Bis Aufs Messer Weekly News 04 Feb 2025
Hi, welcome to anoither newsletter for February - a couple new and old records arrived like GRIEF - s/t LP & GRIEF - Dismal LP restocks, lots of Godspeed Your Black emperor and Silver Mt Zion Restocks, JOE MCPHEE - I’m Just Say’n LP, a few THOU restocks (Magus etc), AUA - Painkiller No.1 LP, BARBARA SIGNER - Beams Boy LP, CAP´N JAZZ – shmap´n shmazz (30th anniversary edition) LP, a few Dark Entries restocks like Crash Course of Rhinos, Linda Aspera … , the ltd GIROTUNA - Elektronische Selectie LP, HUGO RANDULV - Drunkna I Ljus LP on Discreet, ROLAND KAYN - Elektroakustische Projekte & Makro 5xCD BOX and the long awaited CINDY LEE - Diamond Jubilee 3xLP, LAURIE TORRES - Après coup LP and more
The PALATKA pre order albums should be also with us soon.
We also added (adding) a bunch more second hand LPs and 7“s and Tapes to our discogs
https://www.discogs.com/seller/XMESSERX
Thank you as usual
Til then thank you for all your orders & support.
Robert & Norman
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LP
AUA - 3×LP Box Set (crazy sane - (Ltd. to 100) Containing all three albums of the band: Painkiller No. 1 (2024) – Painkiller Splatter Editio, The Damaged Organ (2022) – Pink/Purple Galaxy Edition, I Don’t Want It Darker (2020) – A/B Splatter Green/Pink Edition Alle packed in a fancy BOX) 89.00
AUA - Painkiller No.1 LP (crazysane - AUA’s third studio album, Painkiller No. 1, marks the culmination of a compelling trilogy that showcases the evolution of the duo’s sound and vision. Following the introspective depths of The Damaged Organ (2022) and the explosive exuberance of their debut, I Don’t Want It Darker (2020), the latest offering by multi-instrumentalists Fabian Bremer and Henrik Eichmann is a testament to their dynamic artistry and enduring friendship. Once again written and self-recorded between their home studios and a remote vacation cabin, Painkiller No. 1 is an intricate mosaic of sonic variety and complex songwriting, reflecting the band’s pursuit to keep things moving. Teaming up with mixing and mastering engineer Magnus Wichmann has led to a more polished and transparent production while retaining the grittiness typical for AUA’s sound. For the visual component, the collaboration continues between the band’s own Fabian Bremer and Serbian artist Mihailo Kalabic, whose surreal digital sculptures perfectly complement the album’s nuanced and tangled themes) 25.00
BARBARA SIGNER - Beams Boy LP (Individual handmade sleeves, double-sided a4 inlay with logo stamp, 12“ in Katta Sleeve LTD TO 40 copies - A handbag purchased in Tokyo in the early 2000s reappears in the present, containing a series of personal items: a T-shirt, a CD, five cassettes, and three mini-DVs. Sifting through the material, Barbara Signer rediscovers all kinds of forgotten memories and hidden traces of the past. While the video cassettes were recorded in the streets of Tokyo at the turn of the millennium, the audio tapes contain music from Nick Kamen to Vivaldi, as well as the artist’s own voice, recorded directly to tape at the end of the 1980s. On »Beams Boy,« Signer repurposes and reassembles the rediscovered materials. The first composition creates contrasts and tensions through rapid shifts, breaks, and movements reminiscent of Musique concrète and cut-up techniques. We're in the midst of a vibrant and unstabile soundscape, torn between different materialities and temporalities, encountering harmonies and vocal lines that we instantly recognize alongside sounds and noises that speak to us in other, less direct ways. Signer’s child voice guides us through this dense and chaotic sound world. Structuring and commenting on the material, the voice is a haunting presence, clearly located in another time and space, yet here, addressing us in the present. While the first piece resembles the chaos and emotional overload of everyday life, with all its sounds, colors, smells, and physical encounters, the second composition leads us into a more dreamlike territory. A sense of calm sets in, the impressions of the day begin to be processed. A strangely soothing soundscape unfolds, where down pitched vocal recordings become groovy bass lines and effects-laden violas create a lulling, yet not entirely comforting atmosphere. The strange simultaneity of relaxation, contemplation, and eeriness feels like lying in bed at night, half awake, with traces of thoughts and memories wandering through before you finally drift off. Music by Barbara Signer Mix by Marcel Gschwend Thank you to: Carlos Hidalgo, Aleksandra & Roman Signer, Michael Bodenmann Artwork by Laurin Huber Inlay design by Kim Fiebiger & Raphael Wicki Text by Laurin Huber) 38.00
CAP´N JAZZ – shmap´n shmazz (30th anniversary edition) LP (polyvinyl - WHITE VINYL - Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards in the Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We've Slipped On and Egg Shells We've Tippy Toed Over is Cap'n Jazz's first and only full-length album, originally released in 1995 on Man With Gun Records.
