Payyyola

Anything Conor Oberst is involved with I will happily give a go. I haven't heard a thing from him that I haven't liked an awful lot. The Bright Eyes LP 'I'm Wide Awake It's Morning' is an album that is super close to me, and I have a lot of time for anything new coming out from him. 

For some reason though, when Payola came out I just wasn't in a place where I wanted to listen to it. I think it had something to do with missing the 7''s that were released leading up to it (they still fetch far more than a 7'' should), and so I denied myself this record for close to a year because I'm an idiot. 

The sleeve design is really cool, but a little more on that in a second. There were a couple of coloured options available, but classy Black seems to work well with the packaging. 

Although the Black vinyl is somewhat plain to look at, the sleeve is a whole other matter. This was the deluxe press /1000 that came in a die-cut jacket with a 4-panel insert. 

The insert also acts as part of the cover art, and when it is pulled away it reveals a bunch of dollar signs printed on the inside of the jacket. It's not the easiest thing to photograph but I hope you get the idea. 

The thanks section of the insert. One of the coolest things about this section is the inclusion of Laura Jane Grace on guest vocals. Slightly off topic but she has a memoir coming out at the end of the year which will be great right? 

Inside of the insert with the lyrics. I find it a little weird that this came out on Epitaph for a couple of reasons. It's a once great label that is now incredibly hit and miss, displaying some incredible artists (Menzingers and Pianos Become The Teeth spring to mind) and some absolute guff (you all know who they are). Also, everything released by this band has either been done off their own back or through Saddle Creek. It's just seems a strange home for them is all. 

Finally, the obligatory stickered shrink.