#47

Bad Creeps – Make Us Proud c26

Abrasive and disjointed, Make Us Proud reminds me a lot of the noise rock AmpRep was pumping out some 20 years ago. But, you can't pigeonhole Bad Creeps' sound down to just that. There's a little bit of a powerviloence undertone and a totally snarky feel to it all. It's fucking rad. My only complaint is that mix seems a little muted, especially on the vocals. I'd have liked to hear those shrieks and barks louder. It's not that big a deal. What is a big deal is that this is limited to 50 copies, so you better keep your fingers crossed there is one or two still left for you.

Tent Revivalist Tapes

Mt. Tjhris – Amethyst Cave c44

Remember back in high school when one of your pals dropped blotters for the first time and was all “Dude...The colors, I can hear them!” Well, now you too can finally hear that chromesthesiatic trip, thanks to Mt. Tjhris and this tape. It's a prismatic spray in the audio spectrum, the sound of light refracting through a million crystals. I won't lie, Amethyst Cave's whole new age, purple crystal healing sounds vibe is way too Hearts of Space for me, but the actual music is solid. Bubbly, synth ambiance, with some trance-y drone tossed in for good measure. Recommended, especially for all you clairvoyants who want a soundtrack to your crystal gazing.

Holy Page Records

null – Miasma cd-r

All to frequently “post-black metal” is code for hipster dicks playing at some bullshit, ironic, art school, quasi-black metal sound. Thankfully, this is not the case with null. Consisting of 4 massive tracks blending vaguely melodic black metal and guitar fueled dronescapes, Miasma is totally overwhelming. I can see a lot of black metal purists being turned off by this, but fuck them, it's their loss. Required listening for anyone who enjoys progressive and creative black metal type stuff. The only unfortunate aspect about Miasma is that it marks the end of null. Oh well, better to go out with a bang, right?  

Frozen Tendril Records

Slaw – Slaw c45 x2

Make sure the Pabst is ice cold and that sweet wizard-shaped bong is packed, 'cause it's time to pop this monster into the tape deck. Totally pummeling, crushing sludge spaced out over two 45 minute cassettes, how the fuck could you not love Slaw? The production is surprising clean for music that sounds so grimy, but it works. These dudes have a kind of minimalistic sound going; no psychedelic guitar solos or southern rock action, it's just a pulverizing wave of sludge. Why the fuck are you still reading my ramblings and not out snagging a copy?  

Headway Recordings

V.A. – Duets c100

Ok, so this is a totally rad idea. Put together a huge comp that consists entirely of two-man bands. Duets is 16 bands and over an hour and a half of tunes. Mostly synth and electronic action from the groups, but there's some other styles thrown in as well. All fairly solid tracks, standouts for me were the rumbler from Brother Raven, the meditative guitar drones from Century Planet, and a plodding rock instrumental from Big Sky. And that's just the A side; on the flip there solid tracks from Blood on Tape, Sundrips, & Grasshopper. Diggin it.  

Tranquility Tapes

#46

156 – Frontyard/Backyard c42

I'm not quite sure if the 156 fits the definition of musique concrète, so I'll use the more generic 'sound collage'. It's not really a genre I'm particularly interested in and the truth is I snagged this tape not knowing what I'd find on it. I was down in Fort Lauderdale digging though the local section of an indie record store when I stumbled upon Frontyard/Backyard. I didn't know anything about the project or the label, but the man behind 156, Adel Souto, is a name I recognize. For those unaware, Mr. Souto used to publish the Feast of Fear and Hate zine (remember when people did paper zines?), which I read voraciously back in high school. Anyhow, this is a collection of field recordings and musical-ish sounds created with tools, metal scraps, and whatever else, that have been interwoven. As I said before, this type of stuff doesn't really pique my interest, but I did find the album to be strangely hypnotic. Listening to it in a noisy, metropolitan area, Frontyard/Backyard didn't blend in, but rather stood out as a different, but similar, set of sound. I found myself trancing out in a strange place in between what was the white noise of the city and the music from 156. Does that make any sense? Anyhow, if you're into unusual sound collages and experimental field recordings, check this out.

Acid Casualty Productions 

Dragon Turtle and Eric de Jesus – The Second Summer of Love/The Leaves on the Trees were Green with Youth 7"

I feel like this is one of those 'good idea in theory' type of things that doesn't manage to pan out in reality. You've got a spoken word dude reading over a band's music; sounds interesting. The main problem is that the vocal levels are botched and Eric de Jesus sounds staticy and muted, especially on The Leaves... side. On top of that, de Jesus' prose doesn't particularly appeal to me; it's not bad or anything, just not my deal. I did find myself enjoying Dragon Turtle's kinda shoegaze-y, mellow math-rock; but that wasn't enough to save this ep. I wanted to like this, but it left me rather underwhelmed.

La Société Expéditionnaire

Lunar Miasma – Managing The Dream c28

If you've been jonesing for some synch action, Lunar Miasma has got what you need. This rad little tape kicks off with a massive track of shimmering electronics. All crystal visions and tigers floating in space, you know? The next track takes it down a notch, with this mysterious, low key vibe going. On the flip there's another impressive piece of sci-fi sounding weirdness and finally a calm journey delving deep into the id. Managing The Dream is an astral burner, a soundtrack for the unconscious mind.

Tranquility Tapes

 Rose Cross – Rose Cross 7"

I'm not big into either punk or garage rock, but I'm finding myself digging this ep. Rose Cross plays short songs of fuzzy punk rock about ghosts, the apocalypse, and relationships. The really stand out aspect about Rose Cross is the shout/sung female vocals, which gives the band a particularly unique sound. I'm diggin' it, go snag a copy.  

Drugged Conscience Records