Thursday, January 16, 2014

Andy Loebs - Hibernation Sickness (TST 004)





cannabis sativa mitigates sickness. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :) 


I hope the seat belt in your spacecraft is made of something strong and durable, like hemp. The peripatetic traveler should prepare for astral analog synth trips in which invention and tone shimmer. Hibernation Sickness from Andy Loebs is a compelling tape that efficaciously couples music and emotion. This tape from early 2013 on Twin Springs Tapes finds Andy working out on the Roland Juno 60. Over two sides of tape, this sonic exploration is concurrently serene, introspective and wistful. Some of these tracks are evocative to the point of producing tears, such as the visceral closer on side B. Yet, this music also precipitates a sense of wonder that is prevalent throughout- especially in the second track on side A.

 Upon commencing the tape, solemn analog waves possess a heaviness. Shortly, pensive patterns combine with the aforementioned and drift languorously. The cosmos are illuminated by sparkling arpeggios and ethereal synth in the second track. Buoyant energy manifests, progressively moving more proximate from the periphery. With all the elements in motion, the listener is swept away in a celestial vortex. As the tape comes to a close, briskly moving arpeggios blur, leaving a vapor trail of luminous ellipses. Before long, Andy adroitly introduces a section of opaque and doleful synth, which coalesces nicely. The manner in which these tracks progress reflects on the acuity of the artist.

Twin Springs bring a lot of love to cassettes - it's audible and conspicuous. Prior to selling all 25 copies, Hibernation Sickness was home-dubbed to order in real time by Twin Springs - a lovely touch. More so, the hand-painted shells by Andy are beautiful. While I do not regularly write about out of print releases, this release is quite affecting. The digital tracks are still available from Twin Springs. Hopefully a reissue will occur.

peace and love, friends :)

Thank you, Ryan, for the good vibe