::Mayer Hawthorne:: A Strange Arrangement - Deluxe Edition::

I ♥ Stones Throw. You can just feel their evolution, man. They're not some begrudged, crumbs-on-the-table, piecemeal, backpack rap label leftover from the 1990s golden era of underground hip-hop. They stay on the cusp, and not simply because they're in pursuit of the almighty dollar. They have become the barometer of what an indie Hip-Hop entity should strive to be: a quasi-full service company pushing the boundaries of the genre while simultaneously setting a standard. Not an easy feat. And brazenly weathering 13 years in the tempestuous waters of a stormy music industry, above or below terra firma, that has been in decline for the past decade deserves a f*ckin' federal proclaimation.

But enough ego stroking...this is merely one example of why I think these kats are dope. In the fall, they will finally issue Ann Arbor native Mayer Hawthorne's blue-eyed throwback soul long player A Strange Arrangement. "So the f*ck what," you say? Well, these dudes have chosen to package his album with a 4" vinyl disc containing two exclusive non-album cuts!! YUP!!! 4 f*ckin' inches!!!! Any 30+ folks who remember the vinyl discs that were manufactured on the back of cereal boxes...


(Jackson 5 disc cut from the back of a 1972 Frosted Rice Krinkles cereal box)

...or the short-lived Flexi Disc


...THIS ONE'S FOR YOU!! The 4" disc will be packaged with both the full-length 12" vinyl and CD releases.

I guess it's good news for all us obsessive compulsive collector nerds. Bad news for all you folks rockin' the old-school semi-automatic turntables.


More info here.