Undoubtedly one of the most influential albums ever to be released (if not of all time, then definitely of 1995), Burritos...has spawned more bands than words in its title. Often shortened to just Shmap’n Shmazz, the record was released when the members — Tim Kinsella, Mike Kinsella, Victor Villarreal, Sam Zurick, and Davey von Bohlen — were mere teenagers, with future bands such as American Football, The Promise Ring, Joan of Arc, Owls, Owen and more but a twinkle in the eye of their collective discographies.) 34.00
CINDY LEE - Diamond Jubilee 3xLP (W.25TH - Superior Viaduct/W.25TH continue to be the home for Cindy Lee with the physical release of the celebrated album Diamond Jubilee. Universally praised, shortlisted for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize, and already hailed by Pitchfork as the 3rd best album of the 2020s, anticipation and conversation around the record has been high. Cindy Lee is the performance and songwriting vehicle of Patrick Flegel (who previously fronted influential indie group Women). Over several albums, Flegel has combined delicate melodies and sheer beauty with moments of experimentation. With Diamond Jubilee, Flegel's undeniable songcraft comes to the foreground, embracing a more instant connection and accessibility. Timeless tales of love and longing, surrounded by sticky hooks, take the listener on an unforgettable journey. Diamond Jubilee was written and recorded over several years by Patrick Flegel in Toronto, Durham, Calgary and Montreal at Realistik Studios. The album was mixed by Steven Lind, who also contributes to several tracks and co-wrote "Baby Blue," and was mastered by Joshua Stevenson.) 50.00
CORPS DIPLOMATIQUE - Dans Ta Nuit LP (Dark Entries - French coldwave act Corps Diplomatique comes to Dark Entries with Dans Ta Nuit, a collection of tracks recorded between 1984-1987. Founded in Marseille by Olivier Aubin, Marie-Eve Bensussan, Patrick Loubet and Nicolas Pélissie, Corps Diplomatique remain shrouded in mystery. The band only released one 7” during their time, 1988’s Paradis I, in addition to appearing with three tracks on the La Muse Vénale compilation, a holy grail for devotees of the French coldwave. Dans Ta Nuit brings us nine tracks from this cult band, seven of which have never before appeared on vinyl. These cuts are raw and unembellished but not at the expense of dramatic tension. Tracks like “Sin of Flesh” and “Eros Phobia” deliver the kind of high octane mix of despair and ecstasy that coldwave enthusiasts crave. Comparisons are inevitably to be made with fellow Marseille act Martin Dupont, and the bands were indeed close; Alain Séghir from Martin Dupont lent Corps Diplomatique synthesizers for their own recording endeavors. Cold hearts care for each other. The cover art for Dans Ta Nuit includes photographs of the band from a 1985 concert in Marseille, and the record includes an insert that includes a photograph of the band as well as lyrics and notes.) 28.00
EXECUTIVE SLACKS - Seams Ruff LP + flexi disc (dark entries - Executive Slacks began in the hot, humid summer of 1980 Philadelphia by Matt Marello, John Young and Albert Ganss, three bored, broke, anxious art students. Starting out with performance art in subways, they soon took their angst-ridden act to galleries and night clubs. The band found their moniker in a run-down bookstore after seeing an ad for men) 27.00
GARY MARKS - Gathering LP (lantern - Gary Marks ‘ Gathering’ is exactly what you would call a miracle. Self-produced in 1974 and engineered at Vitra Sonic Recording Studios in New York, the album introduced the crispy talent of the guitarist/pianist and producer. A genuine blend of folksy harmonies and jazzy arrangements, the record could have been possibly the missing link between Tim Buckley ‘Starsailor’ and some early seventies Impulse ! session. Now it’s about time to get a hold of this masterpiece ”Gathering includes guitar legend John Scofield, the amazing jazz pianist Michael Cochrane, and one the of the top vibraphonists in the world, David Samuels. But at the time none of them were known to the general public. In fact, Gathering was the recording debut for all of us.” (from Gary Marks liner notes)) 30.00
GRIEF - Dismal LP (Pure filth fueled by misanthropy and inner segregation has been immortalized on GRIEF's "dismal", a record recognized as a benchmark in extreme music.
