Cassette Review // Tristan Dolce "Medium True"

 

https://tristandolce.bandcamp.com/album/medium-true

The sound of Tristan Dolce is one of beautiful melodies.   At first, these songs can come out sounding like Elliott Smith or The Lyndsay Diaries, but as they go on I can hear more artists like Death Cab For Cutie and Husbands within them.    Though the songs are not overly poppy, after a few listens this cassette will have you singing along.

While different instruments play their role during this cassette, the song "Reservoir" has that acoustic guitar + vocals way about it which feels very folk and reminds me of Simon & Garfunkel at times.   On the flip side, we start off with the song "Willow Springs" which brings a sort of electric energy with it.   "Ring Ring" is a softer, more complex song and by the end of the cassette, on "I Went Up", there is a feeling of triumph and a big piano piece.

If you count along with the songs as you listen to them on this cassette and recognize that there are four per side, then as the entire cassette reaches its end you'll realize that "Alaska" comes back around again, at the end of Side B.  This is kind of fun in the way that no one would know this from listening to "Medium True" digitally and so as a sort of bonus for the cassette it's a nice little touch.

For me, Tristan Dolce does what a lot of the best songwriters do on "Medium True".  There is a sound in here which can be tied back to the original artist but at the same time it can drift from it with the different styles and instruments.   It just feels like such a diverse set of songs, yet they are al tied together at their core.   This cassette also makes me question whether or not I want to visit Alaska one day and maybe, because of Tristan Dolce, I will.