Quick, Before It Melts.

Bishop Allen have been releasing a new EPs worth of material for every month of 2006 independently though their own web site. As the band gets set to release the next EP, I thought I would take a moment to comment on this ambitious, and very entertaining project. Ambitious and entertaining as it may seem for us the consumers/fans, it’s a very risky one for the band themselves---can an artist sustain this level of new material for a 12-month period and maintain a certain degree of standards? In short, by the time October comes around, how can you guarantee the songs won’t suck? One way would be to store up songs in anticipation of just such a monumental project, with the hopes that enough good material will be produced to get the project off the ground, and then continue to develop the songs through the year to finish it off. Or, you can just fly by the seat of your pants and try and develop the songs, record them, press the discs, coordinate artwork, and organize the mass mailing to all your friends and fans… every 4 weeks. Plausible? Probably not. But whether or not the songs were in the can before the official start of 2006 is beside the point, because the songs are (for the most part) of the caliber and quality that you would come to expect from such strong performers. If you’ve heard Bishop Allen’s 2003 debut Charm School you’ll no doubt have been charmed by its simple orchestration, lyrical complexity, and its damn fine selection of songs. The 2006 EPs do not disappoint; one could sequence any number of possible follow-up LP possibilities from combining the 4 tracks on each EP—it’s like releasing a 4-disc sophomore album over the course of twelve months! What a way to draw attention to yourself! Imagine the publicity! Well, you’ll just have to imagine it, because mainstream press (or any press for that matter) has made very little mention of this project; I’ve only ever seen it mentioned online. Pity for the rest of the world, but let us reap the rewards of Bishop Allen’s prolific year.

[MP3] Bishop Allen "The Monitor" (March)

[MP3] Bishop Allen "The Same Fire" (June)

[MP3] Bishop Allen "Click Click Click Click" (July)

[MP3] Bishop Allen "Like Castanets" (September)


Bishop Allen weren’t the first (and probably won’t be the last) to do some creative record releasing. The Wedding Present released a 7” single on the first day of each month in 1992 and then promptly deleted it after 24 hours. The collectors snatched up the vinyl faster than you could say “Bizarro” and Weddoes fans made mad dashes to the record shops to ensure they got their copies, too. So, for each month of 1992, The Wedding Present ensured they had a single in the charts, rivaling Elvis Presley’s record of the most top-30 singles in a year. Each 7” featured an original track on the A-side, and a cover on the B-side. The singles and their b-sides were gathered into two compilation albums, Hit Parade 1 (January-June) and Hit Parade 2 (July-December). Just as scarce as the original singles, these two compilations (and 1993’s double CD Hit Parade) are tough to find now, which would make you very unhappy, bordering on furious, if your original copies somehow mysteriously disappeared from your dorm room one night when you were home for the weekend, and your roommate forgot to lock the door. Not that I’m bitter. Not at all. At least I found one mp3 online, June’s “California” (which was always one of my favourites).

[MP3] The Wedding Present "California" (June 1992)