R. Stevie Moore - I Missed July 7inch

I'll never forget Sweater & Pearls' owner, Jason Dean, and his enthusiasm when he first told me about their newest release for R. Stevie Moore.  Allow me to go ahead and call myself out... I had no idea who R. Stevie Moore was at the time, but Jason was so excited and proud, I had to go along with it and be supportive.  Thankfully, that is what friends (and blogs) are for... to introduce each other to new music!  

I am going to skip the introduction of Mr. Moore and assume that if you are in my same shoes, you've already GTSed his name and are scratching you head as I was, trying to figure out how you missed this homegrown icon.  "I Missed July" was recorded in 1978, while the b-side for the 7inch release, "Traded My Heart For Your Parts," is from 1993.  The former not unlike an unreleased track from Brian Eno's 1977 album Before and After Science that didn't quite make the cut between side-a and side-b.   Moore's low-if pop qualities on both tracks are appealing, and after my own intriguing world wide web research, apparently are very influential within the indie community; I think this guy may have taught Robert Pollard a thing or two.

After Sweater & Pearls' Soccer Mom release, I was anxiously awaiting to see what they would do with the packing for their follow up.  Unfortunately I was not one of the first fifty, who received a very attractive matchbook sleeve, hand screened by artist Travis Kostell.  However, the handwritten liner notes printed on yellow lined notepad paper was a nice touch.  Sweaters & Pearls even include the music transcribed for "Traded My Heart For Your Parts" so you can play along.  

For me, the winning vote came when I pulled out the beautiful red opaque 7inch vinyl; there is just something about opaque colored vinyl that I am a sucker for.  The red truly compliments the over-saturated photo used for the cover art - a childhood photo of R. Stevie Moore, one may ask (wait, is that Elvis swimming in the pool?!).

Great forth release for the Brooklyn based label!  Keep 'em coming Mr. Dean!

Soccer Mom - You Are Not Going To Heaven

First off... I love this record! I love it for so many reasons (that we will get to in a moment), but let's start with the music and then dive into the fun stuff: the packaging. Side-a / track-1, "(A) Natural History," is simply the perfect start to what is a brilliantly constructed record. Immediately, I fantasize that this record was mislabeled and I'm actually listening to Swervedriver's long lost demo recordings (pre-Raise); Soccer Mom "never (lost) that feeling" and nailed it spot-on right out of the gate with this opening track. (I'm sure over time everyone reading this blog is going to quickly learn that I'm a hugeübersupersucker for shoegaze / wall-of-sound / driving guitars.)

"American Shirt (Eagle Flag 911)" and "Celebrity Unrest" continue to back this introductory resemblance, but adding in additional references of My Bloody Valentine (especially the open guitar tones of "American Shirt (Eagle Flag 911)") and Sonic Youth. Singer / Guitarist, Will Scales, has a 1990's / Thurston Moore style of delivering his words; direct, raw, and often with a coolness. Danielle Deveau's baselines are straightforward and infectious, doing what bass players are supposed to do.

As I eluded to in the beginning, not only has the music from this EP caught my attention, but the interactive packaging really stands out. There is a heavyweight paper with an image of lines floating above the record jacket, allowing the listener to slide it up and down, changing the view from the title of the EP, 'You Are Not Going To Heaven,' to the name of the band, Soccer Mom. On the flip side, this movement provides you with the song titles from side-a to side-b. All of the typography on the record jacket itself is embossed into a thick, white cardboard with black ink; stunning.

Moving inside the package, the first thing I find is a printed copy of my favorite Peanuts cartoon; the one where Linus is telling Lucy,"Buying records cheers me up... Whenever I feel low, I buy some new records.." (so true). I'm not sure if I was special to receive this, but either way it worked for me.

I love that Sweaters & Pearls and 100m Records (split release) thought to use a manilla record sleeve, rather than the traditional white sleeves; it's a welcomed unique touch that you don't see too often. The cut-to-bleed photo with liner notes insert makes what could appear to be a more low-fi project official. Add in the glossy download card for MP3s that matches the line-image of the cover art as well, and you now know this is not another Belle & Sebastian high school project for art class.

For me, two other factors wrap it up as a stellar release for Soccer Mom, Sweaters & Pearls, and 100m Records: white vinyl and a 10inch record. It's a nice solid piece of wax that feels so innocent, taking us back to that low-fi feeling, which is what I'm loving so much (ultimately) about this record. The artwork on the center labels appears to be hand stamped: white paper label with red ink; purposeful (a), hospitable (thanks), and all that is necessary.

Everything from the music to the design is eclectic and contrasting, yet sits so well together. You'd expect to only be able to buy this record from the bass player's car after their show in the parking lot behind the club, as well as see it on the well illuminated shelves of Newbury Comics. The fun nature of the packing might lead you to think that Soccer Mom is the next pop-infused affair from Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields), but yet as your needle clears the lead-in you quickly realize Soccer Mom's 10inch EP (musically as well as physically) pays great tribute to indie rock releases from when vinyl was all we knew (SEE: Magic Eye Singles, Decoder Ring, Emperor Jones, SharkAttack!, Pop Narcotic, SpinArt, Omnibus, Vulva, Fist Puppet, Our Own Records). RIYL: Why are so many people addicted to indie rock music?