Optical Atlas

A few years back Fred Schneider of Athens legends The B-52’s launched The Superions with Noah Brodie and Dan Marshall. Following the release of digital singles in 2008 and in 2009, the band will be releasing their first EP on Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records on February 23rd in CD and 12″ formats. The Superions EP will feature the hit dance-inducing tracks “Totally Nude Island,” “Those Sexy Saucer Gals,” and “Who Threw That Ham at Me,” including remixes by Casper & the Cookies, Marshmallow Coast, The Lolligags, and Ursula 1000. Pre-order now at HHBTM’s website and you can elect to get the LP, CD, a keychain, button, autographed sleeve, and answering machine message (for those who still have answering machines), in various combinations – but hurry as the pre-order is only good until Monday at midnight. Here’s the video for “Who Threw That Ham at Me”:

Check out The Superions on MySpace for more videos and streaming music!

Marshmallow Coast’s first and third records, Time Square (1997) and Marshmallow Coasting (2000) are now available as “special edition” re-releases from iTunes and eMusic.  Each includes bonus tracks, most of which have never before been released.  Marshmallow Coasting, originally released on Kindercore Records, features of Montreal as Andy Gonzales’ backing band.  Complete track listings are below.  (Incidentally, I don’t know why “The Audience is Listening,” the opening instrumental track from Coasting, is not included; but I haven’t downloaded the new version yet, so for all I know it’s just been merged with “Lilypad” onto a single track.  UPDATE: I have confirmed with HHBTM that the missing track was Andy’s decision.  Frankly, it’s not a big loss – we’re talking, literally, about seconds of an instrumental – and it’s still a terrific album.)  Super Seniors and Juniors, a completely re-recorded version of his sophomore album, will be released in the very near future.

Time Square
1. Intro
2. In the Army Kid
3. Spencer for Hire = Expensive
4. Cosmolac
5. Crooked Dance
6. Bermuda Rectangle
7. I Love Satie
8. Hell Tingles
9. Wedding in Catland
10. Between Love and Puke on the Bus
11. Time to Go to Work
Bonus Tracks
12. Curly Whisper
13. Darker Side of Lightning
14. Instrumental
15. Ceilings Fall a Lot
16. I Hope You Like Rocking
17. Shimmering in a Bulb of Glass 98
18. Squinting Out the Lights
19. So & So’s and Emeralds

Marshmallow Coasting
1. Lilypad
2. Hung Up
3. Golden Harp
4. Oblong Destiny
5. Bizarre Classical V
6. Lonliest Heart in Texas
7. Siddartha
8. Blow My Mind
9. Shimmering in a Bulb of Glass
10. There Will Come a Time
11. Bizarre Classical VI
12. In the Sea
13. Insane
14. The Audience is Deaf
15. Lil’ Fun Machine
Bonus Tracks
16. David and the Giant Crabs
17. Listen to Your Heart Beat

Mike Turner of Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records has posted more news regarding the Marshmallow Coast reissues I mentioned a couple weeks back – it sounds like they’ll be coming sooner than previously thought, albeit digitally:

It’s been a pretty busy couple of weeks for Marshmallow Coast and HHBTM. In the next few weeks you’ll be able to download Seniors & Juniors, [Marshmallow] Coasting + bonus tracks, and Times Square + bonus tracks from Itunes, Emusic, or your favorite download service. Andy is also in the middle of recording Super Seniors & Juniors which is a re-recording and updating of the album that many consider to be his best. This time around it’s going to feature lots of guests, and will sound a bit more like Andy’s newest album Phreak Phantasy. This record will be on CD/LP in mid-2010. After that we’ll start issuing all the older Marshmallow Coast catalog on vinyl.

Thanks to Jezebel for the link.

Andy Gonzales released his seventh Marshmallow Coast album, Phreak Phantasy, earlier this year on Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records, and the University of Georgia’s redandblack.com has an interview up (thanks to Randy for the link) in which he drops the news that he’s working on a re-recording of the second Marshmallow Coast album, 1999’s Seniors and Juniors.  That album, which has become a cult favorite, was originally released on Kindercore Records.  It was a decidedly lo-fi concept album about going to school–charming little songs closed out with the notably epic “Little Pythagoras.”  The “remake” will most likely appear on HHBTM.  Andy confirmed to me, “I am recording Super Seniors and Juniors which has lots of electro and new arrangements, and will have pretty much everyone I know playing on it (as long as it fits). Emily Growden-Almstead [M Coast] is singing some of the songs, and in place of the instrumentals, I am adding new Pink Floyd/David Lynch-ish instrumentals that I recorded recently.”

