Spokenest - Destroy, Gone, Listen, Lose [Cassette] (Cover Artwork)
Staff Review

Spokenest

Destroy, Gone, Listen, Lose [Cassette] (2013)

Self-Released


I've got an Antisect t-shirt which has the words "Motivate – Agitate – Innovate - Deviate" on it. I now want a Spokenest shirt featuring the words "Destroy – Gone – Listen - Lose." Ok, maybe they lack the positive message that my actual shirt has, but I still reckon it would be a good one to wear.

Spokenest is a two piece hailing from Los Angeles. Adrian Tunney hits the hell out a drum kit and sings, whilst her partner in crime and husband Daryl Gussin hits the hell out of a guitar and sings. It's a really primitive set up, one which is totally devoid of any airs and graces, being as it is, quite an instinctive and immediate output. That's not to say that this is the result of a rushed five-minute conversation between the two ahead of taking their positions and knocking out approximately seven minutes of music. No, there's obviously thought here and with such a basic approach there needs to be to ensure that the four tracks can be differentiated, and that is certainly the case here.

Musically it's of the lo-fi variety, and it could well be described as being the musical equivalent of "Itchy and Scratchy," as the guitar, drums and vocals all seems to be competing for a place up front in the mix, with quite the battle ensuing. There is a harmonious result though in that all aspects eventually sit nicely alongside each other, and the listener will also be able to find some melodic moments that peak their heads out of the melee created by the duo.

Tunney and Gussin's vocals are very different to each other, with the former not averse to sounding like a banshee at times whilst the latter has a much more lower tone in his generally laid-back way of singing/shouting. This works extremely well in the short opening call and response stage of "Gone" (something they used with similar success on the band's debut 12-inch) and this is the song that really works me up into a lather even though "Listen" keeps my tizzy-like state up too, despite it probably being the least frenetic track of the four. This is a feisty follow up to last year's 12-inch and it's one that's even worth dipping into the retro world of cassettes for.

There were only 100 copies of this cassette made and two of them came my way so that means that at best 98 remain, so act fast!