Today’s the fourth annual Record Store Day, the day in which you should get your fat ass away from your computer and visit your local Record Store. You know, the place that’s always full of slightly strange people and even stranger records. Of course, I’m one of those slightly strange people and I like strange records, and to me, there’s no finer way of whiling away an idle hour or so browsing through racks of CDs. Or vinyl, if you haven’t put your turntable up in the attic (unlike me, bah).

My personal current favourite is probably Rough Trade East, who are celebrating the day with a bunch of in-store gigs. Details here. Indeed, Rough Trade East is probably the least-indie store ever, having the floor area of about 18 normal-sized record stores. And it’s got sofas and a cafe and, being in the old Truman Brewery, is surrounded by bars and stuff, in a big courtyard, where you can sit and watch the achingly trendy folk of East London in their natural environment, alongside the occasional banker who’s wandered across Commercial Street to see how the other 99% live.

And the staff are nice too. Almost as nice as the lovely lady at Eagle Valley Music and Comics in Vail (of all places), which I wandered into many years ago and wandered out again about an hour later having spent about $100. Great place, and I love that it’s still trading and also participating in Record Store Day. That’s what a great record store does for you – you remember it fondly, even though it was six years and ten thousand miles away.

Anyway, there’s lots going on, special releases just for the day, all that kind of stuff. My personal favourite would be the cassette by Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad, featuring a bunch of demos by each band. Both were recorded on dodgy microphones in dodgy bedrooms, and both sets of demos show how each band are just horribly talented and great and more worthy of your attention that 99% of the muppets out there.

So run, run down to your Record Store and bag a copy. And get one for me, will you? I’m stuck at home. Gah.

MP3: The Modern Leper (Demo) by Frightened Rabbit

Note: Frightened Rabbit track courtesy of the fantastic Pop Cop.