{"product_id":"rvngnl08","title":"Pink Skull - Psychic Welfare","description":"\u003ch3\u003eCAT #: RVNGNL08\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eRelease Date: September 20th, 2011\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePink Skull\u003c\/b\u003e returns with \u003ci\u003ePsychic Welfare\u003c\/i\u003e, their third studio album and second for \u003cb\u003eRVNG Intl.\u003c\/b\u003e, following 2009's \u003ci\u003eEndless Bummer\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePsychic Welfare comes after \u003cb\u003eJulian Grefe\u003c\/b\u003e waded through the cosmic slop that accumulated around him the two years following the release of \u003ci\u003eEndless\u003c\/i\u003e. Grefe alongside \u003cb\u003eJustin \"JG\" Geller\u003c\/b\u003e, forms the central nervous system of a \u003cb\u003ePink Skull\u003c\/b\u003e. The duo expanded to include \u003cb\u003eJeremy Gewertz\u003c\/b\u003e (drums), \u003cb\u003eMike Hammel\u003c\/b\u003e (bass), and \u003cb\u003eSam Murphy\u003c\/b\u003e(guitar) for the recording and live realization of \u003ci\u003eEndless\u003c\/i\u003e, and then expanded once more to include \u003cb\u003eAdam Sparkles\u003c\/b\u003e (programming) and \u003cb\u003eRobin van der Kaa\u003c\/b\u003e (bass, programming) for\u003ci\u003ePsychic Welfare\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePsychic Welfare\u003c\/i\u003e was produced by Pink Skull and \u003cb\u003eJeff Zeigler\u003c\/b\u003e (\u003cb\u003eKurt Vile\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eWar On Drugs\u003c\/b\u003e) between the band's Philadelphia studio and Brooklyn, NY. Contending with the seismic swells in both the macro and micro worlds around him, Grefe refracted the polluted waves in a fantastical fit to write the 13 songs of \u003ci\u003ePsychic Welfare\u003c\/i\u003e. The album is a map of time and space portals in which the listener can navigate from the corroded corners of machinated life to boundless, amorphous space in mere seconds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross the album's pull-out poster artwork for \u003ci\u003ePsychic Welfare\u003c\/i\u003e is a hand-scrawled poem by the late NYC sage \u003cb\u003eIra Cohen\u003c\/b\u003e entitled \"Blind Assemblage\". In the poem, Cohen describes the decay of society and struggles to find civility within tragedy, a sentiment mirrored in Grefe's lyrical content of \u003ci\u003ePsychic Welfare\u003c\/i\u003e, if not masked by a new found pop propensity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lead track on the album, \"Hot Bubblegum,\" a Television-inspired piece of pop perfectly pushes this dichotomy of psychotic playfulness. \"Mu\" is a sprawling instrumental spread of blissed-out 80s funk, complete with a tin rooftop sax solo by \u003cb\u003eBilly Dufala\u003c\/b\u003e (\u003cb\u003eMan Man\u003c\/b\u003e). \"Janine Aubergine\" fictionalizes Grefe's girlfriend's bluegrass fiddle-playing aunt as a psychedelic maven over a tango groover, while \"Bee Nose (Put Yr Face On)\" is a woozy, hazy late-night phone call from the warped Scottish countryside circa 1998. \"Summer Reading\" feels like a \u003ci\u003eTransformer\u003c\/i\u003e-era \u003cb\u003eLou Reed\u003c\/b\u003e bullying \u003cb\u003eMark E. Smith\u003c\/b\u003e around a disco bouncey castle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTracks from \u003ci\u003ePsychic Welfare\u003c\/i\u003e were remixed by \u003cb\u003eBrassica\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eHigamos Hagamos\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eRay Mang\u003c\/b\u003e, and \u003cb\u003eWorst Friends\u003c\/b\u003e. Each of these remixes will be released as single support and included alongside additional original tracks as bonus downloads. The artwork of Psychic Welfare is taken from a a series of visual synth feedback experiments conducted by the band and video artist \u003cb\u003eAdam Carrigan\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePsychic Welfare\u003c\/i\u003e is available now as an LP and across digital formats via RVNG Intl. The LP edition features a 48\" x 96\" heavy-stock pull out poster.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eVideos\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Va8Uif2HHes\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9SPzi10YMhg\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/j6CDp9PO9GU\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"RVNGNL08","offers":[{"title":"DIGITAL - $6","offer_id":18844647161925,"sku":"RVNGNL08DIGI","price":6.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12\" - $18","offer_id":13130867507269,"sku":"RVNGNL08LP","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0026\/6993\/6709\/products\/p-5593-111_rvngnl08_cover_500x500_f637bf36-fb85-4df9-af47-f255da35da79.jpg?v=1535219033","url":"https:\/\/igetrvng.com\/products\/rvngnl08","provider":"RVNG Intl.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}