Description
**These copies have no covers**
We have now reissued “Clown’s Castle” after being out of print less than 48 hours since its 2008 release. Same music, same artwork, in an edition of 100. Here’s what we said the first time around (followed by a review):
“I first saw Bobb Bruno about two years ago at The Smell in downtown LA. I had heard of him prior to the show (he also plays in Goliath Bird Eater and Knit Witch, among others) but didn’t really know what to expect from him by himself, and live. He came out wearing a full bunny costume, head and all and sat down playing the coolest electronic drum pad I’ve ever seen. Some of his past releases have been dreamy pop, others have been heavy as nails. This tape falls somewhere in between. One minute there’s beautiful synthscapes and the next it’s heavy bass and pounding drums. Hand-numbered edition of 79 on purple cassettes with full-color piggie artwork by Bobb Bruno.”
Reviews:
“Goliath Bird Eater member and frequent Pocahaunted, Robedoor and Upsilon Acrux collaborator, Bobb Bruno is clearly a regular man about town, albeit one adorned in some kind of easter bunny costume with over-sized head. Bruno brings his cartoonishly psychedelic visual approach to this DNT release, but be warned: it’s not just cutesy fun on this cassette. Opening with the slow synth jaunt “Snail’s Pace,” Bruno begins with dark chordal patterns working and reworking themselves underneath fuzzed out rhythmic bits. The piece stays fairly motionless for some time, brooding in a sort of spaced out, underbelly of the mind kind of way until drum machine enters and it takes a decidedly more industrial slant as fed through break beat weirdnesses. As soon as that beat drops out it’s an endless tunnel descent, Alice in Wonderland style, before this plodding drum beat comes in that gives the whole thing a form all its own. Some soundtrack to neon induced LA life-binges or something, slow-mo as all hell, a real head nodder for the mind rotter. The synth work is layed on deep here, maintaining its dark, organ(ic) riffage–it’s the Phantom of the Opera remix, he all hunched over in his castle weaving some crazy arpeggiation while Bruno and company are hunkered down behind him, bunny costume adorned, partying it out. The record’s called “Clown’s Castle” after all… When the beat drops out its all guitar fraying and synth rides. Super reverbed out stuff here, whose muddy bass runs and clearer, less blown out high synth runs do bring to mind something not totally un-Skaters like, albeit with a more formalized structure and slightly dancier take on the whole thing–given that dancey is defined as “potentially bringing to mind movement in a club setting” rather than some sort of beat oriented toe-tapper. This would be one dark club, and surely few would be shaking it. The album titled second side starts off with some heavy metal Sunn O))) riffage, not far off from the sounds of Bruno’s Goliath Bird Eater. Buzzing comes into play as the guitar slows itself down and rides it out. The beast keeps building as choral vocals sweep across and the beat drops, making the whole thing as heavy as concrete feet over San Francisco Bay. Really heavy duty stuff that just rides and glides, the beat dropping in and out as it emits itself toward eternity. It’s a real soul crusher, so don’t be fooled by the blue pig and the cute pines on the cover. Limited to 79 and sold out at the label, but I’m sure Tomentosa and other like-minded distributers will have it soon. Beautiful. ” -ear conditioned nightmare
“I was really pumped when this release came in the mail. Not only does DNT always put out high-quality stuff, but Bobb Bruno is the man. The A Side, “Snail’s Pace,” unveils an amazing terrace of shifting drones that could easily be the soundtrack to epic ariel footage of the Andes. After being slowly brought down to earth with jittery percussion, the whole thing gels into a swirling amalgamation of synths and digital effects, with Bruno’s steady drum work consistently churning the mixture. The clear-toned synths, now coated in distorted effects, finish off the side, completing a varied and incredibly strong track. “Clown’s Castle,” seems to take an oppositional approach. Instead of scenic synth tones, the track begins with the repetition of a ridiculously sludgy two-chord guitar riff. Calling to mind Boris or Sun O))), the riff is heavy and relentless, even as it is attacked from all sides by piercing feedback and electronics. After a prolonged build-up, Bruno finally comes in with his pounding drums – locking the track into a steady, menacing groove. All of sudden, everything drops away, leaving only a bed of melodic, marimba-like tones. The pattern is as ethereal as the sludge guitar was dirty, making for a surprising, but effective, juxtaposition of sound. The way Bruno can switch up his style not only between sides, but within the tracks themselves, speaks to his musical talent as well as his vision. While most artists find a signature sound and stick with it, it’s great to see someone constantly mining new sonic territory.” c-60 radio (http://c60radio.wordpress.com/)
“FAR OUT BOBB BRUNO! What sort of plastic revelation is this, all molten and loving? You creep up in the night, make the sun go up and down in the window a little bit, reading from these tomes with yr lazer beam eyes and melted wax nostrils.” -rose quartz (http://rosequartz.blogspot.com)
“You might know him as the guitarist in Best Coast, but he’s been recording as a solo artist and in various groups for many years now (too many to list). 2008’s Clown’s Castle is actually a rather straightforward release, in a sense. The first side, “Snail’s Pace” starts with some analogue droning. Rhythm comes in and out, punctuating the drone somewhat. Eventually some overdriven guitar comes in to bring the songs to full form. It feels like a lot like Emeralds in its general structure, which is good company to be in. Side B “Clown’s Castle” is more guitar-driven, beginning with a doom-metal two-chord opening on a satisfyingly throaty electric guitar. Some noisy feedback starts coming into the mix overtaking the guitar with paranoid vibes, along with faint, diaphanous vocal hiding in the back of the class somewhere. Finally the drums come in to supply the slow-mo headbanging. The track then calms down to a quieter movement, let’s say, of bells (or synthesized bells) and glockenspiel playing a melodic little riff. Certainly a departure from side A, “Clown’s Castle” is actually a really enjoyable doom/stoner metal experiment. Both songs have solid pacing and a feeling of progression. It’s solid. It’s also not anything special. Like Summer of Saucers it feels like a product of its time (only a few years ago, but how fast things move), a piece of personal experimentation set out into the wild for the few who may be listening, and again that brings back good memories for me, even if Clown’s Castle isn’t particularly memorable.” – Drugs to Take Music To, https://drugstodomusicto.wordpress.com/2013/12/18/dnt-records-tape-extravaganza-part-1/
