Name: Spirit In The Room
Brand: Activity

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

WV247LPC1

Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2023-08-04

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

843563155554

Total Cap

Black LP

WV247CD

843563155561

Artist

Activity

Genre GB

Alternative / Modern

Label GB

Western Vinyl

Western Vinyl is a music label based in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1998 by Brian Sampson, the label has established itself as a prominent force in the music industry. With a diverse roster of talented artists and performers, Western Vinyl offers a wide range of musical genres and styles to its listeners.

Known for their commitment to quality and innovation, Western Vinyl strives to bring unique and groundbreaking music to the forefront. The label's dedication to nurturing talent and supporting artistic vision has earned them a reputation as an influential player in the independent music scene.

Whether you're a fan of *indie rock*, *experimental electronic*, or *ambient soundscapes*, Western Vinyl has something for everyone. Explore their catalog and discover new sounds that will captivate your ears and expand your musical horizons.

Newest Listed Items

On their sophomore album Spirit in the Room, Activity is haunted by technology, the loss of loved ones, capitalism, and humanity's relentless death march towards environmental destruction. Produced by Psychic TV's Jeff Berner, the album is an emotional seance held through an unearthly haze of menacing trip hop, ambient electronica, and synth-based noise rock. A sense of longing and hopelessness in the face of monumental loss comes through almost instantly on opening track "Department of Blood," in which lead vocalist Travis Johnson sardonically indicts both neoliberalism and "whatever the lord is," beneath a grim collage of processed electronics and a sinister drum machine beat. The David Berman-inspired "Heaven Chords, was written shortly after the iconic songwriter's death, and atmospheric track "Where the Art is Hung," is a haunting lament over the omnipresence of technology and surveillance in the modern world. Spirit in the Room is no lighthearted journey, but the band's playfulness and obvious natural chemistry keeps the collection from being burdened by its own solemnity. "Unlike the first album, where we'd barely played live before we recorded, we got to take some of the less electronic songs out on the road in the fall of 2021," Johnson explains. "Some tracks had been incubating for over a year in our rehearsals. We could feel them change and open up in a live setting, so when we got back home, we went back to the drawing board on a lot of them. Some got scrapped altogether and we haven't played them since. You get an idea in your head of what it is, but it's something else when you're trying to hold other people's attention. Every part needed to feel earned or necessary." On the one hand, Spirit in the Room is a harrowing journey through a Bosch-like landscape of illness, global capital, and human-caused destruction. On the other hand, it's a room full of friends who are simply trying to make it through the day and process this world we've created. When asked why this album needed to be made, Johnson put it best: "None of us can stand to not make music is all, really."

Spirit In The Room

Music GB

Discover Spirit In The Room by Activity. Haunting and emotional, this album explores themes of technology, loss, and environmental destruction. Available in LP and CD formats from Western Vinyl.