Isota Records Singles Club: A Short Tale Of Beauty/Madness/Greed CD

The Berkeley-based Isota Records label released limited 7" vinyl singles over three and a half years that were only available for members of their singles club (you might remember that infamous Sub Pop Singles Club from way back -- same idea). Tracks on A Short Tale of Beauty/Madness/Greed vary in style throughout, which keeps the disc interesting, from the big, poppy electronic beats of Department of Eagles' "Dinner for Two" and "Noam Chomsky Spring Break 2002" to the shoegaze of the Capsules' "It Hangs Over Me" to the dirty rock of the Black Keys "Leavin' Trunk." A good deal of winners can be heard on the Isota Records Singles Club collection. Will Oldham fans should take note of the inclusion of the rolling country track "Barcelona." Also, the mathy pop of Uberhund's "Welcome to Hhothh" keeps things cookin' in the middle of the record. Those Sub Pop singles from the past have gone on to be highly sought-after items, and the same might be said for Isota Records singles in the future. With the level of personal care taken in the art, packaging, and selection, you never know. ~ David Serra

The Isota Records 7” Singles Club, one of the most critically lauded of its sort, finally makes it to CD. Most of the singles from which these songs were culled were limited to 500 copies and have officially sold out. The compilation will feature tracks that have never been available on CD before by Will Oldham (Palace, Bonnie “Prince” Billy), Department Of Eagles, Low Flying Owls, Gerald Collier, Colin Michael Gagon (a.k.a. Monitor Records recording artist EZT), Birds Of America and many more. Also contains tracks from the Black Keys, Boyskout, and The Capsules. The booklet will feature the artwork from the original letterpress sleeves, as created by Nat Russell, and new liner notes from the people involved.