joshua burkett: xavier's birds

Full sensory stimulation from one of the our fave and most under-documented contemporary players, artists, and general hushed enthusiasts of the unusual (mental, visual, musical, etc.). More than a few folks in the know list Gold Cosmos and Where's My Hat? as all time classics, so no doubt these new tracks are bound to please. A bit different from past releases, each of the three tracks here is a collaboration with a different long time friend and musical compatriot, building off Josh's unmistakable home-fi acoustic foundation. Lau Nau adds her stunningly haunted vocal textures, Willie Lane strangles electrified strings like only he can, and Thurston Moore subtly corrodes with a haze of damaged frequencies and vibrating plucks. Three totally separate vibes unfold as diverse golden facets of a whole. As few and far between as proper Burkett releases have been over the years, even less exposed has been his amazing and unique artwork. While just about anybody with a eye turned towards New England underground album cover art, show posters, mail art, etc. will surely have had a glimpse of Josh's instantly recognizable visual universe, the quantity, scope, and focus of his paintings, drawing, sculptures (and words!) presented here is truly visionary. Josh's handpicked selection of pieces for the book span from all the way back to his very earliest paintings, up to some of his most recent. The book itself is 52 full-color, pro-printed pages of artwork, each piece accompanied by Josh's equally interesting stream of consciousness writing about the work, which is both enlightening, highly amusing, and often pretty hysterical. Get comfy, get lifted, and settle in for a multi-sensory trip. The 7" is a large hole 45 RPM disc with hand stamped labels. The book has a double-sided offset printed neon green cover, with a hand painted and metallic gold screen printed wrap-around title strip. Numbered edition of 222 copies.