Wednesday, April 23, 2014

CASSETTE REVIEW: Bob Bucko Jr. “Travel Well” (Personal Archives)


            After listening to this cassette several times over and being made aware that Bob Bucko Jr. is the one behind Personal Archives, I was browsing through other tape labels and found an artist known as “BBJr.”, which I then was able to deduce was also Bob Bucko Jr.  Needless to say, Mr. Bucko Jr. certainly seems to have an expansive catalog of cassettes released across various labels that might not even just be his own.    At the same time while listening to this and coming to that conclusion which seems so obvious now, it hits me and I must somehow find a way to review all BBJr. cassettes.    

            The music of Bob Bucko Jr. can be difficult to describe, as it is also tough to pigeonhole.   Most writers enjoy saying things are certain ways, or combinations of those ways, but the music found on “Travel Well” is more of a living being than something set in stone.   It begins as an acoustic sound which reminds me of Don Ho for whatever reason, but then does become electric and has jumbled starts and stops.  

            While the second side of this cassette seems to be more ambient than the first, I just can’t help but think every time I listen to this that I’m pulling something different out of it.   In some ways, it feels like I’m noticing aspects of it I didn’t notice before- like when you watch a really good movie for a second, third, fourth time, etc.    But then at the same time, I also feel sometimes when I look at my notes that perhaps I’m listening to something I wasn’t listening to before: the cassette in and of itself somehow changes.

            This will hopefully be the first of many cassettes I listen to and enjoy from Bob Bucko Jr.   Years from now, when all these BBJr. cassettes are sold out and people want to hear them, I’m going to be the one starting a tape label so I can release a Bob Bucko Jr. cassette boxed set.   In some ways, I feel like that has been my destiny all along and I’m looking forward to it in ways as well.  






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