Cassette Review // Zack Elliott "Caught Half Alive" (Manic Juice Records)

https://manicjuicerecords.bandcamp.com/album/caught-half-alive

Right away I like this cassette because it feels optimistic.  It could've been called "Caught Half Dead", so I'm feeling the positivity of it even though being only half alive still implies there is some work to do to feel fully alive.  These songs are singing with dreamy acoustics and there is something punk rock about this because it feels like as long as you have your voice and a guitar you can set up and play anywhere.

Playing the guitar isn't new, but the voice of Zach Elliott lends its own sound to this overall music.  I think of that one Finger Eleven song (the radio one) sometimes, at other times I can think of this as being a little bit folk / Americana, but overall the sound is just of Zach Elliott.   By the time you reach the end of this cassette you will hopefully also only really hear Zach Elliott.

Two of my favorite lines within these songs come from different sides of the cassette.  On the first side, there are the lines: "I've never been one to complain / But I'm growing lonely in my restlessness" during the song "Honeysuckle".   It's a nice way to state how you feel without complaining.   I also enjoy on Side B when the lyrics repeat: "When will enough be enough" which can become a theme in our lives as we get older.  

One of the things I love about this cassette is how raw it feels.   These feel like songs you could just go into the middle of the woods and sing, whether anyone hears them or not.  There is also a strong nature vibe to this sound which makes it feel more like that as well.  Music just feels so overproduced sometimes now that it's nice to hear something that just feels so authentic in both the sound and the delivery.