Red Red Meat – “Idiot Son (Cleversley Version)” (Stereogum Premiere)

Red Red Meat – “Idiot Son (Cleversley Version)” (Stereogum Premiere)

Before Tim Rutili was fronting the legendary Chicago experimental folk-rock band Califone and Brian Deck was producing landmark albums like Modest Mouse’s The Moon And Antarctica, they honed their craft in Red Red Meat. The quartet’s noise-damaged version of roots rock — often described as the sound of neon dirt — was the raw material from which the members would later carve out their most refined work. But the genius of the band’s pioneering approach was evident even in its primitive state, as demonstrated by a newly unearthed alternate version of “Idiot Son” from Jealous Butcher’s forthcoming reissue of 1995’s Sub Pop LP Bunny Gets Paid. The song is warm yet dystopian, a prime example of Red Red Meat’s tendency to strip songs down to their little more than soul and skeleton. Hear it below.

The Bunny Gets Paid reissue is out 4/28 on Jealous Butcher. Pre-order it at PledgeMusic.

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