HEAVY riffs and damaged, painful shrieks spew thoughts of alienation and self-hatred; primitive drums and bass complement the despondent ambiance. Truly a genre-defining release, available for the first time since it's original release in 1992. Featuring the original artwork, remastered for both vinyl and CD by Jack Control at ENORMOUS DOOR MASTERING and pressed on 45 rpm 12" for maximum results.) 23.00
GRIEF - s/t LP (Slow, utterly depressing and misanthropic doom- the record that started it all.
4 songs twisting the style of SABBATH and VITUS further down the spiral of physical and mental decay- a testament of the human downfall. Remastered for vinyl by Jack Control at ENORMOUS DOOR MASTERING and pressed on 45 rpm 12" for maximum results.) 23.00
GIROTUNA - Elektronische Selectie LP (Another labour of love from Vrystaete with this first time vinyl compilation of Girotuna, an uber-obscure turn-of-the-century 'DIY electronics' outfit from The Netherlands who I imagine will have escaped the attentions of even the most dedicated Internetseekers. Still, if you've not heard the name before, then you will likely understand the context in which they existed. Because it's Vrystaete and because of the time-stamp and locale, Girotuna are perhaps best understood as a post-industrial act with an interest in late-C20th experimental electronics. As such, there's a confluence of drone, IDM, ambient and gritty industrial murk that's instantly engaging in its mysterious confection. The 'dirty ambient' descriptor adopted by O Yuki Conjugate can be applied here also, allied with a slightly more quixotic blend of IDM clicks and cuts that clearly positions the group adjacent to someone like Mike Paradinas or the Mille Plateaux stable without ever sounding exactly like anything attached to it. And undoubtedly, Girotuna's approach is far more homemade in feeling and texture than the more clinical sounds of any German counterparts. It's that private oddness that they gain their unique appeal. It's too easy for sounds like this to disappear without a trace - salute to Vrystaete for keeping the obscured in view (but only just - edition of 150).) 26.00
HORSEGIRL - Phonetics On and On LP (matador - There is something about the bitter cold in Chicago that unites the city in January— the two weeks in 2024 that Horsegirl spent recording Phonetics On and On were some of the coldest days in Chicago that year. With the heating off in The Loft to avoid sound interference, the band was bundled in multiple sweaters and sitting on their hands between takes. Working closely with musician/producer Cate Le Bon (Deerhunter, Kurt Vile, Wilco) Horsegirl found focus and intimacy in the studio that can only arise when it’s simply too cold to step outside. Abandoning the heavy saturation and character studies of Versions of Modern Performance, Le Bon leads them into new, bright, clear, sonic territories that highlight the inventive nature of these new songs.) 28.00
HORSEGIRL - Versions of Modern Performance LP (matador - Horsegirl are best friends. You don’t have to talk to the trio for more than five minutes to feel the warmth and strength of their bond, which crackles through every second of their debut full-length, Versions of Modern Performance. Penelope Lowenstein (guitar, vocals), Nora Cheng (guitar, vocals), and Gigi Reece (drums) do everything collectively, from songwriting to trading vocal duties and swapping instruments to sound and visual art design. “We made [this album] knowing so fully what we were trying to do,” the band says. “We would never pursue something if one person wasn’t feeling good about it. But also, if someone thought something was good, chances are we all thought it was good.) 27.00
HUGO RANDULV - Drunkna I Ljus LP (discreet - The much anticipated sophomore solo album from Hugo Randulv (Enhet För Fri Musik, Amateur Hour, Makthaverskan etc). Following up the praised Radio Arktis that was released on Förlag För Fri Musik back in 2021, Drunkna I Ljus was composed and recorded mainly during 2024 and consists of two sidelong epics based entirely on electric cello with a sparse use of controlled guitar feedback. The overall ambience and cold yet weirdly encouraging harmonies from Radio Arktis are recognizable and still present, but otherwise this is a much more stripped down affair in every possible way. While comparisons could be made with some Obscure Records classics and whatnot, this is at the same time music that owes just as much to contemporary Gothenburg as it does to experimental cassette culture in general. A minimal masterpiece of immense beauty. Mastered by Lasse Marhaug. Edition of 500 copies, comes with insert.) 26.00
