Indietronic is a new term I have come across recently. When describing a band or musician that makes music that is a bit retro 80's mixed with a dash of electronic noodling and a pinch of home producing magic, you get this new sound. Most people cite THE POSTAL SERVICE as the genesis of the genre and OWL CITY as the most commercially successful. From a creative standpoint, nobody beats CASSETTES WON'T LISTEN in my book.Opening with the instrumental club number "Friendly Float", the record finds it's groove with the two singles "Perfect Day" and "The Echoes" which askew to the formula set forth by one of my all time favorite songs "Freeze and Explode". Jason Drake, the man behind the moniker, has a thin voice but he makes the most of it and doesn't try to make his lyrics the center stage. "The Night Shines" has a very DEPECHE MODE feel to it. The instrumental numbers come off a more assured than the vocal ones with standouts such as the trip hop flavored "Harp Darkness" and the blink and you'll miss it hip-hop of "Kingdom".
Cassettes Won't Listen will probably never make the pop charts. Drake seems to interested in sonic architecture to really ever dive into a true pop record. But his work should show up here and there enough to make him a voice to be heard from a long time.
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