HUSK “Husk” C45 (Curly Cassettes)

If any rock music comes across my path, I’m immediately skeptical. However, I’ll dismiss the anticipation of what I think of this “rock” tape immediately, because it doesn’t deserve to be drawn out: Husk is stupendous. It’s a branch of jangly, ramshackle indie, along the lines of your Fleet Foxes or your Wilcos, with a Hayden Desser or David Bazan on vocals, except with way more range. Opener “Wicked Mantras” gave me a distinct William Tyler vibe – I freaking love William Tyler. So I will gush, unabashedly about Husk, aka Oakland’s Wesley Powell and some friends. Does William have chops? Dang right, he does – there’s not a wasted minute on this tape. How’s the recording? Coated in reverb, just the way it’s supposed to be. No backwoods acoustic rambling here, no coffeehouse nonsense. It lends a surreal quality to the otherwise grounded songwriting, a nice counterpoint, almost as if everything that comes out of William’s mouth does so at night, and he’s exhausted, and everything is important and everything is bittersweet. Look no further (or as far as) album closer “Leaving” for an example of world-weariness, where a disgruntled, disillusioned Powell intones the mantra, “So long, so long…” World weary – everybody is right now, so Husk is the perfect antidote, or accompaniment, or both. Could “Half Moon” replace “Earth Angel” at the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance? You bet your life. See? I’m already thinking positive, with positive references flooding my perspective. There’s even a fuzzy take on the classic “Bye Bye Love,” which, while explicitly familiar, carries with it the sense that it fits perfectly within the Husk oeuvre, almost as if Powell had written the dang thing himself. And “Quiet” even takes a page from brother Tyler Powell’s ambient work and works perfectly as a late-album interlude. But of course, all of this must be taken in bas-relief of the whole, as Husk emerges from its background components a fully formed and fully distinct recording. Why even bother with Fleet Foxes or Wilco or Bon Iver or whatever anymore? They’ll just disappoint you. Husk keeps it real – Husk will not disappoint you. Husk will be your pal for life.

Husk
Curly Cassettes

--Ryan Masteller

PSYCHOMAGIC"Bad Ideas" (Curly Cassettes)

Portland's Psychomagic offer up their first tape on "Bad Ideas", their sophomore album release. As I listened to the opening cut, Go Go Ladies (From Outer Space), I was immediately reminded of that surf-party recipe that made The B-52's so compelling. But as Your Lover and the third track, Gumball Crazy were quick to demonstrate, this band is so much more than that. The five-piece (two guitars, keys, bass and drums) exhibit a vast array of influences and have that rare magic touch that allows everything to sound remarkably familiar yet retain the bands uniqueness throughout. All ten original compositions exemplify the band's trademark punk and garage stylings yet the craftsmanship and production take the whole affair up a notch or two.

Diverse similarity, if such a thing is possible, is rampant throughout. A love-sick Transylvanian, a mind warped cult member and other off the beaten path characters parade through these songs. One after another, in spite of the zaniness, they, wrapped in catchy hooks and clever phrasing, suck you in and leave you wanting more until the next cut starts the process yet again. And so it goes throughout the tape leaving you only coming up for air long enough to flip it over.

Willamette Week, a paper in their hometown, awarded them finalists in their yearly best new band category while describing them as "a broken kaleidoscope designed to give flower children bad trips." In truth, the songs that singer/guitarist Steven Fusco and drummer Anthony Brisson write are both compelling and enjoyable listening. The album was recorded and released on those "other" formats by L.A.'s Lollipop Records with the tape being issued in November of 2015 on Curly Cassettes (www.curlycassettes.com).

-- Bob Zilli

SAD HORSE "SH" C20 (Curly Cassettes)

The tape consists of six short songs, and I think it would be a good idea to examine each track as its own entity.

Still Thirsty - The vocalist in this track is definitely a unique one. Her style is reminiscent of Jack White’s style in The White Stripes’ album White Blood Cells. The almost scratchy voice that shouts and “woo”s at the listener incessantly should not compliment the mellifluous instrumental as well as it does. It’s a very happy song, and there isn’t a much better way to describe it. The substantial use of percussion (specifically the smashing and thrashing of cymbals) stood out strongly.
7/10

For Real Now - There’s a different, male vocalist in this track, and the lyrics are significantly more understandable than in the last track. The style of rock in this track is evocative of that of early 2000s boy bands, save for the generic lead singer and mediocre instrument use. It’s certainly as catchy as those mainstream hit singles, and the outstanding use of bass is certainly worth a compliment or two.
8/10

Can’t Remember - The first thing that came to mind when I heard this track was “The Strokes”. This song is precisely the kind of song one would expect on The Strokes’ album Angles. Fans of The Strokes (or rather, the style they’ve become) would appreciate this song greatly, and again the bass creates a most noteworthy sound.
8/10

So Far Away - This song differs from the rest of the tracks on the tape in that it’s performed and recorded live. It’s equally pleasant to listen to and it’s a nice change from the more powerful overtone that the previous tracks had created. It’s soft and establishes a very friendly atmosphere in the listener’s head. Not a bad track at all.
7/10

SH - Bass, bass, bass! I can’t tell you how much I love the bass in this album, especially in this track. It’s a purely instrumental track and the shortest on the album, but it definitely conveys the mood that the title of the track/album seeks to deliver (SH = Sad Horse). It doesn’t need vocals to sound any more perfect than it sounds.
9/10

(This Is What It’s Like) In Heaven - The (remarkably less talented) female vocalist is back for the last track on the album. If Phil Collins suffered from strep throat and had just stopped crying, this is what he would sound like. Sad Horse didn’t save the best for last, but every album has its lame-ass track. This was SH’s.
5/10


tl;dr
This is a more than decent album. This artist definitely deserves your support.
Overall, I give it a 7.5/10

https://curlycassettes.bandcamp.com/album/sh

-- M. Syed