This one has been around for a while…maybe a year already? In any case, it has been too long since I last listened to it. Like many fine cassettes and CDs, this one got played a few times and then put away and forgotten. Today was a good day to remember, though. In case you are wondering, Excavacations is a two-man project led by Offices of Moore & Moore co-captains Nick Longworth and Chad Parsons. Together under this goofy neologism, the two boys craft a variety of pleasant tunes. On a side note—it probably doesn’t require mentioning, but this is a Stunned Records production, so you should have some idea of the quality of the music and the visual production alongside it.
This tape is almost too diverse (but it’s not—just almost). They give us jaunty pop-tinged tunes complete with vocals and rich reverb coating everything, and they give us abstract drone pieces with weird spoken-word tracks narrating a confusing experience. They give us somber piano solos with synthesized strings, they give us gently layered yet jangly electric guitar tracks with perfect delay and juicily-decaying tones. Overall this cassette is a feast of many different styles, but these guys don’t really slack off in any areas. They are jacks of all trades and masters of all trades.
Albums like this occur far-too-seldom in the yet-growing world of “cassette labels”. Amidst a sea of similar drone tapes emerges this outstanding demonstration of an understanding of an impressive variety of styles and genres. These two musicians are clearly lovers of music and the evidence is in the smorgasbord of sounds they feel obligated to explore here. Don’t hesitate to sit down and dine with Parsons and Longworth; you won’t regret it.
Copies of this appear to be available via Tomentosa Records.