It seems to me like Mike Nigro is everywhere lately, but then again I might just know where to look more than most (i.e.: 2 AM Tapes, Nigro’s own Oxtail label, etc.) for tape-ists with the ability to drop multiple morsels without drop-offs in quality. Mental Thaw, Nigro’s latest, betrays a restless, caffeinated sensibility, hyper-synth sequences and little match-scratches flaring out over bubbly bass. Or at least that’s the case with the first of Mental Thaw’s two tracks, “Cyprus”; “Reverse Telecine” fits into more of a drone phylum. It could represent a plane lifting above clouds, digital insects crawling in your ear or the sounds you hear when you finally walk through the tunnel of death (scary to think we’ll all do it someday, no?) … What’s most important is taking the journey and allowing Nigro to seep into your head over the full 30 minutes. If you do, you’ll see the details are less important than the ride.
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