Pitchfork

The old world has officially collided with the new, the iPod nano-toting city mouse has mated with Victrola-friendly country mouse, and Merge Records has devised a scheme to keep styluses fashionable well into the 21st century. The label has released the Clientele's Best New Music'd Strange Geometry in a format palatable to both vinyl aficionados and micro-music tech junkies. Jeepers! How can this be? Easy. It all comes down to a little marvel of human achievement known as the piece of paper.

Slow down, breathe, and appreciate: all LP copies of Strange Geometry include said piece of paper, which entitles the purchaser to a one-time download of the entire album in digital format, straight from Merge's state-of-the-art website. The label plans to do the same thing to the LP version of the forthcoming Robert Pollard solo record, From a Compound Eye, with both versions scheduled to come out on January 24. If the promotion succeeds, the label will continue with future releases. Talk about catering to one's clientele, ha.

So that, my friends, is how Merge Records intends to get 12" records onto your 2" x 3" nano. Strange geometry indeed.

Have we mentioned that the Clientele are presently on tour? And shilling a tour-exclusive 16-cut CD? We have, you say? Twice already? Well fuck it, here you go again:

11-04 Austin, TX - Parish *
11-05 Denton, TX - Hailey's *
11-08 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture#
11-09 San Diego, CA - Casbah #
11-11 Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory *#
11-12 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill *#
11-14 Portland, OR - Doug Fir *#
11-15 Seattle, WA - Chop Suey *#
11-18 Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar *
11-19 Chicago, IL - Abbey Pub *
11-20 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick *&
11-21 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop *
11-23 New York, NY - Knitting Factory *

* with Annie Hayden
# with the Radar Bros
& with Pas/Cal