NEATLY KNOTTED – “Sore Throat City” cassette EP

Went over to Made Vintage a little while back and this tape piqued my curiosity.  Neatly Knotted lays down a lo-fi art/psychedelic take on underground rock using layers of cheap keyboards and a few effects.  Eschewing pop gloss or elaborate arrangements, the songs emerge with a moodiness that fits the darker tone of the music throughout the five songs, giving an outsider music quality to the EP in the process.  The minimalist approach and raw sound quality of Neatly Knotted’s music may put off those conditioned to more modern, produced “indie” music, but fans of outsider music and tweaked, dark pop-psych will find something interesting within these moody yet somehow intriguing lo-fi tunes.  I later found out you can get it on download but still want to give a shout out to those still into cassettes.   (BOONE)

(Download available from Yard and Gods.  For other information on getting the tape: neatlyknotted@gmail.com)