The Purling Hiss sound is revered by discerning listeners for its devastational waves of guitar rock crashing atop sweet melodies and pile-driving rhythm tunes alike. The effect of these contrasts – in the hands of Mike Polizze – touches buzzing pleasure centres for these listeners with every lick; people who like rock songs and like to sing along and don’t mind a little dirt for their trouble. No matter what the resolution is for Purling Hiss, the devastational waves come on with the same warm, cracked obsession they’ve had from the start.

Mike Polizze bought his tape machine in 1999 (rumoured to be a Sam Ash floor model) and immediately ran himself around the bases. Skipping towards home he wound up in the outfield, crafting sounds, songs, and fragments to cassette for the next several years, never to be the same. It was when he moved to Philly around 2004 and joined up with Birds Of Maya that he was crowned Dizzy, and things began to focus. He had access to all the instruments needed, Birds’ Ben Leaphart drummed on a couple of songs and in 2006 a CDR called ‘Dizzy Polizzy’ came together. Mike made around 50 copies, just for friends, lovers, and the occasional hater, with a cover he silkscreened himself. A few beers and two years later, Purling Hiss became official and took off with three berserk albums released in quick succession. Capitalizing on the newfound demand, Mike made a tour-only cassette of ‘Dizzy Polizzy’ in 2011, combining those original six CD-R songs with some well-fitting additions circa 2007–2009.

Discerning ears will link ‘Dizzy Polizzy’ to ‘Public Service Announcement’ (recorded in 2007) since they were made more or less back-to-back – sweet songs and mini-ragers, a baby version of the squalor that would soon grow too much hair in all the right places. ‘Dizzy Polizzy’ serves up the beginnings, going all the way back to 2004, building off solid, breakfast-of-champion prototypesounds from the likes of Van Halen and Neil Young and head-butting them in a more Purling Hiss direction.

This album reissues the cassette compilation on LP for the first time ever, to tide Hiss-heads over while Purling Hiss work on their next album.