Friday, October 10, 2014

Cassette Review: Distant Trains "Black Weekend" (Centipede Farm)


http://centipedefarm.bandcamp.com/album/black-weekend

"Black Weekend" brings me back to the Distant Trains sound I thought I knew and is rather different from "Teen Lust".    What could be seen as a stage show of some sort takes us through a number of movements, of acts if you will, before reaching the end.

Side A begins with this clanky sort of post-hardcore guitar loop that getd interupted by sharp feedback on different levels.   It's the sound that would most certainly hurt the ears of a dog, and it generates for quite some time only ever slightly changing.   After a boxing match ding of the bell, Transformers begin growling and beats begin on a rhythmic loop.   Harsh lasers take us into electric guitar riffs that are something out of either "The Basketball Diaries" or "The Crow", but either way excellent soundtracks.   

An interesting note is that on both sides there appears to be this original recording coming through.   It sounds as if this cassette was originally made as a mixed tape by someone, containing some sort of Elton John-like R&B rock, and as the sides end and even at the beginning of Side B these little pieces come out.   It's kind of cool how they sort of slip through the cracks as if to say "Don't forget about me under here", but then Distant Trains continues to supress them.

When we start Side B there are static computer beeps and blips but then we also find a manipulated audio clip.    Through radio frequency changes we can hear something being said about fifteen minutes which naturally brings me to Andy Warhol.    This all ends when we hear the sound of Super Mario eating many coins.    The lightsabers come through next only much slower than normal, it grows quieter and sparse.    This all ends with some sort of strings.

It seems with every different piece of music I hear from Distant Trains now, they're all so good but so different as well.   It's like I'm never quite sure what to expect going in, though this one did make some sense, but it just never disappoints.  





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