JIM WHITE - All Hits: Memories LP (dar city - “Jim’s big green eyes search for the right tool (mallet, brush, etc), search you like you’re a song he wants to see if he can add to. The trap kit — so straightforward, so mysterious. Air and light, a vibration sent through prehistoric breath, particles of Saturn’s atmosphere, the dead, wet leaves you walked through...the first day of school....[All Hits: Memories] sets time free, [to] frolic, graze, and remember.” - Bill Callahan
Produced and Engineered by Guy Picciotto and Jim White) 33.00
JOE MCPHEE - I’m Just Say’n LP (small-town super sound - Free jazz poetry by a spry, 85 year old Joe McPhee, adapting his renowned improvised practice to words - juxtaposed with Mats Gustafson’s sparing brass and electric gestures. It’s an utterly timeless and transfixing salvo, another shiny notch for Smalltown Supersound’s Le Jazz Non Series. As a common ligature to the OG free jazz scene of ‘60s NYC, with formative binds to its European offshoots and the experimental avant garde, Joe McPhee is a true force of nature who has represented jazz at its freest over a remarkable lifetime. In duo with Swedish free jazz and noise standard bearer Mats Gustafson, he upends expectations with an astonishingly vivid and upfront example of his enduring contribution to freely improvised music. In 11 parts he variously reflects on everything from the neon sleaze and scuzz of NYC to contemporary US politicians and laugh out loud imitations of his previous sparring partners such as Peter Brötzmann, with a head-slapping immediacy that leaves you reeling, spellbound. McPhee’s flow of rare, organic cadence, ranging from urgent to contemplative and dreamlike, is blessed with a unique turn-of-phrase that surely mirrors his decades of instrumental work. Gustafsson, meanwhile, dextrously takes up the mantle with a multi-instrumental spectrum of sounds, leaving McPhee unbound and able to float and sting on the mic. There’s obvious wisdom in his perceptively penetrative observations, as derived from a rich cultural life well spent, but also a playful naivety and levity in his ability to veer from almost melodic speech to explosive aggression and a knowing, bathetic wit. It’s perhaps hard to believe that McPhee only started incorporating and performing spoken word in his work in the past ten years, a half century since his declaration of “What Time Is It‽” announced his arrival on a legendary debut ‘Nation Time’ (1971), ushering in one of free jazz’s most singular characters in the process.) 35.00
LAURIE TORRES - Après coup LP (tonal union - Laurie Torres is a Canadian musician and composer raised in Montréal, Québec by Haitian parents. Since 2008, she has been a trusted stage and studio performer for Julia Jacklin, Pomme, and Land of Talk, as well as being a founding member of Folly & The Hunter, with whom she recorded four studio albums and toured Canada, Europe and the UK. In 2023, Laurie shifted focus to work on her own creations, a process of making time - the will and the need becoming omnipresent. Drawing creative inspiration from contemporary artists like Tirzah, Gia Margaret, Valentina Magaletti, Tara Clerkin Trio and ML Buch, 'Après coup' finds Torres intersecting at a pivotal moment where artists whose marginalized identities are at the forefront in creating a beautiful array of "other options". "Being othered and tokenized as a woman who plays music, as well as a queer and black person, takes a toll, while also positively feeding a strong urge to push and be seen.“ Centering around piano, drums and synthesizer with interweaving field recordings, 'Après coup' follows the precursor ep 'Correspondances' in the form of a sprawling 11-track album. Translating directly from French - afterwards, after the event - its title subliminally points at something deeper between the lines. Recorded in 2023 between tours in a small window of time where 'normal' life hadn't quite recommenced, Torres meticulously crafted her debut solo material in view of surrounding nature, all providing the perfect nourishment for long streams of improvisation. Built right up to the edge of a lake, Studio Wild in St-Zénon, Québec offered an unparalleled location and set up for her freeform creativity.)
