Parks, Van Dyke
Wall Street/money Is King
Legendary artist, composer and producer Van Dyke Parks has announced the launch of a unique series of 7" vinyl singles, the first new studio music in over 15 years since he released his acclaimed album Orange Crate Art. Each vinyl single (on his own label Bananastan) will be illustrated by some of the most important and remarkable modern artists of our time. Parks has commissioned some of the top contemporary artists in America to illustrate each single with what he describes as "a work of art that relates to the music within." The first two singles to be released will be the Art Spiegelman-illustrated "Wall Street" / "Money Is King." and the Ed Ruscha-illustrated "Dreaming of Paris" / "Wedding in Madagascar". Van Dyke Parks said of the singles: "They are from highly different genres, each of them. They don't cohere. They belong somewhere. But the emphasis on the visual art is a big, big deal. These are the pre-eminent American artists of our time. We're calling it "Nouveau Niche."