The latest tape from native Vermonter Son Of Salami is just what we’ve come to expect of this top pop freakazoid: fun, bizarre and totally sick. As always the songwriting here is of the highest caliber, obscured by the kind of fuzz and crud our wild minds desire. What makes this tape a step in a new direction for Salami is the overall darker, end of the world vibe. In the past his twisted up tape manipulation has always been put to a more light hearted and uplifting use, but with songs like Kill Mother Nature and The World Is Shit it seems like Joey Pizza Slice is really getting real. Ironically the pessimistic outlook somehow makes for more mature content, talking about how bleak the world really is rather than just distracting ourselves with pizza and cigarettes. In two words this tape is beautiful and disturbed. His muddled tape sound and pretty, synth/keyboard capture is just exquisite and done only the way Son of Salami can. There’s guitar all over Santava Nights too which I can’t remember hearing in his previous stuff. Love to hear this dude branch out into 6 string (or however many are still hanging on) territory. Seems like Joey can literally take any fucked up object in sight and craft its audio quality (no matter how meager) into an iconic pop song. Never miss an opportunity to see him do his thing live, his next hit song might be the one that materializes right before your eyes, in front of a basement full of weirdos.  Cassette on Goaty Tapes.