Well produced and thoughtful rock music is showing up more and more in my Cassette Gods mailbox these days and it's often coming from Boston. Check out Kal Marks, cause they sent me their tape:
However, the best band of this sort from Boston that I know of is Fat History Month
This has been a public service announcement.
2 X Lava Church
First up is a split by Lovbrrd and Su Sous Toulouse En Rouge which on its own offers plenty of bang for a buck. Lovebrrd's "Coasting" is a mangy dog of answering machine loops, radio signals, crusty abrasions, and a tad bit of our friend Casio. Good stuff. Su Sous...'s half is a unique ADD mix of noise and pleasant (almost danceable) groove music. The two extremes work better together than I would have thought, so bravo! Finally, this piece's title is classic, "Margo Darling at the Treasure Island Funk Center." I wanna go!
The other tape I have with me, David DeCorte's Meditating in the Floodwaters, isn't jumpy at all. It is a twenty minute float in the clear (mysterious) waters of one's mind. I got lost in my thoughts whilst bobbing in this H2O. The work is a sustained bit of synth ambience for those into that inner world journey. Lava Church's tapes are well-designed and packaged. I especially like the A-side/B-side labels inserted inside the cassette. Nice touch!
BUY and LISTEN HERE.
follow me on twitter for more music & stuff: @teflonbeast
Jorge Arana Trio - "Mapache" (self-released)
Buy and Listen HERE.
BALDER 'Humble Fluorescence'
(Thuggee Productions)
BALDER- 'Humble Fluorescence'
Thuggee Productions
Totally infinite! 1st side kicks off with some delight inducing synth patterns undergoing heavy concentric circle overlay by raindrops. Other squalls and gloops superimposed on this. A tape which takes its time and is good music to work to, would increase worker productivity in the supermall 3000, or could also imagine it as the background noise to an avantgarde airport. Next is a pretty guitar tune with lots of delay that reminds one of Durutti Column, then another delay piece....imposing atmospherics on the 2nd side with a good Dune cinemascope reach...maybe Balder is going for a black metal ambient feeling. Weird titles evoke impossible moods: 'Pedestal-Vehicle to Mother's Basement'. Processed pleasure loops for future toadpeople.
HOT RELEASES - Carrboro, North Carolina
Ryan Martin performs as Secret Boyfriend. Check out his new tape on the always top-notch label I Just Live Here. It's called Furnishing the Void and it's as good an album as he's ever made. It covers a lot of different ground. When I first saw Secret Boyfriend in a basement in Northampton, I thought he was just a harsh noiser, but the more times I check out his live act or releases, I find a wealth of other musical information. Martin is as true an outsider as we can have in this modern age and his music should not be ignored. 
Neither should his fantastic vinyl label, Hot Releases. Last year's Ashrae Fax archival find and the year before's double dose of M.B. reissues should already be in your collection, but the new batch is the best yet: Russian Tsarlag / Secret Boyfriend split, Ghedalia Tazartes reissue, Inspector 22 full length, Profligate LP and Tracey Trance full length co-release. Russian Tsarlag / Secret Boyfriend LP was a great way to start my day. A super mellow long player that showcase's Martin's most spacious side. Gorgeous dreamy vocals and organ can be found on both sides. The Tsarlag material is a few years old, but has never been issued. All very hi fidelity.
Ghedalia Tazartes is a French born sound collage and vocal artist who first came to my with the 2011 reissue of his first LP Diasporas from 1979. His music explores the limitations of the human voice and is both human and experimental. The new Hot Releases LP Voyage a l'ombre was originally released on CD in 1997.
Profligate Come Follow Me LP. In case you missed it Noah Anthony's Night Burger project has changed names, but it's still providing the same dancey industrial thrills. This is a companion piece to his current 12" on Not Not Fun.
http://www.hot-releases.org/
http://www.hot-releases.org/
Listen to samples from all of the aforementioned Hot Releases on soundcloud
WORKIN' MAN NOISE UNIT
UK band that sounds like a pastiche of American underground rock over the last 3 decades: Royal Trux, Sleep, Black Flag and the entire state of Washington, depending on which track you're listening to. Pretty well done though. The tape is sold out.
IGNATZ "Because Time Is Too Short"
(Taping Policies)
Really great acid scramble from Belgian artist Ignatz, a trip through whose discography is very rewarding. I really like this new stuff and it reminds me in some ways of the work of one of the 20th Century's most under-appreciated psychedelic figures, Robyn Nice (fan page). Check out the 'Natz if you like some spun out downer lysergic folk.
