Twelve new tapes reviewed by Mr. Francisco
GOD WILLING - "First Adult Day"
Heavy drone noise slowly reverberating, a wavering buzz. When the first side gains in intensity and wavers at a more rapid pace, it takes off. It is dronely paced appropriately. The second side sounds like a guitar cable not plugged into anything beefed up with slow feedback effecting the tone. A slight melody eventually arrives buried underneath the fuzz. Vague black & white cover of what looks like 2 kids playing in a field on their knees.
JOSH HYDEMAN/ANIMAL STEEL
This is a split-tape single. The Josh Hydeman side is called "the Last Man" and stands very well on its own. The song is primarily one bassy synth loop reverberating with slight bi-products layering themselves with a near-rhythm. It's pretty slow and reminiscent of a certain song by Genocide Organ called "Conditio Humana" but with a little less melody and a lot colder. The lyrics are post-apocalyptic ("I killed the last man" are the first words in the song... "the first child of the new world" are the last). They are spoken and heavy with a lot of delay and not very much emotion.
The Animal Steel song howls and for the first 4/5th's rules. "Mouth of God" is very dooming and operatic. Again, a bass synth sound is what you primarily hear. The rhythm on this is a bit more tangible than "the Last Man". Buried effected vocals moving exactly with the rhythm. It's almost gothic but not quite. So, about the last 5th. It sucks; fizzled out noise, sort of like the dirty cum that drips out of a condom if you were to hold it upside down, post-coital. But definitely NOT in a glorifying way, more like the true essence of what kind of a failure that action actually is. Although, the more I listen to it, the more that little cum splatter drips on me, the more I like it.
The cover is cool, as you see above. Even though the girl is tied up, it seems very innocent, maybe due to the color choice & font. Like if it were a personal ad it might say "light playful bondage =)". Feathers not whips. The whole tape is only 10 minutes with approximately a minute of dead-air on each side. This should be on a 7 inch.
HUMAN HANDS - "The Youthful Body..."
This tape is "harsh noise" and actually sounds harsh. This is on the right side of that thin line between harsh sick mind-numbing fuzz and boring drone. The main source sounds like a homemade tone generator. Raw electronics powerfully buzzing. Short & sweet, 10 full-throttle minutes per side. This tape was a great surprise.
NAZOT - first 4 tapes
Marcel Knotek, Reptile Worship, Jason Crumer, Ashrae Fax
These are 4 tapes. They come out in couples, 2 at a time. The first is black, the second white. The third is black, the fourth white. All with the same very simple layout. Extremely attractive. Very mysterious. The whole package is very carefully chosen and planned. Best label around if you ask me. Forgotten Americana.
Here they are in order of release:
Marcel Knotek "East" - Better than mood or ambient music. You could put this on in that's place. Or in the place of "sounds of the ocean". It is a Catholic mass. Marcel is the priest. Subtle lazy beautiful choral singing. Call & response. You can almost hear the patrons shifting in their pew's. 92 minutes total and a GREAT fucking release to set the mood right. Light a candle, some "frankencense and myrrh" incense, put some palms above your bedroom door, write a few cryptic numbers on the doorframe and throw this tape on. Then, if free enough, you will reach true transcendental Catholic bliss.
Reptile Worship "Cocytus" - Mythologically themed. Worshipping the Reptilian race coupled with one of the five rivers that flow to Hades. The first thing to do before listening to this is picture those 2 images. The first side is called "Eyes Frozen Shut" and the second side is called "Complete Immersion". Both sides are pretty good. Glacial bass tones creeping with a subtle, nice sounding guitar distortion. As smooth and cold as ice on your way to the fiery pits. At the second half of the second side you finally reach Hades. Well, not exactly. It's like a picture taken at the making of the movie about Hades... on tape. Good sound.
Jason Crumer "Ruth" - Good solid normal noise. When you want to hear noise music put this on. No droning. Harsh with quick changes.
Ashrae Fax "Static Crash" - Dark & 80's. Drum-machine, synth chords. Strummed reverbed guitar pleasantly sustaining. Atmospheric vocals that sound a bit like nu-age music. I like them best when you can hear the actual words that are being said. I think there are only 3 songs per side, 30 minutes total. The perfect amount of time for this kind of music. This could have been an alternative soundtrack to the movie "the Breakfast Club". This is intensely growing on me. It's very pretty and gentle. Dark 80's New Age Pop.
