Somewhere between the realm of waking and sleep likes Xard and their dreams of the strange tower. Somewhere between the sound of dungeon synth and the haunting of dark ambient is Xard and their dreams of the strange tower. Xard is an odd entity as it the debut for the composer who goes by the name of the main human antagonist on the 1957 film Night of the Demon.” Dreams of the Strnage Tower is also dedicated to the memory of recently decreased Power Trip member Riley Gale. With a traditional DS sound combined with a hip low brow visual aesthetic, Xard exists in many realms at the same time and Dreams of the Strange Tower is a dungeon synth record that exists on the edge of many different scenes. For all of its transitive properties, the sound of Xard is fitting as it floats in the aether of emissions with its spectral sound and haze of ambiance.

“hand-dubbed, low quality small run of 5 tapes. a portion of proceeds will be donated to mutual aid funds. includes a bonus track. only shipping within the united states for now. really sorry about that – if you order from somewhere else, I’ll refund the money.”

Everything about this is charming. Moss Witch most certainly sold out to the 5 people who were lucky enough to get it and perhaps this will be one of the legendary tapes that circulate the DS market. Even in digital form, the debut demo from Moss Witch is a charming lo-fi stroll through blurred gardens that has all of its rough edges on display for people to marvel. From the obvious hand made quality of its physical medium to the sound of the composer hitting stop on the recording, Spells From The Ground and the Dirt is a 7 and a half minute view into a hazy greenhouse tended by a crone or hermit who loves their plants. I humorously enjoy the times when DS has small batch tapes but the charm of Moss Witch transcends any jokes I can make about 5 hand dubbed cassettes since the music is so magical and comforting.

Stop it Crypt Hop. Stop trying being a thing. If you keep trying, you are going to end up making a decent release. I have been wary of a new tag that has been affixed to releases Crypt Hop is the purported marriage between hip hop beats and the morose atmosphere of dungeon synth. For any people who remember and currently come into contact with dungeon rap, this combination isn’t the most intuitive. This is why I was wary about Poodle Knight and why I am ultimately reserving judgement for the whole style until more decent releases, like Brave The Darkness, are recorded. Does this release work? Yes. Why? I don’t know. If I would to hazard a guess it is first and foremost the irreverent aesthetic that comes emblazoned on the cover. Somewhere between camp and immersive fantasy is the tale of Poodle Knight, Slayer of the Wicked, and Protector of the Realm of Lzar and their quest to rid the land of evil. Brave The Darkness works as a experiment of itself with its sounds opposed to each other yet keeping the structure in place. It is an odd sounds that shouldnt work but for right now the tales of Poodle Knight sing through the technicolor darkness.