The Ignatz webzone:
http://www.ignatz.be/
Taping Policies is a really great looking new Belgian label. Besides this tape, there are current DVD releases by the Flower-Corsano duo and Leah Singer & Lee Ranaldo, plus upcoming releases by Charlemagne Palestine/Tony Conrad (DVD) and Bill Nace (cassette).
Label website:
http://www.tapingpolicies.be/
The Ignatz webzone:
http://www.ignatz.be/
Taping Policies is a really great looking new Belgian label. Besides this tape, there are current DVD releases by the Flower-Corsano duo and Leah Singer & Lee Ranaldo, plus upcoming releases by Charlemagne Palestine/Tony Conrad (DVD) and Bill Nace (cassette).
Label website:
http://www.tapingpolicies.be/
DISISM (Taped Rugs)
DISISM- self-titled
and "60 Seconds Left"
Taped Rugs Productions
80's Delirium alert! There are many ways to achieve total delirium. One of the most time-honored is to spin around and around in circles until the self is released from rationality. Disism do sort of the same thing but with tape loops, piling more and more on until you submit to the concentric force and just sit there enjoying the woozy wave. Its a way of resisting mass culture by piling it all onto the same sound plane. Solid Eye, I would say, is a distant cousin, in the organic drippy squash texture that is achieved, you could say Fripp/Eno, but Disism seem to have been their own isolated sound laboratory. But would you ever listen to Disism for pleasure? Well, lets day you had a long car ride ahead of you, perhaps across the country, and you need something landscape-like to alleviate the boredom and combat the billboards. This music is sublime, landscape-like. I bet the two members of this band are into cross country skiing, or al least grew up n the country, you can feel it. There are two Disism tapes, originally from the late 80's. Which is better? The self titled tape is more abstract, sculptural, truly for PHD candidates in sound manipulation. It has a cooler cover. 60 Seconds Left is more political with samples drawn from the Iran Contra Affair, Kipper Kids-like moments of rhythmic guttural nonsense. Not for everyone, but if you dig Ron Geesin you might want to check out what kind of Zoviet Frantic birthday cakes these gents are frosting up and then get the HELL out of there before 1. The boss gets back from vacation to find contact mics all over his office 2. Your insane mother escapes from the asylum wearing a Genesis P-Orridge mask 3. Voting machines everywhere get hooked up with wireless internet.
TEEN AX "Pure Soft Metal"
Here's some new noise from the Australian sub-sub strata for you:
Here's a video of a dog eating shit:
Here's a video of a dog eating shit:
THINGS FALLING APART "One Must Not Move Quiet" (Greentape)
Deep journey on this new release from Green Tape (greentape?), not to be confused with Knox Mitchell's Green Records , which I think used to also be called Green Tape. So now it's Greentapes and Green Records...both labels are great.
MEAGER WEBSITE
http://www.freewebs.com/greentape/
OUT OF PRINT Greentapes
http://greentapes.blogspot.com/
Night-People Tape Guide
Iowa City's Night-People has so many great cassettes in print right now, that I thought I'd provide a handy guide to some of the less talked about ones. Behold a treasure trove of otherworldly sounds.
Use http://raccoo-oo-oon.org/np/ for reference and cassette ordering.
Support underground labels and artists for "doing their thing."
Use http://raccoo-oo-oon.org/np/ for reference and cassette ordering.
Support underground labels and artists for "doing their thing."
ADAM VOID "131 Fires"
Adam Void included just the kind of crudely scrawled psychopath note that tends to warms the cockles of my heart. Feast your ears on this ladies and gents:
Order a tape here
adamvoid.com
This guy is involved in some political type stuff, but I won't hold it against him.
Order a tape here
adamvoid.com
This guy is involved in some political type stuff, but I won't hold it against him.
Heilo En Varsovia “S/T” (Psychic Mule)
Buy HERE
Listen HERE
Carrageenan - "The Golden Beast" (Transprocesz)
Buy HERE.
Listen HERE.
THE GARMENT DISTRICT
7" on La Station Radar
This French label has done some fine work so far (don't miss the Blanche Blanche Blanche "Papa's Proof" LP) and this 7" by Jennifer Baron is no exception. She's collaborated in the past with Jowe Head from Swell Maps and here she offers a track remixed by Sonic Boom (aka Peter Kember of Spacemen 3 fame) as well as two new songs.
You can hear the original version of "Nature-Nuture" here.
