Norwegian dance rock act Datarock are boasting, big time, about their forthcoming release, calling it “the most extravagant single in history.” And it is indeed pretty damn cool — a custom designed USB drive, stored inside a vinyl toy, and packed with over 100 songs, 1500 photos, 20 music videos, and a full concert film! Get a taste with a free download of “Catcher in the Rye” right here:
Datarock, “Catcher in the Rye”(DOWNLOAD MP3)
Datarock’s Fredrik Saroea is quite stoked about the project (out March 21), saying that it began with him trying to create something as “innovative and exciting” as the first Sony Walkman, the TPS-L2. But he couldn’t. “In lack of innovation, I went for combination and simply united the two things I had in my pocket,” he tells SPIN.
Those two things were a standard USB drive and a custom toy, so Datarock started gathering assets for the USB-based release, and enlisted Brian Flynn at Hybrid Design and the toymakers at SUPER7 in San Francisco to craft the toy-shaped USB holder, a prototype of which is pictured at right.
“Catcher in the Rye” is among the 105 songs included on the drive, and was recorded in between Datarock tours in late 2009. “I guess I was missing the U.S., cause J.D. Salinger’s classic novel came to mind over and over again,” Saroea explains. “I guess the lyrics are kinda written in the voice of Holden Caulfield, the main character — a total homage to the genius of Salinger.”
Also included on the USB drive, which will be sold through select consumer outlets: a new five-song EP, titled Catcher in the Rye; a new album, Music for Synchronization; the group’s first two albums, plus bonus tracks; a b-sides and rarities compilation, 15 new instrumentals; and a 40-track remix album.
The EP will also be made available as a digital download through retailers.
