Cranj Randy's Shandy Box, Detloff

When drifting off into a day dream your thoughts become increasingly less concrete and more fluid. The valve is released on your stream of consciousness, and you find yourself drifting along it’s ephemeral bank. Detloff’s album Cranj Randy’s Shandy Box, is the auditory equivalent  of that state when you’re just barely awake enough to know you’re asleep. Ten tracks of sublime experimental ambiences gradually plod along leaving an imprint on the listener that is trepidatious, intoxicating, and vaguely nostalgic.

The synthesizer work on this album is wonderfully diverse and textured; and the use of guitar, bass, and trumpet serves as a grounding counterpoint to the otherwise otherworldly  soundscapes. There are also many tracks on here that really groove. Take for example the lumbering bass and lo-fi drums of the opening track “Now&Later”; the perfect psychedelic dance anthem for a sluggish sleep deprived delirium. 

Other highlights include the ghostly trumpet swells and synthesizer melancholia of “Shandy Box”, which conjures visions of lonesome puddle drenched alleyways on a dreary night. This sensation of isolation and anxiousness is pervasive throughout the album; Detloff  takes you to a dream world where danger is never seen, but feels as if it’s hiding beneath every stone. One of the few respites from this is my favorite track, “Hyper Cube”. With it’s shimmering, reassuring tone and whimsical melody, it sounds like part of a soundtrack for a retro video game.

Cranj Randy’s Shandy Box is a fantastic auditory adventure that leads you on a meandering hour long trail of dreamscapes. It is available on their bandcamp page as a free download and for purchase on cassette which has some lovely floral album art. I highly recommend you buy a copy, pop on some headphones, and open up the shandy box.  

Crystal Tapes, The John Merricks

Anything that comes packaged in a burlap sack is great, be it potatoes or a bright red cassette. This one happens to contain the latter in the form of Crystal Tapes by The John Merricks. I’m not sure if this is simply an Elephant Man reference or his actual name, but the music certainly has a deceptively light hearted exterior concealing a bizarre and sometimes disconcerting underside.

If you enjoy psychedelia this is definitely something you should give a listen, although it’s probably more akin to Can, Neu!, and other krautrock bands than to straight ahead Psych rock. The tracks on this are composed mostly of pounding percussion, repetitious simple melodies, and clanging guitars that build to cacophonous peaks of bliss. There are fantastic moments where the music seems to take a breath; stopping the propulsive drums and letting the synths and guitars float briefly, before cutting though the haze with a few simple notes and continuing their ascent into cosmic chaos.

Behind the whimsical, often zany circus like nature of these songs is always the disconcerting and somewhat maniacal sounds of discordant guitars and warbling keyboards. The combination of playfulness with a darker uneasy edge is what I think makes compelling psychedelia, and this album thoroughly accomplishes that. I hope to hear more from this group soon. Check them out, pick up a cassette in red or blue.

Spaces Filled with Ashes, Mental Crutch

Although I had not planned on reviewing two releases from the same label/band in a row, this one is so great and in such short supply that it only seemed appropriate. Mental Crutch’s Spaces Filled with Ashes is a rather anomalous release in Nog Records’ ever increasing library of noise and 8bit music. With it’s emphasis on dreamy synth harmonies and catchy guitar riffs, it stands in complete contrast. 

The songs are mellow, introspective, often morose and sometimes haunting. Repetitious whimsical synths echo and build with subtle changes, eventually blooming into moments of breathy vocals and wistful guitar. Acoustic guitars are juxtaposed nicely by the synths and drum machines, creating an atmosphere that is both welcoming and eerie. It is very much like navigating that strange foggy space between dreams and nightmares. The slow pace of the songs call much deserved attention to the beauty of each individual note and the deceivingly simple layers of tones. The entire album is awash in spirituous reverb and psychedelic drones that will swirl your head into a hazy ruminative state.

This is another one of my favorite releases by Nog Records and you should make every effort to get a physical copy while tapes are still available.

