Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Cassette Review //
Suplington
"Repeating Flowers"
(Youngbloods)


$5 //
Edition of 100 //

With a slight ringing, tones come through here which feel blissed out.  It's got this relaxing tone to it where you could meditate while listening but also it's not so slowly paced either where if you really wanted you could exercise your body while listening.  I prefer to walk around my neighborhood while listening to it.   Percussion comes in via cymbals and drum rolls.  

Chillwave ambient sounds will fill your ears here.  The way the tones sort of dip in here and there has this heavenly feeling to it, angelic.   They echo but there may not be a better way to imagine yourself floating around on clouds on an otherwise sunny day.  

Distorted guitar riffs come through wavy next.   As it cuts through in that rhythm it can still feel quite tranquil but there is also this sense of intensity here; it feels eerie on some level.   A slow drum roll and the song fades out.    This takes us into a song with a sharper, softer sound coming out on repeat, like perhaps a seal or whale- some sort of animal sound like an elephant might make.   

It begins to sound like an emergency call as you can hear the ocean waves crashing behind it all.    This is less relaxing now and more of a warning but it is okay because when I am out walking I need to be brought back to reality so as not to get hit by a car.    Ambient tones coming ringing through in the background of this now as well.   Then the sound of that bell at sea.  

Somewhere between the ambient tones of church drone and "The Phantom of the Opera" is where we find ourselves on the next song.   There is a sadness here.   It is solemn.   It feels like the dark, serious part of a film.   The parents are fighting perhaps and the child tries to block it out so this sound is heard instead of the words they are actually screaming at each other.   Birds are in this now as well.   It's majestic.   It gets sort of warped as it fades out.  

Softer bells come through now, like wind chimes.   A slow and steady beat builds and this is bringing back that magic of the first song.   There is definitely a beach atmosphere here- a bongo, that sort of percussion being played and then the chimes/bells can even remind me of seashells for some reason and it just all works together.   

After some intense drumming the flip side starts with this growing glow and rain behind it before it just feels like a rising sun.   Birds can be heard and this one just begins taking me to another place now.    There is this slight rattling but also just a steady pace like a gallop.   Water continues to fill the background at times.    Notes slowly chime on through and there is an air about this.

Keys come through like Doogie Howser and then as they build into whirrs I am reminded of FNL, as there is a definite post rock sound here.    As it all slowly fades out, you can also hear the waves crashing on the shore.   I cannot tell if it is happy or sad at this point but I believe the answer is a reflection of yourself.   

A metal clanking now, like someone walking in spurs, enters with this drumming that feels like voodoo and there is just a certain vibe to this song that makes it feel like a dark western- like "Rango", but like something else as well... something you might not let your children watch with you.  

Guitar notes come through wildly and this is one of the most relaxing yet evenly paced cassettes I've ever heard.   A driving, almost electronic feel as I try to think of artists to compare this with but can only come up with some combination of Aloha and the Beach Boys (which may or may not be a result of the ocean theme)

Vocals come through in a choppy fashion so you can't quite tell what is being said or if it's singing or speaking.   It has an Owl City feel to it though and then it fades away.    Deeper beats now are joined by jingling and tapping.   The rhythm is soothing to me though some might grow concerned by it, a forshadowing of sorts.   

A steady, head-bobbiing beat is formed complete with these tings which eventually all is just cast off into the void but does manage to somehow return.   The percussion holds it all together as it can otherwise seem like it might fall apart but it also is one of those ideas where you have to understand, you have to have faith in what you're listening to and know that it is all together for a reason.  

Darker synths come through like robotics now.   They have a short appearance, where they feel like they are briefly talking or singing, and then the lasers take us into another galaxy.    Echoes like birds laughing or crows even fill the space void.    Space whirrs take us to another plane.   A winding/walking jingle now brings out some island beats.    Static is skipping and the hue begins to glow.  

While it can feel like a swarm of bees it can also feel like a march, where we have a purpose and we are on our way to achieving it.    The bell dings.   A huge whoosh as things take off before quieting back down with the beats and then into the ambient fog.    I feel like if there is any music out there which is as calming yet as energetic as this I have not heard it and certainly you should be listening to attain your inner peace as well.  









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