Cassette Review: Dead Lincoln "Out / In" (zamzamrec)

€7 //
Edition of 55 //
https://zamzamrec.bandcamp.com/album/out-in //

Dead Lincoln is an interesting name to me because it could mean any number of things.  Lincoln could simply be a first name, though it is also the name of a city in Nebraska.   I like to think of it as being like the term "Dead Presidents" though, which refers to money.  Dead Lincoln, rather, could refer to how President Lincoln is on both the penny and the five dollar bill.  Wouldn't it be funny if he was on the one dollar bill and thus both the lowest level of paper and coin currency?  But the two pieces of money together total $5.01 which I think there might be something to as well.  I'm not sure, but I always found it fascinating Abe Lincoln was on two different pieces of money.

"Out / In" begins with ambient hue drone.    Beats become lightly sprinkled in but the song remains minimal and quiet.   More delicate tones come out during the next song which seems louder somehow.   It reminds me of a slowed down carousel, as it is as calm as it is peaceful.    Laser blasts are quietly tucked away in the background but if you listen carefully enough you will be able to fully experience every aspect of these songs.   The loops change from louder and faster paced back to a slower and more refined volume.   Part glass, part keyboards the songs feel like they are onto something big, as if a character in an independent movie is about to have some great realization.

On the flip side we open with these ambient tones that come through like stones being dropped into water-- not in the ripple effect but just that they sort of hit and then fade out.    Staying somewhat chill, it goes into these back and forth tones that are delicate and precise in their delivery.     The tones now almost take on the form of a child's toy for a lullaby.   I know people have learned to manipulate the sounds of a Gameboy, but could you imagine if you could do the same with a child's toy?  I assume some of them are just different versions of keyboards but still, this has a rather exact sound to it which does remind me of an ice cream truck as well.

"Veil Of Illusion" closes out the cassette with a somber sound like church bells.   Electronic loops are muted in the background though, so as if you have yet to get this inclination from reading my review this cassette should be experienced via headphones for a more personal touch (and in some ways, it does sound different when you have all of the sounds collected closer versus the way they can be more spread out through speakers)   Birds can even be heard chirping and I think a lot of what can be said about this Dead Lincoln cassette is not how it appears on the surface but rather in a matter of listening between the lines.

In that way, I'm really a fan of "Out / In" because if you put it into your stereo and let it come out through your speakers you will have a different experience than if you listen to it through headphones.  On the surface, if you only listened to it through speakers, you will likely enjoy it as an ambient/drone type of piece though it is less on the drone in some ways.   When you are willing to take the time and effort into truly listening to this, you will only then fully experience it and gain the knowledge that not everyone who listens to this will and that makes it that much more special of a cassette.   Play it loud, play it proud but also play it smart.