Review: Tailings - Live (Eternal Solitude, 2011)

From the same label that gave us Stitched Vision’s Open Palms  and Ocean Glow comes another offering, this time it’s cassette by Tailings, the duo of J. Campbell (Mr. Stitched Vision himself) and K. Robinson. As the name suggests, Live consists of two live tracks recorded to 8 track in winter 2010. Stylistically, it’s somewhat lo-fi drone in the vein of SV, although a little harsher. Still, it’s not as abrasive and sandpaper-like as certain moments of, say, Infinite Body, but the low-end, almost physical sound is to be experienced.

“Roaming Bax” takes up the entirety of side A and is a series of rising and falling glacial tones accented by pulsing synth stabs mimicking futuristic, dystopian alarm sirens. But this isn’t drone for the sake of drone: beneath the wall of distortion lies a melody, a very slow melody, but still, a melody. This seems to be an emerging trademark of Campbell’s analog shoegaze, which he also employs in Stitched Vision. The harsher synth sounds are an interesting and intriguing addition, like strange rock formations in an otherwise largely flat and detail-less desert.

Side B, “Razed Earth”, is harsher, setting itself apart from the side A with its post-apocalyptic, foreboding mood. Unrelenting drone towers above everything and a wind-like texture rises and falls throughout the track, like dead wind blowing in the scorched wasteland. Considering those guys are from Australia, the country which is responsible for one of the greatest dystopian/post-apoc  movie series of all time, it’s not hard to imagine Max Rockatansky stumbling across the barren, alternative version of the Seventh Continent set to this “fan-made soundtrack”.

Live is an intriguing and though-provoking venture into the microcosm of harsh, richly textural drone. At 22 minutes, it can be merely considered an introduction, although an interesting one. Jason Campbell shows some real potential and here, together with Robinson they created two slabs of deep fried mind-zones. Want more.

The Tailings tape is probably still available at Eternal Solitude. E-mail Jason for availability.