This year marks the 30th anniversary of 'Mel.' The beloved and long out-of-print East River Pipe album — F.M. Cornog's second on Merge Records — was announced late last year as Merge's first entry in Secretly Distribution's Secretly Society Record Club, the first time 'Mel' would be made available on the format since its original issue in 1996. The reissue, which features new liner notes by Barabara Powers and serves as the definitive edition of 'Mel,' uniting the album with songs that were once exclusive to US and UK versions of the CD, sold out immediately. Today, that edition of the album is available for digital purchase via the Merge Records webstore and East River Pipe's Bandcamp page. To further celebrate the occasion, Secretly Group has released a new episode of their Secretly Society podcast, featuring Powers' reminiscence of the time during which 'Mel' was recorded and released.

Like all of East River Pipe's output, 'Mel' was written, performed, recorded, and mixed by F.M. Cornog on a Tascam 388 mini-studio at his home, which was then a small apartment in Astoria, Queens. Within that space, he conjures nothing less than the fullness of life beyond it, the characters and moods of New York, the way a city can feel limitless and isolating all at once. It's a daunting accomplishment, one which led The New York Times to call him "the Brian Wilson of home recording." 'Mel' is an intricately-textured indie pop tour de force, its layers of keyboard and reverb-drenched guitars giving flight to Cornog's voice, which observes the doomed figures of the city with the intimacy of a documentarian and the egolessness of someone who has been through despair and survived.

'Mel' is an offering like few others, its 14 peerless gems a direct channel from F.M. Cornog's heart to yours. Shelter from the storm, you might call it. Uplift for the downtrodden. A masterpiece, even among Cornog's considerable catalog, this edition of 'Mel' is perfect for both kinds of East River Pipe fans: those who've been around for years, and those who didn't know they needed these songs in their life until now.

Links:

'Mel' on Bandcamp

Merge Records Website

Secretly Society Podcast Episodes

Secretly Society Podcast on Secretly Store

Secretly Society General Information

Links:

'Didn't It Rain' Deluxe Edition

Secretly Society Podcast Episodes

Secretly Society Podcast on Secretly Store

Secretly Society General Information

Jason Molina:

Jason Molina on Instagram

Static & Distance on Substack

Jason Molina on Facebook

JasonMolina.com

Secretly Society Podcast Season 1 - Jason Molina Pt. 1 - Eight Gates - "You've Been Molina'd"

Back in the mid-nineties, a group emerged from St. Louis, later moving to Chicago, where they'd go on to make some of the most beguiling and unique music of the time. They were 90 Day Men. Over four albums and a few EPs, the band's sound developed into elaborate, experimental, baroque songs, influenced by the world around them and delving back into prog, sixties art rock, and beyond.

Later this month Numero Group will release a new deluxe 25th anniversary edition of 90 Day Men's '(It Is It) Critical Band' LP, including a previously-unreleased album tracked at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago. In this final episode, host Tim Kinsella speaks to the band about their final albums, trips to Japan, the burnout of relentless shows and being a little too ahead of the musical curve.

Links:

Secretly Frequencies: 90 Day Men Playlist

Secretly Society Podcast Episodes

Secretly Society Podcast on Secretly Store

Secretly Society General Information

90 Day Men:

90 Day Men on Instagram

90 Day Men: We Blame Chicago

90 Day Men: (It Is It) Critical Band [Y2K 25th Anniversary Edition] Pre-Order