December 2011 Archives

Boston Hassle - A Boston Underground Music Compilation

On December 11, the Boston Hassle compilation button was released on a wearable music pin that only requires the listener to plug in their headphones and press play. The simple controls let you pause or play the music and to skip forward or back through the songs. While the lack of display doesn't work against this playable pin format if there's only one band, it's different for a compilation, because until you memorize the order of the tracks, you are on your own. That's really the only thing to complain about, as it comes packed in a slightly larger than matchbox sized cardboard container, with a splattered Boston Red Sox logo on the top. As for the music, thirteen tracks ranging from middle eastern madness, instrumental hip hop, reverb drenched power pop, hyper/gloom synth and angular indie rock.You can stream the comp here and purchase the comp here.

Joyful Noise Flexi Disc Subscription Series for 2012

Joyful Noise continues to expand the niche packaging and format market with their latest Flexi Disc Subscription Series for 2012. Not content with reissuing indie classics on cassette with screen printed boxes in limited runs, Joyful Noise past artists are top notch (Dinosaur Jr, Of Montreal, Marmoset, etc), and also for this Flexi Disc Series - Jad Fair, Of Montreal, Tortoise, Lou Barlow, Richard Swift, Danielson, Racebannon, and others. Granted, their target audiences have yet to learn of the downfalls of these resurrected formats - tapes getting eaten, the sound quality slowly getting worse, and the fun of trying to locate a particular song, or the flexi disc sound quality in general - but grabbing the music collector geek's attention seems to be working. So here's the details - each release is limited to just 500 copies on clear, one-sided flexi discs, which will ship once per month. There are no downloads available, and all the songs are exclusive to the subscription. There's two levels to the subscription, one with a screen printed box ($89 with shipping) and one without ($69 with shipping).

Bob Dylan, Lambchop, The Pixies, Yo La Tengo, Southern Culture on the Skids

Acid Punks has Southern Culture on the Skids 12-31-96
Captains Dead has Lambchop 7-21-04
Conn Recordings has Yo La Tengo 9-23-11
Big O has Bob Dylan 6-26-11
Shiny Grey Monotone has The Pixies 4-27-89