Mike Krol and Merge Records seemed destined for one another. “Mac and Laura have long been heroes of mine, even prior to the realization that they were the reason all my favorite records shared the same logo on the back,” says Krol. “I’m beyond thrilled that they have welcomed me into their family, and that my records will proudly display that logo.”
In bowling’s hallowed alleys, a strike is the minor miracle of all ten pins falling at once. Back-to-back strikes make a double. Do it a third time and you’ve got yourself a turkey. History will decide which sports metaphor to apply to Mike Krol’s first two records, I Hate Jazz (2011) and Trust Fund (2013), but as needle meets groove on Turkey, there is no ambiguity. Mike got his bike stolen and his heart broken. He bailed on graphic-design-as-career. He kept playing drums and guitars, and he kept writing songs about the stuff he hated and the stuff he loved. Leaving Milwaukee for Los Angeles, he took a few years’ worth of wrong turns. But when he showed up at a studio in Sacramento in March 2014, he had his affairs in order. Plug the vocal mic into a guitar amp. Plug the guitar into an overheating box of vacuum tubes. Put the computer in the closet. Roll the tape.
No Comments