Music 4 Eon Green, Endo Kame

This album immediately drops the listener into a cavernous onslaught of sub bass frequencies that build in intensity with each song. A solid kick drum pulses it’s way through seven tracks that are minimal, with out becoming monotonous. These relentless quaking tones create a muffled reverberating atmosphere which must resemble what it sounds like if one were confined in an immense metal pipe at the bottom of the ocean. Occasionally some higher frequency sounds squeeze their way through like faint glimmers of light.

The length of this album belies the massive impact it leaves. At just around 25 minutes long, this is for the most part a continuous album that subtly grows and changes with each track. You are propelled further and further until bursting through on track three M4U. If you weren’t already dancing at this point, the physical force of the speakers will cause you to. By the fifth track Woe, it sounds like the music is beginning to cave in under it’s own weight and cannibalizing itself. I mean that of course, as a compliment. 

Released on Beer on the Rug in February 2014 first as a digital download and then available in a limited addition of 50 cassettes, Endo Kame - Music 4 Eon Green definitely has a place as one of my favorite new recordings of this year. It’s equally suited for dancing or some contemplative headphone listening. Check it out.

Fortitude in Wintarmanoth, C. Lavender

Since neither myself or K has had a functioning camera for awhile now, and rather than letting this blog be neglected and forgotten, I thought I would attempt to review some music. I can’t say that I have ever reviewed anything before, and I’m not sure I have either the knowledge or authority to do so, but if you want my opinion here it is.

I recently ordered a smattering of tapes, CDs, and records; Fortitude in Wintarmanoth by C. Lavender happened to be the first to be thrust through my mail slot. It was released on Ecstatic Peace in 2013 in an edition of 100 cassettes. I don’t know if people usually review music that isn’t new, but it’s new to me and exceptionally good. 

The album contains three tracks which, in fitting with the title, were recorded in January of 2012, 2011, and 2010. Perhaps it’s not the correct month to be listening to this, but considering the inescapable winter we’ve had it’s still quite fitting. This album succeeds in its offering of atmosphere over mere amplitude; in fact for something so noisy it’s surprising quiet. The first track Opening the Gates gradually creeps out of a silent void growing in both volume and depth. I feel like I’m listening to the reverberation of winds through a thick dark forest, or the inner recesses of a cave. The second track Letting Them In has a similar ambience to it, but even more menacing. A horn like synth growls viciously over a scraping, clanging bass. It grows until reaching a climax with an almost wolf like howling that is intense and terrific.

I use such analogies not to sound poetic, or rather not only to sound poetic, but to really emphasize the mood created by this album. On one hand it can be taken as a product of the bleakness of the winter; cold, dead, and isolating. There is however also an aural sensation of the fertility of nature; a certain lushness that is perhaps not of winter, but meant to give one strength to get through winter.

The last track “You Can Never Go Home” seems a little out of place as it doesn’t have quite the same tone or quality as the first two, but is still a good listen. This is a really solid album; I highly recommend it if you like things that are noisy, dark, and atmospheric. Order a cassette while you can; it has cool artwork and quality packaging. The case is green, neat! If you don’t like physical things you can buy a digital copy of it instead. 

2006 Compilation Tape

These tracks are from a compilation tape I released about 30 copies of back in 2006. I found the original tape the other day and decided this is a good a time as any to re-release it for free, this time in digital download form... There are 16 tracks by 12 bands/artists including The Yets, Doomsday Sleepover, The Brown Christmas and Ryanay. (running time approx. 60 min.)


For your listening pleasure, here it is (click picture to download):

Track list:
Side A:
01. The Yets - Purple Today
02. Coalition of the Willing - I Want To Touch It
03. Magnet City Kids - The Robot Knows
04. Ryanay - Can't Find Anyone
05. Steve Viegas - Halifax
06. Welcoming Vocal Wonderful & Keyboard My Friend - Alright Lover
07. Ryanay - Microphone
08. Steve Viegas - Rain
09. The Yets - Stealth


Side B
10. Doomsday Sleepover - The Darkest Shade
11. The Brown Christmas - The Torture Room
12. Mincemeat or Tenspeed - Frankenstein's Dead
13. The Brown Christmas - Joe and Mike Circus
14. Preach Biitter Sermons - Sleep Agreement
15. Human Adult Band - Hoop Dreams
16. Stranger Danger - Tachyon