Music: R. Stevie Moore "Advertising Agency of Fucking" lathe cut

I have the sneaking suspension that this piece of transparent polyurethane is eating up my phono needle. Is that a thing? Even if it's not, I'll be the thousandth person to say it: (most) lathe cuts sound like shit. I may not review mp3s, but I'll definitely enjoy listening to them over cheap-cut vinyl alternatives like this all day.

OK, enough bitching...

The songs represented on this abomination of a medium-sample are pure RSM Classics, as in, are absolutely brilliant pop (/punk, to be addressed below,) tunes that don't require the listener to submerge her/his self in R. Stevie's singular world of absurd puns, Beatles-worship, self-congratulation, and, uh, general quasi-genius, to appreciate.

"Advertising Agency of Fucking" on the A side finds RSM working his lyrical forte: sexual politics. It's melodically engaging in the way that British canonical acts like The Kinks and XTC are. Major key jumping all over the place, but focused, convinced of its own arrangement and full of forward momentum.

The B side is a brilliant post-punk-aping tune with a slinking, dissonant bass line and a deceptively important piano part: hammered chords, Reggae-syncopated during the chorus, but used only as punctuation during the verses. And lyrically it's R.'s second-best consistent theme: meta-style questioning the relevance of his own art.

So, don't buy this piece. (Ed. note: you can't buy it. Limited to preorders amounting to 76 physical copies; the one in my possession is #24.)

Do download RSM's "Poached Punk" comp. on bandcamp. The two sides of this record are tracks one and two, and there's a bunch of other great shit. And your payment goes directly to the artist. And it'll sound way, way better.

If you're the collector type, and a RSM fan, I recommend PIAPTK's "Javascript" lathe cut (onto a glass mirror.) Same label, maybe slightly better sound quality than this one, but it's a mirror, and it looks pretty cool spinning on yr deck.

Music: R. Stevie Moore "Advance" LP

This 14-song-wax item, a little too studied over, is just a drop in the bucket...

Of songs since then and around then, we're lead to believe. Fair enough.

There are in fact some gems here: for some of them you have to hold your nose and dig in cause they can be pretty sugary, see "Runny Nose, Money Woes", "Pop Music". But these are sort of your "Classic RSM" jams that I guess are what the money pays for. Unfortunately, we get no examples of the dude's preoccupations with performance art and impromptu poetry, that've been on display at recent live gigs around town. I'd also suggest there's a little too much respect paid to the influences, i.e. it's sometimes kind of derivative-feeling.

The first side feels lonelier and more interesting on the two left feild collaborations/covers. The lead off track is a tune by fusion/late-jazz guitarist, Ralph Towner called "Icarus", done alone, with computerized everything: MIDI keys and my-first-drum-machine, it's odd and fogey-ish in a good way.

There's also a Lennon-esque co-writership called "Theorum" with Lane Steinberg and Roger Ferguson, whoever they are.

Side 2 begins with some bubblegum/doowop pastiche but really hits its stride with the one-two-punch of album highlights "Kix Tarter Sauce" and "Me, Too". "Kix" is a subdued instrumental that really showcases Moore's talent for precise, efficient songwriting. It kicks around for like four minutes on just a few restrained guitar riffs and eventually, suddenly turns into "Me, Too", one of the most fantastically maniacal RSM pop numbers since "Schoolgirl". It's a lust-fueled Rhodes-rocker with quick drum-work that occasionally misses the changes, fully punk. (It's also one of only two tracks here recorded alone at home in classic RSM fashion.)

The production is a little off-putting. Gone are the multiple reel-to-reel recorders, in their place, clean, uncompressed digital recording that comes off a little un-nuanced. Still a pretty decent entry into the catalogue. Those unfamiliar with Moore have their work cut out. Don't start here.

Crowd funded, non-recycled material.