Cassette Review: BYODeath-Snowy Eyes

This is the music that was destined for a cassette release. BYODeath is a brand solo project by a 34 year old florist from Long Island Beach who is making music on par with stuff kids half his age are making. Not much is know about him except for the above and that he has released one of the better debuts of the year in the form of this stellar 6 song, 10 minute tape.

For some, this tape will be written off as just more shit-fi and nothing more. This would be understandable if you only listened to the scuzzy and great "Snowy Eyes" with its blatant in a good way love of Times New Viking. But diving deeper into the tape, BYODeath is more debt to Guided By Voices then anything else. It can be heard on the ecohy vocal style of "Half Shaved Head, Half Long Hair" or the oohs and ahhs on "Sleeping Mutie". It's as if BYODeath took the more melodic parts of Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes and coated them in extra layer of fuzz for the effect. Punk influences also carve out the sounds of the tracks, like the drums on "Scared to Mosh" or the energy and theme of "I Wanna Bully You". Both come together perfectly in the closer "Black Jelly Bracelets", the longest track and a wonderfully blown out, loud as hell pop tune as well. And it's this that makes BYODeath's debut stand out among the mountain of other lo-fi releases that are coming out right now. He manages to take a genre that's been pushed for so long and add a nice new flare to it.

(mp3) BYODeath-Snowy Eyes

Links:

BYODeath on Myspace

Buy the Snowy Eyes Cassette at Bridgetown Records