Various Artists
"The Dusty Tales"
2xCDR
Dust Wind Tales
Genre: folk-pop, lo-fi, folk
Jan 12, 2009 |
This beautifully designed double CDR comes carefully packaged in a
paper bag and tied up in twine, resulting in an intriguing relic that
really draws you in. Once you've removed the elaborate
casing you get to the jewel case, which has been spray-painted to look
dusty and old. Inside there are two CDRs, as well as a neat little
badge that proudly bears
the Dust Wind Tales name. Presentation is key,
and DWT has it down pat.
Once inside, the compilation is broken into two discs. Side 'Dusty'
is comprised of instrumental tracks, with an emphasis on enchanting
acoustic guitar solos. Side 'Tales,' meanwhile, features songs with
vocals.
The tracks on 'Dusty' range from traditional
(Nigel Lavender / Month of Sundays, We Wait for the Snow, amazing
Las
Vegas Club) to experimental (throuRoof, Donato Epiro,
Flaspar) to
purely hypnotic (thenightjar, Siddhi). Guitar
is the primary instrument, often acoustic but
sometimes electric, and
a strong American
Primitive vibe is employed throughout.
But this is by no means the rule –
percussion and electronic manipulation also make appearances, and
there is also a pretty mandolin track as well
courtesy of Hoax Funeral.
Meanwhile, one of the strongest tracks – by Sone Institute aka bedroom
musician Roman Bezdyk – is a moody work of ambient electronic sampling
and programming.
'Tales,' meanwhile, brings on the pop (so to speak). The majority
of the songs fall under the acoustic folk-pop banner, and they
are
almost universally great (Adam Lipman, Cat Power-esque W-S Burn). The
emphasis is on a pretty, moody atmosphere, with strummed guitars and a
lo-fi approach. Especially lovely are George Thomas & The Owls'
pretty, fragile number, and the uplifting melodies of Golden
Ghost and Tiger Saw. A few of the songs break the mould but they don't
sound out of place. The superb Golden Boots track has a fuller
production that most of the other tracks, with a full-fledged country
rock gem, while Ruth Allison provides grungy, Bettie Serveert calibre
rock. 'Tales' is certainly the more accessible of the two discs
The Dusty Tales is a magnificent compilation
- a uniquely designed
record with consistently great songs. The result is a release that you're
likely to treasure dearly. Although Dust Wind Tales has released
several other records since this one – many of which I will be
reviewing in the near future – this double-disc wonder sets the bar
tremendously high. Put simply, this is one of the very best microlabel
compilations I have ever come across.
87%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 25 tracks, distributed by
the
label,
released --] |
