Edward Gray
"Put the Clock Back on the Wall" cassette
Unread
Genres: lo-fi, experimental, folk
Unread
PO Box 3462
Omaha NE 3462
Jan 19 - 25 2004 |
Ah,
the joy of cassettes. In this disgustingly digital world, the
coldness of CDs and DVDs looms over us, reminding us of the disgusting
direction we're heading in - but there are still a noble few tape releases
that come out each year and remind us how
much warmer music used to be. Like vinyl and 8-track before it,
cassettes are beaming in personality. And though you can't
switch tracks automatically, and you have to make sure you put it in
the right way and everything, I just can't help but enjoy a cassette
like this - it's so pleasantly eclectic and innovative.
On to the music. Edward Gray plays very experimental
lo-fi pop that is somewhat similar to early Microphones and co.
recordings. Acoustic guitar and vocals are pretty much the only
instruments involved, but Put the Clock never suffers from a
lack of things going on; Gray's creepy, dark compositions are
extremely engaging and surprisingly infectious. Be warned,
however - his musical style is extensively avant-garde and different
from most, so many of the inexperienced, fickle ears out there may not
get what is happening.
With that said, though, this tape is one of the best cassettes to
ever fall into my hands. As a fan of 'outsider' music, I can't
help but love this music - as should anyone with open-minded
ears. Each song is a gem, even those that aren't as obviously
infectious as some. The lyrics are bizarre (eating babies,
anyone?), the recording quality is abysmal, and the songs are
immeasurably bizarre - but all that's part of the exquisite master
plan. Put the Clock Back on the Wall should be in
everyone's music collection.
89%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
15 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2003] |