Good deal, glad you got one too. I also like that the band and album name aren't on the actual cover of the vinyl. More room for that gorgeous photo to exist untouched.
Black Eyes is awesome.
Castaways is gorgeous.
I know I was in the minority here, but I was never able to warm myself to Rook. Just didn't care for it. But I'm loving what I hear on this one.
Meiburg's voice is finely honed, and it's the primary reason the band is frequently (and justifiably) compared to Talk Talk-- he has the same richness, range, and inexact enunciation that made Mark Hollis so enigmatic and interesting.
Spins reviews are sooooooooooo spotty. I remember canceling my subscription years back because they gave an album an absolutely miserable review, but then placed it in their top 10 of the year a few months later. If even they don't respect their own reviews, why should anyone else?!
I subscribed to Magnet for a while, Spin for a while, and Filter for a while. Not sure what it was, but I stopped buying not just music magazines, but all magazines. I guess I'm contributing to the industry being in trouble, the internet is just so resourceful and timely.
I got a free subscription to Spin after Lollapalooza last year, and...I did renew it just last month, not because I care so much about the scores they give the reviews, but they tend to be fairly good about describing what the albums sound like, and I've taken a keen interest in that.
Whether or not they LIKE the album is a bit more difficult to discern.
Black Eyes is awesome.