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(This page contains only Ars Phoenix's side of the cassette. Listen to Burnt Hair's side at
deadtankrecords.bandcamp.com )
deadtank.storenvy.com/products/12828700-ars-phoenix-burnt-hair-split-tape
This split cassette brings together two staples of the FL darkwave underground, Ars Phoenix (Vero Beach) and Burnt Hair (Jacksonville). With names that conjure images of fire and destruction, both bands share a white-hot intensity kept in check by a penchant for understatement. Balancing synth-driven noise and melody over hypnotically mechanical rhythms, Ars Phoenix and Burnt Hair stand but a few paces from the brink: the sound of chaos tempered by melancholy and quiet yearning.
BRAINWASHED.COM REVIEW: "Burnt Hair and Ars Phoenix both work with similar instrumentation but the final product differ drastically between the two. The latter makes for catchy, if a bit bleak, pop songs while the former is depressive, bedroom electronics, resulting in a wonderful combination of similarities and differences....The two halves of Shinju may differ in style, but pairing these two artists together makes for a diverse, yet still overall somber release. Burnt Hair's depressive bedroom synth sound hits the spot perfectly on those gray, overcast days, and like their previous album, Ars Phoenix's melodic and catchy sound continues to keep my attention, while still maintaining a sinister undercurrent that gives it significant depth."
THAT'S HOW KIDS DIE REVIEW: "Ars Phoenix’s side of the cassette sees them continuing to explore the sound they’d already damn near perfected with Violent Rain and yet they still find ways to up the ante; the pop sensibilities are sharper, the choruses are catchier, but these songs are also more ominous-sounding than anything found on the full length. Indeed, that aforementioned sinister vibe that ran just under the surface of Violent Rain is in full effect on Shinju, with songs like “Desiccation” and “Howling Man” sporting an alluring mix of dread and sensuality; this new material isn’t just darker and even more memorable, it’s downright seductive."
Jon Glover - vocals, guitar, Elektron Analog Four, Arturia Minibrute, Roland TR8, Roland SP404SX
Caitlin Ollinger - vocals, Arturia Microbrute, Yamaha CS1x
Mike Cruickshank - Elektron Analog Four, Akai Miniak, M-Audio Venom
Recorded, mixed, and produced by Jon Glover at the Phoenix Lair
Mastered for the web by James Plotkin at PlotkinWorks
Mastered for cassette tape by A-Z Audio
released April 24, 2015