Saved by Radio
There’s something special about a well-done basement recording — a specific immediacy. For some artists these can present their music in a completely natural setting — think about the last time you heard Guided by Voices circa- Bee Thousand early Sebadoh or damn near anything by Eric’s Trip. Sure the production values aren’t professionally slick but they’re exceptionally real. Much has been made of the "warmth" of analogue recording and these offerings from Calgary’s Lab Coast and Extra Happy Ghost do little to contest it otherwise: This split contains two songs from each band effectively merging two different pop aesthetics with the comforting warmth of a basement hangout.
Lab Coast opens up the split with a pair of effortlessly appealing pop songs. Effortless because these two songs despite being absolutely crammed with melodies sound completely natural — it’s as if the four-piece just so happened to come across them one afternoon. "For Now" is especially playful with an almost naive sounding glockenspiel melody at its centre.
On the other hand Matt Swann’s Extra Happy Ghost takes this split in murkier directions. His music is largely characterized by an intriguingly fractured perception and a tendency towards self-sabotaged fuzz-pop. On "Mechanical 111" cheap synth blips slip through a dense static haze while Swann’s neurotic-slacker voice keeps his downer melodies in focus. Both bands compliment each other nicely and this split should warm the heart of anyone that finds the tape-hiss of ’90s indie rock comforting.