PARADE GROUND - The Hidden Side LP (dark entries - Parade Ground march back to Dark Entries with The Hidden Side, a compilation of B-sides and unreleased material. Brothers Jean-Marc and Pierre Pauly started Parade Ground in Brussels in 1981. Their Dada-laced brand of post-punk fuses propulsive drum machines and icy synths with skeletal guitar riffs and Jean-Marc’s distinct and powerful voice, pioneering the subgenre of emotional body music. The brothers met Daniel B. and Patrick Codenys of Front 242 in 1982, marking the beginning of an enduring collaborative partnership. In 2011, Dark Entries released The Golden Years, a compilation chronicling the band’s A-sides and exposing them to a new generation of EBM enthusiasts. The Hidden Side continues this mission, illuminating lesser-known facets of the band’s oeuvre. The tracks here were written between 1982 and 1989, and showcase Parade Ground’s range of styles - all cold, dark, and brooding. Tracks like “Riddle in the Stain Glass Window” and the previously unreleased “Looking Through Keyholes” see the band in menacing coldwave mode, rocking chorus-drenched bass guitar and blasts of analog synth. The band’s dancier proclivities shine elsewhere, like on “Off-Balance” or the supremely funky “Hollywood (The Sexiest Fish),” a floor-filler driven by bass guitar and thumping digital drum machine beats. Also included is “Marble Mind,” a previously unreleased latter-period track from the band recorded by Patrick Codenys at 242 Studio. The Hidden Side includes liner notes featuring lyrics and a photo of Jean-Marc and Pierre Pauly. Additionally, a newly remastered edition of The Golden Years will be released along with The Hidden Side.) 28.00
RALPH HEIDEL - anyways.onto better things LP (friends with oranges - Ralph Heidel's third studio album, "anyways. onto better things," is his most personal and intimate work to date, focusing on hope while not shying away from heaviness. With a wink, he bids farewell to a time when making music became a survival strategy. Heidel, who has established himself as a jazz prodigy, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and sought-after producer (including Apsilon, Casper, Finn Ronsdorf, Bazzazian), demonstrates on this album his unique ability to express emotional depth and complexity through tender, haunting melodies and a deeply sensitive production. His solo work is characterized by the interplay of analog and electronic sounds, featuring intimate piano themes and warm saxophone. The album was created in Heidel's studio at Funkhaus Berlin, surrounded by his instruments —alto and C saxophones, flute, an August Förster piano, and various analog synthesizers This essential space for Heidel fostered an independent creative process over 1.5 years. The process and Funkhaus became a refuge for the composer, allowing him to turn into music what his heart and mind could not articulate. "anyways. onto better things" begins at the end. With "end credits," an apocalyptic opener that sounds like the end of the world, it immediately conveys the central themes of the album: farewell and beginning, love and pain, life and death. Where does this journey lead if everything must be given up right from the start? With "wake up," the second track, the exploration begins: supported by renowned Japanese jazz composer Jun Miyake (who has worked with Pina Bausch and Robert Wilson), whose flugelhorn solo evokes a longing for departure into an uncertain future. The song shifts i dynamics from complex arrangements of woodwinds, drums (played by Simon Popp), and electronic sounds to reduced passages where the flugelhorn stands alone.) 25.00
SQUID - cowards LP (warp - Squid's new album 'Cowards' is about evil. Nine stories whose protagonists reckon with cults, charisma and apathy. Real and imagined characters wading into the dark ocean between right and wrong. 'Cowards' is Squid's bravest album yet: it simultaneously grows in scope and returns to basics. The band recorded 'Cowards' at Church Studios in Crouch End with Mercury Prize-winning producers Marta Salogni and Grace Banks. Production was also handled by their long-time shifu and collaborator Dan Carey, who recorded the band's first two albums. The record was mixed in Seattle by John McEntire (Tortoise) before being compressed by the rich analogue chain of Heba Kadry's mastering in Brooklyn, New York. Squid have come a long way since forming in 2016 as an instrumental jazz band for a monthly night in Brighton. Their debut album, Bright Green Field (2021), was released as the world began to reopen after the pandemic, and they made it into the top 5 of the UK charts. In 2023 they released their second album, the brooding O Monolith, which took the band all over the world and broke new ground that seemed barely possible years before. Both albums managed to place in the top 100 here.) 30.00
ZEMENT - Passagen LP (crazysane - Following the success of their third album, Rohstoff, which introduced psychedelic undertones into their mix, Passagen is set to take Zement’s exploration of sound even further. It delivers more disco, more punch, more glitter, more motorik, more jazz. The endless meditation on the architecture of mind and the movement of bodies continues! Join us on this journey! Recorded by Florian Helleken at Hersbrooklyn Recordings, mixed by Lolo Blümler at Iron Bar Studios, and mastered by Chris Hielscher at Subsounddistortion. Artwork & Design by Sabrina Zeltner and Philipp Dittmar by Complex Pleasures.) 25.00
