Weirdest record defect?


A couple weeks ago I went to a small venue to see a little-known artist Mary Timony. I discovered her when her latest album "Untame the Tiger" was featured on Qobuz under "New Releases". I picked up a copy of the record at the merch table after the show (great show btw). So here is why I am posting-throughout both sides of the record at fairly uniform 90 second intervals there is a loud bass bump/thump. Loud enough to be concerning as to my woofers. The record is perfectly flat and there are no visible defects. There is no discernible static problem and static would not cause a low frequency thump.

The label is Merge records. Any ideas as to the cause? I have never encountered this before.

128x128fsonicsmith

Early on in all those colored RSD pressings I noticed all kinds of seemingly-QC-related issues.

I’m a decided member of the camp that holds certain tracks/albums on vinyl as certain old pressings still cannot be bested (for my preferences) by the commercially available digital alternatives, but for the life of me I can’t see why anything more recent that was recorded/(re)mastered digitally is worth having as new pressings other than the tactile virtues in sentimentality (or, depending on one’s age, novelty) for spinning discs.

It also makes sense that a new little-known artist would have problematic vinyl (QC-wise) from a competitive/logistics standpoint: they’re likely at the back of the line against big labels for being able to get albums cut on the medium.

If the OP is a query for my own experience in weirdest record defect, it would have to be a Third Man Records album that was pressed in 50/50 yellow/black translucent vinyl. There is a strongly audible click at the yellow-meets-black boundary in every last groove. Both sides. On every copy I heard (only 4, but if that’s not a pattern…). Meaning “CLICK” is what you hear ~66 times every minute that you listen to that record.
New records and the purported technological improvements… yeah.

I have several modern Merge Records with a variety of problems - distortion, volume drop, unbearable background noise. Honestly, while I like their lineup, I’m at the point now where I will get any pressing that’s not Merge for their artists. I have that record but don’t recall the noise - will check later tonight. 

Weirdest record defect - the word sheep in Ella Fitzgerald’s Goody Goody - every version. Or - the sibilance in Slim Gaillards Jump Session - 3 78’s from different times and all have the same. 

I’ve never experienced a pressing defect that showed up every 90 seconds. The ones I’ve heard happen every revolution as the defect comes around again. It may be in the recording itself, although I can’t imagine how it got there. Every 90 seconds?  Strange.