Last week, I took a foray to Opelika, Alabama to visit my now-favorite record store, 10,000 Hz. The store is nestled away in an old brick station building adjacent a railroad track that cuts through the middle of the town–one would be forgotten for passing it by without a second glance.

Upon entering, you’re treated to rows and rows of vinyls, new and old, illuminated only by a soft light overhead. The walls are lined with thousands of CDs, cassettes, box sets, and a slew of musical paraphernalia.

I knew from the jump I would likely spend more than I should, but I feel my purchases were well worth the price of admission, and I’d like to share some of them with you in this week’s edition of Auxtra Weekly.
— Will Thomas

Washington is the birthplace of some of the most influential alternative music acts of the late 20th century. For me, none compare to the three-piece noise junkies known as Unwound. Consisting of guitarist and vocalist Justin Trosper, bassist Vern Rumsey and drummer Brandt Sandeno, the Olympia natives have a unique, caustic sound that is truly hypnotic.

The record I chose to leave with was their 1994 album “New Plastic Ideas,” the second in a seven album run spanning from 1993 to 2001. Many of the key components that would come to define Unwound’s sound begin to develop in “NPI.” Heavy dissonance, irregular time signatures, vivid lyricism–it’s a huge step up from their debut “Fake Train” (which is still a fantastic listen).

Songs like “Envelope” and “All Souls Day” are among the band’s best, creating vast, louring soundscapes that really highlight Sandeno’s off-kilter drumming and Trosper’s abrasive guitar playing. Trosper’s vocal delivery is truly unparalleled. Few singers capture the moodiness and sodden nature of a Pacific Northwest rainstorm like Trosper, meandering from cathartic screams to low whispers like a feast to famine.

The album is loud and unabashed, with moments of quiet acting as a respite from the continuous, cacophonic patter of distorted guitar riffs and razor-sharp drum fills.

For fans of: Slint; Swans; Sonic Youth

Wire has long been one of my all-time favorite bands. The British post-punk rockers thrive off their classic anachronistic sound that was cultivated over their nearly 50 year lifespan. For me, their third album “154” is their sonic synecdoche. Repetitive guitar riffs, looming synths, celestial harmonies all create a backdrop for lead singer Colin Newman’s quintessentially British sneer to truly shine.

Their lyrics are observations of real life coated with an extraterrestrial tinge. Distant backing vocals create an otherworldly feel in songs like “The Other Window” and “A Mutual Friend.” The album’s second track, “Two People in a Room,” is an anxiety-driven punk ballad that expands a ten-second encounter to near eternity. One of my favorite songs of all time, “Blessed State,” is an illusory soliloquy that scoffs in the face of existence.

It’s claustrophobic in a vast space. It’s loud, yet ethereally quiet. It encapsulates everything I love about Wire, from spacy production to jagged, jangly pop melodies that burrow in your brain like a termite.

For fans of: Television; The Modern Lovers; The Jesus and Mary Chain

Whenever I visit a record store, I make an effort to leave with at least one punk-rock record. Wipers’ “Is This Real?” was the lucky ticket this time around. I’m relatively new to the band, having found them from another recent online review, but I’ve been hooked on them from the first listen.

“Is This Real?” is a vicious record that grabs you by the throat and never lets go. Lead singer Greg Sage’s disaffected vocal style possesses each song like a poltergeist, while Sam Henry’s drums and Dave Koupal’s bass create raucous listening experience that burgeons on rhythmic variations, often bringing familiar melodies back with more venom and bite than before.

Songs like “D-7” and “Alien Boy” are perfect examples of the band’s blood curdling tempo. Once they get rolling, they don’t stop. The nervousness reaches fever pitch, but instead of relenting, Wipers lets it boil into a mess of alienation.

For fans of: Fugazi; Flipper; Minutemen; Gang of Four