SUN RAD “No Cover” C20 (Property Tapes)

Maybe black suits Sun Rad best. Forget about the vibrant see-through red tape his music’s housed in this go-round, it’s the black you’ll remember. NO COVER has no cover, the Norelco case comes in a PITCH BLACK leatherette pouch affixed with a 1-inch button, mine depicting a child with his or her tongue out, catching snowflakes? Or maybe coughing after breathing in industrial pollutants. Isn’t that a swell picture, a harsh reality? Keep that stupid comment in your pocket: Every Sun Rad release is a collapsing stellar event, gravity finally getting the best of all matter and time and space within its event horizon. That movie was pretty dark too, but man was it just as entertaining as NO COVER, replete with horrific passages where terror in minute increments overwhelms each individual sensory receptor. I’m getting ahead of myself, maybe because the ten minutes of “Black Square” on the B-sizzle make the relative head-nodders on the A that much more of an escape hatch to actual human emotion. See, “Black Square” is the low-ass frequencies all up in your area that are the sonic equivalent to the impassive security video of a nightmare come to life, not unlike the found footage on the EVENT flipping HORIZON. But that A-side, “R181 / Jettison / Untitled” makes its way through scientific permutations until somebody figures out what’s going on, then saves the day. But I’ve got it backward – “Black Square” is the ultimate transmission, the last thing you’re going to hear. And come to think of it, “R181 / Jettison / Untitled” is pretty dank too, just with a teensy bit more melody and some beats. Oh man, Sun Rad is really freaking me out right now. That’s a super good thing.

Sun Rad
Property Tapes

--Ryan Masteller

PARALYCYST / SUN RAD “Split” (Property Tapes)

It’s with a heavy heart that I write this “review” today, as it’s not really a review. Or even whatever it is I happen to be writing on this platform at any given time. See, I was introduced to Paralycyst with this release, and the man who went by that pseudonym, Micah Danemayer, perished in the Ghost Ship fire in Oakland. I had written a completely different reflection on this tape, and then I scrapped it once I realized who Paraycyst was. In the end I just want to send my heartfelt condolences to Danemayer’s friends and family, and to anyone who has been touched by his music. I cannot imagine the pain that you feel. I hope you all can heal in some way and come together to honor Danemayer’s memory. My condolences also go out to the families and friends of others whose lives were claimed in the fire. The tragedy is unimaginable.

I wonder if we can rally with some music? I hope so. I always feel this great sense of camaraderie through music, and even though I don’t get out to shows or anything anymore, it’s still such an important part of my life and I know it’s a hugely important part of yours too. Paralycyst made some really intense, gritty techno, and I had a lot of fun getting through his half of the split. Sun Rad, from Boston, does a similar trick on side B, albeit with thicker synthesizers. Both are equally engaging. I wish I had more Paralycyst music to sift through. But even if you can get your hands on this tape, you’ll be able to listen on repeat to some really excellent dance tunes, and maybe that will help you ditch some of the pain for a while. It won’t be gone, surely, but if we can’t celebrate life when we can, what’s the point? That’s the great thing about music – its celebratory nature. I have hope for us. I also have hope that tragedies like this can be minimized in the future. This is my tribute to hope, and if it makes you feel better in some way, or if it points you to music that makes you feel better, then I think I’ve succeeded, just a little bit.

Paralycyst

Sun Rad

Property Tapes

--Ryan Masteller