Wednesday, August 8, 2012

These Wonderful Evils / Last Eyes (PT001)



zoners for smiling eyes!  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)


Planted Tapes, an embryonic label out of Denver, blazes on to the scene with a split cassette exhibiting contrasting styles of guitar.  These Wonderful Evils, the moniker of Zak Boerger, is coming off a slew of beautiful releases in recent years on Sloow Tapes and Sweat Lodge Guru.  Boerger's side contains majestic passages, adroit playing, and lucid sound that aptly describe some of the best guitar tracks this year.  'Sandia' evokes memories with its gentle Basho-like touch.  'Thus Pat Garrett on the Battlefield' finds Boerger's guitar weaving through several passages.  His playing is particularly inspired in the last half of the track.  The first side ends with 'Tiger' - sounds that would please fans of William Tyler and the Rag Lore tapes on Poor Farm Editions.

The acoustic tendencies of Boerger are followed by the heavy guitar noise of Last Eyes.  Last Eyes, the moniker of Val Franz, puts forth a side of opaque, warm, and charged rockers.  Her side of ambient/punk/shoegaze succeeds in culling and synthesizing some of the best aspects from luminaries such as My Bloody Valentine, Fennesz and Boards of Canada.  Franz combines these styles adeptly and successfully.  The flip kicks off with the heavy reverb guitar jam, 'You Still Think That Light in You is Hidden'.  Next, 'no w here' swims in warbly, thick, disconnected tones prior to being enveloped by the noise.  My favorite is 'Hidden Nails', which eschews the heavy noise in favor of a bubbly, warm ambient sound.  A gorgeous side of music!

Planted 001 went straight to my head like an indica bong rip!  Let some love into your life.  Float over to Planted Tapes and give these sounds a home in your head.          

peace to you, friends :)