Baltimore Tape Club Vol. 3

Grab your Walkman and gather 'round the rocking chair for Baltimore Tape Club, a series where we'll share cassettes dubbed within Charm City. This week we'll get cozy with new tapes from Sick Din, Zomes and Unspecified Services, and tune back for future volumes featuring Weekends, Vlonde, Kitsune Rad, Will Redman and many more from the city that reads.

Sick Din, Sick Din

Bethany Dinsick caught my ears originally at the first Soft Fest, a once-annual affair at the Soft House that celebrated all things comforting within Baltimore's arts community. Then performing under her own name, Bethany performed looping folk atmospheres incorporating her own field recordings which included the sounds of her getting an MRI, vibrators, and keyboard gunshots. Bethany's newest venture is now filed under the Sick Din moniker, and is a journey deeper into the ideas found within Bottle Tree. The self-titled debut cassette is an eerie yet celebratory exploration into the cosmos, a magical dance party slowed-down and ideal for late night perusal. Get Sick Din here.

Zomes, Variations Vol. 1

A few weeks ago I shared a Daniel Higgs cassette, and this week we’ll take another Lungfish member’s project for a spin. Zomes’ Variations Vol. 1 was released by Imminent Frequencies, a c30 that is limited to 300 copies. These recordings were captured between 2010 and 2012, and opt to leave out the drum machine beats found on Asa Osborne’s LPs with Holy Mountain and Thrill Jockey, respectively. The resulting “astral melodic keyboard passages” are more astonishing minimalist journeys lead by one of the most peaceful and awe-inspiring artists your ears will have the pleasure to meet. Order the tape here.

Unspecified Services, 00-00

A mysterious new cassette released by Friends originates from the offices of Unspecified Services, a project of Brian Goldstein who has played among the likes of Lands & Peoples and Salvia Plath. The offices forewarn, “The listener of this music is encouraged to participate in the music-listening ritual with receptive, cosmopolitan thought.” No matter how you choose to partake in the ritual, these folk-grunge guitar tales are delightful however receptive you may be. The project just played their first show as a three piece this past weekend in Baltimore, and you can get the debut cassette now here.