Cassette Review // Seatemples "Down Memory Lane" (Custom Made Music)

$8 //
http://custommademusicva.com/release/down-memory-lane-cd-cassette/ //

This cassette starts off loud, distorted and it sounds a bit like something from the Modern English era of rock.   There are elements of Blue October and as the second song comes out even louder and heavier somehow, you can really hear how the vocals are hidden behind this wall of distortion and that's just something which doesn't happen all the time so when it does I'm happy about it.

While there aren't a lot of bands to compare this with directly I feel a bit of that garage/punk attitude like the Priests coming out.   "Lanterns" has a lighter feel to it where we could be going into a -pop way, not dreampop per se but is there a shoepop genre yet?  Something like Music For Headphones or along those lines.    There is still this texture to these songs though that would put them in the 1980's or early 1990's when cassettes were first invented and as such this is the perfect medium for them.

At times, this has a winding sound even which makes me feel like there are organs coming through but it's just the way the guitars weave in and out of the rhythm created by the bass and drums.     Side B kicks off with a flurry of drums, somewhat it reminds me of David Bowie and the wiry guitar notes come through in that shoegaze way but I still can't compare this with any other artist, which is good.

"Equation of the Dust" really makes me think of Cyndi Lauper while the song named after the band has an anthem type of feel to it.    It has this distinct feel of being somewhere between "You Are My Sunshine" and something you'd hear play at a graduation ceremony.   Fun Fact: I just looked up Seatemples on Discogs and it shows that they have been on TBTCI compilations and that makes sense.

There is this cool vibe to these songs as well.   Like that song that was all "Hey kids, rock n roll... rock on" that I never knew who did the original but listened to soap opera star Michael Damian sing it as a kid (And, yes, I still have that cassette) but also like the song "Come Together" which has been covered how many times now?   I guess the cooler songs in life tend to get covered a lot and as such I wouldn't be surprised to hear Seatemples covered one day.

Dreamy drums which really make me think of fog machines surrounding this band in smoke as they play close out the cassette.    I feel like at one point in time, shoegaze became so popular as a tag on Bandcamp that people began to abuse it.   But to put Seatemples under the general tag of shoegaze wouldn't be wrong, yet at the same time I feel like they have a more specific sound in some ways.   If you like shoegaze as a whole, you will enjoy this cassette for sure, but even if you don't, take a listen and explore the magic.