5 out of 5

Produced by: John Vanderslice (Radiation City), Ryan Adams (La Cera)

Label: Polyvinyl

This is an insanely awesome promotional idea from label Polyvinyl: with certain purchases, a freebie 7″ is tossed in, with an A-side from two different bands on each side.  I’ve only received one of these, so I can’t say for sure, but it would also seem to that there’s some thought to what’s included when, as my purchase of female fronted pop-rock band Tancred – including a 7″ of that band – resulted in a ‘With Compliments’ of two female fronted pop-rock bands.  I mention purchasing a 7″ because it’s also logical that I’d have the means to play the promo, then, as I’ve definitely made CD-only purchases in the past and not received the extras.

Whether or not the Tancred / Radiation City / La Sera tie was purposeful, at the very least I can say that there’s definitely some crossover between both sides of the single, meaning PV is maximizing their potential next purchases.  It’s a totally smart plan, and since the packaging is generic save the band labeling on the single itself, fairly cheap as well, I’d imagine.  Because there’s really no downside to this, I’d be tempted to give it a high rating just for being a cool idea, but coincidence or purposefulness, the similar sounds between my purchase and the singles totally work – I’m listening to La Sera as I write this.  The caveat is that the singles are, definitely, singles – meaning they’re best representations of the bands – but they’re honest representations all the same.

La Sera has a folky edge to it, versus Radiation City’s more indie pop influences.  Both songs are available on the respective band’s latest release, adding to the “Pro” column of this, as it prevents the 7″s from become too obscure collectors items.

A very un-music review, sorry, but consider it representative of the whole thing (meaning including the music) just working really well.