DIRE WOLVES “House of Triangles” (Psi Lab)




The music here is two mostly organic jam sessions with six credited instrumentalists. It’s very nice. I’m not falling in love with it, but there’s nothing unfriendly or unpleasant going on; I love music, they love music. There’s regular rock band instruments, plus violin, woodwinds (including “wooden sax”), “tapes,” and “electronics.” It has a studio feel rather than a live-recording feel, but it’s not overwhelmed with producer vibes. It’s a nice balance of light production and organic jam. The artwork is meticulous—a collaged image of monkeys swinging from indoor curtains over windows that look out into a dark sky of shooting stars. The j card is on heavy, glossy cardboard, and there’s a duplicate of the cover art on another card loose inside, like a trading card or an art print. I think the music was made by a San Francisco group, and the tape release (including the ornate art design) was done by an Oklahoma enthusiast. For me it evokes a dim room of carpets, musicians, coffee and smoke rings. I like it, thank you.

Psilabtapes.bandcamp.com

-- Kevin Oliver