Super-spectacular Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records is about to start taking orders for their second-ever singles club. The first one came out at the beginning of the twenty-first century and featured some astonishing handmade artwork on each release--bands featured included Of Montreal (contributing the notorious "Hitler" track as a B-side), Black Swan Network, Masters of the Hemisphere, Great Lakes, The Late B.P. Helium, Calvin, Don't Jump!, Vince Mole and His Calcium Orchestra, Kingsauce, Marshmallow Coast, The Princeton Reverb Colonials, and Plastic Mastery. Also in the mix was The Essex Green, who turned their entry into a veritable EP, squeezing 4 tracks on the 7" all linked to the squealing static sounds of someone flipping through the radio dial; appropriately, each track features a slightly different incarnation of the Green, as though each had its own station. "Monkey Man" is minor and melodic and laid-back, and actually one of my favorite Sasha Bell songs. "Yesterday and Today" sounds like one of their old Guppyboy rarities; a different version later turned up on Michael Barrett's solo album, Couches and Carpet. "My Guitar's Too Cool for Me" is what an aging street musician in Nashville might sing, with a strong emphasis on harmonica. "Kate" is a brief but urgent piece of mysterious songwriting. More polished versions of some of these songs (minus the radio lead-ins) appeared as bonus tracks on the reissued version of the Essex Green's self-titled EP (it's the one issued on Four Strong Winds instead of Elephant 6). This is the version the band sells on tour, and you can probably find it with a little online digging. Enjoy these original HHBTM versions. We've had our first spring-like day in Wisconsin today, so a little Essex Green seems appropriate.

The Essex Green - HHBTM Single Side A: Monkey Man/Yesterday and Today
The Essex Green - HHBTM Single Side B: My Guitar's Too Cool for Me/Kate