Cave

***Release compiles jams from the sweltering heart of CAVE that didn’t make it onto their three LPs and three EPs. Anyone who’s heard their albums can attest that CAVE have a fresh, yet well-seasoned ear for long-play records, and each one shows their ever-revolving palette. Being in CAVE is also about fun though, and they’ve also indulged themselves now and again with stand-alone songs and short-play records on Trensmat, Static Caravan, Giradiscos and Permanent, as well as some self-released cassette freakouts. Like the best singles, CAVE’s sides here have singular qualities that songs on albums can’t, as they unwind themselves over 30 or more minutes in time. A couple of the Release tracks rock more extreme too, which the CAVE-head will find in awesome contrast to the refined production of Neverendless and Threace. Since the beginning, when they recorded on cassette and released on CD-R, CAVE’s been all about formats, interacting with them as the they captured their sound, the weirder the better. Release contains mostly 4-track stuff, plus some 8-track stuff. A bunch of the masters had to be transferred from VHS, which CAVE liked for mixdowns in the early days of the late aughts. Cool! Man, VHS masters sound GREAT! P.S., the “harshmellow mix” of “Butthash,” is NOT the same version as on the Permanent split 10" with the California Raisins, FYI. In fact, there’s still a few sides that haven’t been compiled yet, so look out for another Release in the future. (STREET DATE - 10/21/2014)