The Neat 45" vinyl

The guys in The Neat, out of Portland, sent me their newly released 45" (You Are All I Need b/w Sunflower). First and foremost, I give them props for putting out vinyl. In the digital age, that's downright bold, and it takes me back about a decade ago, when I lived in Chapel Hill and bought countless 45's. I'd walk down to Franklin Street on my lunch break from working at UNC and pick up at least one a day.

I have to admit I have no idea who is still putting out vinyl in 2006 (almost 2007!). When I was buying them it was Teenbeat, and Merge, and Matador, and tons of singles labels and so forth. Somebody clue me in... is there still a market for 45's?

I broke open the ol' Motorola stereo (see below) and put the record on. Well, I tried to put the record on. As it turns out, the record they've released has a "big hole" and I didn't have an adaptor. I attempted to place the 45" carefully centered, and dropped the needle into place. But, if you've ever tried this, you know it's impossible to truly get it centered. So, what I heard was wobbly and slightly out of tune.

So, I headed over to their myspace page and they've got the same two songs posted there. I'm quite sad to report that they sound kinda out of tune over there, as well.

I really want to like these guys. I like their songs, and as I said when I reviewed their set at Comet a little while back, they harken back to the 1970s in a very convincing way... it doesn't feel like a put-on at all. But, for now, I'm going to have to call their 45" a neat little entry into the world of commerce, and then hope that they're able to get some assistance on the next round of recordings to work out the kinks. I'll be anxiously awaiting it!