Editor’s Note: The newest column by Jesse Croom (of “The Past Presents”) here on Knox Road, “Stars on C-30”, will dig into the wonderful world of cassettes. Tape labels are abundant these days as are new cassette releases, and Stars on C-30 will include reviews of some of these releases, the occasional band or label profile, and a look at the culture surrounding cassettes. Enjoy the first installment below.
The cassette. The perfect format. No really, it was the right medium at the right time. The cassette was the format of choice during my youth. Records were fine, but you couldn’t record on them and you certainly couldn’t put all of your favorite songs in one place. Perhaps most importantly, you couldn’t scratch a cassette. A cassette just snapped or was mangled to the point of uselessness. A scratched record, on the other hand, was a constant reminder of your own carelessness with your stereo. It was obvious, the cassette was the future; a future you controlled. Cassettes allowed you, the humble music fan, to make mix tapes for your friends and, more importantly, show that special someone the true depth of your feelings. Oh yes, the cassette was the ultimate vehicle for music and die-hard music fans.
Then, without warning, came the compact disc. These things were indestructible and provided near perfect reproductions of all your favorite music. The CD blew tapes out of the water almost instantly, reducing the cassette to an affordable medium for indie and punk rock bands to get their music out into the world.. Tiny tape labels were everywhere in the early to mid 90’s but burned out quickly with the advent of affordable CD recorders. The cassette didn’t stand a chance. Now, like that mosquito that just won’t be ignored, cassettes are back.
The last few years have been very good to the cassette and those who love its magnetic goodness. Tape labels are thriving once again. This time around they are the home to experimental music, DIY albums of all varieties and the curious side projects that otherwise may never have made it out of Pro-Tools. In other words tapes are a hotbed for creativity, exploration and invention. The labels are making the most of the cassette’s new moment in the sun. Most cassettes are being released in extremely limited editions and sell out fairly quickly, so if you stumble on something that looks interesting please don’t wait, chances are it will be gone.
For this first installment we look at four recent releases from a relatively new label, Sweat Lodge Guru. The label unloaded four new tapes that are worth your attention. First among them is Mickey Mickey Rourke’s fantastic Festive Bummer. Over the course of its nine songs, Festive Bummer delivers one of the most satisfying ambient rock records I’ve heard in a long time. These songs come across as a more melodic Flying Saucer Attack. I’m really hooked on the song “Forget About Tomorrow and Think About Today”, so please check that one out. This was released in an edition of 70 and is unfortunately sold out. You can get the album digitally from the band’s Bandcamp page for $4.20. Please go do that now.
Cough Cool – the band, not the Misfits song – offers up their self-titled effort and it’s quite good. Over seven songs and maybe 30 minutes or so, Cough Cool creates a solid lo-fi shoegaze album that any Slowdive fan should enjoy. The guitars are fuzzy, the vocals are hazy… it’s pretty much the complete package. They even give a second tip of the hat to the Misfits with a cover of “Some Kinda Hate”. This one was limited to 100 copies, so run, don’t walk.
Then, there’s Konntinent’s Arev Benn. This one still leaves me scratching my head. One day it’s amazing, the next it bores me to tears. The first side is a collection of minimal ambient tracks. While there are sections that are interesting, for the most part this side gets lost in the noise of my day. Even with headphones my mind tends to wander away from this. The second side is a different story. The songs “Striking Distance” and Adjacent Lott” are fantastic. These songs are excellent ambient pieces with a bit of world music flavor. Like I said, this one is hit or miss for me, but check out the second side, specifically “Striking Distance”, and decide for yourself.
Finally, Emuul delivers an epic drone winner with Further Stations. Over two sides you get long ambient drone that is both meditative and otherworldly. Emuul’s slow-squeezed sound grows and swells as each side progresses but remains tempered to the last note. Further Stations is a prime example of minimal ambient drone executed to perfection.
If the current crop of “it” bands leaves you flat, it’s time to dust off that walkman and see what’s happening in the cassette world. There’s a lot to explore and most of it is pretty reasonably priced, so happy hunting.
Nice. I like the cassette renaissance of late. Recently I unearthed (and I am not exaggerating this number) over 300 cassettes I had stored at my mother’s house, many of which are mixes and DIY demos given to me by old friends, not to mention entire catalogs of material by bands I somewhat grew out of, rarely listen to and never bothered to buy on CD. One in particular is called “18” – a mix given to me for my 18th bday. The acquaintance who made it was murdered over a decade ago and I had (shamefully) forgotten about him until I saw the Cure/Bauhaus heavy tape. I need a vehicle to listen to these little gems. Thanks for the inspiration.
I think the mix-tape will keep cassettes alive for a long time. Everytime I find one I want make a new one for somebody. I’m also loving the new stuff that’s getting put to tape. A lot of this stuff would never sell enought to warrant a vinyl or CD pressing, but on cassette you can sell 100 copies and feel like a hero.