Bridgetown Records Summer Mixtape 2011

Compilation of songs taken from recent tape releases by LA-based Bridgetown Records. Bridgetown was one of the first (if not the first) label to be on board with KZSU cassettes. They release a variety of different sounds, ranging from the lo-fi pop of Cloud Nothings’ debut, to the swirly drone of Hedia, to the label-heads own excellent ambient project, Kevin Greenspon. I haven’t heard a compilation this good in a long time…

FCC CLEAN

1. Washed-out shoegaze. Loose, indiscernible vocals. 2. Chill ambient with subtle ringing textures. *3. Dreamy pop with gentle lyrics, a gentle, lush atmosphere, and upbeat percussion. Excellent. 4. Contemplative drone. 5. Full-throttle lo-fi bedroom rock with a relentless 808 drumbeat. Ridiculous deadpan vocals. *6. Larger-than life ambient. Nostalgic, with gentle whispering textures. 7. Heavy garage. Punished guitars, cutthroat vocals. 8. Pulsating ambient work. Very relaxing. *9. Slow rock with massive waves of washed-out static. 10. White hot ambient. Rebirth. 11. Deep bass-driven ballad. Deadpan nonsensical lyrics ranging from Mario Kart to Kafka, to getting drunk on Brandy. Borrows lyrics from Sum 41’s “Fat Lip.” Oh god, how do I know that? #NowThatsWhatICallMusic 12. Piano-driven ambient work. Sad and almost mourning. *13. Guided By Voices + Billy Idol guitar riffs. Echoey with lots of delay pedal. It works, trust me. 14. Wandering art-rock. Starts chill and ambient and grows into a loose psychedelic jam. *15. Sundrips. High-altitude face-melting synthesizer. Rapidly fluctuating with nice little breaths of fuzz. 16. Late-night paranoid experimental. Lots of scattered chimes and wandering drone. 17. Sloppy female punk. Sounds like a drunk Dum Dum Girls. *18. Waking up to realize you’ve been asleep for 200 years. Finding the world to be abandoned, and populated only by towering cities of glass. Then you go dancing with yourself. In short: a truly remarkable ambient composition. 19. Slow piano-driven soft rock. Nice breathy female vocals. 20. Same artist as track eighteen. Lacerating pulses, breathless undulations. Wistful. 21. Excerpt from a 15-minute ambient suite titled “Featherache Part II.” Mellow and tranquil.