03/07/2025
Today, Hospital II is out on vinyl with an extra 7” with previously unreleased tracks. You can only get it on the great Tough Love Records.
From 2019 to 2025, every Paisley Shirt cassette tape has been shipped with an extra tape of music: be it a mixtape by me or the artist (with handmade collage art), demos, or a whole new tape of music.
When I decided to release the Present Electric self-titled album on Paisley Shirt, I thought it would be fun to record an album’s worth of music to go along with it.
After the Tony Jay show at Green Apple Books, I asked Karina Gill and Mike Ramos if they’d want to come over the next weekend, press record on my cassette 8-track, and see what happens.
The result is a spiraling dive into our attempt at experimental music; rooted at the core are pop songs either stretched out or squashed together - all recorded in one or two takes.
You may notice the use of rainstick, violin, clarinet, guitar loops, and penny whistle in addition to guitar, bass, drums, and keys. You may notice that we forgot to check if the vocal mic was recording on a few tracks. You may notice that we switch instruments on every track. There’s a track where I read one of the many Nick Oka letters I’ve received from Discontinuous Innovation orders. There’s even a track where I play a “Mike” drum beat and Mike plays a “Kevin” guitar lick.
The cover is a photo of the “Warming Wool Rectangle” that Karina uses when we practice Sad Eyed Beatniks at my place.
