Photo credit: E. Katie Holm
Live At The Vic Theater, Chicago, Il, 6/25/96
Genres: Slowcore, Sadcore, Acoustic Indie, Indie Folk
For Fans of: Red House Painters, American Music Club, Slowdive, Elliot Smith, Low
ARC323 • 617026231822 • June 28, 2024
As one of Projekt’s classic 90s artists, SoulWhirlingSomewhere was only two albums into his career when Michael Plaster performed this melancholic acoustic set at Projekt’s 1996 label festival in Chicago. Known for intensely romantic ethereal songs combining lush keyboards, sparse guitar, and warm, introspective vocals, Michael stripped his music to its acoustic essence, laying bare heartfelt tales of longing and loss. Soothing yet quietly haunting, the songs dwell on a surrender to hopelessness and despair wrought by the inability to accept and move on after a relationship has ended.
Revived from a front-of-house board-recorded DAT tape in time for the 28th anniversary of ProjektFest’96 in June, this recording captures Michael performing nine tracks including the never released “everything starts and everything ends in march” and “national monument,” as well as four tracks from the epic 2CD Hope Was which was still two years in the future.
Projekt’s Sam Rosenthal says: For the past 28 years I’ve had ProjektFest’96 front-of-house board-recorded DAT tapes in a box in my studio. Years ago when I tried playing them they squeaked horribly. I thought time had been unkind to these tapes. A few weeks ago, I saw the tapes in the bottom of the box while looking for other DATs; I thought to give them a try as I have a new old DAT machine in my studio these days. And low and behold, this tape played perfectly. It’s so nice to hear Michael’s set again after all of these years, flashing back to the two-day event with 1000 people in attendance. The 90s were really good to Projekt and our artists! After 23 years of no new music from Michael’s SoulWhirlingSomewhere, it’s wonderful to release this music for his and Projekt’s fans. Michael fully endorses this release and even adds, “Sounds perfect! I actually enjoy hearing this after all this time.”
Past press comments:
OPUS: Above all of this soars Plaster’s youthful and powerful voice, adds an almost innocent, choral quality to the music. Plaster wears his heart on his sleeve, but instead of dangling it in front you, he invites you to see it with some of the most powerful and personal lyrics I have ever heard. The songs are sparse yet warm, like Plaster is inviting me to hear revelations of his deepest anxieties and feelings.
MILK BONE: Michael excels by digging to the core of human suffering. Those thoughts you swore were yours and yours alone: right there, as though he was listening. If only you could word them like this and sing them like that. It’s true. He has one of the most beautifully soothing voices in the world.
Track List:
1 everything starts and everything ends in march PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
2 sealing
3 national monument PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
4 a mouse in the mouth
5 the last time i left
6 you’ll tear me away from you
7 everyone will eventually leave you
8 i will never let go
9 forget it. i give up. goodbye. i love you.