Secretly Canadian
2007
Songs From Purgatory
About This Album
Songs from Purgatory is a massive three-disc offering by June Panic that assembles archived four-track recordings from 1991-1996. There are 48 tracks in all that beg questions of excess, self-indulgence, and the complete and utter dedication of the indie imprint Secretly Canadian to its artists. Panic began recording for the label in 1999, and has since issued five full-lengths for them. Why they chose to release this monster is anybody's guess, but Panic must have a group of true believers who've been clamoring for this stuff. Rather than break this all down, it's safe to say that these archival recordings have their own secret history. Done on four-track -- yes, long before Pro Tools -- these are homemade studio offerings with Panic playing a load of the instruments on his own, and sometimes with other collaborators. None of the material has seen the proper light of day before. In fact, these tapes almost ceased to exist at all according to the liner notes. They were retrieved from a massive flood in Grand Forks North Dakota, from Panic's parents' flooded basement, and restored using primitive but effective methods or re-soaking and cleaning in a cramped apartment kitchen in three pots!!! So with water first and then a solution of alcohol and water, they have been remastered by Kramer, which eliminates the lion's share of tape hiss inherent in four-track cassette recordings.
Track List

Disc 1 (try tracks 1,5,8 and 15)

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Disc 2 (try tracks 4,8 and 16)

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Disc 3 (try tracks 3,13,16 and 18)

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