundling home (or out with purpose) Resident's having an in-store event. Erland & The Carnival are holding an acoustic set at 6pm. It's in support of their new "highly anticipated" album, and the Orkney Island chaps will be popping in to make music. "They make a pastoral, psychadelic sound, described by tong as "pentangle meets ennio morricone meets love meets 13th floor elevators meets joe meek". We believe they're going to be rather big in 2010, and they like wearing funny masks. It's free we believe, so go (and hope they get incredibly famous so you can brag about the super intimate gig of theirs you attended).

Get tickets for Good Shoes in Resident in 9 days time

I saw Good Shoes a while ago. Long ago enough that I have no sensible recollection of thrilling antics, but I do remember that they were a good fun band despite the dingy but traditional Oxford gig house. They make me think of bright colours and I had a silly dance or two, all rather nice.

"They play danceable, shed rehearsed guitar music. They like to dance, drink, draw, pretend to be on a mobile phone whilst they are not and write songs," says Last.fm.

On the 13th of January - nine days time - they'll be playing a gig in Resident, one of my favourite music stores in Brighton.

Ticket details are a bit hush-hush and involve asking staff in-store. So, rather than blog about this event on the 13th, the day when it happens and the day when the tickets will in fact be all gone, rending the blogging process advising you to go a little pointless, today we advise getting to Resident, and finding out about the in-store gig, if you're so inclined.

They're also playing later in April, on the 22nd at Audio.

Visit Resident for an exclusive Vampire Weekend's airing and Mince Pies.

Dear old Vampire Weekend have an album on the horizon due out on 11th January. It's very good and the debut single video is great - it features bright colours, glitter cannons, bells and is all very jolly and fun (we are big fans). Today Resident will be hosting an exclusive playback of the full album, 'Contra' between 6pm & 8pm today.

Importantly, there will be beer, mulled wine & mice pies* which is a good premise to potter in store over latest releases and Christmas presents - lots of good things down to £4.99 from the Volcano Choir (Justin Vernon of Bon Iver's side project), Royksopp, Reverend & The Makers, Metric, Toumani Diabate, Kitty Daisy & Lewis & more. Most importantly it's a good time to eat tasty things, feel warm and Christmassy, and get a free hearing of some lovely tunes.

Bring some I.D and have fun.

*whilst they last.