Rome Plow is ruining it for every other label in the world.
Instead of just putting out decent records with “it’ll do” cover
art, founder Adam Paysse and Co. take great care with not only the
sound but the look of every release, silk-screening every piece of the
packaging (from the plastic sleeve to the liner notes) and even
hand-etching the records. Rome Plow’s latest masterpieces? The
new Helms Alee and Deadsure records.
Pressed on snow-white 12-inch vinyl, the new Helms Alee record is a four-song, one-sided EP. Side B is etched with a line
drawing done by Faith Coloccia. The record’s sleeve is both printed and
silk-screened, with black-and-white photography and dark-gray and white
ink, respectively. You have to examine it to catch all the little
details, like which parts are printed and which are
painted—it’s pretty amazing.
Helms Alee are more than just pretty packaging—the band
comprises just two girls and one guy, but they make more noise than
most bands twice their size. The guy is Ben Verellen (he used to be in
These Arms Are Snakes and Harkonen), one of the girls is Hozoji
Roseanne Matheson-Margullis of Lozen, and the songs were recorded and
mixed by Matt Bayles. With that kind of personnel, it’s no surprise
that the music sounds amazing. The drumming takes cues from hardcore,
the guitars swirl in and out of haunting breakdowns, and the
songwriting is strong and compelling, a little reminiscent of the
Pixies (I wonder if that’s just the male/female vocals talking,
though).
Only 400 copies of this debut are being pressed, and for now
there’s also a limited-edition CD up for grabs. You can get both at
www.romeplowrecords.com.
As for Deadsure‘s record, it’s a new pressing of the
now-defunct band’s full-length, a follow-up to the debut EP released on
No Idea four years ago. Even though the record is coming out
posthumously, the art is just as vital as any other Rome Plow effort,
with collage-style pictures glued to both the front and the back and
intricate four-color printing. The packaging also comes with a
CD version, and an envelope containing a papyruslike lyric sheet. Only
150 copies are being printed, making it even more rare than the Helms
Alee release (but if you only had money to spend on one, I’d go with
Helms Alee—it’s am-a-zing).
Rome Plow, you did it again. Way to make all the other labels look
bad. 
