The cheapness of tapes, coupled with the rising expense of vinyls, has given rise to a huge number of fantastic new independent labels within the last year or so. Super Fan 99, Sports Day Records and Cannibal Hymns are just a few that have taken advantage of the analogue renaissance, churning out cassette after cassette of fantastic new music. Breakfast #1 is newly formed Breakfast Records very own stamp on the current independent music scene.
It starts off, as most good albums do, with a bang. Ragged Claws have the honour of being the opener, and ‘Cuique Optimum’ is a fast paced punk banger. Indeed most of the first half of the cassette fits that description; contributions from Don’t Go Plastic, The Plainviews and a 19 second thrash from The Gnarwhals ensure that the first half of the album is an intense one.
It’s half way through a raucous offering from Milo’s Planes that something changes. The Fugazi hardcore that has punched you in the first half of ‘Stampede’ gives way to beautifully melodic calm, maths rock guitar, reminiscent of some of Dananananaykroyd’s more intricate moments. From there on the compilation show’s the labels lighter side.
Skittering between The Gin Birkins lo-fi chamber pop and Me, You and Thomas’ beautifully simple ballard, the tracks all seem to share a certain DIY ethic and sonic palette, whilst never overlapping or feeling samey. Two tracks stand out as strikingly different though. The first is Rhonda Dalling’s country stomp on ‘Walk Me Around’, full of banjos, simple melodies and touching lyricism.
At the other end of the spectrum is Klein’s ‘First Night’, a dark, glitchy electronic landscape. It stands completely apart from everything else on the tape, but only serves to show how much ambition the fledgling label has. If the cassette is a manifesto, Klein’s track is a final statement of intent, letting us know that Breakfast Records is the kind of forward thinking, passionate and interesting label that there can never be enough of.
Find out more at the Breakfast Records’ Facebook page
