AVALANCHE RECORDS - EDINBURGH

For some reason the first thing that comes to mind when I see the above is the first Godflesh album (featured the track Avalanche Master Song). The second thing that comes to mind is this:

A schlocky disaster movie cashing in on the success of Towering Inferno, Earthquake etc. featuring the godlike Rock Hudson and Rosemary's mum (and Tisa Cannibal Holocausts sister) Mia Farrow. I've only seen it once and as you might expect, it's not very good. The third thing I think of when I see the above (excluding real avalanches) is that fucking god awful Australian? 'Beats' band who put together an entire album from snippets of other albums (Jive Bunny anyone?) and had a hit with the song 'That Boy's a Terrapin' (or something).

Needless to say, were I a bit more clued in on the world of Indie music the words that should have come into my head the second I saw the above record shop should have been 'Mecca'.

Avalanche Records still plays host to regular in-store spots from Indie up and comers as well as the occasional visiting main-stay. It has been a key player in the Scottish music scene for the past twenty seven years and is Scotland's biggest high-street record shop. So what's inside?

The used stock is very reasonably priced, I picked up a 12" of Pavement's 'Trigger Cut' for a fiver and a couple of other things that whilst I didn't need I could not leave the country without. The racks aren't as stuffed as you might wish but there is a decent sized new section on both vinyl and CD. There also appeared to be a coffee shop behind the counter, which if you drink coffee is great (NB: If you do drink coffee you are a drug addict and cannot listen to Minor Threat).

So what of the staff? Well If I gave out awards, medals or gongs the guy I spoke to (assuming it was the owner) would be on the top of the podium. He spoke candidly of the state of business, the successes and  failures of 'Record Store Day' and where he saw the future. He had a sense of enthusiasm for new music that lost me over a decade ago and was happy to wax lyrical about some of the more recent acts to play the store.

Despite the back of the shop being a bit of a ghost town (this is where bands play) this is the kind of place I felt I could have spent the day reading sleeve notes, listening to conversations and butting in with opinions before being politely asked to leave. I can't really emphasize how important it is that this record shop exists. If you doubt the validity of the independent Scottish music scene or associate the entire thing with deep fried Mars bars, Irn Bru and heroin visit their website and prove yourself wrong:

http://www.avalancherecords.co.uk/avalanche-manifesto/

The guy is a visionary and the entire website proves a very interesting and useful record store based resource.