New batch, all tapes are pro-dubbed, covers printed by Container Corps.
All titles are $6.



PAUL BALLANCE - WORLD WIDE GAS

This is certainly art made in seclusion -- a creative outpouring uninhibited by a lack of technical ability or anything better than a Walkman to capture it. Pre-dating his work as Baronic Wall (Night-People, Goaty Tapes), Jack Gilbert recorded two full 60 minute cassette tapes as Paul Ballance at his house in Iowa, from which this twenty minute tape was culled. The work here is raw, sometimes bracingly so, but that's the appeal. There is the closeness of listening in. The A-side consists of five short songs which hint at the distopian, sci-fi vision of Baronic Wall but largely reveal more domestic fascinations, and the B-side is a long collage piece incorporating field recordings and songs.
Art by Corey Lunn


MAD NANNA - S/T

I first got in touch with Michael Zulicki via his excellent label and distro in Melbourne, Australia called Albert's Basment. After hearing the tape he released with his band Silk Ears on Goaty Tapes, I immediately got in touch about working with Eggy and he sent along tracks from his other project, Mad Nanna, which floored me as much as the Silk Ears stuff. These raw, shambolic, one-take songs remind me deeply of the great New Zealand band Garbage and the Flowers in the way the energy is totally frayed and sideways but the songs still memorable and full of character. Two-chord sea-saws that seem to be unfurling in the moment, or in the case of the last track--my favorite--one-chord observations of the world as it goes by on the street outside. Mad Nanna have a tape coming out on Goaty Tapes also this year.


TRAILBLAZER - S/T

Following the Lexington, Kentucky thread from the sludgy krautrock of Jovontaes to the effortless pop of Street Gnar led ultimately to the blasted Americana of Trailblazer (Night-People), making a trilogy of work based around the beloved Void Skateshop. Trailblazer belongs to a group of artists like Wet Hair and Dirty Beaches who have turned to the classic records of Suicide as the starting point of their explorations. These musicians place a great deal of emphasis on rhythm, finding beats that cruise into infinity, and use their voices as a foil -- brief words that quickly fade into the distance. American Motorik.
Art by Adam Zeek


PRESCRIPTION PILLS - IN THE GRAVEYAARD

The sound of underground music in Portland, Oregon is quietly but swiftly turning to the cold, clean appeal of electronic sound, from former droners and psychers turning to 90s club music, to -- as is the case with Prescription Pills -- messy DIYers turning to 80s pop and industrial music. Take it or leave it, part of the appeal of this tape is in the weighty pathos of the lyrics -- yes, those two "a"s in "Graveyaard" point toward Kierkegaard. The four songs here mine the depths of human experience but do so with deft pop moves that are are as effortless as the lyrics are weighty. In short, it's goth pop and it's very catchy.
Art by Gary Robbins


POST-MATERIALISTS - LOVE

The world is a big place and Russia is long way away. Post-Materialists hail from Moscow and their style of fringe music is as far removed from what I'm used to as their location is removed from me geographically. I dig how "classically weird" they sound -- no reverb, very little delay, relatively clean recordings, lots of backwards sounds and an emphasis on odd textures, plain and simple. So if you're concerned about whether the music you listen to sounds "cool" or not, you can skip this one. For real. But if you're ok with things being playful and a little odd, you will get some enjoyment out of this tape. It's definitely out of the ordinary. The singing is in Russian!
Art by Sam Gaskin


SKY THING - COOLER HEADS PREVAIL

In a lot of ways, Cooler Heads Prevail is exactly the kind of tape I like to release on Eggy. Sky Thing's work defies easy categorization and is certainly operating outside the realm of trends. After hearing their tape on Friends and Relatives, I was intrigued by the unique focus on rhythm in their particular style of "drone" music and was happy to have Eggy as a means of furthering the development of their sound. John would send over drafts of the material they where working on and I would email back my thoughts until we arrived at the tape I'm very happy to be releasing now. Cooler Heads Prevail is a thought-provoking document -- the patter of drums becomes texture and overlapping rhythms drift in and out of focus, the recordings are clean and considered, short bursts of sound share space with extended meditations. I am trying to grasp at an easy reference point but am coming up empty handed -- and I am very glad to have it that way.
Art by Josh Kermiet


ARCHERS - S/T

Here's a snapshot of the excellent Portland DIY Pop Scene that bubbled up seemingly out of nowhere in the last year. Sure, there's always been indie-rock and folk-pop and all that in this city but this tape is Classic -- guitar pop in the tradition of the Jam and Television, the Moles and dBs, the Nerves and the Exploding Hearts. Twin guitars up front, thundering drums, bass lines that threaten to take the lead and keys subtlety reinforcing the attack. With a full-length in the works, this is the first but most definitely not the last you will hear from Archers.
Art by Raf Spielman