05/05/09
Text: Nik Mercer
The Journal Of Popular Noise is one of our favorite modern oddities. It's a spectacular music-focused semi-annual print publication that is, granted, a rarity in today's electronic world, but also the type of thing you simply would've never found 20, 30, 40 years ago. Somehow it's... too niche (and believe us―that's a good thing)!
For those of you unaware of what exactly JPN is, we'll give you the quick lowdown.
The 7"-shaped magazine features three high-quality vinyl discs and supplemental text portions to explain the included artists' histories and works. The idea is super simple, but exceptionally covetable and nostalgia-inducing, making it something we immediately recommend to any of our readers.
The Spring/Summer issue will ship on July 1, so be sure to pre-order it right now as it's bound to sell out. Featured artists include our favorite New Yorker Andrew W.K. (be sure to come to the benefit concert we're presenting at his club, Santo's Party House), musician/writer/DJ/talk show host Ian Svenonius, and comedy duo Walker and Cantrell.
Unlike previous releases, 13 – 15 will be released as two limited-edition versions. The letterpress edition is the one we've grown used to (one 14.25"X21.5" letterpress sheet printed broadside and hand-folded to contain the three discs), while the 'zine edition is an eight-page, saddle-stiched booklet that features additional photographs by Roe Etheridge and expanded editorial content. A mere 100 of the former will be released, and only four times that of the latter will be put out there.
