GEM JONES "Admiral Frenchkiss" (Goaty Tapes

Mix funk wah-wah guitar with bubble bobble tone synths, Animal on the drums, Some Mike Watt frantic bass lines, and make sure all the players understand how to construct advanced level r&B indie rock.

This band doesn't have a weakest link. I have few complaint about this cassette. If I'm being fascist, I'd say the lead singer is less than American Idol material with his strung out weez lyrics punctuated by backing guttural screams, but this is what keeps Gem Jones low-fi and a standout in the department of endearment. It's counterbalanced by how well constructed Gem Jones's melodies are.

There's a good range of mood on this six song release as well. Shallow Rivers takes everything down a notch, mixing analog piano with mangled octave up vocals. God in U changes up the rhythm to emphasize the upswing giving the song a reggae feel. Ectomorphic Love sounds like a Prince love ballad tripping on Molly due to its outer space keyboard explorations, and the guitars have a on the edge Pavement feel until the solo kicks in which is straight up 70ties guitar god sound. The whole vibe is similar to Ween's "Monique the Freak".

Cassette Gods gets so many electronic do-hicky music produced by robots, that or genre rock that sounds like a band doing their best impression of their music heroes, Gem Jones is a nice change of pace. High recommendations.

-- Jack Turnbull

-----> http://gemjonesia.bandcamp.com/

previous love for Gem Jones: http://cassettegods.blogspot.com/2012/06/gem-jones-symphony-in-p-c26-cgi-friday.html

SON OF SALAMI "Sontava Nights" C22 (Goaty Tapes)

On Sontava Nights, the newest release by home-recording master Joe "The Pizza Slice" Agresta, we're served up a fresh pie with some fancy toppings thanks to trustworthy label Goaty Tapes.  Son of Salami releases are always a cause for celebration, but this one is extra mouth watering based on the strength of the songs and the ease with which the artist employs his un-conventional recording approach.  "Baby Mayo" (my favorite off the album) reveals deeper meanings with each listen, and "Teardrops From Me" is a bonafide one minute wonder.  Sontava Nights is also a showcase for some cuts that have a much darker sonic pallet than previous Son of Salami material (see video for "Kill Mother Nature" below).  Act fast because this will surely sell out quickly.  http://goatytapes.com/
 

TRAUM ECKE "untitled" (Goaty Tapes)

West Mass backyard ectoplasm sculptors Ducktails have been unleashing a stream of limited cassettes over the past year-ish documenting their very post-Skaters brand of pop-trash neon electronics (themes/artwork usually float around 1992, Nintendo Power, dream zones, Predator, etc) and Traum Ecke is an offshoot operation mining the same basic mirror field of warped tones, shimmering ambiance, and psychedelic murk. This particular CS (packaged in a classically gorgeous Goaty-brand full-color hand-cut J-card) crawls through a really well executed skylight vision bath, awash in looped keyboard sparkle, guitar ooze, and pitter-patter percussion. It's really hard not to hear the echoes of so many Pacific City Ferraro/Clarke incarnations in this stuff, but there's always room for new kids on the block, and the Ducktails dudes are clearly solid descendants in the rad lineage of Slimer-worshiping, acid transmission, basement new agists. Thumbs up.