The time has come, my friends, for us to resurrect the single. And, moreover, to claim it as our own.

With a nod to this idea of putting novel twists on the old ways, I introduce a new project. It is called the Hipster-Free Singles Club, and it is, just as the title implies, an ongoing collection of virtual singles from new and upcoming albums released across various (geeky) musical strata. But unlike the earliest singles, those tiny slips of vinyl that still enchant me so, the HFSC will not serve to simply promote a solitary artist or project. Instead it will spotlight exemplary work from a number of acts.

Consider it a split, double a-side single that highlights new work from some of the best musicians our meta-community has to offer. Plus an exclusive remix – the b-side – from a talented producer that blends the two together. All wrapped up in a charming package provided by a gifted visual artist.

Oh, and available for free!

This first volume splotlights Hidari, a J-rock outfit that blends guitars and warm vocals with skillful, chirpy keys, and their good-natured nemesis, Chicago’s own titanic chip-poppers I Fight Dragons. Lead singles from their new releases – Wine and Chocolate and Cool is Just a Number, respectively – are supplemented by a mash-up from my Canadian brother Snake Eyes, and all of this is given a proper face by Web comic artist Dave “The Knave” White, whose images have perfectly captured the eclectic spirit of the project.

Go check it out.

Shirts cost ¥2000 each. Until April 19th, we will be taking pre-orders for custom size/color/ink combinations. After that, you’ll be stuck picking from whichever three versions we decide to stock. To pre-order, send us an e-mail with your name and address, the color code from the numbers below (1-80), and the size you desire (130/140/150/S/M/L – see chart below). These are 5.6 ounce 100% cotton t-shirts (excepting nos. 2, 8, 42, and 48, which are a 90/10 cotton/polyester blend). Pre-orders ship free within Japan.

More accurately, we lightly panfry dragons, season them, whip them into a fondue and spread them on our toast after they fall dead at the mere suggestion of the possibility of our imminent presence.

Hidari shall fall. It is written.

The Secret Plans centuries in the making have finally been revealed. Truly, the day of reckoning draws nigh, and the Gauntlet of Power has been thrown. I Fight Dragons possesses state-of-the-art 8-bit technology, granting them the speed, stamina, and power to triumph over all opponents. Your childlike delusions of grandeur amuse us greatly, and we smile at your ignorance, yet we shall destroy you all the same. Weep, ye mortal musicians of Hidari, as you behold the full splendor and glory of I Fight Dragons.

Primitive beings often hold the delusion that the written word holds a sort of power, as if merely scrawling something on a flat sheet of pulped wood will make it reality. What these young, impetuous upstarts fail to realize is that the prophecies they allude to were written by ancient powers they cannot begin to comprehend, translated through a hundredfold more languages than have ever been spoken on this Earth. As everyone surely knows, the word ‘apocalypse’ originally meant ‘revelation’.

One week left.

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