Block

“Too complex to fit into a musical drawer.”
—Rolling Stone

“Engaging and promise-filled.”
—Spin Magazine

“A witty, knowing collection of pop tracks.”
—Billboard

Groundbreaking and seminal recording artist Block has turned heads and caught critics’ ears since his 1996 arrival in the national spotlight. The first artist signed to Capitol Records’ imprint Java, Block has toured with They Might Be Giants, Bob Mould, and The Brian Setzer Orchestra, and throughout a storied career has worked with many of music’s most coveted record makers, from Glen Ballard to Bob Ludwig. But perhaps most significantly, he has created a body of work that’s unquestionably helped birth and define an entire genre: anti-folk.

Now, ahead of his forthcoming new record, Block has signed with Meridian (ECR Music Group) for a series of remastered deluxe editions of his influential and celebrated recording catalog. Remastered and executive produced by Blake Morgan (Lenny Kravitz, Janita, Lesley Gore), these deluxe-edition re-releases will feature never-before-heard tracks and alternate versions of some of his most beloved songs.

The first of these re-releases comes February 21st with The Greene Street Sessions [Deluxe Edition], only previously available as a short-from EP. Originally produced by Mike Rathke (The Velvet Underground. Laurie Anderson, Peter Gabriel), mastered by Bob Ludwig (Foo Fighters, Daft Punk, Beyonce), and featuring Lou Reed’s backing band, The Greene Street Sessions [Deluxe Edition] has been restored to its original 11-track, full-length intention. The record, and its previously unreleased single “3rd Mall From The Sun,” provides a critical and fascinating backdrop to Block’s 1998 Capitol Records release Timing Is Everything. Additionally, it provides an artistic and historical context for Block’s later albums, 2006’s The Last Single Guy, and 2013’s Whitecaps On The Hudson, each of which have also been remastered in deluxe-edition fashion by Morgan.

“I’m thrilled to join this distinguished roster, and to have my catalog restored, reclaimed, and refurbished in such a comprehensive and beautiful way,” says Block. “The Greene Street Sessions is finally getting its proper moment on the launchpad and I’m so glad this version of ‘3rd Mall From The Sun’ is finally about to go into orbit.”

Interestingly, it was comedian Bill Hicks who inspired the song, as Block explains. “I’d been listening a lot to Hicks at the time. He had a routine about the mall, and I nabbed the song title from him. I’d just moved to Rockland County and there’s a giant mall there that could literally suck the life out of you. I imagined myself in a sort of nightmare-salesman house party where everyone was selling, or had recently been sold, something.”

Rolling Stone calls Block “Too complex to fit into a musical drawer.” Spin Magazine hails his work as “Engaging and promise-filled.” Billboard Magazine describes Block’s catalog as, “A witty, knowing collection of pop tracks.”

Out February 21st as the first of four deluxe-edition Block re-releases on Meridian, The Greene Street Sessions [Deluxe Edition] is revelatory in both performance and production, letting us hear these songs in entirely new ways.