Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Cassette Review: Grimény "Die große Enttäuschung" (Already Dead Tapes and Records)


Throughout my time writing about music I've heard a lot of things from a lot of different people and it is somewhat often that I hear people say they don't like instrumental music because they need those vocals, those words to sing along with to make the music feel truly complete.    I don't know why I thought about this during this cassette, but I had that idea in my head of people listening to music- such as this cassette- and kind of waiting for those vocals to kick in at some point.   But if you're in that mindset when it comes to music then you are never truly going to appreciate it as you'll always feel as if you're waiting for something more.

On the subject of this being instrumental, you have to understand that though this music lacks vocals (and I use the terms "lacks" rather loosely) it is still more complex, more layered than a lot of other artists out there making music with vocals.    I'm not normally one to judge in the sense of saying "This needs vocals!" so I shouldn't say the reverse of that either, but the truth is I really feel like this already has enough going on that it simply does not need vocals and adding them might over-complicate things (Though I'm sure the talented artists who created this could prove me wrong)

There are a few audio clips in here, which I don't mind because it just seems to add to that overall "A Clockwork Orange" / end of the world vibe that this music gives me.   I love music that makes you feel something and this just feels like a soundtrack to that sort of setting but not even as a movie, but as real life (like as how you might listen to something fast paced and electronic while running in your fancy sneakers)

The thought process behind listening to instrumental music usually comes with "Well, if there were vocals who would it sound like" and this just doesn't fit into that stereotype for me.   I can't think of any band really that this sounds like other than that it gives me the same sort of vibes as I got some years ago when I first heard We Were Promised Jetpacks.

As heavy as this can get- as heavy as metal- it can get just as soft and quiet (which reminds me of something like The Beatles on some weird level) and the amazing part is that it can do it all within the same song.    While there is a sad, somber feel to the music mostly overall it has this ringing to it as well.  It actually really reminds me of something great from the 1990's where it does that thing with the guitar where one note is played (or one chord) and then it sort of echoes like ripples on a pond only with Grimény it makes it feel more like the echoes are directly hitting your soul.


[$5 // Edition of 100 // https://alreadydeadtapes.bandcamp.com/album/ad218-grim-ny-die-gro-e-entt-uschung]






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