Graveyards - Fuck Marks (Fag Tapes CS)

My never-ending quest to get a handle on Graveyards has inevitably led me to eBay, where I picked up this cassette at a decidedly non-eBay price. Actually it was one of those instances where I left a bid and completely forgot about it until I got an email saying I had won. Which can be a double-edged sword because a lot of times I bid on stuff and hope I lose so I won't have to actually pay anything but can at least say I tried. Don't ask, it's a psychological thing. Anyway...this tape comes in an edition of 77 and is in fact probably still available from various outlets but you'll have to check that out for yourself. Comes with a Xeroxed insert and the tape itself is spraypainted pastel purple. Nice!
"Fuck Marks" opens with some dusty clustered percussion feels and shortly thereafter a few drunken sax loops...I think there's also some kind of lo-fi electronics (probably courtesy John Olson, if it's anything like on "Unmarked Graves") that sound like globules shifting underwater and rain droplets connecting with exposed live wiring. Pretty soon Olson jumps back in with some near classical jazz/film noir lines and speaks in a tongue reminiscent of Steve Lacy circa "Paris Blues", although maybe that's just fresh in my mind since I was listening to it recently. Hmm..."Paris Blues for the Night People"? Why not.
The other, longer side demonstrates more chamber-style cabaret creep-outs with a constant metronomish clicking and sparse contributions from all three members. I think there's a touch of Wolf Eyes to be found here as somebody's wielding a reaper's gong, though I couldn't tell you if it was in fact Olson or perhaps Ben Hall since he's on the kit and all. There's certainly some tense vibes coming through loud and unclear from Hans Buetow's cello, and later on some raspy sax throat like dull withdrawals. The trio lapse into a set of heavy-thinking near-ambience as they're more than prone to do, all set to that perpetual clicking before the brass comes alve once more for a few brief gasps. Then Buetow jumps in as active as I've ever heard him play, working up a mild fever on the cello while the other two drop back to give him plenty of room to maneuver. Later on he and Olson engage in a nifty back-and-forth before all hands, legs and mouths are removed from the instruments and the tape runs dry.
I'd estimate the tape to be a bit under half an hour, all told. Personally this is one of the best Graveyards documents I've heard to date, up there with the aforementioned "Unmarked Graves" as top pick. I think Graveyards are perfect for the cassette format, or at least a format more condensed than a double LP or CD...but what do I know. Dammit Jim I'm a doctor, not a docto-oh wait yes of course!