Song Premiere: "Fall" by Trip Shakespeare

Photo by Greg Allen

Here’s a blast from the past: a track recorded for Applehead Man, the 1986 indie-label debut of Trip Shakespeare, a Minneapolis art-pop band that included Dan Wilson and John Munson, who would later go on to be founding members of Semisonic.

But wait, you ask, how can a 28-year-old song be premiered? We’re glad you asked. “Fall” was recorded for the album, which was released on the regional label Gark, but was never released! The song is one of seven bonus tracks on a new reissue by Omnivore Recordings of the first two Trip Shakespeare albums (the second being 1988’s Are You Shakespearienced?).

“Fall” is both quirky and catchy, which pretty much describes the entire Trip Shakespeare catalog. Later signed by A&M and given a big push, their two major-label records, although beloved by critics, were both commercial flops — at least by the standards of the time; today they’d be considered minor hits!

Anyway, the music remains, and it’s darned good. Have a listen and let us know what you think in the comments.

The two albums will be available on colored vinyl (with download codes) on December 16.