Shlohmo - Bad Vibes: Rarities + Extras (2016)

To celebrate the five-year anniversary of what was arguably his best release to date, lo-fi beat maker Shlohmo (Henry Laufer) is re-releasing his debut full-length, Bad Vibes (now aptly titled Bad Vibes Rarities + Extras). If the title doesn't give it away, the reissue features the original double-LP as well as four tracks not found on the original release: three from on 2011's Places EP and two refix/live versions from Bad Vibes.

It's often hard to see re-releases as anything more than a means of capitalizing off previous success, and Bad Vibes Rarities + Extras is no exception. On one hand, listeners get four new tracks, all cloaked in the gauzy, spacious air typical of Laufer's earlier work, the scratchy lo-fi production fitting right alongside everything else from the Bad Vibes era. On the other, the release contains three tracks straight off the Places EP, and a live version of "Seriously" that has minor, if any, variations from the original. While the release of "new" material does seem appealing, the little we're given certainly isn't enough to make Bad Vibes Rarities + Extras essential, unless you didn't buy it the first time. (Friends of Friends)