Eats Tapes - "Dos Mutantes"

Eats Tapes - Lemon Drop (Tigerbeat6 2007)

Eats Tapes - Dos Mutantes / Tigerbeat6

And the rhythms just. don't. stop. I don't know what it is but I just can't get away from stuff that makes me feel paranoid. Have you ever seen that part in "Over the Hedge" where the squirrel downs the energy drink and then proceeds to stroll through the whole scene with the bear attacking the people? Well anyway, that's how I feel listening to stuff like Gouseion and Eats Tapes. But Eats Tapes are way more twisted. There's some of that 8-bit goofiness embedded in this project, but when it comes to laptops and technology, you can forget it: The duo formerly known as Boom de la Boom are out to get you dancing without the aid of their Macs. Break out the rolodex and swing to the numbers on your rotary phone: Eats Tapes are out to analogize your headphones.

But why bother when this thing has been out since March 19th? Well, partly because right now the group is doing a brief jaunt through Europe and if you're anywhere near Berlin, Denmark or Glasgow in the next few days, you should check them out. Also, it's whack. In a good way. Marijke Jorritsma and Greg Zifcak (who even without the Eats Tapes title would have pretty awesome names) are all about analog-inflected instrumental techno that demands dancefloors be filled.

It's all so wonderfully ebullient and innocently fun that saying no makes you look like a jerk. "Face Shredder" is a fist-pumping techno anthem interrupted only by noise generators and of course some NES action. It's spazztastic and totally un-hyphy, which is something San Francisco isn't really known for. And when I say "ebullient," I'm specifically thinking of the underwater "Lemon Drop" as Mario holds his breath for an incredible amount of time (Nearly seven minutes in this case) to get through all those submarine levels, yeah, you know the ones. This is the revised soundtrack to all those levels combined. As you can probably tell, it's hard to get enough of it.

And for all the times we brought Matmos up in reviews but only as a reference point (Vladislav Delay being the most recent example), lo and behold, Eats Tapes gives you "I've Become a Cretin" featuring none other than Nate Boyce (Boyce also did the "Tenderizer" video, an added bonus to the already mind-meltingly bright album art). A little guitar squall never hurt anybody out in the clubs even if this particular ten-track club insists on using MIDI sequencers and programmed drum loops.

"Wolf Blitzer" appropriately ends this one on a relentlessly high note. So unlike when Hammy the Squirrel's sugar rush recedes and things resume their normal pace around him, Eats Tapes do not "ease out" of this one. Right to the end, their thumping 8-bit beats jar your eardrums and leave you with a ringing that's louder than any old school rotary phone. You'll be glad you picked it up if you haven't already.