Iain Shaw & David Shrigley
AWESOME [CS; Already Dead Tapes]

Pretty interesting “split” here on Already Dead Tapes. I type the word “split” with those ambiguously skeptical quotation marks because it’s not really a split in the traditional sense. David Shrigley (who is something of a renowned Scottish artist) spends his fleeting moments of tape-time with plainly dictated speech, and his contributions appear every other track rather than on one whole side of the tape. All the rest goes to Iain Shaw, who’s plaintive (but hopeful!) plucks of guitar strings and little-kid-confident voice give form to lovely little songs. There’s only seven short tracks on the release, but that seems to be plenty of time for both artists to wiggle their way into whatever young, inquisitive, love-struck other self of yours is hanging out in your subconscious, and get that guy to skip some rope. There’s a little bit of a dark tone throughout, but ultimately those notions make way for pseudo word-games to unfold that might pander to some philosophical pondering. After a once or twice through, despite whatever “heaviness” the prose might conjure, you’ll still start to feel a little lighter on your toes, as though your brain is sweating off some emotional dead weight. If you’re having a tough work day, AWESOME could be a nice mid-day snack for your mind, just the pick me up you’d need to make it to 5:00.

Cerberus

Cerberus seeks to document the spate of home recorders and backyard labels pressing limited-run LPs, 7-inches, cassettes, and objet d’art with unique packaging and unknown sound. We love everything about the overlooked or unappreciated. If you feel you fit such a category, email us here.

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