Ah, now this takes me back! This little CD came to me in a bright envelope, and it has a vibe that I like--that Blackbean & Placenta Tape Club vibe. If you never heard of Blackbean & Placenta, let me just say that you missed out on one of the most heady, interesting, frustrating, and challenging record labels out there. Mike Landucci had a love of all things music, and he released just about every genre you could imagine--from noise to new wave, french pop to drum-circles--the man released it all, and did so in an econo-state of mind. Paper sleeves were common, as were recycled covers from other albums. While they're still around, making lathe-cut 7" records, their full-length CD days are over.
He had a soft tooth for casio-based pop, and it's too bad they're not really doing much anymore, as Elliott the Letter Ostrich would have most likely been one of his newest stars. This duo (who I *think* are from Oklahoma) make pretty cute boy-girl synthpop, with a hint of acoustic guitar and a well-produced sound that would make you think that they weren't just now releasing their debut. The cover is a cute, somewhat three-dimensional sleeve that hints at something utterly twee and sweet. Such hunches are quickly confirmed, once you hear the lovely "House Plants to Ghosts." It's a slower synth number, that turns into the boy-sung acoustic "Hasselhoff 3010." They keep it up for the rest of the record, with a Cardigans-like vibe that I really do enjoy. There's also a space-age vibe going on here (they *are* new wave, mind you) about aliens and animals and sprits and ghosts. I haven't quite figured out if there's a concept going on here, but I could see them going in that direction in the future
Coweata Android EP is a really fun, refreshing debut. While there are a few week moments--like a popping on one or two songs that might be a technical glitch--the production is otherwise top-notch, their ability to play their instruments is also great (which, believe me, can be a rare commodity in the home-tape community), and they just have this wonderful little positive aura about them. I can safely say that great things shall soon come from these kids. I can't wait!
--Joseph Kyle
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