Jason Drake a/k/a Cassettes Won’t Listen |
He’s best known for the remixes he’s done for indie acts like Midlake and Asobi Seksu, but Brooklyn’s Jason Drake, better known as Cassettes Won’t Listen, is staking his own claim. Ahead of the March 11 release of his full-length debut, Small-Time Machine, Drake has posted a free download-only covers EP at www.cassetteswontlisten.com. In the spirit of those ’90s No Alternative comps, Cassettes Won’t Listen’s One Alternative boasts tunes evocative of a particular era, though he puts his own electronic spin on each of the four tracks here . . .
Pavement, “Cut Your Hair”
A delightful drizzle of beeps and boops complements the “ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh” chorus of the Pavement original. The energy and the riffs are the same, just laid against an airy, synth trellis.
Butter 08, “Butter of 69”
As a Cibo Matto offshoot, Butter 08 were ahead of their time in the electronic/danceable department, but Drake ups the ante, bathing the tune’s goofy verses in a swarm of fuzzy melody and even reaching for the high notes of the original’s chorus.
Liz Phair, “Fuck and Run”
The lo-fi alienation of this standout from Phair’s Exile in Guyville becomes lusher and more inviting as Drake sings his plea for meaningful companionship in an earnest, almost boy-band-like pop fashion. Yes, “boyfriend” becomes “girlfriend,” but the problems are just the same.
Sebadoh, “The Freed Pig”
The opening track of Sebadoh III sees its tempo slowed down slightly and the guitars replaced by a grinding, intermittently staccato beat. But the cool dismissal of Lou Barlow’s delivery remains deliciously intact.
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