NEWS FLASH!
In case you missed it (and we know you didn’t): last Monday March 19th was the street date for the exciting new releases we’ve been talking about for the last few months — Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Neil Michael Hagerty, Appendix Out and The Galactic Zoo Dossier. Actually, the nation of retail people who cared enough had these unparalleled new releases out on their shelves starting on Friday (it’s the perk we offer our direct stores — beat the competition!) with the exceptional exception of the East Coast — more on which in a moment. But yeah, on Monday, those records hit the streets and we haven’t had a moment of sleep since! Some shopkeepers who hadn’t previously heard the latest offering from the Bonnie ‘Prince’ have been phoning in their pleasure and excitement. Others of their brethren have opined that the new Appendix Out release, The Night is Advancing, is their best ever! And who are we to argue? Their record knocks us out. The way they save the best for last (with the anthemic “Organise a March”) is so classy.
But best of all, in terms of marketplace reaction, is the steady, almost grudging acceptance of the Neil Michael Hagerty LP. The reaction to his demanding debut reminds us of the collective question mark that flew like a flag over the country in 1990 and ’91 when Twin Infinitives was young. The remark then was, “Huh?!?!” And now a vinyl copy of that seminal work is a much sought-after collector’s piece. And it still sounds great and baffling. But when it comes to Neil Michael Hagerty, we like what was posted on the Other Music website: “you're not going to be drawing many parallels with anything else you've heard before — at least none which are going to register with any direct spikes of recognition. There's a rigorous formlessness to this self-portrait that belies not only a fascination with 'folkloric' imagery but also with the idea...of himself as part of the 'folk.' Yet this is still a humble album, which makes it all the more beguiling and great.” Cheers, Other Music! And cheers to all our newly released records they’re a triumphant triumvirate of latter-day rock n roll.
MONDAY MONDAY
SO, like we were saying, any store who dared to order direct from us received the bonus of having these new LPs, CDs and magazines days before anyone else. In other words, the Friday before the release date. And we were set to get it done, too. But then, UPS stepped in. They picked up a truckload of COD orders destined for the East Coast and parked the whole thing in a remote parking lot for over a day, thus delaying each and every East Coast shipment. Man, if you like hearing phones ringing, you should have been here last Friday! Every shop from Florida to Maine was calling in with the bad news — the fans were amassing around the cash register, waiting for that box to cross the threshold, with a hungry look in their collective (tearful) eye — and the shipment was nowhere to be found! It kinda makes you wonder what the weekend was like after that. No new releases in town, no hope until Monday — it’s a sure bet a lot of extra drugs were sold that weekend. But then Monday came and so did the boxes. And then everyone bought the records and went home and the stores reordered with us. And a lot of extra drugs were bought and sold. I tell you, there’s nothing like America today.
NEXT!
Your next big drug shipment should be scheduled to coincide with our next big release date — can you wait? Which would be on or about April 24th. That’s the day that the all-new U.S. Maple opus touches down across the world. It’s called Acre Thrills — and boy is it ever thrilling. For those of you who thought Talker was the best thing you ever heard — Acre Thrills is gonna please your ass off. To say it’s better than Talker would be an insult, wouldn’t it? But that’s what you want to hear, isn’t it? To be concise, it’s pure, deep-cut Maple packaged with their usual eye-popping combination of elegance and something a bit more ambiguous. Which is to say — ashes and snot. Vinyl fans, look out — the packaging of the LP is one of the finest things in a 12” jacket that we’ve ever seen. It’s matched only by the depth and dimensionality of the HQ-180 premium vinvl pressing. The soft parts are as hot as the loud ones. And Al Johnson’s voice gets right up in your ear. God, it sounds fucking great!
Then there’s Imitation Electric Piano. This record will hit you right when you live — if you live in the not-too-distant future, that is! Yeah, Imitation Electric Piano jam the tunes out in a jazzy mode (does anyone remember the way jazz used to be?), but augmented with the chiming of rhythm guitars, loops of keyboards and rubber-dubby bass backings. It’s just an EP, but a great 20 minutes out of your future. In case you haven’t guessed already, IEP hail from the land of the Brits (Britain, people...) and are poised to be a sensation of one kind or another. We’re excited about this record, but we’re trying to keep it together. Join us, would you...Beyond that, we’ve got a pair of chanteuses who sing it Drag City style: Edith Frost and Cynthia Dall. They’ve both got new records coming up in the summertime months, so slip on (or off) a sundress and get ready for the sounds of earth-shattering beauty that are on their way with the hot weather. Because Edith and Cindy are going to bring that noise. There will be hits galore when Wonder Wonder and Sound Restores Young Men come around. More on which in the coming months (and newsletters).
RETURN OF THE FUCKING CHAMPS
Yeah, they’re back on the fucking road, all right. The tour’s gonna be fucking huge — coast to coast, from Spring to Summer, almost. Pretty good for a group whose record came out six months ago. Rumor also has it that their opening band, Drunk Horse, is also a kick-ass outfit, featuring not only solid-rock underpinnings, but also a southern vibe and great harmonies. So if you like the rock, you’ll get ye to the Fucking Champs show in your neck of the woods soon. More details? Check the tourdates page, pal.
COIN TOSSERS
What’s the matter with you children of the world out there? We offer you just the kind of souvenir that’s going to survive whatever fiery holocaust is going to happen one of these days — not to mention a souvenir bearing the proud insignias of not only Papa M and his smash LP Live From a Shark Cage, but also the proud insignia of Drag City, as well...and what do you do? You play it cool, which would be cool any day of the week, but today we’re talking about something rare, sparsely-distributed and destined to survive nuclear attack (can you say the same for yourself?). One of these days, we’re all going to be living elsewhere, under a different name (Papa M for sure) and nothing is going to be the way it used to be. And you’re going to be sorry you didn’t pick yourself up one of those souvenir coins from this very special time. Do you think anybody would remember the US bicentennial without those little coins to jog the memory? The answer is no, kids — and given that we’ve got less than a hundred left, you better write that check for your Papa M keepsake today.
GALACTIC ZOO DOSSIER
The reviews are in — the Galactic Zoo Dossier #5 is too much! And not just in price, either — the awesome content of each little article, the pristine quality of the Damaged Guitar God Trading Cards, the fuzzed-out heaviness of the bonus CD, the thickness of the overall package...they’re all too much! We agree — and though we’re not inclined to say we told you so, we did — but we’re glad you dig it. And we know it will make your next pot party glow that much more brightly. Turn on a friend — to the Galactic Zoo Dossier.
EUREKA THE MOVIE
It’s coming...so on the first week of May, so if you’re living in one of America’s big cities, take a loved one out to your local art-house and give it a look. But more importantly, give it a listen! Because our boy O’Rourke has his “Eureka” song (from his Eureka album) in there. It’s a highlight of the movie, natch. As well as the trailer. Next up: an academy award nomination for Jimbo? Eureka!