We Knew - Not My Circus (2016)

We think this is the last tape we're posting this year. It's been a banner year for local tapes, and this one has become a favourite. We Knew play a taught, understated pop that is as dark as it is melodic. In other hands this might come out emo or hardcore, but this quartet have something special that pulls back from the brink to deliver something that's more like Galaxie 500. These are the perfect songs for a dark room and a a bottle full of regret.

You can get this tape via the We Knew bandcamp. More precisely, you SHOULD get this this tape.

Bog Bodies - Gnawed Hose (2016)

Every time Bog Bodies put out a new tape (which is ridiculously often - by our count they're averaging two per year), we shrug, sit down and strap in for what we expect will be a hell of a ride.

And, yup, this new tape is not much different than their previous releases - drum machines clatter along a frantic pace, guitars and bass pick out head-scratching tunes, and frontman Ivo Musa snarls incomprehensibly. You either get it or you don't. We're still pretending that we get it.

You can still get this tape from the Bog Bodies bandcamp, if you get it. Get it?

Valiska - Healer (2016)

We're not sure what happened to the past few weeks/months, but we've suddenly found ourselves in the awkward position of having just a few days left on the calendar and a pile of tapes on the desk. So, let's get back to things, shall we?

Valiska's new tape sees Krzysztof Sujata further mining the excellent mix of ambient drones and more formal compositions. There's less (no?) piano on here, with synths dominating the palette along with layers of Sujata's own voice creating a tremendously warm and atmospheric soundscape.

Looks like the tape is sold out, but you can grab the download from the Valiska bandcamp.

Unspooled: Episode 11 - Citrus Park's "A Pretty View"

Whoops! Another month, another late post of this month's Unspooled podcast. If you missed the shorter version on Saved by the Bell last week, here's the full version. This time around. Stephen Bandola and Jeff Burns talk about their band Citrus Park, the three tapes they put our between 1989 and 1992, and their song "A Pretty View."