Aidan Moffat to release “naked”, sleeveless vinyl as L. Pierre

“I want the music to live and scar.”

Former Arab Strap frontman Aidan Moffat will release his final record as L. Pierre without any packaging.

Released as just a “naked” 12″ vinyl, Moffat describes 1948- as “a self-destructive dialogue on the value of music and its new platforms, culture’s cyclical nature, the supposed death of the album – and the seeming immortality and inherent nostalgia of vinyl.”

Made using YouTube-ripped recordings of Nathan Milstein playing Mendelssohn, released on the very first 33 1/3rpm long-playing 12” record in 1948, the record challenges the format to embrace the degradation that most people try to guard against.

“I don’t want a pristine, digital document that could last forever; I want the music left to the elements, I want it to live and scar, with each record’s acquired crackles, pops and scratches making them unique and identifiable to their owners,” Moffat explains.

“And while the natural thing to do with a naked record is protect it, I think it could be interesting to see how folk respond when we hand that responsibility over. Also, the sleeveless LP will look like one of those dusty, vulnerable strays you find in charity shops, which is precisely where L. Pierre began.” You can read the full mission statement here.

1948- follows Moffat’s ongoing interest in vinyl, which has seen him put out Surface Noise: Movements I-VI in 2013, using the hiss, cracks and pops of the medium as the primary element of the recording.

Marking the end of Moffat’s work as L. Pierre, which has seen him release four albums and a handful of EPs and 12″s since 2000, 1948- will be released on Melodic on 28th April.

Pre-order your copy now and check out the teaser below.