Mar 1 four-track cassette ambient post-rock shimmer tape tape18
Artist Favorite Liner Notes
Tape 18:
@zecoop - shimmer guitar
@wobbiewobbit - bass
@helenseviltwin - percussion
@vomvorton - vocals, lead guitar, casio keyboard
Well! When you're expecting one last tape to finish off post-FAWM - if you're anything like me - you find yourself hoping that it'll just need, like, a bassline and a mix or something. So when you receive seven-plus minutes of shimmering ambient gorgeousness it comes as quite a shock!
In an attempt to match the prettiness and avoid adding a seven-minute guitar solo I rigged myself up to be able to do vocals, keyboard and guitar in the same take. It was tricky to perform and not too easy to mix but I think the end result is pretty special!
Lyrics
Batten down those hatches
ration out those cans
you’ve never looked so fondly
at the local handyman
pass out those wine reserves
it’s easier when you’re drunker
but what happens in the bunker
never stays in the bunker
keep your friends close
and your enemies warm
hearts are broken
in the calm after the storm
target locked in your sights
though still a little distant
but if you slip into something
a little less weather resistant
will you still be able
to meet each other’s eyes
when the school has been rebuilt
and the playing field has dried?
keep your friends close
and your enemies warm
hearts are broken
in the calm after the storm
we’ve all had a shock tonight
we’ve all had a drink
this is not Armageddon
we have come back from the brink
@gazebo 1 week
Amazing!
@leomozi Mar 22
Great chill, ambient tune. Well put together— it seems like everybody was on the same page about where this should go. The lyrics are fascinating; there’s a sinister element that creeps into the calm now and then.
@jamkar Mar 9
I like this in the way I like some of Brian Wilson's projects. Of course you guys achieved the magic with only 4 tracks. This one is just exceptional!
@pearlmanhattan Mar 7
absolutely beautiful. The lyrics are very thoughtful and meet the music quite willingly. You never know where a 4 track is going to be when it's done - Very well done everyone.
@leepat Mar 7
very evocative lyrics and remarkable soundscape.
i really like the slowing down of time in this isolated moment.
+1 for the sexy undertones 😀
@owl Mar 6
Wow this is SO pretty. the shimmery guitars are so dreamy and lovely! I am impressed at the simultaneous vox/keyboard/guitar setup! And the ethereal echoey vocals sound really cool, great effect. The bass and percussion keep it nicely grounded. Fantastic stuff, I really loved it, this is maybe the best 4-track collab I've heard to date.
@zecoop Mar 6
Wow..... This song is like a dream come true; the result of a magic cassette song creation machine. I got a message from VV saying how the last thing he would have expected was a seven minute ambient song, and I agreed, thinking it was a pretty odd thing to have on the 4-track challenge. So I asked him who started that tape - and he let me know it was me, lol. I had totally forgotten about my guitar part, and since I played it so slow, I never considered the fact that it ended up 7 minutes long. I didn't even realize! But this song is magical and incredible. I am simply blown away. I would love to see this band in concert!! 😀
@ahasuerus Mar 6
will you still be able
to meet each other’s eyes
when the school has been rebuilt
and the playing field has dried
Man I felt the time lapse happening while listening to this part especially. You guys have really made something here. That chorus works so well. Love those guitars. Those drums, that bass. I wish I could hear this performance live or in a chill pub somewhere while drunk out of my mind and really to go to sleep. Amazing work here!
@balancelost Mar 4
"Slip into something a little less weather resistant" is probably the sexiest line I've heard this month. But wow, this is really one lush, dreamy soundscape. Those guitar chords evoke a walk down a long white beach and the pads are a perfect compliment. Once again I'm impressed with all of your abilities to push the technology to it's limit. This was a very relaxing and enjoyable listen.
@guatecoop Mar 3
This is the best thing I’ve heard on the 4 tracks for some time!! Wow this is nice in so many ways. The pace is great and the sounds are perfect together. Great work everyone!
@jonmeta Mar 3
Just letting those sounds wash over me. The melody is wistful, bass is woody and alive, guitars are orchestral.
@adforperu Mar 2
Ah this is just lovely.. the shoegazey vibe perfect for a tape recording. Vom's vocal is great too - actually reminds me of modern day Cure in parts. The rhythm section both do just enough to elevate the frequency and rhythm of it, allowing the ethereal high-end stuff to really shine.
@nancyrost Mar 2
This is so dreamy. Pretty guitars. The vocal feels very much like an instrumental part here, part of the floaty texture. I like the restraint of the bass and percussion parts that pull the song together.
@wobbiewobbit Mar 2
well reined VV! Zecoop's shimmery guitar was already floaty and lovely when i got it and Helen did a great job of some easy going percussion to smooth out my not altogether fluid playing! - sounds much better in context. and the juggling VV did on the multi instrumental and cool vocals and lyrics pulls it all together even more. Turned out lovely! well done all!