"'Home Before Dark' is a song I fell in love with through EM Records' reissue. I'd been thinking how amazing it would be if Edei Ma-kon, one of my favorite bands, covered it — and sure enough, it's amazing! A dream come true." (Shintaro Sakamoto)

Nora Guthrie's one and only single, "Emily's Illness c/w Home Before Dark" (1967), has spread far beyond collector-circle secrecy at home and abroad since its 2009 reissue. At first the push was for "Emily's Illness," a beautiful oddity spinning 19th-century Art Nouveau aestheticism into Beach Boys Pet Sounds-style sound (*1), but gradually the B-side "Home Before Dark" began captivating musicians (*2), and word has it that Ego-Wrappin', Teenage Fanclub, and Tenniscoats & yumbo all performed it live, spreading it further. But who could have expected to encounter a recording as wonderful as this one!! This release originated from an idea by Shintaro Sakamoto, privately recorded with the Edei Ma-kon band (respect to his "P" aesthetic eye). Word of this clandestine recording — never intended for release — reached EM, and so we bring you a work that feels like the closing of a long, looping circle (and chain of connections). Cover art by Edei Kouma.

= The Story Behind the B-Side =
For the coupling track, we approached TORSO, who didn't know the original song, handed over a basic track with the vocals and melodic instrument parts of the Edei Ma-kon version removed, and asked for a recomposition made essentially blindfolded (no Googling allowed during production). The initial idea was simply an ensemble piece layering Orie and Kenji's playing over the top… but TORSO, rising to this unreasonable experimental demand, ultimately sent back a rebellious and elegant recomposition with even the basic track stripped away — and everyone bowed down before the brilliance of this original piece!

Notes:
1) "Emily's Illness" is thought to be a tribute to the 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson.
2) Guthrie and songwriter Eric Eisner were huge Astrud Gilberto fans at the time. Try playing early Astrud's halting bossa nova vocals and Nora's "Home Before Dark" over each other in your head.

= Specifications =
+ 3-panel gatefold sleeve
+ Includes lyrics