Sauna Youth - Distractions

Here is the second Sauna Youth tape in a matter of months, which is always a good thing for me. This tape takes on a few similar characteristics to the last cassette, with a black & white photo cover and all the songs on one side, bar a single longer song/remix on the b-side but instead of just all SY songs, this time we get a mix tape format with practice room recordings of songs from thefirst tape mixed in with an amazing bag of tunes. If you haven't read the last SY tape review then just scroll down to the first blog entry and catch up on what you have been missing, which is poppy power punk/hardcore, crossing the line between Career Suicide, Brutal Knights and The Ramones but with a psych/garage edge.

Now onto the mixtape selections, which is down to Pines (gtr). With every song choice you get an SY track wedged in the middle for fun, and to kick off the tape you get an African welcome with a Ghanian funeral intro segueing into 'Weird Fiction' by SY and then a Mahmoud Ahmed track, an amazing Ethiopian singer from the 60's & 70's who is probably most know now to his inclusion on sevceral of the Ethiopiques comps. We have some great modern Garage punk from UV Race, who along with Eddy Current Suppresion Ring are bringing back good Australian punk music. I always enjoy a bit of Nodzzz who crop up half way through as do the Airfix Kits, who i have not heard before but screamed Television Personalities to me. Mix in some minimal electronics from Raymond Scott, some power pop of Frosties and a Polynesian vocal & percussion troupe called Chief & Orators Sasa and you have a magic mix in your deck.

The other band that isn't Sauna Youth that grabbed my attention on Side A is Solar Powers, which is another practice room live jam, with 2 members of SY (Pines & Boon) joined by a Cold Puma and a NRWS member. Kinda krautrock-y in its repitition but laid back in its approach, its not as full force as Cold Pumas, in some places like early Trans Am, or not?

Finally the B-side, which is a drugged out/drawn out composition of drones and bells, conversations and found sound, walkabouts and pitchbending. This piece was written to this piece called 'E2BN1BB' and more pieces will probably be written to it in the future. I don't know if this tape is still available as it was made just for the Brighton Zine Swap, but hit up the band to see if they have any left.

www.lostinidea.blogspot.com

Sauna Youth - Distractions

Side A

1. Ghanian Funeral Intro
2. Sauna Youth - Weird Friction
3. Mahmoud Ahmed - Aynotche Terabu
4. Sauna Youth - Des Animaux
5. Frosties - Tigers Eyes
6. Chief & Orators Sasa (Polynesia)
7. Sauna Youth - Lists
8. Solar Powers - Roman Numeral 2
9. UV Race - Gore Orphanage
10. Sauna Youth - Big Bobbles
11. Nodzzz - Highway Memorial Shrine
12. Sauna Youth - E2 Bang Bang
13. Raymond Scott - Night & day
14. Sauna Youth - Eurozone / Rolando
15. Airfix Kits - 80's Aesthetic
16. Sauna Youth - Delta Caps

Side B

1. E2BN1BB

The Super Vacations - Good Wood (Scotch Tapes)

The Super Vacattions 10 track tape is a slow burner. i keep on coming back to it and have probably listened to it more than most of my new batch of tapes, especially the ones from the ever amazing Scotch Tapes from Canada. It definately reminds me of the music me and my friends used to listen to out of a broekn car speaker when we were 18 and driving around in my friends first mini, which means mid 90's psych like Olivia Tremor Control, Elephant 6 and the Lilys, some seminal lo-fi like Sebadoh & Guided By Voices , mixed in with some 60's psych/garage, but more the Haight-Ashbury scene than the agressive Pacific North West.

If i was to think of current bands i would say The Fresh & Onlys just because they both give me that Jefferson Airplane sense of songwriting and possibility of a freak out. I'm really digging this band and will probably track down their new Lp on Shadowplay and new tape on Snakefork.

Good Wood (Scotch Tapes)

1. Good Wood
2. Tse Guars
3. Sea Song
4. Congratulations
5. 10 Second Freak Out
6. Yellow Hissing
7. Bee Hive
8. Ask a Comb
9. Solid Gold
10. The Void

www.scotchtapes.ca