Sort Of Way

R. Stevie Moore Sort Of Way

(Care in the Community Records)

Ok, so this isn’t necessarily a new track from lo-fi legend R. Stevie Moore, but I’m sure none of you out there in cyberspace have heard of it either way, so same difference right? Sort of Way was originally released on Moore’s 1973 album Invites Comparison, and like all other works by Moore, has remained virtually unnoticed for the last 40 years. Honestly, it’s a crime that Moore, a man who resembles a cross between Albert Einstein and a deranged, mini-mall Santa Claus, hasn’t received the proper attention that should be compulsory for someone with his reputation and tenure. With over 400 albums under his belt and having inspired numerous subsequent lo-fi acts (Ariel Pink, John Maus, Mike Watt, and The Vaccines, just to name a few), one would expect some sort of large-scale adulation for him. But there’s good news, kiddies! Despite being ignored for the last few decades, Sort of Way, along with several other top-choice songs from Moore’s backlog, has been resurrected as part of Care in the Community’s latest compilation Personal Appeal, out August 5. Like most of his early ‘70s material, Sort of Way is another perfunctory piece of pop craftsmanship, laced with multiple layers of earworms, guitar-noodling, and reel-to-reel tape-hiss. It’s often a crowded tune, with distorted percussion, slashing riffs, and twangy vocals dominating the greater part of the mix. Yet it all somehow jells cohesively, despite its constant threat to violently pull apart at the seams.