Well, I'm starting to sound like a broken record but it's time to hype some Game Theory reissues again.
Omnivore Recordings are putting out 2 more Game Theory releases: 1983's Pointed Accounts of People You Know and 1984's Distortion, both out today. The physical releases are on green vinyl and are strictly limited edition so act now 'cause they are gonna sell out fast.
Both EPs show Game Theory growing into the band most people grew to love based on later releases like Lolita Nation (1987). That pop sense is here. For those of you who already purchased this week's earlier reissue of Dead Center, I'm here to tell ya that while that excellent compilation overlaps with both of these EPs it does not include all the same tracks. So you need to get these too.
The cuts here are all great though. "Metal and Glass Exact" from Pointed Accounts of People You Know is near-perfect indie-pop a good 2 decades ahead of its time. There's also the wickedly titled "I Wanna Get Hit By A Car", and EP closer "37th Day" which quietly unfolds like early cuts from comrade Mitch Easter's Let's Active. The tune swaps the chiming chords of the other songs on the record for something more subtle and affecting.
The flawless Distortion, produced by Michael Quercio of The Three O'Clock, favors straightforward power pop as exemplified by "Shark Pretty" and "Nine Lives to Rigel Five", to name 2 of the familiar songs on this release. However, there is variety here with stuff like "Kid Convenience" which sounds oddly like some lost electro-pop gem left over from the early flourishing of the genre in England -- think the more obscure stuff from The Human League. It's a weird cut and a bit surprising compared to the other songs you probably know from Game Theory in this era.
But, really, there are 11 cuts spread out over the course of these 2 EPs and they are all gems. Pointed Accounts of People You Know and Distortion are both out today via Omnivore Recordings.
You can buy Christmas presents for your friends and family later. Go buy these for yourself today instead!.