It’s been a long while since we checked in publicly on the website but I can assure you it’s not without good reason. The BSR headquarters recently received an upgrade in both storage and office space. Things have definitely been happening behind the scenes as we’re ready to announce pre-orders for Graham Repulski’s Cop Art LP.

We gave the OK on the test pressings last week (they sound pretty damn awesome) and the wheels have begun turning on 150 hand-numbered LP’s. Each record will come with unique scraps of ephemera containing lyrics and notes left over from the songwriting / recording / beer-swizzling process.  Not much has changed from the last time we saw GR on the My Color Is Red 7″ though this time around we find the band attaching quantity to quality – 13 tracks in a whopping 21 minutes! You know what that means, right? 45RPM, my friends. The record has already received positive reviews from the likes of PopMatters, Jersey Beat and Fabricoh. The expected ship date will be 6/11, give or take a week or two.

Speaking of test pressings – we’re going to pick names out of a hat and insert one test pressing into a random pre-order. Well what’s so special about that, you query? Not only are there only 5 in existence (indie emo oop rare, y’all) but they’ll be housed in screen-printed jackets featuring exclusive artwork straight from the hand of TheDreamComparison.

Click here to put Cop Art in your earhole and look for the band to announce a handful of upcoming show dates in the NYC and Philly areas this summer.

AW HELLZ YEAH BUY THE EL PEE

This past Saturday we here at Big School, as well as the music community as a whole, lost a true music friend & companion. Jason Molina, while operating under the moniker of Songs:Ohia, became one of the centerpieces of my personal music collection. His unparalleled voice and storytelling became my go-to when life decided to take a dump on my well-being (quite often during my formative years).  Now I am older and wiser (and perhaps a lot more stable) but Jason’s music is still especially relevant and appreciated, given that music with true, raw emotion seems to have taken a backseat to ‘chill vibes’ and posturing.

As a token of good will and appreciation for everything Jason has helped me/us through, we will be donating half of all record sales from now until 3/26 to the Jason Molina Medical Fund. As we are all likely aware, getting sick in this country is expensive business, especially for touring musicians who cannot afford health care – so anything  we/you can do to help will certainly help alleviate any financial strains.

Indie Rock Cafe wrote up an in-depth feature on the band and subsequently named them ‘Artist Of The Week’. Zac from house-favorite blog, Styrofoam Drone, reviewed the album for eMusic’s Friday Find feature:

Along with the melodic qualities of their sound comes fuzzy, jagged punk guitars and Mike Downey’s snotty, snarling howl. These elements combine with a rollicking rhythm section of gritty bass lines and swift percussion, making each one of the memorable punk riffs stand out just as much as the next. Album highlights like “He’s a Thief,” “Sky High” or “First Wave Out” quickly put on display the simplicity and innocence of such an album, simultaneously showing off the essence of this punked-up power pop while it drills its way into your memory banks with barrels of infectious energy.

We couldn’t possibly be any more stoked to see Negative generating some buzz – it rips and totally deserves to be heard. A virtual hi-5 to those of you who’ve already purchased/listened to/spread the word about the LP! To those just now getting on-board – the album is still available in limited quantities in the supply closet. Double-up and get both Shy Mirrors jams for $25!!

Norwegian Arms recorded a takeaway sesh for Philly-based Brighton Sound Sessions. Here’s the first vid (of 3). Czech in on the others via their Youtube channel.

We’re stoked to announce that Big School has struck a blood pact with Graham Repulski that involves immortalizing their latest full-length, Cop Art, on vinyl. The album will mark the band’s 9th (!) release and if you’re expecting more of that fuzzy, lo-fi indie sound conjured from the 90’s – not unlike Guided By Voices, Sebadoh, Grifters et al. – then you’ll be all pleased, none disappointed. (If you were expecting something a little less memorable or impactful then may we suggest this.)

We’re going to be pressing up a limited number of LP’s, 150 to be exact, and they’ll be hand-numbered. Each record will come with a unique scrap of ephemera containing lyrics and notes left over from the songwriting / recording / beer-swizzling process. We’ll announce pre-orders for vinyl in about 2-3 weeks via a separate newsletter as well as every single one of the social media outlets at our disposal. (You are following us on those, right?) The digital release date for Cop Art will be 4/23 but you needn’t wait until then to hear the album – it’s streaming on the BSR Bandcamp page right now. (May we suggest Smile Across Your Legs, Rip Van Winkle or Why I Don’t Believe In Anything for immediate gratification?)

Lest we forget, rumor has it the band is working on a few show dates in the NYC & Philly areas to welcome the album into the world. We’ll keep you abreast of these occasions.

The lads in Norwegian Arms have embarked on a month-long journey that will take them to SXSW and back. Dates have been posted on the NA Bandcamp page. They’ll be playing shows up and down the coast with the likes of Grandchildren and Dangerous Ponies as well as SXSW showcase dates. Check ‘em out, offer hugs/shelter, buy a record.

Go check out a review the gents over at Fabricoh wrote up for Negative Collector! The first ish of the print version of Fabricoh looked pretty sharp – you’ll want to invest in a year’s subscription, for sure.

Check out a video we shot of Bombadil performing ‘Honeymoon’ at North Star Bar a few weeks ago. If you missed the show, fret not, they will be returning to the Philly area very soon – April 5th @ the Grand Opera House opening up for the Carolina Chocolate Drops(!). Get tixxxx.

The Fire Note gives the album 4 out of 5 headphones and proclaims that “Shy Mirrors has the energy of the Japandroids, an indie pop fire songwriting style of Superchunk and straight out punk rock like The Exploding Hearts”.

Wilfully Obscure lavishes riches upon the album here.

One of our favorite, unheralded music blogs – When You Motor Away – took a real fancyin’ to the new Shy Mirrors LP. There’s words like Weezer, Ramones, Ty Segall being tossed about and that sounds pretty damn OK to us. Check it! Like they mentioned – you’d best get a copy of the Negative Collector LP fast – we only pressed 150 of them!