SNACK ATTACK - "Slowed Heat" - Breaking World Records
This would qualify as easy-listening. A bunch of dancehall classics slowed down and very nicely mixed together. Good to turn on while turning your brain off or while doing something else. Not demanding but a very good listen. Mixed very well. The funny thing is, the beat on the first side that he keeps going back to is "Naa Naa" by Red Rat... which happens to be an instrumental that I have listened to at home over and over again, slowed down. While the first side keeps going back to the same beat, unifying the whole thing, the second side is a bit more all over the place. Some songs are completely panned left or right. A nice selection of beats for a nice easy listen. The end product is either a new genre called "Winter in New England Dub" or some other people might cleverly call it "White Rasta".
JIMMY COUSINS - "the Real Deal"
The Southern Psychadelic Boss. Louisiana Lounge Rock. This is an awesome lo-fi rock tape. Gospel inspired singing, mystic lyrics. The overall sound of "the Real Deal" is reminiscent of the late 70's and early 80's but of course sounds new with really fresh elements and non-traditional song structure. There is a small free-jazz influence. Prank phone calls and conversations lie between and break up some of the songs. "Good Mornin" is one of my favorites. It consists of smoothly solo-ing guitars, a strumming acoustic guitar, a stand-up bass, light percussion, a Rhodes and of course vocals. Cleverly named, its a good song to wake up to. The song "Black Dove DNA" is also a personal favorite that has guitar, flute, buried swirling/airy keyboards and drums. It's pretty mellow. There's SO many hits on here. The only thing that I don't like about this tape is the female back-up singers on 2 of the songs. It would have been great if they were a bit more restrained and not so all over the place. This tape seems pretty long (in a good way) and has a lot to offer. The main thing being that it's a great fucking listen and a small hope for the true music-kind. A lot of modern music lacks content (on all levels, corporate & underground) and this has plenty of it, coming across in the lyrics, chords, produced imagery and song-tone that all work together so well. Great "vibes".
D.J. DOGDICK - "My Swamp" - Alley Piss
It's called "My Swamp" and that's exactly how it sounds; perfectly swampy. Synth loops and tones coming from a homemade synth that sound like a real West Baltimore swamp farting. This swamp creature is lurking behind a rotting stump underneath bubbling algae while gargling piss. Frogs hiding on litter-pads. Gargling water sounds and doomy bass, really good tape quality. It sounds great. Mood music for a wet swamp, judging by the artwork I'm assuming that its wet from piss, not rain. He definitely achieved his vision on this one, judging by how the title and sound go so well together.
Along with the tape, I also received his new comic book, "Piss Bliss Vol. 1". (pictured above) It's a few different comics that are pure disgusting comedy. Trash heaps, a man made out of swarming flies, a jail cell, a psychic homo, a self-portrait or two and some DMT drug influence. I fittingly read this while I was taking a shit and at the funniest part the toilet accidentally/rightfully got clogged. So with this in one hand, I was eye to eye with one of my turds, plunging away. This is a "must have". He definitely has his own private little West Baltimore inspired world, expressed in comics and music for you to enjoy.
KNOX MITCHELL/ANTLER PISS - Green Tapes/Deep Fried
This is a split tape, co-released by "Green Tapes" and "Deep Fried Tapes". Black & white photocopied cover of what looks like Miley Cyrus, outdoors, in a trashed bathtub. It looks like there are skinny, dead autumn trees behind her. Also in the tub is a wheelbarrell. Simple & creative aesthetics. The first side is Knox Mitchell and it's painted green. Seagull noise. Echoes with light droning. It sounds like some kind of a digital synth but I have no idea.
The second side is Antler Piss. It's painted brown and called the "Fried Side". It is very minimal, light sounds. It sounds like a field recording of someone walking through the woods. The occasional windblow or twig snapping. Under it lies the hum of crickets or some other white noise producing insect. Over it lies other subtle sounds, quiet tape loops and light contact mic ruffling, maybe. I'm hoping that he's walking through the woods and toward the girl on the front cover.
TLASILA - "Merley Ressurected" - Heavy Psych
This sounds like a well-educated sound collage. It has a lot of different sounds or "jams" that are cut up and switched between pretty rapidly. It often goes back to previously heard segments or sounds. During most of the tape I felt like the narrator from the "Band of Outsiders" was about to cut in. As if Jean Luc-Goddard was American and had a speech impediment where he couldn't get the words out and just started to forcefully/sporadically burp/yell. Restraint & control, tactful planning. It has a certain mellow and contemplative style that you might find in an old foreign film. Things just happen. But not completely random, as if there is an overseer making sure the whole thing runs smoothly. It definitely has a 3rd party presence. It also has some kind of a continuous non-melody. Very good to listen to, not that demanding, sounds great and is a pleasure. This could be the soundtrack for, but not what those in the car are actually listening to, while on a renegade cross-country drive across America.