Cassette Review // michael slyne "TINY PULSES"

https://thefamilystoned.bandcamp.com/album/tiny-pulses

There is a side to this cassette that says "Darden Smith" and it is indeed Darden Smith.  Having that thought for a moment that this was Michael Slyne when I pressed play a bit strange, but I quickly brought myself back to the reality of the situation.  This is not the type of music Michael Slyne is making or at the very least the first song by Darden Smith ("Midnight Train") doesn't match up with Michael Slyne's Bandcamp.

Quiet tones come ringing through with guitar notes and this is both ambient and full of bliss.  It feels like the sound of a guitar being played in the heavens, but not in a church way.   The way in which this moves slower makes it feel closer to that drone sound, but it's also rather complex in its inner workings and so I don't think drone is correct word for it.   A hollow song now, with that music box feel to it but also feels like it's being played in a big open space, such as a kitchen.

The sound of frequency changes also makes it feel like we're just going up and down the scales on something such as a xylophone.   Quieter now even more than before, the guitar notes softly come through feeling a little bit like a combination of the first two songs.   This takes us into something a little bit faster paced now and it reminds me of Primus.   Louder distortion comes through now and the mood has completely changed.   It feels like a lot is going on with the guitar, but it can also sound like this electronic skramz.

You can hear the notes come through with this feeling like they're going up and down.   The notes become more desolate now and begin to find a groove.   The distortion comes screeching through now with these notes of beauty behind them.   We blur the line between harsh and melody as the end of this cassette comes out sounding like a bell ringing, but soft enough to lull you into a nice calm state.