Oh man, People in a Position to Know Records have just announced preorders for a slew of picnic plate 7"'s! I don't even understand how that's possible but Christmas got me into their stuff as of late and I jumped on that one...the rest of these guys I don't really know, but they're all letterpressed sleeves...this is just an amazing project. I hope he collects them in some kind of box. Amazing.
Hello! It has been predictably busy in PIAPTK HQ. Over the summer, we've been focusing on putting the new record lathes to work making one-sided flexi singles out of picnic plates. The "tonal coloring" and slight loss of fidelity that these records have hopefully adds to the experience and gives the songs a new flavor. You are helping to save a poor innocent picnic plate from the indignity of being used to hold hot wings and then carelessly discarded. They sound much better than you'd ever imagine.
And the covers were all hand-letterpressed, with hand-set type at the Community Print, Olympia's own community owned print shop. They are little pieces of art, in my opinion.
NOW, onto the Preorders. These will ship within the next week or two.
Benoit Pioulard - Little a Strongly More Grow I Picnic Plate
Lathe 7": - $5
On loan from Kranky, Benoit Pioulard churned out a harmonium version of a beautiful, echoey anthem for a one-sided picnic plate. Comes in Hand-set Letterpressed covers. Only 66 made! You can check out the original version of the tune at his Myspace
Perhaps I'm biased, but I think the Harmonium version is even better than the original!
Black Prairie - Blackest Crow Lathe Cut Picnic Plate 7": - $5
This is a one-sided single from Black Prairie (Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee and Nate Query from the Decemberists). A great old timey bluegrass tune. Comes in hand-set letter pressed covers. Only 111 made!
Electric Sunset - Destroyer Picnic Plate 7": - $5
Former Desolation Wilderness frontman, Nick Zwart, just released a killer album under the name Electric Sunset on K Records. It's got the same dreamy shoegaze that Desolation Wilderness had, but in a more electronic and synthy vein. Destroyer is a killer new track that
recently debuted on K's Zip-Pak (which you should definitely check out if you are a fan of music in it's digital form). Only 100 made, in hand-set letterpressed covers.
Amo Joy - "Straight To Plate" Live to Lathe Picnic Plate 7"+ CD: - $7
In the middle of their last West Coast tour, Amo Joy (one of my favorite psych pop bands out these days) took a day off in Olympia and spent all day recording live, straight into my three Presto 6N Record lathes. They recorded 7 songs, 5 times each. Each lathe added it's own unique coloring, and on average only two of the three lathes provided a usable recording. We also ran an output from the mixer into my computer to record raw digital versions of the amazing power-pysch-pop tunes. We then spent the night hand-making covers for all of them. Puff Paint,
Collages, paintings, etc were all employed. Every one of these records is unique. The performance was a one-time deal. Includes a CD-R with one performance of each song. Only 70 made! If you buy more than one copy, I will make sure that you get different songs for each one.
Christmas - Santa Cruz Picnic Plate Lathe 7": - $5
One of Olympia's best live bands, Spazz-Post-Psych-Surf-Punkers Christmas made this for their US tour. You can check out Santa Cruz and other tracks at their Myspace. It comes in hand-set Letterpressed covers... Only 55 made.
Lazer Zeppelin - Jane Jane Picnic Plate Lathe 7": - $5
Lazer Zeppelin is back with a brand new track called Jane Jane. As fuzzy and lo-fi and beautiful as you would expect. It comes in a letterpressed cover, which is only embossed... no ink was harmed in the making of this cover. You can check out a live version of Jane Jane on their Myspace. Ltd Ed of 77.
Safe - Carolina Picnic Plate Lathe 7": - $5
I saw San Francisco electronic duo Safe at a festival on a farm this summer and they blew me away! So, here is a single of their new track Carolina. In hand-set letterpressed covers. Ltd ed of 55.
Next up is the annual David Bazan single from Suicide Squeeze... they just make me say, another year already! Haven't been into them lately, but I also have that disease where since I already have the first 4 or 5, I'm stuck having to get the rest. Just like this fucking Star Wars in 3D! I'm going to have to see it. I'm a sick person!
