The Rainbow Pyramid cassette label specializes in music that is devotional, spiritual, and incense-laden. Titles reference lotus flowers, floating gardens and cosmic rays; one has come to expect a certain vibe, a certain musical tone. But BABEXO‘s Lonely Life in Neon Lights is a game changer. Those who think they know the label should listen again, as this may be their finest release to date. It’s amazing to discover that only 24 copies exist, but after they’re gone, only can always download the digital copy and tape it: a little bit like cheating, but a worthy way to honor the real thing.
Fortunately, even the digital copy contains tape hiss. In one instance, this hiss even sounds like the whistle of a tea kettle (the beginning of “Say Bye Bye”). This homespun charm lies at the heart of the EP; it’s easy to imagine Vyvyan Colonna sitting in a home in Rome, setting these sounds to tape. And who knows? Maybe that is a real tea kettle. Maybe the tea steeps between takes. And maybe the tea makes the lonely life seem a little less lonely.
The tone of the release honors the name of the tape. One thinks of nature’s modern boundary, the populated area in which the night skies are obscured by artificial light. Artificial illumination often steals joy from those illuminated, as natural light aids the production of melanin and Vitamin D, combats seasonal affective disorder and lifts the mood. In related fashion, the neon light connotes activity, companionship, fun; and when such things do not occur, the lonely resident beneath such lights feels doubly lonely. BABEXO relays these feelings though tendrils of synth and soft strums, distant bell tones and programmed drums. “Trop” sounds like a beckoning circus without a troupe; “A Space Journey” sounds like a pigeon who dreams of being a satellite. Every track bleeds a sense of subdued yearning, a reduction of hope, an adjustment to current circumstances. And yet, below the surface lies a belief that somewhere things are better.
The title track, divided into two parts, fills half of the cassette. The second part presents the EP’s warmest sound: outdoor birds, seemingly happy, calling out to one another. Subtitled “Tropical Daze”, this piece presents moments of clarity, wearing synthetic fibers on an ivory coat. The heart beats beneath the neon light, and no amount of glare can completely subdue it. (Richard Allen)
Available here (source) and here (if sold out at source).
a closer listen 