4.25.13: TAPE OF THE MONTH – APRIL 2013
TAPEOFTHEMONTHARTIST: Horsehair Everywhere

TITLE: When Eyes Walk

LABEL: Goldtimers

LENGTH: C52

DUBBED: Pro

EDITION: 50

 

 

 

 

 

I felt like the Chicago imprint Goldtimers was gone for a long long time. As if they were the proverbial label who went out for a pack of smokes and some blank tapes to not return. But, as it turns out, it has only been about a year since they released a batch of goodies from the likes of Venn Rain, Former Selves, Kevin Greenspon, and wouldn’t ya know it, Me. Perhaps I was just being a tad bit impatient and needy for more golden goodness. Well, they are back with a handful of new cassettes from, among others, Seabat, Red Electric Rainbow, No Mind Meditation, and this little doozey that is our Tape of the Month for April,  Horsehair Everywhere.

insideI’ve avoided listening to Horsehair Everywhere because I was confusing them with the band Psychedelic Horseshit. I saw Psychedelic Horseshit play at a gig in Philadelphia a few years back and thought it was simply god awful (Disclaimer: I may be confusing Psychedelic Horseshit’ with another band as well. It’s extremely plausible, but I’m pretty sure I got it right.) and as a result dodged any Horsehair Everywhere releases that have crossed my path. Then Goldtimers released “When Eyes Walk” and I was able to scope the membership listed on the back flap of the Jcard. It was then clear; I had a classic noise-equestrian foul up on my hands and this was a totally different group of dudes. And a solid group at that. The Horsehair lineup is like a virtual super group, perhaps the Tater Totz  of noise dudes playing rock(ish) zoner jams. Hmmm. Unless Burnt Hills is the Tater Totz, which makes these guys the… Let’s go with… Atoms For Peace. I’ve never heard that band before, I just want Flea up in the mix here.

It goes down like this: Frank Baugh (who has dropped bucket loads of goodness under the moniker Sparkling Wide Pressure), Stephen Molyneux and Geoffrey Sexton (who both play under their own names), Lee Noble (who does the same, and is also head honcho over at No Kings Record Co), TJ Richards (whom I’m not really familiar with, so let’s him be Flea), and the Steelman brothers, little Caleb and big Samuel. It should be known that I’m not sure which one of those guys is older, or even if they are actually brothers. But you get the point, right? The septet recorded these 52 minutes in Nashville and Murfreesboro, TN in 2010 and 2011.

As I said a few sentences back, Horsehair Everywhere plays what would pretty much fall under the umbrella of rock music. It’s impromptu and loose, sometimes almost clumsy. As if all seven members are lying on the floor, feeling completely spent (even the drummer?  how does that work??), but slowly and surely they make killer patterns emerge. Moments where you can imagine everyone gradually standing up and looking at each other as if to say “Yeah, this is working. This is the one”. The form these moments evolve into runs the gamut. Sometimes there are tribal, rhythmic plunges, other times it’s more spacey, punk tooling around. Sometimes it almost reminds me of bits and pieces from Sonic Youth’s “NYC Ghosts & Flowers”. The stuff I’m digging the most on “When Eyes Walk” though is the more angsty (that’s a word, right?) manic jamming. With the spouting of quick, shrill vocals and a raw, post-whatever feeling it has a sorta 90’s DC/Ian Svenonius inspired vibe to it all. Totally all over the place tape and not at all what I was expecting. Try painting a room or cleaning up the backyard while you play this at a serious volume. Trust me, I did it. It helps.

coverandtape

The Jcard is full color, double-sided, and vibrant. Molyneux took both photographs that are on it while spending some time in Thailand. The cover features the bright, ornate walls and ceiling of a temple along with the words “HORSEHAIR EVERYWHERE” and “WHEN EYES WALK” in black text on a white background. The photo on the inside is of a (random?) dude diving into a lake near Ankgor Wat with the band’s name, cassette title, and label name in white with a thick white border around the image. It’s a clean layout that pairs nicely with the cassette itself. The shells are clear with a gold foil inlay and a white imprinting. The imprint, which is text only and on both sides, reflects off the foil if you hold it just so. It’s a pretty tight effect, especially if your sorta stoned and have far to much time on your hands.

You can sample and pick up the  Horsehair Everywhere “When Eyes Walk” C52 from Goldtimer’s bandcamp page for $ix bone$. – MH