Labels: Fully Intercoastal
Review by: Andy Malcolm
This little tape is a fine insight into the minds of a little label from the West Coast of the USA, the kind of independent rock music label that I find most affinity with. It serves as a nice introduction to the music that they have / will be releasing and starts off with a delightful number from c’est dommage (previously enjoyed on these pages as Pine Away). It’s a jangly number with distinctive talky vocals, drawing obvious comparisons to the Van Pelt and Signal to Trust’s first LP, although maybe a bit more playful than both of those bands. Daikon have also picked up words on here, they offer up a herky-jerky indie rock number that bounces nervously around and doesn’t really settle. Nice work. Apogee Sound Club’s effort is a little bit in the Clash / Rancid ballpark, with ska-ish rhythms and snotty vocals, not strictly my thing but not bad. Fantastic Figures have a nice sound going on, it’s a downbeat and drifting indiemo kind of thing that you might have heard in 1998 but is quite a bit rarer in 2013. It’s a bit simple and repetitive, they also had a tape reviewed on here so I should check that out. Rad Cloud do a cool slacker pop effort with piano and monged out vocals, it reminds me of the Cosmos (there’s a reference for 2 of you). The lyrics amused me too “I’m a wobbly wheel, I’m a fucked up truck.” The C’Mel wrap things up with a very lo-fi indie/folk effort, vocals drifting in and out.
So there you have it – 6 varied bands doing different things, everything on here is decent, it’s well worth your 20 minutes or so if you want to hear something new.