I'm not entirely certain what sounds for the post-peak oil consists of and the Bandcamp description doesn't really give any hints as to whether it's a group collective or random people on every episode or what. Basically, in my standard "artist/release title" format I kind of come up scratching my head on this one as it seems like a radio show but doesn't have the format of one otherwise. When you listen to it, the sounds could be of a single artist, a collective or even just someone leaving a recording device somewhere. But again, no real credits are given which just seems to add that much more mystery to it for me and, well, I've always liked a little bit of mystery.
Side A- which is episode 1- begins with this open and close sound in a loop. They have a field recording sound to them and there are also some lightsabers. It could be heavy breathing next, but there are also clanking pipes. Are we in a boiler room? A steam engine? I'm not sure. Static or running water comes in next, followed by a quieter ambience of nothing. And this goes on for a little while. I actually thought it ended early- that maybe this was only 12 minutes or whatever but on a 30 minute side for whatever reason. But it does eventually return with music you might hear playing at a Chinese buffet. Loops begin to skip or skips are inside a loop depending upon your point of view and then people can be heard talking such as a crowd recording.
It gets quiet again, minimal even. There is a static fan or maybe a breathing machine. Footsteps enter. There is a slight grinding and then there are big bells. Big church bells, but larger even like what the Liberty Bell must have sounded like before it cracked and became non-working. And then there is a flute. If I was still stuck in that Liberty Bell mindset I might say it's a fife, but I'm pretty sure it's a flute. And as it plays its song, it just sort of cuts off at one point and I wait for the cassette to stop but it takes it a little bit still before it finally does.
Side B (episode 2) is really quiet. It begins with quiet tap skips. A jazz horn blows like a car. This is minimal at its finest. There is some hollow static. Then little crackles of static. Big, loud bangs come out at one point as well. But this is side is just quiet. Lots and lots of quiet.
After all of the times I've listened to this cassette, I still can't quite say who had their hands in it or how but I can tell you that I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter. What do you want a name for anyway? So you can go listen to all of the other music by that name as well? But if that other music is good too, then you'll eventually find it and listen to it no matter what it's called anyway, so just keep listening to this and just keep listening to music that you think is good. Artist names are becoming almost like genre names now in the way that as long as it's good nothing else matters.
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