Don’t expect this intriguing experiment to surface until sometime next year.  HHBTM will also be reissuing the first and third Marshmallow Coast albums, Timesquare and Marshmallow Coasting, on limited-edition vinyl with his early singles as bonus tracks.

Theo Hilton has posted a list of dates Nana Grizol will be playing in the U.S. in June.  Here is the thread, and here is the list in Theo’s words:

hello from brighton, england! nana grizol will be doing a brief tour in june. we will have more details in the coming days, but as i am far from home and in a hurry i will give you the general gist of it. look for more details at www.orangetwin.com around tuesday. if you want to.

june 10 – chattanooga, tn @ TBA
june 12 – idapalooza, tn (ida is between knoxville and nashville. this is a music festival)
june 13 – bloomington, in @ joel’s place
june 14 – chicago, il @ grand manor
june 15 – detroit, mi @ trubmullplex
june 16 – lexington, ky (YANP presents. there’s details on the thread b4 this)
june 19 – athens, ga @ 40 watt w/ sea of dogs

Thanks to David Glickman for the link. Also, FYI that there is a dual-purpose CD release party tonight, May 30, in Athens, GA. Casper & the Cookies are celebrating the release of Modern Silence, and Marshmallow Coast is celebrating Phreak Phantasy (both out on Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records). It’s at the Caledonia Lounge at 10pm. Also playing are The Lolligags!

Last month saw the release of a split 7″ featuring Andy from Denver and Higgins.  The AFD track is “Please Don’t Take My Life Away,” also featured on the upcoming album Phreak Phantasy (under Andy’s more familiar alias Marshmallow Coast).  You can pick up the 7″ for $6.00 at the Serious Business Records website.  The pressing is limited to 300.  Thanks to canyr for the tip.

Speaking of Phreak Phantasy, I got my copy this weekend and enjoyed it immensely.  It’s different by far from anything Andy Gonzales has released in the past – and not just because it’s the first album of his to feature the Elephant 6 Recording Company logo.  Think 70’s synth-driven prog with a big kick of disco.  The first 50 to preorder the album get an exclusive painting by Andy, and mine is gorgeous.  Expect a track (maybe “Please Don’t Take My Life Away”) to turn up in the Optical Atlas Jukebox this week.

Happy Happy Birthday to Me has announced the latest album by the once-thought-defunct Marshmallow Coast: Phreak Phantasy. Andy Gonzales, the mastermind of the Coast, began the project out of Denver, Colorado, in the mid-90’s with Timesquare. The band moved to Athens and to Kindercore Records, and then to Misra Records, while Andy continued to play with his other band, of Montreal (he receives a shout-out in “The Hopeless Opus” on Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies, and the band also covers his old Timesquare song “In the Army Kid” on The Horse and Elephant Eatery).  Andy was also briefly a member of The Music Tapes, and played with Olivia Tremor Control and other Elephant 6 outfits, but his fruitful tenure with of Montreal stretched from The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit’s Flower through Aldhils Arboretum, essentially covering the band’s entire Sgt. Pepper-styled period.  Eventually Andy left of Montreal, and Marshmallow Coast (briefly) morphed into M Coast, with singing and songwriting duties shared with Derek Almstead (also ex-of Montreal) and Emily Growden; Sara Kirkpatrick and Carlton Owens filled out the lineup. This configuration released just one album, Say it in Slang, before Andy and Derek went amicably into separate projects: Andy from Denver and Faster Circuits, respectively. Now Marshmallow Coast is back for Andy’s first album under that fully-spelled-out name since 2003’s Antistar. 

“My legend is too small to start all over again, ” says Andy to Optical Atlas, indicating that originally Phreak Phantasy was going to be released under his new solo moniker, before he changed his mind and went back to the old and more familiar name.  “I did release two split seven-inches as Andy from Denver.  Stupidly confusing, I know.”  Once more, Sara Kirkpatrick provides flute, but Will Cullen Hart (Circulatory System) also provides support with “tape manipulations and noises.”

In addition to the new album, Andy “from Denver” (he’s not retiring that name completely) has some other projects lined up: he plays guitar on an upcoming album by The Goons (Joe Rowe, formerly of The Glands), and has been recording with The Lolligags and rap/pop project Simple Teek. 

Phreak Phantasy will be released on May 26th, but a pre-order deal (limited to 50 orders) will bag you the album (in either CD or vinyl) as well as an original Andy Gonzales painting. Note that the vinyl, which will be a limited pressing of 100, has a silkscreen sleeve. You can place your order now at the HHBTM website.