Ancient Forest - Richard's Selections

What attracted me to this cassette was the first track "Sealand" which may or may not be referring to the Roughs Tower sea fort in the Thames estuary that became a pirate radio haven and later a sovereign micronation. Based upon the lyrics, I can't make a direct connection between the song and the place - a place that could be easily mined for musical inspiration. Overall, Richard's Selections holds some interesting moments (the song "Purple" being a strong contender for most fully realized track on this tape) however the music feels relatively lackluster and pedestrian overall, and at $9 which seems a bit steep for a digital download, I prefer the physical cassette instead which is available from Jigsaw Records. On the other hand - indie musicians need to make a living!

 https://jigsaw-records.com/collections/cassettes/products/ancient-forest-richards-selections-cd-cs

Sklavo Cervalo - A Horse for the Stranger

Halfway through listening to the first track on A Horse for the Stranger (Satellite Park Messiah) I knew this was no simple indie pop cassette. The lyrics turn from pedestrian songwriting to something dark, then fade out on a chant that sounds up "your fucked up quiet life". My ancient ears might be mis-hearing those lyrics. Regardless, the music here feels like a wake-up call, to fall away from the knife-edge of indecision to take the bold, untraveled road. The cumulative effect of these songs are sobering and stunning, celebrating maturity and the journey of coming into artistic fullness. "The Looting of Paradise Suburbia" literally seems like an audio soundtrack to what haunts our mundane dreams; and "Night Light of Insight (An Aging Paradigm)" guides the listener down the garden path and into the night, fading out with a chorus of twilight birds. There are only 20 copies of this cassette and I am thrilled to own one of them. Rewind. Play. This is a worthy musical adventure. Go deeper.

https://uraudiovisual.bandcamp.com/album/ur-cassette-006-a-horse-for-the-stranger 

Zine Review: Listen Up 2

About two decades ago, the “be your own media” movement really accelerated in the pirate radio world, and around the same time, the podcasting scene started to take hold. It was the audio version of zines, as technology placed the means of audio production at people’s fingertips (literally). Podcasts are now so plentiful that the dream of microcasting has become a reality – anyone can now produce a show that maybe only a handful of people listen to – however, the show is produced for them, like telling a story around the campfire for your circle of friends. Listen Up 2 is a colorful zine of podcast reviews that introduces readers to lesser-known podcasts and even suggests episodes to begin listening with. Katie digs into podcasts like This is Actually Happening, and By the Book which you might otherwise overlook. I hope she continues with regular podcast review zines – this is a very useful resource to help you explore the expanding podcast universe.

Contact email: aubadezine@gmail.com

Leon Patriz - Pop Monstrosities

Full disclosure: I tend to listen through a cassette once and write these brief, ephemeral reviews after one listening session. At first I chose not to review Pop Monstrosities because I thought: why review somethings that you don't have a favorable impression of? However, upon second listen, the gems that are sprinkled throughout this tape emerge. I generally don't care much for the crunchier, drone-y pieces, however the raw edges of this tape begin to take root and delight. There is emotional urgency in the lyrics and both melodic and discordant elements that carry these songs beyond the mundane into something deep and true.  Worth more than one listen - or perhaps you will connect immediately with the shambolic homegrown glory within.

https://leonpatriz.bandcamp.com/album/pop-monstrosities

Man meets Bear - Temples of Zion

Immersive journeys into natural landscapes and psychedelic meanderings punctuate Temples of Zion, the most recent cassette by Man meets Bear. Glitchy beats, hushed vocals, distant accordion drones, shimming guitars lead you on a journey into both open vistas and interior spaces. Some of the composition titles are "Muir Bathes in the Great Salt Lake" and "Wind Caves Over Logan Canyon". Musically these themes drift and calm, a balm for frenetic times.

https://manmeetsbear.bandcamp.com/