Tabs Out, Author at | Page 175 of 1032

September 17, 2020September 17, 2020

Tabs Out | Siihhi – Totallo

Siihhi – Totallo

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.

Tabs Out | Medina/Walsh – Four Compositions

Medina/Walsh – Four Compositions

9.16.20 by Ryan Masteller

You’re supposed to see stuff with “Four Compositions.” That’s right, it’s music for the eyes – each of these four untitled pieces was conceived with a multimedia experience in mind: “for film,” “for media,” “for stage,” “for installation.” But no matter how hard anyone tries (and trust me, Medina/Walsh REALLY tried), you can’t get a tape deck to project any video, so we’re just going to listen to this stuff instead. That OK with you?

It should be. Medina/Walsh is Josh Medina and Paurl [sic] Walsh, whose “Vault of Angels” LP on Debacle Records is spectacular. “Four Compositions” is a sonic assault of blistering ambience – no lazy, relaxed atmospheres here. The duo presents a challenging improvised and manipulated four-track set, the guitars and electronics impossible to differentiate from each other. It’s all an onrush of mood, a modern classical exploration of whatever the heck I was intended to see. What was I intended to see??

Instead, I’ll have to use the back of my eyelids as the screen and allow the duo to shoot me off into the space behind them. From here I can project my own visuals, and despite my distinct lack of imagination, I can absolutely see colors and lights along with this. In fact, as the final synth score ebbs and flows across almost twenty minutes, I’m plopped in the middle of science fiction – not a science-fiction film, mind you, but the literal concept of science fiction, where structures are smooth and functional and energy is 100 percent sustainable. It’s like the future we wish we were living in (maybe, depending on your take on sterile environments), only suggested in sound form.

This one just dropped on brand spanking new label (run by Josh Medina) Obscure and Terrible on August 17, so get your hands on it before some collector puke starts sniffing around the Bandcamp and starts scooping up all the copies for resale on Discogs.

September 14, 2020September 14, 2020

Bridle – Forward Motion Plus Volume Three

9.14.20 by Ryan Masteller

September 14, 2020September 14, 2020

Tabs Out | Bridle – Forward Motion Plus Volume Three

Bridle – Forward Motion Plus Volume Three

9.14.20 by Ryan Masteller

I’ll tell you one thing about this Bridle fella – when he makes a tape, you know EXACTLY what you’re listening to. There will never be any confusion. So even if somehow you smash your Norelco case to bits and accidentally drop the lovely transparent j-card into a paper shredder and scratch off the adhesive label from the face of the tape with whatever machete-type instrument you have at hand, as long as the tape itself is still playable you’ll hear the following at the beginning of “Current Collector” opening up side A: “Bridle, Forward Motion Plus Volume Three.” How’s that for forefronting your brand? It’s right there at the beginning of track 1! (And track 3.) (And track 6.)

You might also simply recognize Bridle from the music – this is volume three after all, and if you’ve got volumes and two at hand, you’ll be prepared for the action of this new entry into the series. The Texas electronic artist specializes in downtempo, the chilled atmosphere of the “Forward Motions” perfect for laid-back evenings spent with a glass of hand-cut and mulled sangria, an ornate pipe filled with exotic tobacco blends, and an old-timey newspaper filled with articles about mustaches and bicycles. Well, that’s what I do with my time anyway, and Bridle works for that. You might be doing something else, but there’s a lot of activities this can cover.

What really matters is that “Forward Motion Plus Volume Three” is easy on the ears, an immensely enjoyable minimal techno ice skipper with goth melodies and a healthy sense of self-doubt, perfect for everybody who’s erected thick emotional walls and wants nothing to do with their classmates. Nostalgia meets future/present in the tunes, and my recommendation is that everybody should grab a copy of this tape to help them center – in a groovy way – every once in a while. Too bad it’s sold out. Discogs, here I come! (Oh wait, it’s not on there yet either. Jamie? …)