Khruangbin – Con Todo El Mundo

Just received my copy from Amazon’s little October sale. I saw reviews saying copies were hit or miss ; but I think I got a fantastic copy. Played dead quiet right out of the package and has a great mellow open sound with no pops or clicks. Maybe I’m lucky but this was a steal for $8

I’m on copy three of this one - and all have arrived with what I can only describe as being a “messy micro scratch cluster,” around a square centimeter in size, in at least one location. (All are just big enough to be more than a ing annoyance during playback, with the center seeming to always land between tracks, so it manages to ruin the tail end of a track, as well as the beginning of the next - and of course, everything in between!)

To further add to the painful frustration: the pressing sounds great otherwise, with a nice satisfyingly smooth and glossy overall sheen, and despite receiving all too many brand-new warped records these days, all copies have easily been some of the flattest that I’ve come across in recent memory. They’re packaged in a cardstock sleeve, and although I’m always careful with that first removal (before prompt placement in a proper replacement liner), I took especially painstaking efforts with attempts 2 and 3, to that I haven’t been the cause of what’s now clearly preexisting damage.

So close, but I think the popping might end up being such a dealbreaking buzzkill that I’ll probably have to give up on this one. Such a bummer! Ugh…