A bunch of different colors so you can make sure you go insane picking them all up on top of everything else.
DAVID BAZAN
"WISH MY KIDS WERE HERE" b/w "I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY"
Here we go. The seventh installment of David Bazan's Christmas Singles Series has arrived. Suicide Squeeze Records has it – limited to 1000 copies (200 Orange, 400 Opaque Red, 400 Opaque Yellow). This 7-inch EP opens with a Bazan original, a heartbreaker of a track titled, "Wish My Kids Were Here." The flip revisits an old favorite, Longfellow's "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," an update on a song he first recorded/released, in 2002, at the start of the series. The holidays promise transcendence, just around a corner. But Bazan knows better: things get pretty hopeless when family and true friendship are left behind. Music helps, certainly, songs can help to save us at such times...
Then Trouble in Mind Records comes out with another batch of 4 singles...I definitely am going to pick these two up...Personal & the Pizza's awesome punk pop and Wounded Lion doing their Muppet Babies track. I think it's hilarious those guys used to have all these songs about star wars and muppet babies on their myspace. Talk about a piece of work.
TIM018: Personal & the Pizzas "I Want You" b/w "(Don't Trust No) Party Boy" - P & da P's are back and this time they're getting a little sensitive. NOT SOFT, no way, man... but a little more down to heart maybe... a little more PERSONAL...know whut I mean? The A-side "I Want You" is right up there with those great mid-tempo Ramones ballads - Is it about a girl or a pizza? Don't know, don't wanna know...all we know is it's one killer tune. The B-Side, "(Don't Trust No) Party Boy" is a warning to all you out there that think that you can tame a "Party Boy"...well, It ain't happening and all you're gonna end up with is a big fat "I told you so." Leave it to Personal to teach you all a lesson or two (or three?) The single comes housed in the Trouble In Mind factory sleeve, includes a download code, & the first press comes on randomly mixed colored vinyl!
TIM019: Wounded Lion "Pointed Sticks" b/w "Muppet Babies" - So you think you know the glam rock, huh? Well, L.A.'s Wounded Lion are here to school you otherwise by serving up one killer mutant Gary Glitter (via Lamps) sludge glam masterpiece on this 7-inch! The A-Side, "Pointed Sticks" is no ode to the Canadian power poppers of the same name, but it's sure to stick in your head for days & get those club feet a'tappin'! The B-Side is a surreal exploration of the story of Oedipus via a forgotten Saturday morning gang... THE MUPPET BABIES. We probably shouldn't say anymore other than the fact that this single is literally and figuratively two sides of one of the most creative bands going these days. The single comes housed in the Trouble In Mind factory sleeve, includes a download code, & the first press comes on randomly mixed colored vinyl!
Then Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records had to go and press this single from Sourpatch...I swear I have one of their earlier singles and loved it...unassuming indie, guy/girl vocals...really having a good time with the sound, a little shoegaze, a little twee. When you can combine all of these good times into one single then you've really got something. Another, better, kinder, gentler high school time....and it's an EP with 4 tracks...they're all great. If Nodzzz and the Softies got too wasted and woke up with each other.
SOURPATCH - Mira Mija - Happy Happy Birthday To Me - HHBTM 125
"Four friends switching off song writing duties over four tracks on what might be the best single this year. I could make up some crap to try to sell you this record, but I think Keenan Dowers of the Three Imaginary Girls sums this band up perfectly. 'I've been a fan of this band since last San Francisco popfest when they blew me away with their Tiger Trap-esque perfect indie pop punk and swooning boy girl vocals, and this was by far the best show I've ever seen them play. They are living proof that hardcore drummers should also always also be in indie pop bands. For a band that is heavily influenced by Rose Melberg's louder endeavors, you could tell they were nervous to be opening up for Go Sailor, but they channeled their nervous energy perfectly to produce a little slice of indie pop heaven.'" Limited to 500 copies in a silkscreen sleeve w/ digital download.
