Friday, September 29, 2017

Cassette Review: Vlimmer "IIIIII" (Blackjack Illuminist Records)


Recently, I've been going through a lot of things.   Not just cassettes, but everything in my apartment because I'm trying to have less things in general.   I also don't really have a system to how I keep my cassettes-- that is to say they are not really organized.    Well, they weren't before I started purging my apartment at least.   Now they are all in a nice sort of order and all of these Vlimmer cassettes are together as they should be.

If you are like me and enjoy math then you will know that of this series of 18 EPs, being on 6 here means we are a third of the way through and it has been a spectacular ride thus far.   I know I've stated before that I'd like to take the time to listen to all of them in a row when the time comes, but I think I might even take some time next chance I get and listen to the first six in a row.

This Vlimmer EP begins sounding like "Pretty In Pink"-- it has that era to it and it's sort of upbeat with the drum machine and all.   But it slowly turns- on Side A- into this darker sound.   It's not all at once, it's rather gradual, and in the darkness comes some screaming.   What people who have never heard this before is that there have been a lot of artists to cover that shoegaze style but a lot of them don't go into screaming.   So it was unexpected to say the least, but it also fit so well that it was a bit of brillaince.

Side A remains dark it just slows down a little bit, but when we get to Side B it's got that Depeche Mode/Modern English feel to it.    I will never grow tired of stating that listening to Vlimmer on cassette is a privelage I do not take lightly because similar artists are ones which I listen to on cassette.   I used to think I wanted to one day buy a record player and start a sweet collection of LPs, but I'm fine with the way things are for me now.  I buy cassettes second hand sometimes but I have my own collection as well-- all I really needed was a great cassette stereo which I know have thanks to my power of electronics.    But listening to Depeche Mode, for example, on cassette is awesome.   The fact that in 2017 I can still listen to music on cassette and have it be just as awesome is really what I live for these days.


€4 // Edition of 15 // https://blackjackilluministrecords.bandcamp.com/album/llllll









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