Sam Hoffman
“Glencrest Lane” & “All the Places”
scum stats: one sided lathe-cut, limited edition of 40 copies
Are you old enough yet to have had your “Losing My Edge” moment where "the kids are coming up from behind”?
Well, this may be my personal “Losing My Edge” moment.
Sam Hoffman, former Third Man Records employee, best known for being a huge fan of cringe and a quasi-known creator of Instagram memes, has put in his hard work in the Beatles-influenced salt mines and extracted these…chunks of salt?
Just to get it out of the way…Beatles Beatles Beatles Beatles. Yeah, he digs ‘em and could probably beat you and McCartney in a game of Fab Four trivia.
But being a hardcore fan and being able to execute to the level of that which you are a fan are diagrams that very seldom Venn together. Yet Hoffman absolutely the perfect intersection of these two orbs.
I think of Sam as a “kid” but I honestly am not even really sure how old he is. I believe he graduated college, but not TOO long ago. Early twenties maybe? Old enough to function in society, and yet young enough to still make me feel old. That’s gotta be a very specific age.
Crisp production, smart songwriting, skilled instrumentation…I’m really at a loss for anything to criticize here. A bummed feeling I wasn’t part of it? A sadness that I’ve still never properly released a lathe-cut record? A sense of my own impending mortality?
THIS IS THE KIND OF PURE MUSIC THAT IS WORTH YOUR TIME AND MONEY AND SUPPORT.
In my effort to support, I bought two copies of this. I’m giving away the spare to someone here. Post in the comments. Can be anything. A shorty story about when you first felt old, a joke, a Beatles-inspired haiku, math equations, whatever. The comment that sparks the most joy in me wins this record.
And if you don’t win the record, just be a decent human being and buy a copy of this single. It’s probably close to being sold out anyway, so hop to it.
What’s the difference between a peeping tom and a pickpocket? A pickpocket snatches watches…
The first record I bought was a 45 of Evil Woman by ELO. I had to get it on my second visit to the record store in Plymouth because the first time I went in I asked for the record called “He needs a woman”. The guy at the counter had no idea what I was talking about. I went home and heard the song on the radio again and called the radio station to ask them for the name of the song. No wonder the guy did not know what I was talking about.
me and my girlfriend just moved to Brooklyn, NY. this weekend we spent the day walking around, window shopping and trying out coffee spots. we ate lunch at a French restaurant then we spent the next hour or so in two nearby record stores flipping through records. I found a GG Allin record (dude is INSANE). then that night I went and saw a local band for the first time and they were incredible. it was a perfect day.
old is a STATE OF MIND and when i feel old shoot me. first 45 i ever bought was Yellow Submarine for 25cents. it was the first record which wasn’t a story book. I was a huge fan of the jungle book on 45, pre-Beatles, but 1000’s of 7"’s later i still love flipping them. not enough minutes in the day, but getting a new record in the mail is the best feeling after a day at work! send one my way!!
when I found myself at a kegger over homecoming after my first year out of college. YEEESH. OLD.
When I was taking a 12 refresher class and realized I was too old to sit still comfortably.
YOU KNOW YOU’RE GETTING OLD WHEN YOU TURN ON SNL AND HALSEY IS PAINTING A PICTURE WHILE SHE SINGS…..GIVE ME SOMEONE DESTROYING GUITARS OR A DRUM KIT….WE NEED MORE ANGST….OR TRYING TO WATCH THE GRAMMY’S AND YOU HARDLY KNOW ANYONE SCHEDULED TO PERFORM…LET ALONE HAVE BOUGHT ANY OF THEIR MUSIC…
When I bit into a piece of bacon and my molar broke in half. That was the first time I felt old-
DDulac – “Getting older is finding out what your physically not capable of doing anymore while your mind keeps tricking you into thinking you’re young enough to still be able to.” And then your back sends you the bill.
Long after succumbing to cell phones, a fight I could not win, I recently decided to get rid of my land line phone at home. Upon cancelling, the gal working for the phone company tried to upsell me on keeping that old # and forwarding it to my cell. For what?, I questioned. She said “Well why did you get that phone number to begin with?” I said, because that’s what we used to use before cell phones. That was the point I felt old. Especially, recalling the decades happily tethered to a wall. Receiving calls only if your home. Then the wide spread use of answering machines! So greatful of the no cell phone concerts! That made me feel young again! Lighters for song appreciation! Hi-Fi Not Wi-Fi! Who’s with me?!