Cassette Gods: WILD ISLAND "Be Kind"

WILD ISLAND "Be Kind"

http://doubledotdash.bandcamp.com/album/be-kind

Guitar centered freak folk mind expansion played with a refreshing youthful sincerity. The guitarist's chops are not of the degree of buckethead, but there is a variety of genre that is impressive. The tone of the guitar goes from reverb drenched noise echo to quick release acoustic twang. The Dick Dale speed picking gets gnarly ala MY BLOODY VALENTINE special effect sonic blast as the structure remains pop, almost to the degree of twee. Television hiss snow accompanies distortion power chords and the vocals croon like Echo & the Bunnymen, but the overall attempt is far more spare and DIY. Great vocal harmonies and lots of force in the voice. A song like Ghost Town brings it down a knock, hitting Nick Drake territory, but slightly more droned, with perhaps an over reliance on chords.

A great end of the summer release ... eclectic and bittersweet played at the tempo of jaded determination. It's an intimate release and one that can be melancholy in tone, but its overall effect is one of satisfaction.

-- Jack Turnbull

Founded April 2007 A.D.

Send your tapes to our headquarters

Cassette Gods
gone fishin'

no submissions at this time sorry

WE ONLY REVIEW PHYSICAL MEDIA
NO PROMO EMAILS PLEASE
they will not be read or responded to

please limit your submissions to no more than two tapes at a time and please do not submit the same material twice. it can take time for us to get your tape, but we promise we will listen to it. please refrain from sending one-sheets or other promotional material as they are often not sent along to the actual reviewers.
the music should speak for itself.

How to put out a tape, how to become a Cassette God, show reviews, other musings: EDITORIALS

It should be obvious, this is a webzine we created to put cassette releases and the format of cassette itself on a pedestal. We are not doing this to be some sort of cassette snob, more-DIY-than-thou elitists or anything. We are doing it because all the formats that sound can be presented on are exciting and provide unique ways of shaping the listeners experience... so it is a shame that any one of these formats would fall by the wayside. Cassettes provide a listening experience that is similar to vinyl because of the intermission/moment of pause created by changing sides of the tape, but can be of almost any length between 30 seconds a side to an hour. Tapes can also be listened to in a car or while jogging.
While today this format helps keep the home label alive, its almost a dream to remember that once every musician from Michael Jackson to REM had their releases on cassette. Cassettes were a legitimate format, not just for the DIY underground. Maybe we (thats you too) are the last guardians of this format. Maybe someone, someday will popularize cassettes again. In the meantime we keep the reels turning. A little offering because at least there are a few of you that know there is more than one god of this land.

-- first CG post by Brian Miller April 2007