The Microphones: Moon, Moon/I Lost My Wind 7" (K Records, 1999)

(7" cover, front, back, vinyl inner label, A, B)







The Microphones: Moon, Moon/I Lost My Wind 7"
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-Recorded "mostly in August 1999 at Dub Narcotic by Phil Elvrum, Khaela Maricich & Dennis Driscoll"

-Released on K Records as part of their "International Pop Underground" series. (www.kpunk.com) (PO Box 7154 Olympia, Wash. 98057) This is the International Pop Underground vol. XCV (#95).

-No indication who designed the art or the cover though it is worth noting that the front cover is very reminiscent of the "Don't Wake Me Up" LP and the back cover seems to riff on the the first press of the "It Was Hot..." LP.*

Again, it is worth noting that according to the Japanese release of the "Song Islands" cd the artwork was designed by Phil. Although there are a number of discrepancies between the info on that cd and other sources.

-No idea about pressing numbers. This was on K so I might guess that it was as high as 1000 or even 1500.

-Record plays at 45 rpms on both sides.

-All copies on black vinyl, as far as I know. Though again, this is that very thin vinyl which, though black, if held up to a light appears to be translucent brown.

-Inner groove info is standard label stuff (IPU 95 A and B)

-These songs would later be collected (same versions) on the "Song Islands" CD.

-Other details of note on this record:

Side A is credited to "The Microphones featuring Khaela Maricich". Side B is credited to "The Microphones featuring Dennis Driscoll"

Side B has an unlisted, untitled track that's about a minute long and is just noise, cymbals and drums crashing. (Thank you to Ben for reminding me of this track and the description, cheers!)

As in past releases, they are again, on the cover of the 7" referred to only as "Microphones", no "The". Though on the vinyl inner label they are referred to as "The Microphones"

Here we have the first full-on appearance of Phil's trademark inner labels. The color is there, the design and fonts are there. It's all in place, at last.




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This was another lucky early purchase in my Microphones career. This was, I think, one of the records that turned my opinion around about The Microphones. Up until then (more on this as we go) I think I thought of them as a formless, shambling indie rock mess. It was here that I finally got a glimpse at the tiny, fragile, songs and sentiments at the core of the mess. The first inkling of the elementary school chorus aesthetics of Phil. I remember this record spinning on a turntable in the Harvard Square Newbury Comics, going into my ears and my brain. Probably right before or right after the copy of The Microphones "Blood" LP I had in my hands and then passed up on then. This record, I can say, absolutely, with total recall, was the moment that I started to understand and like the Microphones. I had tried on earlier occasions. My first interaction was in Seattle, working at Orpheum Records (RIP) on Broadway on Capitol Hill. The "Tests" CD showed up and I gave it a spin and was unimpressed (stupid Brian) and there were some attempts in Boston after Nicole suggested I might like them. To me they were already cemented as nothing great, man was I wrong. Thank goodness I kept trying, and I guess that, in and of itself, is a testament to Phil and his beautiful looking records.

These songs have the distinction of being early soldiers in the mix war but also, sort of unsung, in their way. "I Lost my Wind" ended up being the secondary title song for mix 5 (it's original, as we will see soon, was "Karl Blau") and "Moon, Moon" has the distinction of being one of the first Phil songs to be incorporated in the mixes as songs but not as the title/focus of a particular mix.
(...is on mix 6, but not used as a title/005 [secondary title track])




Tracklist
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Side A:

Moon, Moon


Side B:

I Lost My Wind
Untitled, unlisted track









xo