Today I’ll be taking a look at Polyvinyl Records and a selection of the special edition releases they sent to us for review. As always with these reviews, no advance screening of the article of accompanying video was provided, and no compensation exchanged hands. All of the items you see were sent to us as a promotional courtesy with no promise other than “I’ll check out your product for the site.”
A little background on the label would be helpful for all of us at this point. Darcie and Matt (the founders) launched a similarly named magazine in 1994 called Polyvinyl Press in the greater Chicagoland area. As a marketing and publicity tool, they included a 7″ record with the third issue of the magazine, and thanks to a combination of local friendships and grassroots marketing this soon blossomed from their humble beginnings into a full fledged record label. They’ve been printing vinyl for 30 years now, are still based in Champaign, IL and are 100% independently owned and operated.
I’m not on the ground with the label in Illinois to ask them this, nor have any firsthand contact with the artists who distribute through the label to do it either, but the stated claim on their website is a 50/50 split with every artist on every record sold. Since they’ve got 400+ releases to their belt this may be a “proof is in the pudding” scenario. They’d not be likely to get that much business, let alone repeat business from well known artists like Anamanaguchi, if it weren’t a ethical and respectful arrangement. I’m happy about that fact especially since the music industry often seems to be an endless cesspool of dirty deeds done dirt cheap; today though, we’re specifically talking about Plato III’s “Grown.”
A review of the music itself will come in a separate article. At times I’m forced to report that unique colors and variants are out of print when doing this, but happily that’s not the case with “Grown.” The clear blue vinyl described on the website is exactly what they sent me, though calling it “clear blue” doesn’t actually do it justice. This vinyl print is closer to transparent than a rich dark blue, giving it a color I can best remember from a trip to the Caribbean over 20 years ago. I was astounded at the time how calm, clear and translucent the blue waters of the Bahamas were. You could look straight down and see coral reef through the surface. If I held up a seashell to this record, I could do the same.
I think you’re unlikely to see a print that unique for only $22 (before shipping) anywhere else. That’s really good value given that even standard vinyl prints often go for $25 in basic black, while Record Store Day editions in unique colors often go for $45 or more. The aforementioned Anamanaguchi was also sent to me in this package, and I’m giving high marks in particular to “Endless Fantasy” for the spectacular combination of clear vinyl with color paint splatter blots going all the way to the edge. As it’s a double album it does command a higher price of $35, but if you’re a fan of their pop and chiptune music (famously featured in Scott Pilgrim video games) you’ll get your money’s worth. Thanks again to Polyvinyl Records for sharing this product and opportunity with us.
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