Shepherds – “Bushbabies ” – [Dnt Records]

Thurston Hunger   8/12/2008   7-inch, A Library

Shepherds on this are a two piece featuring Jeremy Earl (drums)
from Meneguar and Gabriel Lucas Crane (tapes) from the
Vanishing Voice. The tape strafing includes a forlorn trumpet
soundling like a far-off mastodon stuck in a tar pit. It is
more prominent on the A-side, although recurs on the B-side
which is just the split of one long piece it seems. That
trumpet sample really builds the pillar that this is build
on. Drummer Earl keeps a pounding charge going, so he’s the
contrasting stampede to the stuck mastodon. For some reason
I was hoping this actually had a live trumpeteer doing the
honors, not sure that it matters. For an improv approach,
these two are not far off the !!! recesses of the disco
thanks to Earl’s skin crumpling, It’s got a beat and it’s
got a bent thanks to Crane’s cassette crumplets dropped on
top.

-Thurston Hunger