Vinyl of the Month

Artist: Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground

Title: Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground

Format: 2XLP

Label: Suburban Home/Vinyl Collective

Manufacturer: GZ Media (CZ) by way of Recordpressing.com

Recorded at the House of Breaking Glass in Seattle, WA | Produced by

Phillip A. Peterson, Kirk Huffman and Kyle O’Quin | Engineered by Phillip

A. Peterson with assistance from Matt Clifford | Mixed and mastered

by Tom Pfaeffle at the Tank Studios in Black Diamond, WA | Vinyl pre-

mastering by Mike Wells in San Francisco, CA

Every vinyl collection has its centerpiece – a record that’s handled like a rare artifact belonging in a museum. This was obviously the goal when Seattle’s Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground and executive producer Virgil Dickerson (of Suburban Home Records) set out to manufacture the band’s self-titled debut album. Only released on vinyl and as a digital download, not a single consideration was left out when it came to creating the tangible format of this work of art.

The audio that was prepared for the digital distribution was handed off to Mike Wells to be tweaked to vinyl master cutting specifications. Once the studio pre-mastering was complete, DMM copper plates were created at the factory, GZ Media in the Czech Republic. The records were hand-pressed to 140-160 grams, and only virgin vinyl was used. The LPs were created in sets of three different colors: rainbow translucent

(translucent red with various color speckles), translucent orange with translucent red splatter, and rainbow milk (a solid color variation of rainbow translucent). Thanks to the great mastering efforts, it’s not audible that this record was pressed on color vinyl – a detail known for degrading sound quality. As soon as the needle hits the lead-in groove, the record plays from start to finish with no surface noise, loud volume

or inner-ring distortion (provided the needle is clean).

The two LPs are housed in a double gatefold jacket, printed direct to board on a very rigid white paper stock. The artwork was originally designed by the band’s Kirk Huffman and features a vibrant mirror-image collage on both the front and back. Clocks tick away while a rainbow beam shoots through the center and a massive eyeball looks on from behind; a baby makes a wish and various characters make an appearance. It’s as intriguing and carefully crafted as the music itself, and mirrors its vintage/modern aesthetic. This property is further accentuated by the jacket’s high-quality matte lamination, which gives it a silky-smooth surface and dull appearance most commonly found on European jackets, and the mp3 digital download card inside.

The album itself is nothing short of its packaging. As the turntable spins, horns and strings spill out and Kay Kay’s psychedelic/vaudevillian pop unfolds with rich production and unbelievable fullness, creating an entire listening experience.

www.myspace.com/kaykayunderground

-Mack Jackson