Lee Noble - Persona + Zine 04

Second pressing of Persona from Lee Noble on No Kings. Originally released on the exceptional Bridgetown records, Persona is six tracks of incredible outsider pop swimming lazily among fragmented bits of vocal and warm ambient sound collage. Meloncholic, depressed, nostalgic, and somehow sill hopeful and even at times joyful. Sounds like your favorite Sparklehorse track played backwards at half speed in a haunted farmhouse, or something like that.

Snatch this up along with one of the incredible collaborative zines on offer at No Kings. Zine 04 is an absolutely stunning 68 pages of art from names such as Felicia Atkinson, Frank Baugh, Grant and Rachel Evans, Geoffrey Sexton, and of course Lee Noble and many others.

If you cherish your j-cards as much as your tapes, these will melt your mind until it runs out your ear.

Seabat - Mountains of Palawan

Mountains of Palawan from Seabat is a mind melting carpet ride to an alien dance party. Big waves of synth layered thickly across agile rhythm patterns that will absolutely bounce the db meters on your tape deck. The timbre and melody on this tape seem both foreign and extraterrestrial simultaniously. I totally dig stuff that straddles the line between experimental and accessible, and Seabat is getting it totally right. The entire sound floats and drifts, and assisted by the images on the cover art, I envisioned myself doing the same.

I grabbed this one along with the rest of a massive 8 tape batch directly from Goldtimers. This was my first pickup from GT, and their art and packaging are really sharp. All the tapes are pro printed, and the J Cards are full art front and back. Killer.

Giant Claw - Clash of Moons

Pure madness from Giant Claw on Bridgetown Records. Clash of Moons sounds big and precise, with confident melodic passages, and massive layers of synth programming. The standout title track runs the entirety of side B, with spastic, twitching notes pacing lush melodic progressions. The entire piece moves with such breakneck pace it becomes like watching a flip book of still images come to life. Each finely placed note becomes swept up in the greater whole, as the track evolves into a single living, breathing entity. If a proper successor to the NES were ever identified, it's games would have sounded like this. Prog rock around the edges (just barely), 8 Bit in the center, and a whole lot of other stuff I can't describe.

I picked up Clash of Moons along with the rest of the new batch from Bridgetown which includes really sharp releases from Sky Stadium, Reighnbeau (Loved this one), Dr. DR Barclay, and Hakobune. Kevin sent along a hand signed poster to boot. Killer.

Pine Smoke Lodge - Season Above Lakes

I hate to post about a tape not available somewhere, but this one is just too good. Seasons Above Lakes from Pine Smoke Lodge is 2 untitled tracks of meditative free drone on cae-sur-a. Images of deep, untouched groves of Mountain Laurel, cave paintings, mountaintops, forgotten rituals, and a hazy vision of an elder shaman as you close your eyes to reality, and finally open them to your soul. Side B is an absolute mind warp, circling, rising, and falling, with melodic, entrancing and unrecognizable vocals and musicality. Truly one of the best moments of tape I've heard.

I dropped this tape into my walkman and took off to climb the nearest mountain. Took 4 listens to reach the top. One more, and I would have found my spirit animal and never returned.

Bobby from Geographic North was generous enough to trade this tape to me. He also does some excellent writing for Foxy Digitalis which you should absolutely check out. Check the distro links on right to scan for anything Pine Smoke Lodge related if you have even a passing interest in the experimental drone scene.

Venn Rain - Diamond Dust

Hot on the heels of his self released 20 Loops, Jimmy Billingham, the artist behind Venn Rain and Tidal drops another killer work, this time on Fadeaway Tapes. Super lush blurred out layers of melody one on top of the other, with occasional bits of rhythm build seamlessly into a something that simultaneously sounds extraterrestrial and nostalgic. Absolutely one of my favorite artists going right now, hitting all the right notes between melody, timbre, and engaging progression. If martians land in a jungle 1,000 years from now and use some type of futuristic dowsing rod to dig this tape up from under a layer of muck, they might just let us live ...assuming they have a tape deck.

The entire new batch from Fadeaway is pretty incredible, and includes tapes from Sparkling Wide Pressure, Cenote Glow, and Aphid Palisades. Venn Rain is already sold out at some distros, but the whole batch can still be ordered like I did, direct from Fadeaway Tapes.

Venn Rain - 20 Loops

20 Loops from Venn Rain is exactly what it says, twenty loops on a single cassette. Each loop seems capable of being fleshed out into a complete track, showcasing deep and moving melodies that drift into, and out of, fields of haze and distortion. However, the structure of the entire cassette gives us only snapshots and ends each track abruptly. Each loop has an almost robotic charm. It's hard to verbalize, but perhaps best described as a forgotten automoton playing a rusty piano thinking about more pleasant times, or something like that. Based on their similarity with other Venn Rain and Tidal tapes, I'm guessing these loops may be bits and pieces not fully incorporated into the other works from creator Jimmy Billingham.

I've always very much enjoyed both of those projects, and did not hesitate to pick this up by following the directions here. Word to the wise, don't wait long, there are only 20 copies, and each has a unique package.

Tulasi / Caligine - Split

New split cassette from Jozik Records of Finland. Side A from Tulasi floats amid washes of flute, organ, bits of percussion, and assorted electronic shimmer. At some moments ritualistic, and at others rooted firmly in acoustic folk. Side B from Caligine offers an elegant juxtaposition to Tulasi. Heavy guitar drones and feedback scorch across the soundstage, before collapsing into a series of moving acoustic melodies to close the tape.

I purchased directly from Jozik along with the rest of their new 3 tape batch, and received a hand written thank you, and free copy of an existing release as a bonus.

Former Selves - Hope

Former Selves stuns on Bridgetown Records with five hazy, shimmering, tracks that float effortlessly between minimalism, and lush romantic dreamscapes. Great melodic stuff that shows just how musical you can be while remaining intelligent and challenging. This is not the brain drill wall of noise stuff that pervades so much of the tape scene. This is the lost soundtrack to an 8mm film of the perfect summer night you dreamed about.

I purchased my copy direct from Bridgetown, and got a personal email from Kevin who runs the label with links to all sorts of awesome extras. Plus, they've got a new batch of five tapes on the way, and a good amount of touring going on. Give these guys the support they deserve by going here.