Cassette Review //
Tiger Village
"The Argument"
(Patient Sounds)
$5 //
This cassette begins with isolated notes- one at a time- and there is some silence as well. The notes continue to drop, one by one with pauses, but then other more distorted notes come through as well with the beeps and boops and a distorted robot. This really feels like a malfunctioning droid but then it finds this smooth loop which just takes us into the next phase of a video game. A pause and it returns, as electronic and lively as ever. Those electronic ping pong balls are flying around and the shooting stars are behind them. There are two sounds within this- and as this is called "The Argument" I was thinking they'd be sort of fighting each other but they actually seem to be working together side by side.
A long video game synth drone now seems to indicate game over. As the electronics swirl together you can begin to hear sounds in the background which sound like breathing- the ooh's and ahh's of it all. It also can just feel like the electronics are falling apart in the way which you might hear another type of sound imitate that pots and pans going wild in the kitchen only this particular way about it is digital. Some synths expand and contrast, much like stepping on the notes to light them up. This, of course, makes me think of "Land Of The Lost" before it becomes more fragmented, broken.
While the sound can feel like it is breaking down, it can somehow also find its groove and feel as if we're about to go into a dance number. I suppose arguing can be seen in a similar way so this makes sense. At times, I also feel like the electronics just come bursting back in, the way one person interrupts another while in an argument. I suppose at this point, within the music, you could say that things have escalated. Percussion can be heard and some screeches as it feels as if the wind has been taken out of our sails, tired of trying to get our point across when it feels like yelling at a brick wall. Communications come through now as distorted air and sharply piercing laser blasts.
The beeps continue now, to bounce around, come and go as they please while the synth fades in and out with them. I feel like at this point one person is speaking a lot of words trying to make their point while the other is talking less- getting less words in edgewise and they might even be just cut off with the way the argument is going. Quietly, some synths form out on the planes like an old sci-fi movie. Beats come in to bring more attention to them than what is going on in the distance. A solemn pattern of tones brings the first side to an end as it feels like perhaps we are reaching some form of calm.
On the flip side we're right back into the bleeps and bloops, the record even sounds like it's scratching a little. They come through in that way though once again which stops and starts- there are some pauses of silence as if the argument has reached a point where neither person wants to speak but still is expressing that. A little bit of a whistle now within these clicks. The bass drops deep. Magical synths come in like that 1990's R&B. This is the sound of slowly putting it all out there at once.
Synth begins to expand. Electronic drops. Some rattling. A steady beat now like Morse code and then some more dishes in the background before this great video game sounding tone shines on through. This loops while other tones appear and then drop off. It feels like we're playing Super Mario Bros but the world around us is just disappearing. Quieter now, more isolated. Each individual noise is given the utmost of importance. The bass comes in and we're back to dropping synth. It's a little bit of those pots and pans and it's a little bit something else as it feels as if it might be forming in space now.
For a moment, it has all stopped. It comes back in beeps with smooth synth like R&B. It's going back and forth between that idea of being something strictly electronic- like a computer game or video pinball- and being something like an R&B song from the 1990's. There are those two sides to this song right now. It rattles like shaking now and just comes back with a vengeance. This has the percussion rejoined and it's just everything all at once complete with those video game blips. This is a fireworks show and right now is the grand finale. Even those sounds like breathing have found their way back.
In the end there is some trill. It's quieter again. Things have calmed down to where it can almost feel peaceful. There is some shaking sounds now, like that particular percussion piece. Beeps are abruptly cut off. We're trying to find the words here. Back to the electric jungle. Things pick back up again but aren't quite as wild as before. We slip and sift through now, on a repeating pattern. Synth tones are cut off as we go to silence. Shaking those rice shaker deals. Some slight bass coming in as well. It's quieting down but also picking back up at the same time- growing louder but calmer. As it all expands it can sound like a carnival ride at the end and maybe that's all an argument really is.
Comments
Post a Comment