2008 according to Brad Rose

Another year passed and another pile of music amassed that would reach the moon and back. One thing that became abundantly clear in 2008 is that I am an addict; completely, totally. I've often said that I find the fact that there's so much music out there, so much good stuff I'll never hear, to be kind of comforting. Try as I might, there's just too much. That being said, 2008 was a really good year for all kinds of heavy tunes and in this article I will but scratch the surface. So with a nod to my article from last year, here's a couple of my favorite cassette releases from this past year:

Brad Rose. Foto: John Twells

Ignatz "The Draft" (Scumbag Tapes) This might be my favorite tape of the year, but it's pretty hard to say with the amount of killer stuff that busted out in 2008. But Belgian guru Miles Devens shows up to the party with possibly his best-ever outing (right up there with "Atlantic Woman"). Cryptic scorched-forest drones with hints of folky goodness oozing like blackened blood from an open wound. There's something simultaneously comforting and sinister on "The Draft," a dichotomy that's not easy to pull off. It's like you can't help but stare at the gnarled face behind the glass, but at the same time want to run the fuck away. Devens dabbles in these dark arts like a jester in the court. He never gets too close the caustic fire that destroys all that it touches, but he's more than happy to show you down the path. Such a gem.

Xiphiidae "Used Parts Galaxy" (Housecraft) Housecraft probably tops my list of "Best New Discoveries" for 2008. This label by Florida-resident Jeffry Astin is as good as it gets, from both a musical and art/packaging standpoint. There's about a half-dozen Housecraft tapes that I'd feel comfortable including on this list, but for my money this one is most appropriate. Xiphiidae is Astin's own solo project of elegiac drones and shambolic, blissed-out folkiness."Used Parts Galaxy" is familiar. You've been there before. It's the place you goto in your mind to get a respite from the daily bullshit you put up with. Soft, sweet and fractured keyboard tones light your way while the wind outside seeps through the cracks in the wall. Astin is one talented guy, taking something so deceptively simple, so seemingly prosaic and turning it on its ear. These short, reptitive notes get you straight in the gut, pull out emotions you didn't even know you were feeling, dreaming of days gone by and time turned to dust. It's ghostly and wonderfully nostalgic

Rale "Nightside/Shadeup" (Peasant Magik) I hadn't heard of Bill Hutson's solo synth project, Rale, until sometime in early 2008. The first inkling of his incredible talent was on his tape for Monorail Trespassing, "Golden, Sans Noun." It was a toss-up between including that tape or this one, but I decided for "Nightside/Shadeup" due to the fact I've listened to it so much, my copy is sounding worn. That's a good sign. Hutson's music is exquisitely on point; so precise and exact that it feels as though nothing is out of place. I have no idea what kind of modular setup he's using, but each component works in perfect unison to split your skull right down its fused sutures. This is heady music, stuff you can't just passively absorb. It takes some effort to get into the deepest crevices, but once you do it's like a hydrogen bomb exploding in your psyche. Rale will take you places if you just take the time to let it. Brilliant.

So there you go, three golden oldies from 2008 that have been keeping me up at night. Dust off your walkmans or get down to your local secondhand shop and buy a cheap tape deck for a couple bucks (euros? crowns?) - trust me, there's too much good music coming out on cassette (and for CHEAP) that you don't want to be left in the cold.

Brad Rose
Head of the Digitalis label and working under the name North Sea