This unique EP from the Metroschifter is part of an elaborate project 15 years in the making.
The EP consists entirely of previously released material, yet its contents may come as a bizarre revelation to Metroschifter fans. It may also be something new to the music world.
Though improbable, if someone selected the proper Metroschifter records and played them at the same time, they would find that some songs released by the band more than a decade ago are puzzle pieces that fit together.
This new EP, One Cloud for the Brokenhearted, combines two such songs, “One Cloud in the Sky” (from a 1998 split CD with Shipping News) and “Theme from ‘Songs for the Brokenhearted'” (released on a compilation the following year).
These two songs were written and recorded in the ’90s as matching pieces. When played simultaneously, the songs fit together exactly. The music and phrasing weaves in and out of sync, sometimes sounding like discordant cacophony and, in other moments, coming together in a harmonious swirl.
On this EP, the two songs are finally joined together: one song in the left speaker and the other in the right speaker. The drums are mixed in stereo up the middle.
The record also presents stereo mixes of the individual songs.
Singer/songwriter Scott Ritcher notes that other such secret treasures are hidden in Metroschifter’s catalog, which consists of six full-length albums and numerous EPs released between 1994 and 2009.
For those who have enjoyed Metroschifter over the years, Ritcher says, “There has been more going on than just what is obviously on the records. We have always wanted to make records that have not already been made. This is another part of that.”
1 / One Cloud in the Sky
2 / Theme from “Songs for the Brokenhearted”
3 / One Cloud for the Brokenhearted
