Leading this charge has been Jay Reatard. In fact, he's so gaga about putting out singles that since this album came out, he's released six more singles, all on Joe the Plumber Records. OK, not really. But, still, maybe a moniker change to Jay Ritalin is in order.
This album consists of six singles, all released on Matador this year in increasingly limited batches, compiled into one handy, nonvinyl nerd package, and it shows Mister Reatard broadening his musical oeuvre even further. Sonically, it starts not so differently from his last proper album, Blood Visions, but halfway through, he does a cover of Deerhunter's "Fluorescent Grey" that sort of recalls Spacemen 3 huffing Endust with Joy Divison. After that, the songs get as close to pop as he's ever been, even resorting to acoustic guitar and mandolin on some tracks--something he got grief for on the innerwebz, the same place where people are paying more than $50 for some of these Matador singles.
He conquered punk, moved onto indie and has vowed to make the metal world submit next. I can't wait to hear his symphony or opera, and if you think I'm a kiss-ass, you're only half right.