Bestovitch - "Rituel De La Haute Magie: Kiss From A Witch" LP - Haute Magie
About 20 records/cassettes sluiced from the Haute Magie motherbrain last year. Whether they keep it up in '13 or not, that's a hell of a run. Rituel De La Haute Magie: Kiss From A Witch is the label's 10th release and a decent way to get acquainted with the imprint (though expectations shouldn't be brought from release to release; trust me on this one). Ten years ago this might have been called an instrumental hip-hop record, and now ...
I'm not so sure where to put this one, and that's half the charm. The other half is the quirky way it's all put together, lots of stutters and glitch-steps and twitches. Reminds me a bit of that great Blithe Field LP that came in last year, though Bestovitch are a much more bombastic presence, brandishing an almost rap-like bravado at times. Significant gains are being made each day, people; finally, there are labels that can actually keep up with genre-shifting units like myself.
Dust off the relics HERE.
Joe Bastardo and Sam Gas Can
Worcester's proud sons
Oh gee whiz, I've just got so much rad stuff here in my box from two of Massachusett's finest dudes. Here's a brief run down of what's available from Moss Archive and Faux Pas Recordings and their associated patrons. Moss Archive is run by synth master Joe Bastardo from the band Gay Shapes, and Faux Pas is run by prolific musician and artist Sam Gas Can. These guys are real cross-pollinators, hence the double post.
Sam also has more new tapes of his own out on Hidden Temple, Don't Trust The Ruin and Feeding Tube
Sam's label Faux Pas Recordings has put out some really great new tapes since we last checked in. All of the following come highly recommended:
Bastardo's Bastian Void project is presented on a split tape with Three Fourths Tigers
Also the debut tape by Philadelphia's Suicide Magnets
Cassette Gods's favorite Anthro Rex (Dan Cashman) also has a new Faux Pas Release
Also check out Cashman and Gas Can's duo, The Fribbles. A cassette exists, but I couldn't find anything to share with you, except the artwork:
Bastardo's solo projects are also represented by the new Bastian Void tape on Field Hymns and by the Homeowner tape on Moss Archive.
So much music!!!!
WEBLINKS:
Let's start off with a tape of Sam's on Moss Archive. "Life of a Dog" is the best and most accesible Sam Gas Can recording yet. Check out "Time After Time" and "I Hope You Die."
Sam also has more new tapes of his own out on Hidden Temple, Don't Trust The Ruin and Feeding Tube
Sam's label Faux Pas Recordings has put out some really great new tapes since we last checked in. All of the following come highly recommended:
Bastardo's Bastian Void project is presented on a split tape with Three Fourths Tigers
Also the debut tape by Philadelphia's Suicide Magnets
Cassette Gods's favorite Anthro Rex (Dan Cashman) also has a new Faux Pas Release
Also check out Cashman and Gas Can's duo, The Fribbles. A cassette exists, but I couldn't find anything to share with you, except the artwork:
Faux Pas is also still offering the last copies of Noise Nomads' "Menacing Bells" which I've already reviewed favorably. The label is one of seven to co-release the debut LP by Tracey Trance
Moss Archive also has some new tapes out besides the Sam Gas Can keeper.
Another spaztastic release by Boston's drum machine duo Bang! Bros, who recently broke a world record.
The current Gay Shapes EP is a generally representative of the trio's dense psychedelic noise.
Bastardo's solo projects are also represented by the new Bastian Void tape on Field Hymns and by the Homeowner tape on Moss Archive.
So much music!!!!
WEBLINKS:
FAUX PAS: http://fauxpasrecs.blogspot.com/
MOSS ARCHIVE: http://mossarchive.blogspot.com/
DON'T TRUST THE RUIN: http://dontrusttheruin.blogspot.com/
FIELD HYMNS: http://www.fieldhymns.com/
Memory Pavillion - S/T (Carpi Records)
Buy and Listen HERE.
follow me on twitter for more music type stuff: @teflonbeast
Zomes - "Variations Vol. 1" (Imminent Frequencies)
Zomes is Baltimore's Asa Osbourne and Variations Vol. 1 is a work of a composer exploring just how much music one can make without superfluous "extras." These minimal keyboard pieces seem to go nowhere, but then all of a sudden you're somewhere. This is keyboard raga. I don't have much to say about this one other than if you're obsessed with minimal, distorted keyboard riffs then you might of hit the jackpot with Zomes.
Buy and Listen HERE.
NEW FAST "New Fast IV" (Sun Hypnotic)
Naming your project after a song by DNA will at least get me to post your tape. This is not what I expected, but it is pleasant enough. I actually like some of the electronic loop based stuff here. There's also a few numbers with "rock" instrumentations and others based on slowed down samples, which are less interesting to me.
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