Asaurus Records is a little label I'm fond of, because their lo-fi, put the music before commerce aesthetic is admirable, even if it makes them an underdog. In a way, The Goslings' Perfect Interior is the perfect release for a label that specializes in CD-roms and handcopied sleeves, because theirs is a music that's pretty and interesting yet a bit of a financial risk if you're just some kids in a bedroom. Besides, why spend all your time working to get a record for release when you could just make the music and put it out yourself? Why it's taken me so long to review this little record is an indictment of how swamped we music editors can become, but that doesn't really affect the music any, does it?
Anyway, the music on Perfect Interior is, in a word, gorgeous. It's haunting, it's dark, and the songs all flow together into one long, seventeen-minute frightfest. They've got plenty of reverb, lots of hazy, impossible-to-understand vocals, and the same vibe that makes Windy & Carl and most of the Kranky label rather wonderful. From the haunting drone of "Landing"--which changes midsong and feels like two songs put together---to the threatening, dark "Sthenno" and the underdeveloped "Herons," Perfect Interior is a soundtrack to something scary. While I wish that some of these songs were more developed--occasionally the songs just fade out, as if there was more to them, and I wish they'd just let loose for ten minutes, instead of playing it safe and cutting them off at safe levels. Still, this is a great little record, and it's just in time for Halloween! (Gettin' ready for Halloween gets earlier and earlier each year...)
--Joseph Kyle
Label Website: http://www.asaurus.org
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