{"title":"Tall Dwarfs","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter a failed flirtation with success in their previous band Toy Love, \u003cstrong\u003eChris Knox\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eAlec Bathgate\u003c\/strong\u003e formed \u003cstrong\u003eTall Dwarfs\u003c\/strong\u003e in 1981, opting to record themselves on a 4-track reel-to-reel. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTheir process was spontaneous, with songs being recorded as they were written. Typically, Bathgate would work up something on guitar while Knox provided vocals, lyrics, and tape loops. Then they added any sounds that seemed necessary to finish a song, using whatever was lying around: pans, chairs, baby rattles. Though Tall Dwarfs could be weird, they were never too experimental; Knox and Bathgate both loved melody too much (“Beatlesque” appeared more often than any other adjective in their reviews). \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTall Dwarfs was meant to be a one-off, but after the founding of their New Zealand label Flying Nun, they continued to record music for the next 21 years, releasing seven EPs and six albums of music unlike anyone else. Capturing the initial excitement of creation and taking pride in what they did, Knox and Bathgate showed a whole generation of musicians what could be done at home on a 4-track and what magic could be made if you mixed pop melodies and hooks galore with homemade sounds.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"tall-dwarfs-tall-dwarfs-t-shirt","title":"Tall Dwarfs - Tall Dwarfs T-shirt","description":"\u003cp\u003eCreated for the 2022 release of \u003cstrong\u003eTall Dwarfs\u003c\/strong\u003e' \u003ca href=\"\/products\/tall-dwarfs-unravelled-1981-2002\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eUnravelled: 1981\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e–\u003ca href=\"\/products\/tall-dwarfs-unravelled-1981-2002\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e2002\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, this exclusive t-shirt features a two-color illustration by the band's Chris Knox on a heather “canvas red” soft cotton blend unisex tee.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"XS","offer_id":52739324674359,"sku":"MRG798-TS-XS","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Small","offer_id":52739324707127,"sku":"MRG798-TS-S","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/b93052d38841b4c4acf28108b74c5f973ce78160_ef349197b5db477bf5a4200eeaebae3b2117dc01_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785382290"},{"product_id":"tall-dwarfs-unravelled-1981-2002","title":"Tall Dwarfs - Unravelled: 1981–2002","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align:center;\"\u003e“some of the catchiest and most intelligent songwriting ever conceived. acoustic outsider poetry punk, mixed with a ‘studio as instrument’ artfulness. what more could you want?” —\u003ci\u003ejeff mangum, neutral milk hotel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align:center;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e+++\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA deep dive into the 21-year journey of New Zealand DIY pop pioneers \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tall-dwarfs\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTall Dwarfs\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, aka Alec Bathgate and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/various-artists-stroke-songs-for-chris-knox\"\u003eChris Knox\u003c\/a\u003e (both previously of Toy Love and The Enemy fame). Designed and painstakingly curated by Bathgate himself, this 55-track collection comprises songs from across the band’s discography which spans a slew of full-length albums, EPs, singles, and compilation cuts released between 1981 and 2002. \u003ci\u003eUnravelled \u003c\/i\u003eis an abbreviated primer into the ramshackle brilliance of Tall Dwarfs, whose influence has lived on through artists as varied as Pavement, Yo La Tengo, Beck, \u003ca href=\"artist\/waxahatchee\"\u003eWaxahatchee\u003c\/a\u003e, Bill Callahan, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, \u003ca href=\"artist\/the_mountain_goats\"\u003ethe Mountain Goats\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"artist\/neutral_milk_hotel\"\u003eNeutral Milk Hotel\u003c\/a\u003e, just to name a few.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP Box Set","offer_id":52996579164471,"sku":"MRG798LP","price":99.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2-CD","offer_id":52740175757623,"sku":"MRG798CD","price":17.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/cc6cfda2aa60112948ca33d76b723cae990e7162_3b52ebad07bf1277f3be630faac75bbf3081ab6f_medium_jpg_7202cea7-4e0b-4b22-b0f2-5a71a8ae2894.jpg?v=1789587645"},{"product_id":"unravelled-album-t-shirt-bundle","title":"Tall Dwarfs - Unravelled Album + T-shirt Bundle","description":"","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"XS \/ LP Box Set with poster","offer_id":52826125074743,"sku":null,"price":119.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"XS \/ 2-CD","offer_id":52826125107511,"sku":null,"price":37.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Small \/ LP Box Set with poster","offer_id":52826125140279,"sku":null,"price":119.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Small \/ 2-CD","offer_id":52826125173047,"sku":null,"price":37.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Medium \/ LP Box Set with poster","offer_id":52826125205815,"sku":null,"price":119.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Medium \/ 2-CD","offer_id":52826125238583,"sku":null,"price":37.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Large \/ LP Box Set with poster","offer_id":52826125271351,"sku":null,"price":119.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Large \/ 2-CD","offer_id":52826125304119,"sku":null,"price":37.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"XL \/ LP Box Set with poster","offer_id":52826125336887,"sku":null,"price":119.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"XL \/ 2-CD","offer_id":52826125369655,"sku":null,"price":37.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"XXL \/ LP Box Set with poster","offer_id":52826125402423,"sku":null,"price":119.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"XXL \/ 2-CD","offer_id":52826125435191,"sku":null,"price":37.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/1600521dc08a18534e3fc4384eee40ae54d6af21_15b100bf4cc38966207ffcb137cb1bbe5df4e0da_medium_jpg_84db273b-2a8e-438d-b931-1a96bf4c9301.jpg?v=1786568541"}],"url":"https:\/\/mergerecords.com\/collections\/tall-dwarfs.oembed","provider":"Merge Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}