ALTO JEFFRO "Echo Together" c35SKY STADIUM "Ancient" c20(Lave Church Records)

I got two cassettes from Lava Church about a month back. The label is based out of Sarasota Florida and you can get all five of their releases for only $13.50. Now that's a good fucking deal. The tapes come come on with double sided color cardboard j-cards and an 80s "Super Stars" trading card. http://lavachurch.blogspot.com/

First up is Alto Jeffro "Echo Together" c35. I like this one quite a bit. Alto Jeffro is a duo from what is described as the "arctic woodlands of Massachusetts." They are a duo and they sure do echo together. Despite some of the tape's computerized Ariel Pinkisms, the proceedings are generally tuneful and enjoyable. Mostly keyboard and drum machine pop with echo on pretty much everything. There's a ukulele on one track, but no guitar that I can detect. Can't really understand the lyrics, but it seems like these boys are having a good time. You probably will too.

Next we have Sky Stadium "Ancient" c20. Sounds like what you might expect a band called Sky Stadium to sound like. What's that? You expect it to sound like a bunch of football hooligans whose idiotic screams are only hampered by the lack of oxygen in their mile high sports venue? Well you're way wrong! Vangelis is cool again (or maybe cool for the first time). This tape sounds like the opening of Blade Runner for 20 minutes. No beats of any kind, just the sound that dolphins make as they fly through space. It's okay.