Wild Nothing‘s Gemini — you may have heard about it in the blogosphere — has been on heavy rotation at The Record Exchange, and Matt the Intern is here to tell you why:

So far 2010 has been a big year for bedroom pop, yet nothing has been quite as magical as Wild Nothing’s Gemini.

Meet Jack Tatum, the early twenty-year-old behind Wild Nothing who draws influences from his daydreams and the time of the ’80s. Tatum centers around his dreams, which tend to be gloomy, singing of love, loss, and escape. Musically, Wild Nothing’s sound is ethereal, dreamy guitar pop, hinting back to the styles of My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins and Johnny Marr.

Tatum’s congenital songcrafting could be the greatest element about Wild Nothing. From the first listen, it’s striking to hear such wonderful arrangements, and soon the songs make their way into everyday life. Gemini is an instant classic. It’s an album for the hopeful and the sad. Though this record is usually found in my daily rotation, I find it best on a drive through the rain or on a night walk in the pleasant summer air.

The Record Exchange has Gemini available in the store on CD and vinyl, or you can download it from our ThinkIndie Digital Store HERE.

The Record Exchange is pleased as punch to welcome intern Matt Jones to our handsome family for a summer of back-breaking labor (clean basement, here we come!) and idle busy work.

When he’s not fetching us coffee, Matt, a business/marketing major at Boise State, will be learning the finer points of record store marketing and promotions. His first task was helping us sell records by extolling the virtues of the fine and dandy Barsuk debut from Pearly Gate Music, Matt’s Staff Pick of the Week:

Barsuk Records has a history of exciting releases from the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Nada Surf, Menomena and Rilo Kiley to name a few. They also know how to select great under-the-radar acts, usually from the Seattle area, who have that infectious Northwest sound. Pearly Gate Music is yet another group adding to Barsuk’s constant appeal.

Pearly Gate Music, better known as Zach Tillman, uses his extraordinary, smooth voice alongside great instrumentation. Tillman’s self-titled debut album, released in May, is currently a Record Exchange Listening Station pick. The songs are fairly simple, yet full of vivid storytelling. Amidst the folk vibe, sudden pop outbursts are found in tracks like “Big Escape,” “Oh, What a Time!,” and “Bad Nostalgia.” If you’re looking for a stripped down, acoustic album packed with beautiful melodies while exploring themes like religion, carelessness and the great outdoors, this is your pick.