Hey, buddy, do you still have a mailbox and know what a four-track is? If not you can stop reading RIGHT THE FUCK NOW, because the news in this post is not for you.
Cool. Well, for those of you who actually do meet the criteria to read this post, I’ve got an exciting news-nugget from the folks at Polyvinyl for you. Turns out they’re kicking off a brand spanking new 7-inch subscription series. Starting in January of 2014, every month you can get a neato little 7-inch record thing delivered right to that mailbox you contractually promised you own before reading this paragraph. Each release will feature different artists like Cloud Nothings, John Vanderslice, and Mikal Cronin, as well as approximately nine others, since that adds up to 12 and that is how many months there are in a year.
I can tell from the smug look that I’m imagining on your face you’re not sure that this whole thing is sufficiently neat or gimmicky enough for you. Well hold the phone, buster, because I haven’t told you the best part. Basically, the foundational element in this thing is that all the songs were recorded on a Tascam 4-track that the artists mailed around the world to each other. The device has reportedly traveled over 20,000 miles at this point, making it just about due for an oil change and tire rotation. The artists were given free reign over what they recorded, with the only restriction being that that they couldn’t just record their own farts, so the resultant exclusive tracks will range from covers to new songs to re-workings of existing recordings.
In addition to the records themselves, the series also comes with a special box to house all the records in, and artwork designed by Jason Munn. And! If you subscribe before December 31 you get some other goodies, including a special turntable slipmat and t-shirt to wear on parts of your body that include your arms and chest. Also, I guess I probably should have told you sooner that the series is limited to 500 subscribers, since time is probably of the essence if you want to get in there and order before it sells out. My bad. Well, I’m telling you now. Oh, and here’s a link to more info and a full list of contributors where you can also subscribe by clicking some additional links and paying money.
• Polyvinyl: http://www.polyvinylrecords.com