Artist: Slasher Risk
Title: Vole
Label: Abandon Ship Records
Year: 2008
Pretty
cool, uniform artwork. The cover looks like some sort of electric fire.
The J-Card contains this strange quote "Back at home, Sgt Pdoge has
breakfast before going to sleep by a warm radiator." The white cassette
has a blue label with information on one side. Both sides would've been
nice, one thing that dissapoints me is blank space. Same goes for the
back of the J-card. Though it's not blank space (it's the Abandon Ship
logo repeating), it could've been utilized better with more imagery
similar to that of the cover.
Side A, the title track, is
rhythmic piece, with a repeating percussion pattern and and some great
bleeps and tones. Many crunchy sounds throughout, and little squeeks of
the voles themselves. some really WEIRD vocals appear through out, and
fuzzed out gutiar knows its place. Some sort of ceremony is taking
place, I can feel it. The use of electronics on this side one is great,
sounds some really good junk is being used. Not your traditional boring
electronic drone. It that the scree of a tape recorder? Who knows.
Side
B, titled "Foxes", is a little darker and more strange. Strange metals
and wind combined with creaky floorboards and tape hiss give it a
creepy vibe. Acoustic, alone in the black. This side seems to be all
over the place, but not in a detrimental way. Things will be quiet,
when all of the sudden, your thoughts cloud and things start to harshen
quickly, if only for a few moments. Much different than Side A. but
still intense and worthwhile.
Packaging: 4/5
Music: 4/5
Overal rating: 4/5
http://www.myspace.com/slasherrisk
http://www.abandonshiprecords.com/
Artist: Panopticon Eyelids
Title: Glitter Vomit
Label: Abandon Ship Records
Year: 2008
Another
unknown project to me is Panopticon Eyelids (though I feel as if I am
unfamiliar with most of the artists I review - I need to get out there
and diversify), whose tape on Abandon Ship Records is a real lo-fi
psych suprise for me.
An awesome cover on this tape. Looks like
the most exoctic bird of them all vommited itself all over while on a
bad acid trip. The red cassette matches the cover very well, and labels
on both sides too (unlike a LOT of tapes). If only the blank space on
the back side of the J-card...
Side
A is titled "Electron Headbanging" (headbanging insn't the first thing
that comes to mind when listening to this though) and it's a real junk
rock stomper. The sounds of cardboard drums, blues
guitar, and catlike pain really works. Really reminds me of earlier
American Tapes stuff. This is an alternate reality funk group. Funky
bass licks lead this boat. With a voice changer, you know this thing is
goofy, but not lame, and not without style.
Side B, "Goodbye
Booze / Hello'weed Night", continues in the same vein. Maybe a little
more rocking. Not much more to say about it. Long-form jamming, it's
easy to zone out, but it's easier to be brought back in. Wuh? Things
start getting creepy. The drugs must have run out. A nice change
though. Not what I was expecting, but what are expectations good for
anyway? Definatley a nice, weird suprise.
Music: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
http://www.panopticoneyelids.com/
http://www.abandonshiprecords.com/
Posted by
KRM
at
5:01 PM