Erste und einmalige, zudem schwerst limitierte Vinyl-Auflage der T6-Werk-Auswahl, zusammengestellt aus dem gesamten Bandschaffen von niemand geringerem als Chris Eckman. In zehn (bzw. 15) Songs wird die Geschichte des über die Jahre merklich gereiften Projektes von Terri Moeller (Walkabouts) und Paul Austin (Walkabouts/Willard Grant Conspiracy) erzählt, zunächst als Spielwiese für die eigenen Ideen geplant, dann aber von Album zu Album zu wunderbarer Eigenständigkeit gewachsen. Während das Vinyl zehn auserwählte Songs versammelt, finden sich auf dem beigefügten Download-Code 15 Tracks (LP-Inhalt plus 5 Bonusstücke, darunter zwei exklusive Akustik-Live-Versionen). Zusammen ergibt sich ein großartig gelungener Querschnitt aus den zum Teil seit langem gestrichenen Bandwerken Transmissionary Six, Cosmonautical, Spooked, Get Down, Radar und der Glitterhouse-Mailorder-only-Veröffentlichung 5.21.05, bereichert um rares Non-Album-Material. Die LP kommt als 180 Gramm schweres rotes Vinyl im Edel-Heavy-Cover, erscheint in einer weltweit auf 250 Exemplare limitierten Erst- & Einzig-Auflage und ist hierzulande nur bei Glitterhouse erhältlich.
"How to describe the songs of the Transmissionary Six? Sultry noir-rock; sonic gems where the blissful times merge with the twisted times."
(Chris Estey, music writer, (MAGNET, Rolling Stone, featured in "The Best Music Writing of 2010" (Da Capo Press) as edited by Ann Powers.)
"Everyone loves vinyl, and there has never been any Transmissionary Six music on vinyl, even though people would ask for it - and still ask for it!" says Paul Austin, who - along with vocalist and co-writer Terri Moeller - helmed the band through seven records and six tours over a ten year span. After many requests, this is a gap that will be remedied on June 03; "Selected Songs 2002- 2012", a ten song compilation drawing from each album, will be released. "It sounds beautiful," says Austin, "because our friends Jeff and Maria at Peerless did a wonderful job optimizing the songs for vinyl. No surprise there, since Jeff’s a Grammy nominee for mastering!." And Speaking of Grammy awards, another participant in the record can say the same. Highly regarded producer Tucker Martine (Jayhawks, Neko Case, The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket, M.Ward, KD Lang and Laura Veirs) recorded and mixed six of the album’s ten songs.
The album itself is, as mentioned above, a ten-song collection, on 180 gram red vinyl. "The artwork was a respectful tip of the hat to the Folkways albums we love," says Austin, "and not only with the design; we asked for an extra heavy record jacket, and made sure the insert with lyrics and credits is on nice thick art paper." Although the album has ten songs, those who get the album will find that the download card enclosed not only delivers the album, but unlocks five bonus tracks as well, including a couple of duo performances that have never been shared anywhere.
How to choose ten songs from the band’s catalog? "We couldn’t agree" laughs Austin. "So we decided the song list would be chosen by someone who has been listening from the beginning - Chris Eckman. Although he’s produced and mixed many records, for some reason we never got around to having him produce a Transmissionary Six record; scheduling never allowed for it." The result is that Chris knows the music as a fan first. He chose the ten songs for the album, right down to the running order on each side!”
"The Transmissionary Six – Selected Songs 2002-2012" is a limited edition pressing; only 250 were made, "and that will be it" says Austin. "When those two hundred and fifty are gone, the albums are gone. There are only two places to get it – it was of course natural to have our friends at Glitterhouse handle all EU orders, and we worked with them to make sure it would be available to fans at a very fair price, even with the limited edition."
"One of the great things about having musicians as trusted friends is that you are at times allowed a privileged view of their artistic process. Sound files of works-in-progress get sent via email or you are at least one of the first to receive their newly pressed CD. I still remember playing the debut, self-titled album of Transmissionary Six and being floored. I had been in a band with Terri Moeller for ten years at that point, and while I knew her as a "sister" and as an exceptionally gifted drummer (and occasional harmony singer) I had no idea she was a vocalist with a rarefied style of her own. Paul I knew of course through Willard Grant Conspiracy and their fine albums and the touring The Walkabouts and Chris & Carla had done with them. For sure he was a cool guitarist and exceptional songwriter, but the slow jam sonics he created with Terri, as a duo, arrived largely unexpected. How it all came together was a wonderful mystery to me, and that element of surprise and exploration was thrillingly maintained, album-by-album for the next ten years. I recall sending emails to them, each time I heard their latest recording, stating more or less the same thing: “this is your best yet.” But when I think back, that wasn’t really true. This was a group that was singular, complete and magical from their first idiosyncratic soundscapes straight through to the wide-screen pop gems with which they ended. As a huge fan it is momentous for me that these songs are at last going to end up on vinyl. I can’t wait to pull the red disc out of the sleeve and send it spinning. The sound of trusted friends. The sound of a wondrous unsolved mystery."
(Chris Eckman)
The last word? "Terri and I are excited," says Austin, "and we hope others will be excited as well."
(Glitterhouse)
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