Cassette Review // ikjoyce "Selene" (Naviar Records)

£6 //
Edition of 50 //
https://naviarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/selene //

We begin with whirrs which ring through in an ambient way.    There are slight dings in here as well, like the ringing of the bells.    A post rock build now, as it feels as if we are waving back and forth in the ocean with the ringing coming from a life beacon.    MIDI sounding tones come through in a pattern now and this has grown from something smaller, minimal and closer to ambient into something much stronger, much more powerful.   It sounds as if it is ringing through with some sharpness and then it grows quiet, empty.

A hue drone comes through now, like the way the sunrise lights up the morning sky.    As this rings, it barely budges, only projecting in a manner which is solid, a laserbeam type of idea which could cut through glass only, you know, the sound is not quite there as it is more like a drone of a horn.    There is a lost and desolate feeling within this music as well.   If you had an independent movie taking place in the desert I feel like this could be the soundtrack to someone getting lost, the sun blistering down on them and the feelings of dry and hot being abundant.

As it rings through and echoes there is this sharpness but also a deepness in the sound, as if we've gone underground or submerged in the ocean.   This creates a bleak feeling, one which is dismal, and I really enjoy that about it.   Shots which are lasers but also sound like fireworks (it is that time in America) come blasting through and then it gets darker once again.   A slow tapping.    More of those dark drones.   Some more streaks squeak on through before we reach the end of Side A.

Sharp ringing and tapping quietly opens up the flip side.    There is an eerie feel to this as well, somewhere between a horror movie like "Friday the 13th" and a sci-fi story such as "The X-Files".    It rings through sharper and then these chords come in with pianos and it has a powerful atmospheric vibe.   It feels as if we are submerged again but these sharp stings come through every so often as hints of light.   You know how sometimes light will reflect off of a surface a certain way and when it hits your eye it kind of blinds you for a second?  That's how this music is only, you know, audio instead of visual.  

As we get into a more bass-filled drone now it seems as if we are going into space.   It begins to build now like classic rock and it could very easily turn into a song by The Who at this point if it just picks up slightly and those guitar notes come blaring through as such.    Ringing comes through with hollow tones and there is just this overall feeling now of this being something from the book of ambient hues.    As this continues to feel like it is droning, for the most part, it does also come through in slight waves.    When we reach the end, we realize that though this cassette has those moments where it comes through louder than loud, it is best experienced in the comfort of headphones.