Wastelanders – I: Total Desolation C90

Calls and Correspondence

Wastelanders is a solo side project by Dean Costello, who is also active in Harpoon, Diatribes, and Winters in Osaka. This is the project’s first release which was put out in 2010.

Side A kicks off with a post-rock styled solo guitar piece with slowly rotating strummed cords spiraling into oblivion. A quick cut to some randomized and/or granulated electronic fluttery tones is a touch awkward but adds some crucial variance. My only issue with this is that the music usually only consists of one layer of tones which makes things less memorable and quite simplified. After what I perceive to be the second track there is another awkward transition to an excerpt from an audio book which sounds like it could be some kind of sci-fi novel or ancient history. My guess is this is a recycled tape and it’s what was originally on the tape.

Side B appears to be blank at first but in fact the second half has more audio book based on “princes”.

What the release amounts to is basically 20 minutes of music, 60 minutes of audio book and 20 minutes of blank tape. I would have to say the music falls into pretty generic experimental/drone territory so if you’re a fan of this style of music check it out; or you may be able to skip this one with a clear conscience.

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