The Microphones - "Don't Smoke"/ "Get Off the Internet" 7"

The Microphones – “Don’t Smoke”/ “Get Off the Internet” 7”

P.W. Elverum & Sun LTD, 2007

Acquired: K Records Mailorder, New, 2007

Price: $5

 

Needless to say, when Phil Elverum resurrected the Microphones moniker for a one-off 7”, I bit. Even though this 7” is basically just two PSAs advocating against smoking and the Internet, they’re also PSA’s crafted by one of indie rock’s most intelligent musicians. Sure, they’re preachy, but there’s power in ‘em. “Don’t Smoke” runs through my head anytime I see someone smoking these days. I smoked for a few years in college, and I partially blame this song for helping me quit if only because I felt Phil Elverum’s judgment raining down on me all the way from the Pacific Northwest. He has a point when he sings the line “There’s no excuse to start smoking.” The track is coated in classic Microphones fuzz and thunders along. B-side “Get Off the Internet” is a lot quieter and offers up a list of things you could do instead of sitting at your computer (sweep the floor, open the doors and windows, shut up about music, etc). “We are the ones who are alive right now so lets start living,” he intones. I ID with this one a little less than “Don’t Smoke,” but goddamn if I don’t think of it when I’ve been staring at a screen for four hours. I’m sure plenty of people find this incredibly judgmental 7” to be obnoxious. It is kind of obnoxious, but it’s also true, and he’s got a point, and the music is gorgeous.

"Don't Smoke" (this is the beefier Mount Eerie version)

"Get Off the Internet"

The Few - "Rollin' Like the Tide"

The Few – “Rollin’ Like the Tide”

K Records, 1987

Acquired: K Records Mail Order, new, 2008

Price:  ~$1

 

Featuring future members of Pounding Serfs and Gravel, The Few’s “Rollin’ Like the Tide” 7” was one of the first releases in K Records’ International Pop Underground series. The music is pretty basic throwback folk-pop with a dreamy vibe and ramshackle production, but more important was the scene the Few came out of, which unshackled indie DIY music from the punk rock overlords. That was one of the things that drew me to K Records: They were like punks who were sensitive and liked pop music. JUST LIKE ME! The Few were the first band from Anacortes, WA to record for K, kickstarting K’s long illustrious history with the San Juan Islands (which spawned the likes of Phil Elverum of the Microphones and Mount Eerie, Karl Blau, D+ (which is basically just Phil and Karl and Beat Happening guitarist Bret Lunsford), and Burl Ives. Now I’m imagining the Dub Narcotic remix the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer soundtrack oh please, can I have that?). I’ve always held a very firm jealousy towards those dudes from Anacortes. It’s the sort of idyllic place I would love to disappear to. I mean, just look!

You can check out the song in all its hazy glory here.