Skip to main contentOne of the coolest parts of the cassette resurgence of recent years is the return of the compilation. Alright, to be fair, the compilation never really went anywhere. But for a writer who grew up in a small town pre-Internet days, hitting the local Fred Meyer to track down cheap compilations that could provide some insight into what was going on in the music world, seeing a compilation like this new 34-track monster released by Gnar Tapes brings back a lot of great memories.
What is especially cool about this new Gnar Tapes comp is the murderer's row of awesome that is sitting on the magnetic tape of each copy: R. Stevie Moore, The Hive Dwellers, Nucular Aminals, Jib Kidder, Purple & Green, White Fang, etc., etc., ad infinitum.
Having just downloaded a copy of this, I'm going to need to take some time to fall in love with as much of it as I can, but the track that is an immediate standout is a new lo-fi number from the boys in Youthbitch. Like their debut cassette release, it's a perfectly silly trifle with an earworm of a chorus and giddily romantic lyrics. Sit through the two minutes of the song, though, and you'll be treated to a fun little found sound snippet of a couple arguing loudly about some bit of insignificance. It's the perfect way to turn a lovelorn song on its ear.
WWeek 2015