In the early 80s, a loose, anonymous collective in Illinois began creating haunting experiments with decayed tape and field recordings. Still anonymous and almost completely unknown more than 30 years later, the group revisited their earliest sound sources and used them to fashion this new record. The resulting soundscapes are darkly beautiful, disorienting, suspenseful, lonely, and naturalistic at times. Perfect for a moody 2 AM walk, or as a soundtrack to a post-apocalyptic art film. RIYL The Caretaker, William Basinski, musique concrète, the sound of analog tape, hauntology generally. Favorites: 2, 4, 6. No FCCs.

1. (1:22)—Ominous bass drone. Tape of speech sped up and slowed down.
2. *(7:37)—Woozy keyboard, then murky bass and insect sounds. Cut-up speech, backmasked pinging noises. Like standing on a subway platform and hearing a train approach but never reach the station.
3. (4:07)—Grainy loop that sounds like the noise a turntable makes when the side has ended but no one’s stopped the needle.
4. *(11:43)—Warm, burbling, simmering drone. Desolate. Wind and distant foghorn noises. Whispering.
5. (6:43)—Backmasked, spastic ‘80s science video music, piano warped to unrecognizability. Cut-up dark retro synth drone.
6. *(9:30)—Intense. Speech looped into a chugging rhythm. Industrial refrigerator and power station drone. Turns into full-on rhythmic noise you could maybe dance to.
7. (5:00)—Arctic radio transmissions.
8. (6:00)—An avalanche happening a mile away. Lowing sounds. Bleak.
9. (15:47)—Skittering sounds, subtle warm drone. The skittering becomes sharper over time but doesn’t erupt into full noise. Bleeping sounds, trebly reversed tape.
10. (1:14)—Similar to track 1. Jarring, glitchy ending.