7.22.13: Tape Of The Month – July 2013
ARTIST: Fairhorns
TITLE: Satan Replicant
LABEL: Deathbomb Arc
LENGTH: C60 – material repeats on b-side
DUBBED: Pro
EDITION: 50
Einstein hypothesized that for a one-sided tape to truly be great the A side must consist of particles who’s mass and velocity are equal to, or greater than, the mass and velocity of particles contained by a tape where the A side and B side both differ and equal awesome. G = A ≤ (A+B = ☺). The Fairhorns “Satan Replicant” cassette on Deathbomb Arc definitely meets Albert’s requirements. I am no fan of single sided cassettes, and I lump tapes with same material on both sides (like this one) into that category. But Fairhorns dazzle my brain enough with these four tracks that I’m not only willing to put that hatred aside, but make this July’s Tape Of The Month.
“Satan Replicant” is the 122nd released in DBA’s jam packed catalog which dates back to 2001, and the cassette version of a 12″ put out by Kinda Rad earlier in the year. Or that was the vinyl version of this cassette, depending on your belief system, but that is none of my business. Fairhorns is the solo project of Matt Loveridge who has proved that he can play well with others with the projects Beak> (along with Geoff Barrow of Portishead) and Deathbomb house band Foot Village. At the core of his loner cuts here are percussive K-holes. Savage, abrasive rhythms, either sampled or played repetitively (in a good good GOOD way), that lay the groundwork while shards of commotion (chaotic and collected) spill out. Phased beams, lo-fi organ-like piping, distortion, and soaring vocals. The vocals, which are more like wailing than words, sort of remind me of when heavy bands like Isis started to chill out a bit and do what I guess was referred to as post-metal. They’re a pleasant, uncommon touch added to these sort of abrasive textures and vibes. Each of the four tracks have their own unique personalities. The cassette’s opener is Regen Thrumm. A seven and a half minute slow-tempo melter with a consistent thump – thump that is (sue me) oddly emotional? The single (or “Buzz Clip” if you’re approaching middle-age) is Nodens. Oh shit, man. It’s a beast of a jam. Loveridge uses the template of a rock song but replaces all of the standard elements with slices and splices of electronics that jump and dive, gutter drums, and nails it for almost five minutes. So tight. Alamut is the longest player on “Satan Replicant” at 8:47. She’s a heavy builder-uper, with shrill notes and oil drum beats playing the stacking game. Too chunky to be hypnotic, but somehow still puts ya under a spell. It all climaxes with the witching hour grease-burner Pinecone. All of these suckers have mad amounts of stuck-in-headability.
The cassette shells are black with “Fairhorns” and “Satan Replicant” imprinted on either side in gold. Those words are scrawled out in the same style on the Jcard, where those colors are reversed. Black printing on thin gold paper with two panels, one with what looks like the writings of a dude who ain’t all that right in the noggin and possibly about to wear a second dude’s skin, one with obelisks sticking out of scribbly muck. The spine and back flap are pretty dope. “Fairhorns” is written large enough to wrap around, dishing out a nice detail that I’m sure most people wont really notice, but whatever. It’s gonna look sick on the shelves, but probably wont spend much time there.
It’s a goddamn 21st century mystery how this one, limited to just 50 copies, is still available. But it is, and will cost you a $7 bill here. DBA definitely has a deep catalog to dig through, so bring a shovel and your PayPal account with you.