Variety Lights – Central Flow on vinyl LP. Near mint. 2012 Fire Records album from Mercury Rev co-founder David Baker. Ships from Germany.
About Central Flow
A near mint vinyl pressing of the striking 2012 reintroduction of Mercury Rev co-founder David Baker, eighteen years after he left the public spotlight.
Central Flow is the debut album from Variety Lights, released on 11 June 2012 via Fire Records. The project reunites original Mercury Rev vocalist David Baker with fellow vintage synth enthusiast Will MacLean, marking Baker’s first widely released music in nearly two decades. This listing is a near mint vinyl pressing from a Berlin based eBay seller.
- Who is David Baker
- About Central Flow
- Critical reception
- Pressing details and buying advice
The Short Version
- Artist Variety Lights is the duo of David Baker, co-founder and original vocalist of Mercury Rev, and synth collaborator Will MacLean.
- Release Central Flow came out on 11 June 2012 via Fire Records, Baker’s reintroduction after 18 years away from the public spotlight.
- Legacy Baker co-founded Mercury Rev and sang on their acclaimed early albums Yerself Is Steam and Boces before an acrimonious departure.
- Sound Electronic beats, vintage synth textures and Baker’s distinctive vocal wails, moving between abrasive and melodic across eleven tracks.
- This copy Near mint sleeve condition, shipped from Berlin, Germany.
Variety Lights – Central Flow (LP, Near Mint)
Vinyl LP, Fire Records
Near mint sleeve condition vinyl pressing of Central Flow, sold by a Berlin based eBay seller with 100% positive feedback.
Pressing Specifications
Who Is David Baker?
David Baker co-founded Mercury Rev and served as the band's original vocalist, helping forge their revolutionary sound across their first two, most critically acclaimed albums, 1991's Yerself Is Steam and 1993's Boces. Both records were marvellously noisy, rough-edged works that earned enthusiastic praise from the UK music press at the time. Following an acrimonious departure from Mercury Rev, Baker released one album under the name Shady before spending eighteen years largely away from the public eye, though he continued making recordings and working as a producer for other artists during that time.
About Central Flow
Taking its band name from Federico Fellini's first film, Variety Lights paired Baker with fellow vintage synth enthusiast Will MacLean, the two finding a shared passion for analogue electronics after meeting. Much of the album was recorded at Baker's own studio, built from initial live-to-tape experiments testing how big and strange the two could sound together, gradually revealing melodies within the noise. The resulting record opens with the sprawling, centreless Starlit, mixing abrasive electronic judders with spacey drones, and moves through tracks like Establishment, which carries string melodies recalling TV On The Radio, and the comparatively catchy Silent Too Long, which marries fuzzy guitar with airport tannoy-style electronics.
Critical Reception
- Near mint sleeve condition
- A significant reintroduction from Mercury Rev’s original vocalist
- Distinctive, inventive electronic psychedelia
- Warmly reviewed by The Skinny and AllMusic
- Used copy, not sealed
- Deliberately abrasive, non-accessible passages throughout
- Niche appeal outside experimental electronic and psych fans
What is Central Flow by Variety Lights?
It is the 2012 debut album from Variety Lights, the reintroduction of Mercury Rev co-founder David Baker after 18 years out of the public eye.
Is this vinyl copy new or used?
The listing describes the sleeve as near mint (NM or M-), a used but very well kept copy.
Who is David Baker?
The original vocalist and co-founder of Mercury Rev, known for the band’s acclaimed early albums Yerself Is Steam and Boces.
Who else is in Variety Lights?
Will MacLean, a fellow vintage synthesizer enthusiast who became Baker’s songwriting partner for the project.
Does this listing ship outside Germany?
The seller is based in Berlin and lists a fixed shipping cost; check the current listing for up to date international shipping options and rates.
Where To Buy This Pressing
In Brief
- A striking reintroduction from Mercury Rev's original vocalist
- Near mint vinyl pressing on Fire Records
- Best suited to fans of experimental psychedelic and electronic music
Central Flow marked a genuinely inventive return from a foundational cult voice, and this listing offers a near mint pressing from a highly rated German seller.