Cassette Review //
Fir Cone Children
"Waterslide At 7 A.M."
(Blackjack Illuminist Records)
€7 //
Edition of 15 //
I've stared at this title for quite some time now. I'm familiar with what a waterslide is, but I'm just unsure as to why someone would want to participate willingly in one at 7 in the morning, assuming that's around the time they wake up. Perhaps if the water is cold enough it will wake you up and have the same affect on you as drinking coffee or Red Bull but I'm not going to try it. No, I prefer to use this title as a reminder that in the opening sequence of "The Jetsons" there was a machine which lifted you out of bed and through the process of brushing your teeth, showering and getting dressed. Jetpacks are fine, but I want something that does all that for me instead.
Fir Cone Children begin this cassette with really fast drum beats but there is a strong element of pop on here. It's kind of like something from the 1980's synthwave feel but also with twee mixed in. Perhaps I've just been listening to too much twee lately. "Soaking In" reminds me a bit of Willy Wonka and usually when I hear something in a song which makes me think of that it's that particularly scary boat scene in the film which gets rather dark for a kids movie. But at this point, on this song, I think more of Willy Wonka in just a fun way, a way of wonder as we explore a colorful world where most everything can be eaten.
As I begin to hear elements which remind me of The Beatles and specifically the song "Hello, Goodbye" I begin to think about how this cassette by Fir Cone Children could be a modern version of The Beatles. There is rather specific difference in this, but it is not so much what The Beatles might sound like if they were still making music today but more like what I imagine The Beatles would sound like if they formed and began music in, say, 2019. If The Beatles were all still alive and making new music I assume it would be on the acoustic side of things for some reason.
With dreamy melodies, sharp guitar cuts through and we start off the flip side with a bang. I hear some distortion which reminds me of Weezer and then "Max & Hax" has a more pop vibe to it which reminds me of That Thing You Do. Anyone who reads my reviews knows how much I love cartoons and "Future Pirates" has that way about it that it could be a theme song to a Saturday morning cartoon or even an anime. But I think of it more like how Warner Bros. made a bunch of cartoons which all look similar- like Jonny Quest but perhaps in space and more like pirates.
Overall this cassette has a dreamy, psych familiar sound to it. Is it because it feels like a movie I've seen or an animated series I've only dreamt about? Is it because it sounds like bands I've heard a lot before, such as Weezer and The Beatles? Or is it simply because I've listened to a lot of music by Fir Cone Children so what makes them sound so familiar now is just that I've heard them so many times before. I'm not certain, but the combination of all of these things makes this one of my favorite cassettes even if I won't go down the waterslide so early in the morning.
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