Clean

Clean

Late Last Night / Psychedelic Clown

Merge

***A reissue of two 1994 releases by The Clean: their second studio album Modern Rock, and the “Late Last Night” 7-inch. These vinyl releases represent the first time either title has been in print on the format since its initial release, and the first time Modern Rock has ever been available on LP in North America. Modern Rock crackles with spontaneous energy, as if The Clean—namely, Hamish Kilgour, David Kilgour, and Robert Scott—couldn’t help but make music together whenever they were in the same room. Following their 1989 reunion tour and the 1990 release of Vehicle, those opportunities were rare, with Hamish in New York City fronting The Mad Scene, David releasing his first solo album, and Robert recording albums with The Bats at a breakneck pace. Then, for nine days in April 1994, the stars aligned over Dunedin and Modern Rock bloomed into life. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Modern Rock and “Late Last Night,” both releases have been remastered from the original tapes by producer and engineer Tex Houston and preserve Hamish Kilgour’s original artwork. The reissues offer new and old fans of The Clean alike an opportunity to hear the band at a creative zenith, shining light on an era that, until now, has been the provenance of crate diggers and completionists. Spinning it now, it’s clear why the album has maintained its appeal for 30 years: Modern Rock is timeless, and so are The Clean.

Clean

Modern Rock

Merge

***A reissue of two 1994 releases by The Clean: their second studio album Modern Rock, and the “Late Last Night” 7-inch. These vinyl releases represent the first time either title has been in print on the format since its initial release, and the first time Modern Rock has ever been available on LP in North America. Modern Rock crackles with spontaneous energy, as if The Clean—namely, Hamish Kilgour, David Kilgour, and Robert Scott—couldn’t help but make music together whenever they were in the same room. Following their 1989 reunion tour and the 1990 release of Vehicle, those opportunities were rare, with Hamish in New York City fronting The Mad Scene, David releasing his first solo album, and Robert recording albums with The Bats at a breakneck pace. Then, for nine days in April 1994, the stars aligned over Dunedin and Modern Rock bloomed into life. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Modern Rock and “Late Last Night,” both releases have been remastered from the original tapes by producer and engineer Tex Houston and preserve Hamish Kilgour’s original artwork. The reissues offer new and old fans of The Clean alike an opportunity to hear the band at a creative zenith, shining light on an era that, until now, has been the provenance of crate diggers and completionists. Spinning it now, it’s clear why the album has maintained its appeal for 30 years: Modern Rock is timeless, and so are The Clean.

Clean

Boodle Boodle Boodle

Merge

***On November 12, Merge will reissue two crucial releases from The Clean’s distinguished discography. The “Tally Ho!” b/w “Platypus” 7-inch and the Boodle Boodle Boodle 12-inch EP, the Dunedin trio’s first official recordings as a band, both celebrate their 40th anniversary this year. These reissues have been remastered by Tex Houston with assistance from the Alexander Turnbull Library New Zealand, and The Clean’s David Kilgour and Robert Scott oversaw the careful re-creation of the original packaging. Merge is thrilled to make these records globally available for the first time since their original release in 1981.

Clean

Tally Ho! / Platypus

Merge

***On November 12, Merge will reissue two crucial releases from The Clean’s distinguished discography. The “Tally Ho!” b/w “Platypus” 7-inch and the Boodle Boodle Boodle 12-inch EP, the Dunedin trio’s first official recordings as a band, both celebrate their 40th anniversary this year. These reissues have been remastered by Tex Houston with assistance from the Alexander Turnbull Library New Zealand, and The Clean’s David Kilgour and Robert Scott oversaw the careful re-creation of the original packaging. Merge is thrilled to make these records globally available for the first time since their original release in 1981.

Clean

Getaway

Merge

***BACK IN STOCK!!! 2001’s Getaway maybe best illustrates whatever mercurial, inexplicable musical power animates THE CLEAN. After the band’s initial rush of activity between 1978 and 1982, the trio lay dormant until the end of the ’80s, when a string of reunion shows inspired the KILGOURS and SCOTT t to start recording again. After three well-received albums in the first half of the nineties—1990’s Vehicle, 1994’s Modern Rock, and 1996’s Unknown Country—The Clean disappeared again until the end of the decade, when another tour inspired another record. Speed and spontaneity defined Getaway. At one point in the process, YO LA TENGO's IRA KAPLAN and GEORGIA HUBLEY were visiting from America, and they ended up on the record too. A live version of the pulsing, soaring “Stars”—along with a couple of other Getaway songs and Clean classics like “Fish,” “Side On,” “Quickstep,” and “Point That Thing Somewhere Else”—appear on the rare 2003 album Syd’s Pink Wiring System. That record is included with the Getaway reissue, along with the more experimental, piano-driven EP Slush Fund, from the same era. These bonus tracks reinforce the idea of the Getaway-era Clean as especially plugged in, generating inspired and beautiful music almost on instinct. LP includes a full download.

Clean

Anthology

Merge

***BACK IN STOCK!!! Anthology serves as a celebration of THE CLEAN, a band whose influence extends so far beyond their New Zealand home that even if you have never heard of The Clean before, you have surely heard of some of the bands (Pavement, Yo La Tengo, and Superchunk, to name a few) who have been influenced by their unique blend of homemade garage rock, hook-filled melodies, and psychedelic experimentalism. The album is a compilation from across The Clean’s legendary career, which began in 1981 and continues today. Merge originally released the 2-CD Anthology in 2003, but in celebration of our 25th anniversary, we felt the time was right to release this essential collection on quadruple LP. Anthology kicks off with The Clean’s call-to-arms debut “Tally Ho!”; the story of the infectious track’s $60 recording bill is now legendary. It continues with the early EPs Boodle Boodle Boodle and Great Sounds Great in their entirety. The hits—“Billy Two,” “Anything Could Happen,” “Beatnik,” and “Getting Older”—and live favorites like “Point That Thing Somewhere Else” and instrumentals “Fish” and “At the Bottom” all serve up memories of the joyous noise that characterized The Clean of that time. These recordings, mostly made by the band with CHRIS KNOX and DOUG HOOD at the helm of the 4-track, capture the bright, raw sound of a classic garage band. After a brief breakup, the band recorded Vehicle in 1989. Vehicle was made in three days and engineered by ALAN MOULDER (Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails,...