Philly Mix by Letters From a Tapehead

Letters From a Tapehead is Sean Caldwell who’s been defending his bad taste in music since 2006. His writing also appeared in No Ripcord, Kicking Against The Pricks, Stereokiller and MusicFilmWeb.

Carved Up – We Built Riff City
I included this because I liked the title. I got to see Carved Up live a couple years ago and they know how to put on a show. This track was pulled from the band’s 2015 release, Matador.

Cetus – Iron Pangolin
Hailing from my current hometown of Lansdale, PA, Cetus released The Remnant Mass in 2015 and it was universally loved by everyone who’d been lucky enough to listen. “Iron Pangolin” is demonstrative of this band’s strengths, the group’s rhythmic agility and textural fret work delivered with both aptitude and aggression.

Sheer Mag – Worth the Tears
I took Sheer Mag’s “Worth the Tears” as a well-crafted interpretation of Roky Erickson and immediately latched onto the melody. “Worth the Tears” is one of four tracks to be found on the band’s 7” titled, III.

Palm – Crank
In my opinion, Palm is the eccentric, Beefheart-ian indie rock act that Animal Collective pretends to be. I found “Crank” via the band’s 2015 release, Trading Basics.

Vektor – LCD (Liquid Crystal Disease)
Because instrumental virtuosity is still a thing worth considering and appreciating, I felt Vektor’s highly technical “LCD (Liquid Crystal Disease)” demonstrably appropriate. You can find this track on the group’s recently released, Terminal Redux.

Old Maybe – Walking
A hybridized post-punk nod to the likes of James Chance, Arto Lindsay and A Certain Ratio, Old Maybe’s “Walking” is a funk-laced noise jam that joins springy rhythms with No Wave’s artful use of anti-melody. This track is from Old Maybe’s latest release, Oblio.

Psychic Teens – Everything
“Everything” is the first single from Psychic Teens’ latest release, Nerve. Being one of the stronger albums I’ve heard in 2016, I figured “Everything” would be a good inclusion. Plus, I’m particularly fond of guest vocalist Miranda Taylor’s contribution to this track.

Knife Hits – Descent
An aural pummeling in less than a minute. “Descent” is from a four-song tour cassette released by Dead Tank Records.