end of history, pt 294

from press release re. Electronic Anthology Project's "Of Dinosaur Jr.":

"Two years ago, Built To Spill bassist and solo artist Brett Nelson decided to put his considerable musical talents up to a bit of a challenge:

"I truly love bands like Talk Talk, Men Without Hats, and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, but I also love bands like Dinosaur Jr., The Replacements, and The Pixies. So what if I merged my two loves together?"

The answer to that question, initially, was the first release by The Electronic Anthology Project, an EP that took seven songs from the Built To Spill catalog and reimagined them as '80s synth pop classics. Utilizing a variety of vintage 80’s synthesizers and drum machines, the project shimmered with an authentic sheen. And rather than rely on the cut-and-paste ease of modern recording software, he records all the melody lines into his computer using as many takes as needed to get it right. "If I can't play it straight all the way through without screwing up," he says, "then it's not used." And the whole experiment was delightfully topped off with newly recorded vocal tracks from BTS front man, Doug Martsch.

Although dismissed by some reviewers as a "goof," Nelson took to the task with great sincerity and the resulting songs bridged the two seemingly separate worlds with bubbly charm and grin-inducing levity.

At the time of the first EAP release, Nelson promised that he would be back with more. And true to his word comes the latest installment in this project: The Electronic Anthology Project of Dinosaur Jr.

To be released on Record Store Day (April 21st, 2012) in a limited edition of 500 purple vinyl copies (with digital, cd and standard vinyl to follow), the new edition of The Electronic Anthology Project takes nine songs from Dinosaur Jr. and brings out the new wave influences that were always hiding among the acid-dripping guitar solos and fervent rhythms.

The blast of "Little Fury Things" (from Dinosaur Jr.'s breakthrough 1987 LP You're Living All Over Me) is given a new life thanks to a throbbing Devo-like pulse. One of the band's most underrated songs from their Sire years, "Feel The Pain," sounds even more wistful when lost in the swell of glistening synth melodies and a knotty bed of programmed beats that would make The Human League proud.

True to form, Nelson called on Dinosaur Jr. leader J. Mascis to record all new vocal tracks for each song here. Wrenched free from the volume and intensity of his band, the heartfelt side of Mascis's lyrics and sober delivery are given the spotlight's full glare and, as a result, shine even brighter.

Lest you think even after two volumes of the Electronic Anthology Project that Nelson is done, he has a long wish list of bands he'd love to make future EAP projects with including the likes of The Pixies and Sebadoh. If the previous two editions of EAP are any indication, they are sure to be eccentric, tuneful, and in heavy rotation on your home stereo."