Tape Tuesday: First Three Tapes From Local Label Family Audio Recordings (Leisure Birds outstanding Library Music CS ‘Zoom Lens’ and New Music From Old Moon & Lighted Zones)

by josh keller · February 13, 2019

I had not heard of Family Audio Recordings until I saw the very exciting news last month that they were releasing the first physical copies of Zoom Lens, the outstanding Leisure Birds 2016 record they made of library music. (Read our initial review HERE.)

The record was floating around online, but at the time of its release it was said to not ever be available for purchase. It still isn’t streaming online, so you’ll have to take my word, but it is in many ways a culmination of the bands blending of pysch guitar rock and spaced-out electronics. When I saw the album was being sold on CS, I dug a bit deeper into the local label putting it out, Family Audio Recordings. It became clear that the label was run by and houses many familiar local artists.

The two other releases currently out are Eastern Migrations by Lighted Zone and a self-titled release by Old Moon. Both are streaming below for preview and available at the FAR website. Lighted Sounds is a “songwriting collective” that includes familiar names Cory Carlson, Jason Edmonds, Alex Achen and Chris Rose. If those names mean anything to you, you’ll have a good guess at the spacey, melodic psych-rock the group untangles on their CS. The sound of the record jumps around, but at its heart it is smart collection of burnt soul jams with an eye towards the mystic. Old Moon has a bit more of a mellow vibe, with warm melodics and swirling sonic palettes. Where Lighted Zone feel earthly expansive, Old Moon feels like it is floating out in the ether. Both of these tapes are highlight recommended to anyone who liked the now reissued Leisure Birds tape and for fans of heady psych rock in general.

Not sure what the future holds for Family Audio Recordings, but their first three tapes are really great and I’ll be keeping an eye out for future releases. You can find out more and buy the tapes at the FAR website.