JAKE ANDERSON “Memory Excellence: Selections 1989-2018” (Deathbomb Arc)


Hi! This is a review about a tape by Jake Anderson, who makes music in both Gang Wizard and Yuma Nora, both of which should be familiar to you if you’ve paid attention to Deathbomb Arc ever. And yes, the label has put out this collection of tunes that Jake has recorded over the years covered in the title of the tape. What’s fun is that Jake recorded these tracks under a variety of pseudonyms, and they’re good ones. Here is a list:

--Cruise Missiles Named Bob
--Yak &
--Yak Brigade
--Celesteville
--Spirit Duplicator

Like his work in Gang Wizard, Jake rips through quick and dirty guitar workouts, but it sounds like he plays his guitar with his teeth, as in it sounds like he bites down on the strings like he’s a dog and shakes the instrument until he’s gotten bored with it. There are other odd concoctions: the greasy synth weirdness of “The Tower (Afternoon Delight),” the torch song spilled on its side and leaking all over the place of “Waverly,” the rotted fruit ballad “Midnight Harvest,” the blown speaker pop punk of “Let’s Climb a Mossy Hill,” the seventies flute psychedelia of “Listening to Aphrodite’s Child’s ‘666’ in the Parking Lot of the Tigard Babies ‘R’ Us at Night”… Come to think of it, there’s a lot going on here. Jake’s got a wonderful imagination. Thank god he recorded a bunch of what came out of it.



--Ryan