One Track Mind

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Multi-instrumentalist Jason Drake has been releasing music under the guise of Cassettes Won’t Listen since 2005, bucking traditional distribution models by favoring digital-only releases. In addition to his own electronic influenced indie tunes, Drake has compiled an impressive list of remix credits, putting his hand to the works of everyone from neo-shoegazers Asobi Seksu to enduring underground hip-hop artists such as Aesop Rock and El-P. Next Tuesday, Cassettes Won’t Listen drops Into the Hillside, a new instrumental LP.

The title track merrily skips along, pausing in a couple of places to stop breathe deeply, but one can’t shake the feeling that the whole thing is a little half-baked. One of the keys to making an instrumental significant is incorporating enough variation and texture that the listener doesn’t pine for the absent vocals. It’s like cooking a meal without any meat; the veggies better be damn tasty. On “Into the Hillside,” Cassettes Won’t Listen misses that mark, leaving the listener asking that timeless question: where’s the beef?

As a backing track, “Into the Hillside” would fare far better since there is a lot to like there. The synthesized strings act as a powerful wave, pushing through the song with tidal force. A mixture of drum machines and live drumming gives the beat a full sound, further complemented by some distorted, mid-pitch synths that are hidden lower in the mix. For an instrumental, however, none of the composing elements are dialed up far enough and one waits for things to hit some sort of crescendo.