Generally not known for his restfulness, San Francisco songsmith John Vanderslice — fresh off a wickedly successful Kickstarter campaign for 2013’s Dagger Beach — has just released a double a-side single that’s available to download or purchase as a 7-inch flexi disc.
The music is made available by the Native Sound, an archival record label whose founder, Julio Anta, was among the 1,200 who supported the singer’s Kickstarter (and he’s a PopMatters writer). The single release includes the sputtering, dizzyingly arranged “Song For Clay Miller”, which was written and released in dedication to the Kickstarter backers, and the spare, nearly a cappella “Vitas at Wimbledon”, an outtake from 2009’s Romanian Names. Both serve as testaments to Vanderslice’s workhouse ethic and near-boundless inspiration. Here’s more detail on the release, via the Native Sound:
In the spirit of Vanderslice’s Kickstarter campaign, and both his and the Native Sound’s love for all things limited and exclusive, the digital version of this release will be available for only 30 days, starting with pre-orders today. In addition, 50% of all profits from the digital downloads will go the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an international digital rights organization near and dear to Vanderslice. On the physical side of the release, only 525 copies of “Song For Clay Miller” with, “Vitas at Wimbledon” have been pressed on the 7-inch flexi discs, over three unique color variants (white, translucent yellow, translucent green), all housed in full color sleeves and poly bags – half of which already sold-out in an exclusive pre-order to Vanderslice’s original Kickstarter backers. The songs were re-mastered for the physical pressing by TW Walsh (Pedro The Lion, Sufjan Stevens, Benjamin Gibbard, Cold War Kids).
Listen to “Song for Clay Miller” below and read an interview with Vanderslice a here.