WAGNER "70s Floyd Lite" (Colossal Tapes)




The description of this album on the Colossal Tapes' bandcamp page is honestly perfect: 13.772 billion year old universal power drones - drone patterns found in the Higgs field before the big bang.

The tape begins with ferocity. A smashing dronescape with space and abbreviated length. My favorite Drone is in short form, due to my lack of attention span. Wagner continues to feed into my preferences with strange blips of guitar jams in between stellar atmospheres, pitch-bent synthesis, and general cacophony. Hawk's Prarie (Save Point) is a welcomed breather at the end of side A, and a standout composition. Thick melodic drone, encased in a dreamy framework that seems to contract and expand throughout the piece. A real palate cleanser.

Side B opens with a taste of drums and more satellite drone of the spectral void. 70s Floyd Lite is part of a very small group of drone and ambient albums that are perfect in their succinct take on the genre. It tests boundaries and jolts me into new spaces every few minutes. This was a very exciting listen.

Odd Nosdam helmed mastering duties which is cool, since Wagner's style seems to fit ON's vibe very well. I picture this tape aligned very well along the sound Sisters and 70s Floyd Lite is sure to satisfy a lot of ON listeners.

LIYL: Odd Nosdam, Hakobune, Bastian Void, Amulets

-- Joseph Morris