Block - The Greene Street Sessions (Deluxe Edition) (2025) Hi Res

There are artists who ride the wave of a genre, and then there are artists who help create one. Block belongs to the latter category. As one of the pioneering forces behind the anti-folk movement, his influence can be felt in every corner of modern indie, folk-punk, and lo-fi songwriting. And now, with the release of The Greene Street Sessions [Deluxe Edition] 2025, Block’s cult-classic recordings are finally getting the reissue they deserve.

Originally available only as a short-form EP, The Greene Street Sessions has always been one of those underground gems—an album spoken about in hushed, reverent tones by those who knew its importance. Now, thanks to Meridian (ECR Music Group) and producer Blake Morgan (Lenny Kravitz, Janita, Lesley Gore), the record has been remastered and restored to its full-length, 11-track glory. This isn’t just a re-release it’s a resurrection.

For those unfamiliar with Block’s legacy, he was the first artist signed to Capitol Records’ Java imprint, a name that held serious weight in the mid-’90s. He went on to tour with They Might Be Giants, Bob Mould, and The Brian Setzer Orchestra, while his music shaped the foundations of the anti-folk scene, standing alongside artists like Jeffrey Lewis, Kimya Dawson, and The Moldy Peaches. Block’s music blurred the line between folk and punk, taking raw storytelling and infusing it with humor, grit, and a healthy dose of sarcasm.

Produced by Mike Rathke (The Velvet Underground, Laurie Anderson, Peter Gabriel) and featuring Lou Reed’s backing band, The Greene Street Sessions [Deluxe Edition] doesn’t just showcase Block at his most fearless it places him in the historical canon of some of rock’s most boundary-pushing artists.

The album includes fan-favorites like “It Never Happened” and “I-95”, but what makes this deluxe edition truly special is the addition of five previously unreleased tracks, including the long-lost “3rd Mall From The Sun”.

Inspired by a Bill Hicks comedy routine about consumerism, Block paints a dystopian, satirical picture of suburban life, a landscape dominated by mega-malls, corporate greed, and the soulless repetition of American culture. “I imagined myself in a sort of nightmare-salesman house party where everyone was selling, or had recently been sold, something,” Block explains. It’s an eerie, sharp-witted track that feels just as relevant today as it did in the late ‘90s, proving that Block’s cynicism was ahead of its time.

Tracks like “Sick of Life” and “Cigarettes, Prozac, and Scotch” encapsulate the existential exhaustion of the era, while the haunting “The Pink House Must Burn” carries a sense of rebellion that still pulses with urgency. Meanwhile, “Little Black Girl” and “Queen of 5th Street” highlight Block’s ability to craft deeply personal, yet universally relatable narratives, making his music intimate but never insular.

What sets this deluxe edition apart isn’t just the additional tracks—it’s the restoration and production. Remastered by Bob Ludwig (Foo Fighters, Daft Punk, Beyoncé), the album now sounds bigger, clearer, and more dynamic than ever.