Review: Tapes Round-Up Pt 1

As I'm sure most of you couldn't have failed to notice, tapes are making a resurgence. Not sure how or why this has happened - a nostalgic nod to the days of mix-tapes and recording the John Peel show? a desire to rekindle the DIY ethic of the glory days of punk? a commercial decision (far cheaper than releasing vinyl)? - but, whatever the reason I, for one, am glad. The result is that a fair number of 'boutique' labels have sprung up who now have the wherewithal to release exciting, challenging and thought provoking music...and that is a very good thing. Such are the number of great releases that I have decided to do a regular round-up of tape-based sounds that have caught my ear and my imagination. Here goes:....

Channelers - Faces Of Love



Channelers is the project of Sean Conrad who also runs the label on which it is released, Inner Islands. 'Faces of Love' is two tracks of the most gorgeous, luscious drone. Described by Sean as "the product of a practice of recording and improvising as a mindfulness practice, playing to listen to and be with the sound. Naturally, the rhythm of the sound follows the rhythm of the body and the pace of the breath", and that makes perfect sense on listening. Both tracks have stillness that allows the mind to wander and the body to relax but this is NOT some new age music that you find on £1.99 CDs in Oxfam shops...this is pure drone that ebbs and flows and has a tranquil fragility that is hard not to fall in love with.....just beautiful. The sounds of harmonium, bowed bass, dulcimer, piano, and Juno-60 combine to produce these gems. If you are looking for a comparison, think slower versions of the drone works of E Gone. Have a look at the Inner Islands Bandcamp page and you will find other such beauties.



Three Eyed Makara - Moonmilk Roof



A while back I reviewed a bunch of releases from the exceptional Cruel Nature label (more of whom in a bit), one of which was 'His Cattle Are Pets And He Goes With The Moon' by Woven Skull (damn good it is too...read the review here.) Two members of Woven Skull, Natalia Beylis and Willie Stewart, are also part of the Three Eyed Makara ensemble alongside Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh & Djuna Keen. 'Moonmilk Roof is a challenging listen but, once you get into it, it is supremely satisfying. The title track has the feel and non-structure of some of the great fee/avant garde jazz pieces but with some Delia Derbyshire thrown in for good measure. It is abstract and at times atonal but seems to all meld together to form something that grips the listener and won't let go. 'Half Blind Valley' again channels some of Archie Shepp's more freeform sax pieces (and as everyone knows, Shepp is a genius!) but don't get hung up on the jazz references, this isn't jazz, it just takes aspects of it and adds them into pieces of top notch experimental/noise. That is followed by the last and longest track, 'Oolite & Pitch' which retains the skronk of sax but adds some shimmering cymbal crescendos and more deft electronica in the form of drones and washes to make up a track that is an immersive and challenging listen. It is released by Crow Versus Crow - take a gander at the Bandcamp page and you'll find loads more good stuff!



Lopness - Cena Holding



Bought a bunch of tapes last week from a great label based in Edinburgh, Czaszka(rec.), the highlight of which was one by lopness, of whom I previously knew naught. The Bandcamp page informs us that lopness are a "collaboration between bruno silva (ondness) and pedro lopes (deadact).....lopes plays on turntables in percussive way* while silva contributes with sound processing. recycled reality mixed with needle's hum." The result is wonderful - the four tracks are gentle undulating pieces that sound organic despite their electronic roots. There is a beatific beauty inherent in the music - the gentle ebb and flow is hypnotic and hypnagogic and the listener can't help but fall under its spell. There are traces of soundtrack-esque music and snatches of spoken word samples that add an other-worldliness to proceedings and there are passages that sound almost ritualistic, but overall it is a blissful listen that is all the more impressive when one considers how it was made....damned clever. All the tapes on the Czaszka Bandcamp page are worth checking out and keep an eye out as it seems every season they release a bundle (I scored the 'Summer' bundle) that are great value for money, but they go quick!



Lovely Wife - Problem Rock



OK, it was fairly inevitable that I was gonna include something from Cruel Nature, they are one of my fave labels after all! But this...this is fuckin' amazing even by their standards! Lovely Wife hail from the North East of the UK and they play some of the heaviest godforsaken racket I've heard for a while...and it's glorious! 'Problem Rock' has just the three tracks, the first of which, 'Export To Disk' almost broke my speakers and scared the dog when it kicked in....it is chest crushingly heavy noise/doom fare that brings to mind so many fine legends.....Electric Wizard, Big Black, Jesus Lizard, Blown Out.....it is that good. The riffs roil like a wind lashed ocean and that bass! Seriously...this is good! 'Filth' (am I the only one whose mind immediately goes to Swans one reading that title?) is strangely subdued after 'Export..' and I wonder if this is because the first track and the following 2 were recorded at different times (2014 and 2017 respectively). However, it is still majorly heavy. The riffs are again as heavy as fuck and the strangled vocals lend proceedings an evil air. 'Ting' has an almost funky groove going on, albeit the funk that they play at parties in Hades..it is a raw track, but that kinda suits the music...this is a band that would not benefit from flash production, it would take away the visceral anger inherent in their output. All in all, this is great stuff and that first track is worth the entry fee on its own! As ever, it can be purchased via the Cruel Nature Bandcamp page here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going for a lay down in a quiet, darkened room!