Tabs Out

Edwin Perry Manchester – A Hidden Doorway to the Past / Your Fears Are Real

9.21.20 by Ryan Masteller

Of the many moods of Edwin Perry Manchester, these are two of them. “A Hidden Doorway to the Past,” released in October 2019 on Black Ring Rituals, and “Your Fears Are Real,” a relatively fresh batch of sweet “tunes” that popped into existence in June on TapeGoblin, swing open that titular door of the first to expose the mind of one wacky home skillet. As Manchester sets up his electronics table, surely he’s constantly dreaming of the day he can set it all on fire, all while it’s plugged in and feeding back or whatever, the sound of the inferno forever imprinted in the spools of a cassette tape.

Until that day, though, he’ll have to make a “virtual” inferno with the sounds his gear makes. “A Hidden Doorway to the Past” is the harsher of the two, a putrid wail of nasty signal broadcast directly from the butt of a farting quasar. This shouldn’t be a surprise, as track 2 of this thing is called “Frank Silva,” a tribute to the late actor who portrayed the stringy-haired BOB on “Twin Peaks.” If you think of “A Hidden Doorway” in relation to the Black Lodge denizens and BOB acolytes the Woodsmen, then imagine their “Gotta light?” inquiry blown into sonic molecules and repackaged as cassette-based artistic statement. The growly white-hot static and radio melt will surely blast open some doors with that intensity.

I would’ve loved to consider “Your Fears Are Real” as the friendlier, more-ready-to-chill manifestation of Manchester’s personality, but hey – you don’t call something “Your Fears Are Real” without getting to the heart of whatever matter you happen to be pursuing. And if you’re getting to the heart of “fears,” then maybe it’s only up to the brave and the well-prepared to dig in and really sink some teeth into this thing. Still, the obvious synthesizer material includes tendrils and wisps of playfulness that come off as less dour than “A Hidden Doorway,” but it’s still an uncompromisingly in-your-face set. Also, it ends on a track called “The Pain Goes On and On,” so there’s that. Not really playful at all, actually.

Two copies left (of an edition of 25) of “A Hidden Doorway,” nine left (of an edition of who knows) of “Your Fears Are Real.” You should probably stop waiting?

Related Links

Siihhi – Totallo

9.17.20 by Ryan Masteller

I keep getting tapes in the mail, and I have no idea how this USPS thing is going to shake out, but maybe if they keep treating my packages like this, it’ll be good riddance to them! [Note: I do not feel this way.] I mean, if a tape’s going to get here without being properly temperature controlled, there’s no point in even listening to it, is there? Take this Siihhi tape for instance – “Totallo” showed up in my mailbox after festering in a hot mail truck all day, so of course it’s gonna come out sounding all wobbly and warped. That’s just what happens when plastic gets too hot – it melts.*

Wait, what? “Totallo” is SUPPOSED to sound like this? Well, that’s a whole different story, and I apologize to the fine men and women and non-binary employees of the Postal Service who are doing their job perfectly and without reproach. In fact, “Totallo” is such an intriguing and unusual listen that I might just tip my mail carrier the next time I see her. Because, from what I understand, you shouldn’t shoot the messenger for bad news, but you should totally shower them with credit for good news. I mean, I guess I should laud Siihhi, the artist, as well as the label Cudighi Records a little bit too. Siihhi being the creative and all, and Cudighi ponying up the dough to fire this off into the public. So, kudos guys – well done.

Originally released digitally in 2017 and dubbed to physical cassette in 2020, “Totallo” is a wonderland of loops and melodies presented as worn diary, the pages disintegrating the moment the last word is read. It’s a hissing, warbling lesson in leftfield exotica, and its charm is virtually impossible to ignore. Add to the fact that if it does indeed arrive in your mailbox damaged it’ll probably still sound cool, and you have a winner of a release on your hands here. And its dense, humid beats-and-samples makeup could only originate from … Finland? Is that right? Oh well, I guess they have volcanos or something in Scandinavia. Iceland anyway.

*This melting thing wasn’t my idea – I stole it from Tristan Bath at the Quietus.

Related Links