Stumped on what to buy someone on your gift list? Here at FLOOD, we polled the staff and put together our own picks for what we’d like for the holidays. Humble? Hm, not exactly, but here are a few helpful hints for the music-loving friend who has everything. And we brought along a friend from the LA chapter of the Best Friends Animal Society to help us model some of the goods.
1. Ludwig Breakbeats by Questlove drum set
Questlove is a big guy. Big hair, big appetite, big beats. The Roots frontman/drummer has teamed up with legendary drum company Ludwig to make Breakbeats—a compact drum kit with an explosive sound. Geared toward the “gigging, urban percussionist,” these 7-ply poplar drum shells sounds great and pack up quickly. You’ll have no trouble stowing the kit away when your neighbors come to complain after a noisy jam session. $399 at GuitarCenter.com
2. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, It’s a Holiday Soul Party
There are only so many times you can play the same Bing Crosby Christmas CD before you want to throw it out the window. Let Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings spice up your holiday playlist with their brand-new LP It’s a Holiday Soul Party. It’s got a couple of new tracks and a ton of funked-up versions of your favorite wintery classics. Just drop the needle anywhere for instant cheer. $18.99 at Daptone Records
3. St. Vincent Signature Ernie Ball Music Man Guitar
If you’ve ever seen St. Vincent live, you know that Annie Clark knows her way around a guitar. So it makes sense that the indie rock icon has partnered with Ernie Ball to design her own Music Man ax. After debuting it on stage with Taylor Swift and Beck earlier this year, Clark has made her stylish, unique guitar available to all. With shipping beginning early next year, now is the time to get your pre-orders in for your six-string loving friend—or, you know, yourself. $1,899 at GuitarCenter.com
4. Mick Rock. The Rise of David Bowie, 1972–1973 photography book
Before the Spiders from Mars showed up, David Bowie was just a rising British pop star with a lot of promise and a mod haircut. It wasn’t until he took control of his image in wildly imaginative ways—a skill that he continues to implement to this day—that he truly became Bowie and took over the world with the music and persona of Ziggy Stardust. On hand for that transformation was Mick Rock, Bowie’s official photographer in those transformative years, whose photography and insight is compiled in this TASCHEN collection. This ultimate coffee table book is limited to 1,972 copies, and each one is signed by Bowie and Rock themselves (though at $700 a pop, you’d be forgiven for holding out for the…uh…paperback). Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am. $700 at TASCHEN.com
5. The Ties That Bind: The River Collection Bruce Springsteen box set
There is no greater unifier in rock and roll than The Boss, and there is no greater time to play the unification card than during the holidays. With enough content to keep your mom, dad, younger sister, creepy uncle, or what have you busy until next December, The Ties That Bind is a box set chronicling and detailing every possible aspect of Bruce Springsteen’s 1980 epic The River. The four disc/three DVD collection includes the standard two-disc album, the scrapped single-disc version of the album, never-before-heard outtakes and rarities, as well as a making-of documentary and full-length concert movie. Pro-tip: buy it for someone else, and then borrow it from them after they’ve opened it. $110 at Amazon.com
6. Singles Club subscription
It might sound like it could be either a very proud, very sad, or very practical meeting of single people, but in fact, Singles Club is a music subscription service that provides four specially curated 7” record packages each year. The good folks behind the program work to find talented under-the-radar artists and collaborate with them to develop a unique 45-rpm release that comes along with a digital journal containing articles and insights about the music. It’s just like your parents’ record club, but with less Santana. $55 at SinglesClub.fm
7. Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators
For the type of person who frequently fantasizes about being able to step in and join a band that you love onstage, the worst fear is being unprepared. Begone, unrealistic neuroticisms! Teenage Engineering’s latest synths—the Pocket Operators—are here to make sure that you’re able to keep a high-quality musical device with you at all times (without being like one of those people who takes a guitar with them everywhere they go). Coming in three different models—rhythm, sub, and melody synth—the quaintly sized tools pack a mean punch, particularly for their price. With real synthesizer engines, animated graphics, on-board effects, and built-in speakers, these little smart phone-sized wonders will supply you with endless hours of fun. Just make sure you at least know how to play “Wonderwall.“ $59 at Teenage.Engineering
8. 69 Love Songs Magnetic Fields box set
What better way to show how much you love someone than to get strangely literal about it? In addition to being one of the greatest multi-disc albums ever made, The Magnetic Fields’ 69 Love Songs is also one of the most romantic ones as well—in a kinda messed up way. And though this highly demanded reissue of the vinyl set may be pricey, there’s six 10” records in there, each one packed with nuggets of melancholy bliss that put words to the feelings that you’ve never been able to articulate without starting a fight. $100 at MergeRecords.com
9. Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless Speaker
Legend has it that Keith Moon inspired the name Led Zeppelin with his crack about the new supergroup going over about as well as a “lead balloon.” Just like Jimmy Page, Bowers & Wilkins have taken that imagery and made it their own—in their case by constructing the Zeppelin Wireless Speaker, one of the most powerful and sturdy single-item stereo systems on the market—and boy does it fly. At just under fifteen pounds, this Bluetooth-ready, Airplay-compatible device is the only speaker you’ll need, whether for throwing a pool party, a baby shower, or if you just want to throw on Physical Graffiti. $699 at Bowers-Wilkins.com
Howie, a twelve-year-old lab mix, models the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin speaker and the Teenage Engineering Rhythm Pocket Operator / photo by Justin Baker
Best Friends Animal Society is the only national animal welfare organization focused exclusively on ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters. A leader in the no-kill movement, Best Friends runs the nation’s largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals, as well as lifesaving programs in partnership with more than 1,300 rescue groups and shelters across the country. In LA, Best Friends leads the No-Kill Los Angeles (NKLA) initiative, which is focused on ending the killing of dogs and cats in city shelters by 2017, and it operates two centers: the NKLA Pet Adoption Center in West LA and the Best Friends Pet Adoption and Spay/Neuter Center in Mission Hills. Since its founding in 1984, Best Friends has helped reduce the number of animals killed in American shelters from 17 million per year to an estimated 4 million. For more information, visit BestFriends.org.
