2012.07.24 Ester Drang - Pleasure Themes And Get Rich Schemes

Color: Black

Released: 2004

Label: Burnt Toast Vinyl

Part of the excellent One-Sided LP Series from Burnt Toast Vinyl, this record features music on one side and an etching on the flip. Ester Drang, at this point, had recently released their Jade Tree debut and follow up to the excellent Goldenwest. Here we get two alternate versions from Infinite Keys, their first on Jade Tree as well as two new originals. One of the newer songs and lead off track “Easy Money” harkens back to Goldenwest a bit and also feels like it would fit nicely along side some of Broken Social Scene’ earlier discography. Ester Drang were definitely a band I was obsessing over around this time and I remember looking forward to the release of this particular LP quite a bit. I am particular fond of the artwork. It seems so simple but it is understatedly beautiful. Before beginning to study design, it made me want to do just that. How did something that seemed so simple look THAT good. Maybe it was the warm, but very calming color palette. Maybe it was the simple but very modern feel of the type. It might have even had something to with the illustrated portraits of the band by singer Bryce Chambers that are photographed hanging on a wall by an empty chair (in an odd irony, I even contemplated hanging this on my living room wall in one of the those pre-fab record album frames). Chambers has since moved on to other projects, but I think I just read somewhere that the band are reforming to play a show in Tulsa in the next few days.