#tranquility tapes

Rain Drinkers ~ Wood Violet

The music of Wisconsin duo Rain Drinkers is intelligent and complex, difficult to categorize but easy to enjoy.  A single track can range from pastoral ambience to cumulus drone to small orchestra.  This is especially true on Wood Violet‘s 20-minute title track.  Drum machines and violins lie in a king-sized bed along with guitars, pianos, and synths, discussing what they’d like for breakfast.…

Rain Drinkers - Wood Violet c40 Honestly, it's a little intimidating listening to "Wood Violet". The nuanced combination of orchestral neoclassical, ambient, European folk, and psych drone is stunning; one gets the feeling that the duo behind Rain Drinkers is just a little past your level of comprehension. It's not the thing for everyone, but I think this little cassette is fucking amazing. 

The first thing one notices is the art.  Alone, the covers are colorful and snazzy, but when viewed as a set, they teem with creativity and a wild, untamed abandon.  Credit Brooklyn’s Caroline Teagle for the unified look of Tranquility Tapes, and her brother Frederick for the label.  Together, they have amassed quite a body of work over the past five years.  This year, they’ve cracked the…