Cassette Review: k^ren "25 Karen Gold" (Tingo Tongo Tapes)

https://karensmells.bandcamp.com/album/25-karen-gold
https://tingotongotapes.bandcamp.com/

So a funny thing happened when I went to review this cassette.  I found the Bandcamp page for Tingo Tongo Tapes.   I found the Bandcamp page for k^ren and this specific release.   But I can't seem to find the page that ties them together where you can actually buy the cassette.    Thus, I know present to you a "Some Assembly Required Cassette Review" in the sense that you will have to do some contacting in order to get this cassette for yourself (Which you should)

At first there is this bass loop which cuts off and then more than one voice says this speech about how the CD you are listening to is made of gold and not just that it looks like gold but that it is actual gold.   I don't know if this applies to the cassette or not, but it's kind of funny to hear them talk about "This CD" and I'm listening to a cassette.   It just feels fitting somehow to the insanity and chaos which will follow from k^ren.

Spazz punk and slightly math, k^ren lives in their own genre because they also seem to live in their own world.   As far as things I've heard lately that I can compare this with I would pick R Clown up there as the tops but in a general sense I would say Tom Green and anything that has ever been grinding and wild and just out of control but so much fun.

There is a song called "Fartnation" which is basically thirty seconds of fart sounds and then after that is a song called "Poodle".   You know, this could be twee in that Cars Can Be Blue way, but I'm not sure.  It's more psychedelic than that at times I think too and even by the end it becomes video game in a way.   But, anyway, this song "Poodle" talks about how he did all these things and then he saw a poodle.

So at one point during the song, he says "And then do you know what I saw?" (I'm paraphrasing) and there is this pause where I said "A poodle?" and then he said "A poodle" and went back into the chorus.   Yeah.  He got me on the first try.   And I think that kind of sets the tone for this entire cassette.   There are three ways you're going to hear this.   Either you'll think it's not structured enough for your tastes, you'll like the rhythm of it but not pay close enough attention to it in order to really get it.

And then of course option three.   That's me.  You'll say "A poodle" on the first listen and every listen after that.   This also reminds me a bit of that band Tastes Like Burning from Asbestos Records but I don't know if referencing them will help or not since their music is not easy to track down.   In any event, yes, you should be playing this one loud (fuck headphones here) and get up and dance.  Bounce into your walls.  Make your neighbors think someone is being murdered.   Then when they ask you what all that racket is, ask if they've seen your poodle.

Hashtag quack quack no take backs //