What
you have to understand about this release- physically- is that when I requested
it I had the Arma & Refusenik “TWO MEETINGS” cassette in mind, yes, but it
is produced by AUBJECT as a double cassette and each cassette itself has two
different albums on it. This isn’t so
much of a fourway split as it’s just a package deal and as such everything you
need to know about purchasing this cassette can be found in the link above, but
it is still kind of like four cassettes in one (or rather two if you’re
counting cassettes and not reviews)
The
first cassette that I put on had the Arma & Refusenik name on it and as
such Side A is “Two Meetings” by that particular artist. It begins with the sounds of pianos and
strings and immediately I think we’re in for a treat along the lines of Stephanie
Lak and the music I associate with her but have heard quite often before. There is this somewhat classical feel to it,
yet it can also be somewhat of a drone vibe.
The fact that the two are combined is quite amazing.
We
also can hear some 8bit sounds, which are mostly related to Mario jumping and
getting coins. Through R2D2 type modems
there is also a sound of strings and horns dying. Mix in some wind chime type sounds and
organs and you have what I like to call a noisy orchestra. It is rather good and for some reason put
the music of Dashboard Confessional in my head.
Side
B is called “Activities of Daily Living” and is by Gushing Cloud. This
one begins with locomotive beats, strained growls and some glitchy horns. It is somewhat triumphant through its
clanking and hip hop beats do come out as well, along with that
chicka-chicka-wow of the record scratching.
In this way it does get kind of funky and, yes, it reminds me of Limp
Bizkit somehow because in my head I’m singing “Like a chump, hey!” over and
over.
Gushing
Cloud does manage to finish off this first cassette with the first sign of
audio in terms of vocals as there is a screwed line going through that says (I
believe) “That’s something you don’t see in everything” repeatedly. This
adds to the overall experience of this cassette on the whole, but while you
will equally enjoy these two pieces by Arma & Refusenik and Gushing Cloud
neither necessarily need to go together.
The
second cassette begins with Homogenized Terrestrials. I’m not certain you can homogenize a
terrestrial but I like the idea of it. Through
synth glass, rapid fire beats and a computer voice on a loop saying no real
words I begin to actually hear it saying “robo”. There is a drum kit and Darth Vader style
wavy strings. Footsteps, sad strings
and the ambient bliss take us into Jay Peele influenced bowls.
Vocals
get chopped as the bass gets funky, beeps begin a pattern and then it gets
quiet and minimal. Computer sounds
dominate most of the second half of this cassette side, perhaps the whole side,
and it ends with the only appropriate knob changing whirrs.
Nigel
Samways takes control on the second cassette Side B and what begins as simply
zoo noises turns into space zoo noises for me.
It’s a building ride with
saxophones stuck in loops, sort of vocals but not really and piano rattles over
beats and creaks. Through dark strings,
there are also celestial wavy loops and just an overall ambient feel before all
is said and done.
All
four of these different artists have created music here that could stand
incredibly well on its own, yet somehow bringing them together only feels
appropriate. If you like one of these,
you’ll like all of them and that is perhaps the best reason to give this entire
sampling a try.
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