ZEMENT - Rohstoff LP (crazysane - “The German Neo-Kraut/Psychedelic duo ZEMENT return with their third LP sounding better and more focused than before! Combining the wonder of the autobahn with intelligent nods to techno and free jazz, Rohstoff constitutes an endless meditation on the architecture of mind and the movement of bodies.”) 24.00
V/A - Pacific Breeze 3: Japanese City Pop, AOR And Boogie 1975-1987 DLP (lita - Light in the Attic’s Pacific Breeze series has supplied the world’s growing legions of Japanese music fans with an expertly curated selection of the most sought-after City Pop recordings—the mesmerizing and nebulous genre of Japanese bubble-era music of the 70s-80s that encompasses AOR, R&B, jazz fusion, funk, boogie and disco. These familiar sounds are spun through the unique lens of optimistic, cosmopolitan fantasy colored by Japan’s affluence at the time. Much of the music has previously been nearly impossible to acquire outside of Japan and continues to captivate listeners with its unique blend of groove-laden escapism, even birthing wholly new genres such as Vaporwave. Pacific Breeze 3: Japanese City Pop, AOR & Boogie 1975-1987 marks the latest chapter in the famed series and features holy grails plus under-the-radar rarities. The collection bursts at the seams to reveal some of the greatest Japanese tracks ever laid to tape, pushing towards the edge of City Pop to reveal glimmers of the next waves of styles to spring forth from the country’s creative minds. The appearance of Pizzicato Five hint at the emergence of Shibuya-kei while the influence of hip hop and electro as an emerging global trend are also evident here through the prevalence of heavier programmed drum beats on tracks such as “Heartbeat” by Miho Fujiwara) 26.00
CD
ROLAND KAYN - Elektroakustische Projekte & Makro 5xCD BOX (Reiger Records Reeks is set to release a new 5CD box set dedicated to Roland Kayn’s Cybernetic Music. The collection is based on the original recordings from the Lydia and Roland Kayn Archive, which were sensibly remastered by Jim O’Rourke. The box set includes the tracks from legendary opuses Makro I, II, III, created at the Institute for Sonology, and Elektroakustische Projekte, featuring works like Cybernetic I, II, and III, which were recorded at the Studio di Fonologia in Milan, alongside Entropy PE31, Monades, and Eon. These pieces – previously available only on rare out-of-print vinyl editions – highlight both Kayn’s innovative approach to musical structures and his significant impact on the development of electronic and cybernetic compositions. Roland Kayn poetically described Makro (1977) during an interview with Mark van de Voort: “Makro breathes in and breathes out, then it breathes in again before disappearing into the dark.” This imagery emphasizes the delicate balance and subtle transition through which the piece unfolds and eventually fades. The idea of the music “disappearing into the dark” suggests a soft, elusive conclusion, as if the sounds gradually dissolve into a space where they can no longer be heard, but still linger in some way. This description also synthesizes the mystical and organic qualities of the piece: the music doesn’t end abruptly, but transitions smoothly into silence, like a clear picture gradually turning into shadow. Kayn’s reflection that he was never able to fully recapture this unique quality in his later works shows how Makro – a composition where sound, process, and silence merge in a single entity – was a special creature for him.) 69.00
TAPES
LOU REED - Words & Music, May 1965 TAPE (LITA - Light in the Attic Records, in cooperation with Laurie Anderson, proudly announces the inaugural title in their ongoing Lou Reed Archive Series: Words & Music, May 1965. Released in tandem with the late artist’s 80th birthday celebrations, the album offers an extraordinary, unvarnished, and plainly poignant insight into one of America’s true poet-songwriters. Capturing Reed in his formative years, this previously unreleased collection of songs—penned by a young Lou Reed, recorded to tape with the help of future bandmate John Cale, and mailed to himself as a “poor man’s copyright”—remained sealed in its original envelope and unopened for nearly 50 years. Its contents embody some of the most vital, groundbreaking contributions to American popular music committed to tape in the 20th century. Through examination of these songs rooted firmly in the folk tradition, we see clearly Lou’s lasting influence on the development of modern American music – from punk to art-rock and everything in between. A true time capsule, these recordings not only memorialize the nascent sparks of what would become the seeds of the incredibly influential Velvet Underground; they also cement Reed as a true observer with an innate talent for synthesizing and distilling the world around him into pure sonic poetry. ) 15.00
