Tapes reviews of tapes I buy or get sent.

Send cassettes for review to: Flat 16 Raddon Tower, Dalston Square, London E8 3GN.

Monday 18 April 2011

Coleen Green - Milo Goes To College (Suffering Jukebox)


Posted simultaneously on Ghost Panda Digital

Ok, good news or bad news first? Bad news right? This amazing tape is now long gone, totally sold out and is unlikely to made again, sorry! The good news is that Coleen Green is now recording for Hardly Art Records, the Sub Pop offshoot label that has dropped some killer records in the past few years, with new CG records on their way.

This orange slice of tape starts with a downbeat cover of The Descendents 'Good Good Things'. Although not from their namesake debut album, this is a great cover, with slowed down drum machines and fuzzed out palm muted down strokes replacing the full band original. Carrying on the punk tributes comes 'I Wanna Be Degraded', on obvious take on The Ramones 'I Wanna Be Sedated' which adds a certain sacharine quality that continues throughout the rest of the tape.

I remember when the market was flooded with the vast amounts of punk bands covering classic pop songs in the mid 90's, and in particular Me First & The Gimme Gimme's making a side career from it, but now it seems that the table has turned with dreamy indie versions of punk classics like these getting their dues. Although not all of the 8 tracks on this tape alude to a classic punk song or reference, i feel like i have heard these songs before and they become memorable instantly. Tracks like 'I Will Follow Him' have become stuck in the part of brain that usually reserves space for tunes that i hum and then take an hour to remember who it is. Thanks Coleen.

Congrats if you can find a copy of this tape and thanks to Jack from Suffering Jukebox/Mazes for finding a copy for me.

Side A

Good Good Things
I Wanna be Degraded
Goldmine
I Will Follow Him

Side B

Always On My Mind
Nice Boy (I Want A)
Worship You
The Day I Fell In Love With You

Colleen Green - Worship You by berman1125

Saturday 16 April 2011

Sauna Youth - Planet Sounds (Self Released)


Serious no brainer here. My favourite UK band delivers a tape which is comprised of a 5 song radio session on Side A and 2 new covers on Side B given the SY treatment by members Pines and Boon respectively.

I think this radio session was recorded on their very first jaunt away and in the relative infancy of the band for a radio blog in Southampton, with 5 now classic tunes chosen including my favourite choice, 'Mild Horses'. Your also get cuts that have appeared on the new 'Lists' 7", the original Demo Cassette and 'Eurozone' that hasn't popped up anywhere else as far as i know? Its a good clear recording and is totally enjoyable, unlike a lot of live recordings that get thrown on tape for the sake of it.

The real reason for getting this tape though, is the two tracks on Side B. First up is SY guitarist, Pines, re-working of 'Teenage Summer' by Thee Headaches. The song is a motorik space rock journey of a song that recalls parts of Moon Duo's 'Escape' EP with minimal drum machine sounds, repetitive bass lines that could have come from a Stooges demo and some psych riffing on top. All of this is topped with a mantra of 'My teeage, my teenage, my teenage summer' over and over. That's a bong hit of a song for sure.

The second track is from Boon, SY vocalist, who remakes a track by The Magic Lanterns ( i think a mid 60's pop rock band) called Dreamlands. It definately has the hooks & chorus' that are typical of Sauna Youth records with a nice little major keyboard line that just screams summertime (in your face). In fact it makes me feel the same as when i listen to Eddy Current Suppresion Ring, wishing i could watch them on a sunny beach with a drink in hand!

Get this tape, even of you have most of the tracks already, you will go ape over the B side. Can i give Side of the year instead of Tape of the year?

Side A

Delta Caps
Pictures of Cats
Deal Castle
Eurozone
Mild Horses

Side B

Teenage Summer
Dreamlands



Teenage Summer from lindsay on Vimeo.

The Lowest Form - Some Horrible Bug (Low Tapes)


Man, this tape is good! Really noisey, feedback drenched hardcore that leans slightly to the crust side without ripping too much of a D-Beat charge. References to Sex/Vid, Void and Seige have been thrown around in the small amount of online attention they have, but 'Some Horrible Bug' seems tighter than those bands, stamping ahead with dense riffs and amazing breakdowns that prevent the tape from flying past in a blur. In fact, unlike a lot of hardcore records out there, each track really stands out on its own and don't just mesh into each other.

As the tape progresses, the noise  starts to creep in, and on one song in particular, a real black metal feel desends, but much more akin to the murkier USBM of Leviathan or Xasthur than their european counterparts. There is some really interesting guitar playing on this demo, maybe its the noise influence or a love of dark psychedelia, but whilst one guitar seems to hold it all down, the other grates out some amazing sonic scrapings. It made sense when you realise The Lowest Form is made up of people from noise duo Birds of Delay, psych dudes in Please and the man who runs Londons best hardcore label La Vida Es Un Mus. Fingers crossed for a vinyl release.

The Lowest Form - "Wrong Decision" by LOWRECORDINGS

The Lowest Form - "7.4.3" by LOWRECORDINGS