This clutch of cassette melting pop
nuggets is a snapshot from fifteen
years ago, so many days.
The TashMints were one of those
seamless things, bursting from The
Tote in Collingwood, Calle D’Avinyo in
Barcelona, downtown Tokyo, and a
coterie of Melbourne bands – The
Meanies, Mach Pelican, High Pass
Filter, Bindi, the Crusaders and The
Breadmakers.
The first sprout came from the
blossoming friendship between Dico
and Link as they flapped about in a
whirlwind musical crush. These are the
things that happen. Link wrote the
songs, Dico rounded us up, and
amidst parties resplendent with nudity,
snails, and telefonica, we charged
around Melbourne, our own roving rock
n roll garden party, oozing garage
charm smeared with Link’s trademark
pop sensibility.
These tunes were recorded across two
sessions in 2009 by Mikey Young,
(Green Mind, Total Control). He lugged
his reel to reel up the shaky double
flight of stairs to the Cobra Bar, twice,
one Winter, one Spring, where we kept
it light on takes with endless ciggies on
the fire escape. The splendid Beluga
Records have now made these times a
thing to listen to, wrapped by Sora’s
watercolour.
Records like this aren’t hidden
treasures reclaimed. They’re a bunch of
links, friendships after dark, shoulders
held, drinks mixed, lock ins, sake
bombs, Lea Novas behind toilet doors.
Listen to it as a braid, ideas on ideas,
what happens when friendships swell
into song, lightly touch, then fade