Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Tidal - Olympus (Chemical Tapes BOD)



Scaling the peaks with Jimmy and the trichomes.  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)


Lately, i have engaged in a particular type of research.  Not the stuff from my university days - i've left SAS and the regressions on the desk, where they belong.  Rather, I strapped the bong to my back and scaled the peaks - the rarefied environment in which Jimmy Billingham's Tidal project sparkles like the trichomes from your best bud.  On the overcast, grey days that seem intractable, Jimmy's ethereal hymns, on Olympus from Chemical Tapes, lift one from their malaise and set the pace for the day.

Jimmy's music possesses a unique emotional intensity that is conspicuous from the time one presses play.  On 'Phoenix Follower', his drones roll  placidly, when a bright dose of sound imbues the heights with vivid colors.    It then quickly descends into murky environs.  The languid ending to the track is beautiful, as the Phoenix and its nest burn brightly, reincarnated.  On the flipside, 'Serpentine' opens with morphing, opaque tones that move tortuously through the tape hiss.  The tones have the quality of being frayed.  Soon, these sounds become more soothing, as a sparkling drone resonates in the background.  In the closing track, 'Golden Oriole', Jimmy paints a serene picture as idyllic tones drift serenely through the fog.  The sound here is different from the others, and the Belong-like feel is awesome!  Despite its relatively short length, it is my favorite track on the tape.

And now, it's time for you to perform some research and have the unparalleled experiences that a Tidal tape provides.  Olympus was produced in a limited edition of 75 tapes, pro-dubbed with artwork from Jimmy.  Along with Tidal and Venn Rain, Jimmy recently started an excellent label, Sunk Series.  Check out Sunk Series and buy Olympus directly from Chemical Tapes.

peace and love, friends :)