Cassette Review // Adam Void "Stowaway On A Sinking Ship"

 

https://adamvoid.bandcamp.com/album/stowaway-on-a-sinking-ship

This cassette begins with acoustic notes that sound like a banjo tuning.  It kicks into something like folk punk with group vocals (or at least two people).   This takes us into a song that has these deep bass distorted chords with singing and it kind of reminds me of an old Nirvana demo but it also has the rhythm of a folk song.   Into "Railway" and this is someone singing into what could be a tape player or just an app on their phone but there is a buzzing hum behind it as well.

"Walking Forever" may only be about a minute long, but it has these vocals like folk with keys behind it and it has the most feeling of a folk song right now.   "High & Lonesome" is up next and it has higher vocals and feels closer to folk punk.   A very song type of song and then there is also some whistling.   "Yes, Lord" can make this feel a bit gospel as well, like songs someone would play at Bible camp (and I say that as someone who has been to Bible camp)

"Horse W/o A Rider" is a bit more aggressive with screaming and acoustics that just make it feel like the guitar is about to break.   A huge blast of distortion and we're into the more upbeat "Broke Cellphone" now.    This is a more electronic song that feels like it was made with a Casio keyboard.   It reminds me of early Hellogoodbye (EARLY, like asking to go to prom with Jessie)   The next song says "I would never sell my soul to the company store" and it's interesting how people with jobs will buy company shirts and the such, like free advertising.

"Lay Down Yr Burden" has some sounds behind it, but mostly feels like vocals as it takes us to the end of the first side.    The second side begins with someone speaking the title of this cassette, which is really something to think about because imagine just trying to bum a ride and then the ship goes down.  "Stuck Out Here" is a twangy sort of acoustic song which tells a story and I think of the songs on this cassette it does seem like the most folk of the songs, though it also has a lot of non-folk properties.

"Country Comes To Town" has this fun way about it with these big distorted beats and it feels like a march, in a way I imagine someone walking around and leading a parade while singing this song.   Electric beeping now takes us into drum machines on "Delta Eight Blues", which is about running out of weed and I wonder if my living seven minutes down the road from a dispensary is going to make songs like this no longer a thing in the future.  I mean, I literally put in an order online and can go down there and pick it up and it's bye-bye pain.

"Daylight Is Gone" is another short song of only vocals and then it's a quick electronic number before we get into "No Fear".   I sometimes wonder what the modern version of "No Fear" is but then I stop because I'm not sure if I want to know.   This song comes to an end like the tape is warping and it's just falling apart, but then there is also this video game type sound coming out.    Those banjo notes and vocals come out in the next song, "Shit I Put You Through", and then a song about pitstains gives us more of a country twang again.

Pitstains also takes us into a song about sleep which sees the harmonica come out.   After about ten seconds of electronic bouncing balls we go into "Song For Bob Dylan".   This song has a lot of well thought out lyrics and I think that's the biggest take away from this cassette by Adam Void.   Sometimes there are these little songs that feel like they were recorded in the moment and thought to be turned into something more later (which I can relate with) but other times the songs just show that they were planned out and so well executed.