Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Cassette Revew: Childe Grangier & Grand Atlas Mondial (Splendini Tapes)


[10 CHF // Edition of 100 // https://splendini.bandcamp.com/album/childe-grangier-grand-atlas-mondial]

As much as this is a split cassette, it also feels as if it could be two albums joined into one as each side has its own title and everything as well.   My three year old son was immediately impressed with this cassette- before we even listened to it though- because the front cover has googley eyes glued on it and he loves the googley eyes.

Childe Grangier is on Side A with "Clown down, sit on it" which I often want to rhyme as a title so I think of it in my mind as being "sit down" at the end, which I know is wrong but I want to type it anyway.     With a lot of static this piece has some eerie boiler room qualities to it.    It is fairly quiet for the start at least and that just somehow seems to make it that much more haunting.     There are small bits of ringing/buzz drone coming through and it can become laser-esque as well.

As it does get closer to the end though it begins to come through in an 8bit glitch sort of synth whirr way which eventually does pick up into those blissful swirls as well.   It kind of reminds me of going through the tunnel with Willy Wonka, only by this point the music becomes less disturbing and is just pleasant.    I definitely enjoy the build throughout this side.

Grand Atlas Mondial takes over Side B with "Sleep Induction" though I'm not sure you'd want to try and fall asleep to this one.    It begins very quietly to that point where I'm wondering if the side wasn't accidentally erased.    There are some plugging into amp sounds as waves gently crashes onto the shore.    It begins to pick up the rhythm though as bass comes in.     This forms an electronic loop that could be something from the "Hackers" or "Trainspotting" soundtrack.

As the drum loop beats continue with the crackling sounds there is a definitive rat-a-tat-tat pattern to them.    Siren whirrs come in for a brief moment and then we begin to journey into that sound that reminds me of the old entrance music from The Brood back in the WWF days.     This maintains through to the end with variations on it as well.

What I like about this cassette as a split is that Side A begins with a darker sense to it but then seems to grow into a happier place by the end.    Side B starts off quiet and grows into a louder place by the end.     Just that growth within these two sides, and yet in such different ways, is what connects them and makes this such an important split cassette.







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