GROUND VINYL RECORDS 45 R.P.M.

Lyric - $5 - [12/99] With the first EP, "Lyric," released late 1999 as the debut disc of the Ground Vinyl label, 45 r.p.m. takes you back to the good old days of lo-fidelity, when a song could be had for a nickel, or seven for 25 cents. From the opening record-scratched, distant jukebox, canned vocals of "Beka" to the surf instrumental, "Blue Star Hwy," replete with stereo Leslie organ and jangly electric guitar, you might think you've got it figured out—until the pristine funk slap-bass solo ending the latter piece. The third track, "Who'd've Thought," introduces the lovely voice of Leia. Imagine a darkly lit lounge, what little light there is filtered through a thin haze of smoke. In the back, there is a stage with a band which no-one really hears, but of course, without the band, there would be no lounge. The organ fades in and out of consciousness, as does the smooth vocal and a lightly amplified classical guitar, and if it weren't for the stand-up bass, the whole piece would probably completely fade away unnoticed into the existential haze from which it drifted. Finally, the album closes with the uptempo duet, "Time May Bring," which downshifts into slow waltz-mode for the middle instrumental and accelerates back into a spirited, beautifully harmonized finale. Four and a half songs—five bucks—and unlimited replays; that's a better deal than you'll find from most jukeboxes anymore...