Doubly lost and found: yet another causality, cycling endlessly in the tape machine, only escaping months later to the reviewer’s consideration. ‘Breaking and Entering’, the “lost tape” by Cadaver in Drag, is a five song collection of the band’s handsome roadhouse-noise dichotomy, made immortal by the post-historical sound of a five-person “band,” and resembling little of a tape which should have or could have been lost. That is, it’s quite good. The thing begins with, is consumed by “Taking a Ride,” a long-form groove in the vein of Religious Knives, or even Moon Duo or Wooden Shjips for its tightly-locked psychedelic grit. Lulled by this narco treatment, the good vibes are broken by the sludge of “Buy a Gun” where bass and horn conspire over skronky noodles and flagging vocals, the whole thing seemingly duct-taped to the hi-hat and used to club us over the head again and again. The trick is all the more gnarly because we knew it would happen but went along anyhow. On side two, “Died in His Sleep/Lived in His Nightmares” rights a massive swell of bass growl in an airless soundscape – the self-same sonic effect bundled in much classier packages in the middle years of Peasant Magick, which these 2009 recordings were concurrent with – masking the band while retaining the sense of activity these many hands lay-on to these recordings. That is, except for the one-track mind of “Fuck the Royal Treatment,” a looping, loping bit of whisky-queasy which sits best among the solo work of Josh Lay and the majority releases on (his label) Husk. But this solo sounding track melts entirely away before the living brutality of “Taking a Ride 2,” a powerful thrash and bash familiar to Clockcleaner, less a sequel and more a coda to the massive opening track and namesake. On pro-pressed tapes, in glossy J-cards. 100 copies. Highly recommended.
Husk cassette
$8
HERE
