People generally don’t seem to have much respect for taped music, but this is one cassette-only release that’s certainly worth looking into. Of course, being the rare little gem that it is, you pretty much need to know that it exists before you can secure yourself a copy via mail order.
Vuzh Music is run by c. reider, who has been involved in the mail art and tape exchange scene for years. This is a fairly new endeavor for him, and I believe this is the first release he’s done with other people’s music. Before Vuzh was begun, he released several cassette-only albums of his own material, lovingly dubbing each cassette one at a time as the orders came in. He also has had his music released by a number of other cassette-only labels, which likely gave him the idea to finally start his own.
the linked dreams of lonely moons comes in a fetchingly understated, but gracefully hand-painted tape jacket with hand dyed cloth labels. Undoubtedly each tape is also hand dubbed, but the sound quality is clean enough. The tape itself is an hour long, featuring “a handpicked selection of the underground’s finest music,” as Vuzh puts it in their ad.
c. reider sent out letters to his favorite independent music makers to request their inclusion in the project with exclusive cuts, keeping the theme of the tape in mind. In two years time, he had complied a nice variety of acts, with a fairly smooth transition between songs. Largely instrumental, the tape glides from one track to the next, weaving a spell of strange, melancholic atmospheres with tinges of darkness and undertones of the disturbing.
The prize offering of the tape is a collaboration with Jarboe (of Swans fame) and Brian Castillo, called Phrenz-C. Their track, “Vomit Veritas (v.2)” is the scariest offering of the bunch, with Jarboe’s despairingly bleak spoken word over an eerie backdrop of distorted guitar noise and piano. This tape is sure to be a collector’s item for the inclusion of this track alone.
The second best-known act would likely be Dust, which is a side project of Lycia, with Mike Van Portfleet and John Fair. Unfortunately, this wispy little guitar number blows by in less than a minute. But it’s a beautifully brief tease of a song.
c. reider’s solo project, Luster, provides a strong vocally-centered song with wonderfully simple, but emotional, bassline and guitar riffs. The drum programming is subtle, but driving, and I might hear some understated keyboards and noise mixed into the background as well. This is one of Luster’s melancholy pop masterpieces, to be sure.
Luster also collaborates on one track with Eyelight, which is a one woman project consisting solely of voice, as I understand it. This is one of the longest songs here, meandering along with Jennifer’s lovely vocal textures and c. reider’s ambient keyboard textures, slowly building steam.
Then there’s Datura, which is how we came to know about this cassette, being my and Justin’s band. Of course, it’s hardly fair for me to critique this cut, but I can say that c. reider told us it was one of the more structured and lively songs of the compilation. I would say it’s just a bit more pop than Luster, falling further to the melodramatic than melancholy side of sad.
Other acts include experimental noisesters The Tall Bald Grandfathers, from Massachusetts, dream droney The DrowningBreathing, from Louisiana, and two foreign artists I’m not familiar with, Kirchemkampf and Klimperi (who do another song under the name Deleted).
Over all this is a very interesting cassette which grows on me more and more with every listen. I’ve found it makes for an interesting background while I’m puttering about the house, being on the computer, reading a book, or simply dreaming out the window with eyes half closed, thinking of other times and places.
Vuzh Music / P. O. Box 1204 / Lyons, CO / 80540-1204 / USA
— Review by Anji Bee of The All Purpose Nuclear Bedtime Story
UPDATE: this album is now available via Internet Archive
“Under” (mp3)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy from Amie St
