Cassette Review // planets sparkle "starry dreams" (chord organ tapes)

$7 //
Edition of 25 //
https://chordorgantapes.bandcamp.com/album/starry-dreams //

When listening to planets sparkle, you might hear some familiar sounds, but I don't hear enough for me to put a name on them in comparison.   Somewhere between dreampop and bedroom pop, this has ambient feels to it and, yes, it even gets beats.   It has a definite Moog feeling to it, bands like Schatzi and Sig Transit Gloria come to mind.   Carseat Headrest as well perhaps?

On some level this reminds me of The Lyndsay Diaries and if I had to ever put a piece of music into a genre called "slowcore" it would be this cassette.   You know, sometimes you hear these songs and they're upbeat and they're fast paced, but even when these songs have drum machines they still keep this moderate tempo where it's never too fast nor too slow.   It's just moving.   There are also skip beats with dings and, yes, the sound of fireworks on the song called "fireworks".

On the flip side we have a song with more of these scales with the keys and then they sing about missing someone so it is quite sad.    The next song- "glitter girl"- has this steady beat behind it.    Somehow this goes into more of a FNL sound and it just feels like... maybe Ben Folds.   It kicks in with this full band sound and almost reminds me of Semisonic (remember them?)   This song is called "flower daze" and it's my favorite one on this cassette.

It seems like, as we get closer to the last song here, the songs pick up with more instruments and they also seem to get a little bit darker along the way as well.   Throughout the darkness though I like to believe that there is a message of hope still, and though this cassette might seem like one of heartbreak and pain, that message of hope is perhaps what you should most take away from listening to it.