Tom Recchion's Japanese Cassette (Feeding Tube Records, 2022)

Saturday, April 23, 2022

Tom Recchion’s music explores his brain and what he hears. The French composer Pierre Schaeffer meets a young Terry Riley but filters through Tom’s perception and aesthetic choices. I have always looked up to Recchion to hear something new, even though it may be something old. One notices that anything recorded in the past can become a unique work of art.

The playfulness of his new (although old technically) album, Japanese Cassette, is infectious in its enjoyment of finding gold in found sounds. The sound sources are not apparent to me, so I can’t think, “Oh, I know that tune,” but they are primarily used for their rhythmic purposes and juxtaposition of sounds to make a new experience. The closest artist I can compare Tom Recchion with is the visual artist Bruce Conner. Specifically, Bruce’s films are mostly second-hand images but filtered through his sensibility. Like Conner, Recchion shares a genius touch in making us see/hear something fresh that may have been buried in sound/visual history. Japanese Cassette is the best new release I have listened to this year.

You can probably purchase a digital copy of the album, but I recommend getting the vinyl. The packaging by Recchion is awesome. And without a doubt, I’ll buy anything that has “Pasadena Hi-Fi.”

More info and purchase of album here: Tom Recchion's Japanese Cassette