On Mike Krol Is Never Dead: The First Two Records, we catch up—with the past, that is. Indeed, Turkey, released in 2015, is Chapter 3 of the Krol saga; here are its long-lost predecessors. Self-released in 2011, I Hate Jazz was the opening salvo of World War Krol. Only 500 copies were pressed; they were given away to anyone who showed interest (and many who showed none whatsoever). Including Krol classics like “Fifteen Minutes” and “Like a Star,” the record had long been unavailable. Trust Fund followed in 2013; its 500 copies sold out on the ensuing tour, fueling a mini-mania that would elevate it to cult status.
A few words from Mike on the extra tracks, an illuminating selection of digital outtakes, demos, and b-sides:
Everything on here was recorded and mixed by myself on either a 4-track cassette recorder or the free version of GarageBand that comes on an Apple computer. I never learned how to record properly, never took a single guitar lesson, never thought in my #wildestdreams that these songs would be heard by anyone other than my close friends (and definitely not released on the record label I so deeply admired during my formative years recording them). But that never stopped me from having fun and trying to express myself through a personal creative process. So with that, I hope you guys enjoy them.
