The cassette tape revival is a great mystery and begs the fundamental question… why? Not everything was better in the old days. Definitely not cassette tapes. Who wants this? It's the younger generation. They crave a thing they never tasted. If you weren't around the first time cassette tapes were popular then there's nothing to be nostalgic about. What is the attraction here? Obviously, it's not the price, the sound quality or the format in itself. First, cassette tapes are pricey. Second, the sound quality is poor. Cassettes, being analog, are more susceptible to noise and distortion, resulting in a less crisp and clear sound compared with a digital source. Third, the format is still flawed. Cassette tapes gets wrinkled and warped easily. The destruction of tapes is almost visible before your eyes. However, the quality of a cassette tape vary greatly. You get what you pay for. Cassette tape is just a nostalgic keepsake (even for the the them that never tasted). The remains of the gothic country genre isn't spared from the hype. Slackeye Slim (which I respect) has a preorder for a cassette release of Perpetual Tunes. The price is $10 (a digital download in 24-bit/44.1kHz and unlimited streaming is included). Will the cassette tape rise again? Not likely. New cassette decks are manufactured in a very limited scale. Tascam and Teac continue to produce new models, often with features like USB output for digital transfer. And more telling. Cassette tapes are released in very limited runs. Almost like display. Do I have anything positive to say? Yes, cassette tapes are physical and tangible.   

Some people think that music snobbery is rooted in insecurity and a desire for social distinction. Whatever the case may be, I wish I could be more like Bill. However, I lack the necessary qualities; tolerance and leniency. "Snobbism is an inextricable mixture of pride and meanness" wrote René Girard, a French-American historian, literary critic and philosopher. Music snobbery is the worst of snobberies. The master suppression techniques are both elaborated and cruel. When people ask me what I think of a certain band or an artist, I tell the truth. "This band is a bleak copy of X, why don't listen to X instead of this plagiarist stuff?". This doesn't always land well. People seek positive affirmation. But they get blunt rejection in return. Well, don't ask the question if you're not prepared to hear the answer. On the other hand, music snobbery is a burden. So much concern and responsibility. You must remain vigilant; vouching inferior music is a sure-way to lose respect. Contrary to popular belief, music snobbery requires inflow, revaluation and maintenance. It's continuous improvement and development with the focus on the customer and sanitation work at the same time. As stated before in a previous blog post: "What really matters is what you like, not what you are like". Gatekeeping is ensuring effective consumer guidance and better decision-making. We are all better off if we can distinguish the wheat from the chaff. That's all.  

 

Space Ritual (officially known as The Space Ritual Alive in Liverpool and London) is a 1973 live double album by Hawkwind. I play this dopey album when I feel the need to space out (no pun intended). A mind-blowing and mind-expanding experience. The Space Ritual show attempted to create a complete audio-visual experience, representing themes entwining the fantasy of starfarers in suspended animation travelling through time and space with the concept of the music of the spheres. On entering the venue, audience were given a programme featuring a short sci-fi story. This all sounds pretentious, but I think it's safe to say that they succeeded in their mission. The original release featured edits and overdubs. Live recordings refer to the capture of sound or video during a live performance, where the recording is made in real-time without significant post-production editing or overdubbing. However, Hawkwind goes clear. The performance featured dancers, stage set, lightshow and poetry recitations. The use of spoken word is a balancing act. The Alphonse Mucha-inspired album cover is magnetic. The sleeve was designed by Barney Bubbles and came in 3x2 panel foldout, the outer 6 panels being colour, the inner 6 panels being monochrome, the vinyls in psychedelic patterned orange and yellow inner sleeves were folded into this. AllMusic characterized the album's style as an "unhinged meld of prog, acid rock, proto metal, science fiction, fantasy, and jazz." Loudwire called the album "a thematically linked listening experience, so immersive, so hypnotic (with or without stark naked stage dancer Stacia), that chemical assistance wasn’t even required." Personally, I think the album peak is the fourth side of the double album; from "Seven by Seven", "Sonic Attack", "Time We Left This World Today", "Master of the Universe", to, last but not least, "Welcome to the Future". With very simple means Hawkwind created pioneering space rock. This is the best 90 minutes of space rock you will ever hear. Bassist Lemmy didn't remember anything. Most likely due to his consumption of drugs, which was excessive even by Hawkwind standards. But, it wasn't the drugs playing. It was the musicians (musicnauts). 

Am I an example of a slow and sad descent into a concrete mold? Stuck in my old ways; unwilling, unimpressed and uninterested in today’s music. Maybe it's worse. I'm on the verge of hostile when it comes to new music. A good friend said to me: "it takes a lot of time for you to get used to new things." That was a nice understatement. Maybe a healthy dose of skepticism is a good starting point, after all. Skepticism is the process of applying reason and critical thinking to determine validity. It's also the process of finding a supported conclusion. New music is assumed to be bad, until proven otherwise. My aversion towards new music isn't comprehensive. I went all in on gothic country and launched this website, didn't I? In all fairness, the music wasn't new when I became aware of it. In fact, it was only new to me. And I was a bit younger. This raises a couple of questions. Have I always been averse or have I become averse, and, have I become more averse over the years? I used to be open to new music, especially during adolescence and early adulthood. These years are formative, read more here (opens in a new window). My now long gone vinyl collection (now repurchased on cd) is like a sediment layer, ready to be excavated. Not a linear progression exactly, but always in the right direction. Lately, I have been returning to the music that shaped me. Over 50 years of listening to music has a two-side effect: harden your heart and refine your senses. I have become an uncompromising purist and authenticity fetishist. What some people see as a slow and sad descent into a concrete mold is actually impeccable taste and exquisite execution. I do have strong opinions when it comes to music. Resistance is not futile. Enlightening people, song by song, album by album. That’s the plan.  

A couple a weeks ago, I made a qualified guess who the Sad Witch was. In the light of recent developments it seems like my guess could be unqualified. My guess was that the Sad Witch was Rachel Brooke. The very same witch who sang on "Sad Witch Cult", the new album from Lonesome Wyatt and the Holy Spooks. However, I could very well be wrong, I received an e-mail from a woman with special insights in the genre. She suggested that the singer likely was Eva Mikhailovna. Let's scrutinize the arguments on both sides. Rachel Brooke isn't the only female singer who have cooperated with Lonesome Wyatt. Eva Mikhailovna is credited for backing vocals and guitar, banjo, accordion and Piano on "Grim Weepers" (2017), and backing vocal on "Dream Curse" (2020), and sang on no less than seven songs on "Longing For Oblivion" (2023), and on the song "Spiritual Truth" from "Afraid" (2024). How could I have missed this obvious candidate? Maybe there's a need for a complete overhaul, comprehensive review and update of existing processes and procedures, involving a thorough examination of all aspects of the system, identification of weaknesses, and implementation of necessary improvements. What are the evidence for and against Eva Mikhailovna? The dark hair doesn't match the woman on the album cover. Not decisive, it could as well be a hydrogen peroxide wig. The absence of a tattoo on the right upper arm match the woman on the album cover. The vocal style and the voice match. Eva Mikhailovna is the Sad Witch. At least until new evidence is presented.