Review Revue: Moving Parts - s/t EP

Welcome to Review Revue, where every Thursday I dig through the KEXP stacks to share DJ reviews and comments written on the covers of LPs (and occasionally CDs) in the ’80s and ’90s, when the station was called KCMU, the DJs were volunteers, and people shared their opinions on little white labels instead of the internet.

Moving Parts was one of the many bands of the '80s who were almost huge, but due to the vagaries of timing and crappy major label decision-making, it never quite happened. They played around Seattle from 1979 until 1988 and seem to have made quite a name for themselves, but as far as I can tell they only released one 7" single and this 12" EP. The latter certainly made a strong impression at KCMU (I don't think I've ever seen a comment here equivalent to "Best record I've ever heard," for instance.) You can read more about the band's sad, familiar story on the web site of Empire of Sleep, a project that started as a Moving Parts reunion before becoming its own thing. The newest chapter in the Moving Parts story is February Sisters, a project featuring MP members Jim Irwin and Don Lange, which just released a new album this year. And now you know what the next few albums you're going to listen to are!