Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Banana Pill - Weave (CW18)




the right medicine for your head. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)


When the two sonic shaman in Banana Pill exhale, their beautiful art paints the atmosphere in peaceful, warm hues and tones. Weave, a recent release by Finland's Banana Pill on Cosmic Winnetou, endows the listener with brilliant undulating energy via guitar, violin, synth and other instruments. One cannot help but be moved by the mellifluous, benevolent mood that pervades each track. Yet, this is not an inert release. Banana Pill's adroit ability in composition sees them manifest soulful moments from pulsating waves of heat; majestic violin; dusty strings and kind melodies, encompassing drones. Subtle changes abound, with certain elements moving to the fore after prolonged periods of dreamy drift. Visceral, cozy drones vibrate through the soul. Weave compares well to some of my favorites on Hapna and Apestaartje - one of the best this year.

One of the most memorable facets of this tape is the flow, and Banana Pill pours it on heavy right from the time the play button clicks. In "Wave", blurred strings contort prior to being engulfed by an aural dream - tender and pulsating. Pastoral and idyllic, splintered sunlight circumscribes the listener while soothing violin strokes the soul. Robust waves reach for the zenith, vibrating and brilliant in nature. As they crash toward the trough, the light flickers out. Track two, "Shapes", commences with peaceful, bright strings and gentle violin, which eventually becomes more assertive. Where the first track contained warm, intense colors, this one dances gingerly behind a hazy veil - lovely! Pleasant strings ripple through the head as crystalline synth concurrently echoes in the side A closer, "Spiral." The flipside is just as captivating. Inchoate energy becomes concentrated, bathing the listener in soulful vibrations. Affecting violin softly vacillates among august drone - another lovely moment! Ethereal and ubiquitous, "light" truly realizes the track name - vast, luminous, and vibrant music that precipitates blooming awareness. Squirming electronics are deluged by quivering radiance in the final track. Placid strings ruminate calmly only to be overcome by cascading tranquility.      

Top shelf lofty love for this tape, and that goes for the other two cassettes in the sixth batch. Cosmic Winnetou tapes are produced with lots of love. In this instance, 75 home-dubbed tapes feature the artwork from one of my favorite artists, Sylvia Monnier. Sold out at the source, which is unfortunately true of the entire batch, get your Cosmic Winnetou fix at Tomentosa.

peace and love, friends :)