Adrian Knight - Vacation Man

At first blush, this cassette made me think it had fallen through a space-time vortex from 1979. Heavy influences range from Steely Dan to Alan Parsons Project and other late night rotation AM radio hits. As the music progresses, however, a vague sense of unease sets in. Nostalgia morphs into moden anxiety and the despair of unfulfilled relationships. Adrian's lyrics are edgy and spare no dark emotion:

Lost a whole week stuck in bed
I couldn’t get up even if I tried
Called in sick to make some space inside my head
Karen at the pawnshop said
you can’t just keep paddling on in the dangerous tide
Lucy’s gone but you’re still alive

... and that's some of the lighter stuff. The last track, Radiogram, even sounded depressed, like it was recorded deep within the recesses of an abandoned factory at midnight. Vacation Man is no vacation. Musically, however, Vacation Man captivates with a surreal retro sensibility. 

Spacebomb House Band: Library Music 4: Return of the End of Time

Return of the End of Time sounds like a lost episode from Doctor Who, and this cassette definitely has a more science-fiction sensibility than the previous three Library Music releases from Spacebomb House Band. More of an EP than a fully realized work, Return of the End of Time rolls out with darker, more synthesized sounds, and takes its sweet time in lightening up. The beauty of library music is the range of sonic patterns and worlds that it explores as a "genre", like folk music it can bend and morph and be recreated almost infinitely. Spacebomb House Band is applying that creative process to its evolution as a musical collective. Each release is its own sonic adventure. Just add your imagination.

https://spacebombhouseband.bandcamp.com/album/library-music-iv-return-of-the-end-of-time

Bubblegum Best 1998 - 2018

What's better than receiving a handwritten note from a musician with your cassette? A cassette that is created specifically for the recipient. Nathan Budde aka Bubblegum Best sent me a 90 minute compilation of music from twenty years of songwriting and recording and it is magnificent. From the opening track titled (appropriately) "Mixtape" to the last notes on side B, I was captivated by the seamless journey the music takes you on. Bedroom pop? Space folk? Indie music that glows in the dark and is wholly original.

https://bubblegumbest.bandcamp.com/music