This is a split on Stereo Dasein who have been putting out a diverse range of music lately. This time we have a couple of understated acts on cassette. Holden Goldmund delivers the first five tracks and his songs are really sparse. He comes from the Netherlands and plays in a couple of bands I’m not familiar with (This Leo Sunrise and The Fire Harvest). I’d say he has the folkier sound of the two guys on this tape. Sadness is the overriding feeling but there’s a simmering anger underlying a couple of the tracks like “When Were You King?”. There is one more energetic track on here too called “The Drunk” but his songs are really downbeat on the whole. Very nice introduction to his music. Jonah Matranga is more familiar to me although I’ve not really given Onelinedrawing a proper listen before. They, or he (never really sure if it’s a band or just him), serves up six tracks, some of which have a full band feel. It’s way more downbeat than I expected. I’m into it – there’s a couple of particularly fine, minimal and worn-out tracks on here. “Find Me, Love” is pretty fantastic as he croons wistfully over a lone piano (I never know for sure what instrument it is when the keys are broken out but I’m going for piano here). “It’s The Skin” is the other track that I’d pick out. Actually, the track that closes the tape, “Nighttime”, really brings the sadness too. Very good split.
