There's something slightly schizophrenic about Countach, The Cassettes' new album. The songs aren't so much composed as hammered together from utterly random cultural detritus: The Patrick Swayze film Black Dog, Navajo warriors, reptile people, Italian horror movie scores. Guitarist/vocalist Shelby Cinca--former member of spazz-core pioneers Frodus--describes Countach as "Choose Your Own Adventure" rock 'n' roll: a type of music where one page turn (or in this case, song break) can bring a disorienting shift in subject matter. Cinca helped lead The A.V. Club through The Cassettes' many digressions.
You are the leader of a Washington, D.C. band called The Cassettes and you are about to release your third album. If you want to release this record on an outdated, yet name-appropriate format, turn to page 46. If you're worried that cassettes are a dead technology, turn to page 19.
[Page 46]
Shelby Cinca: We always wanted to do a cassette, because of the name… I feel like CDs just get burned and then people throw them away or put them in their closet. Also, it fits our aesthetic: You're forced with the program. You can't skip around.
[Page 19]
SC: They also have an MP3 download card inside, in case people might not have cassette players. It's kind of a fun pack. There's cardboard, then a bag, the cassette, toys, the download card… If you were 12, you'd be really psyched. I like to think that if you were 30, you'd be really psyched.
You have begun to grow weary of dirigibles and robo-monocles. If you want to stretch the limits of traditional steampunk, turn to page 59. If you want to incorporate seemingly random elements into the record to avoid being pigeonholed, turn to page 14.
[Page 59]
SC: This record has more of what I actually think steampunk music should sound like. There's a lot more clanging, more metal. Maybe it's not steampunk-y in a role-playing-game, sci-fi sense--those people might be freaked out by it.
[Page 14]
SC: This one has a Lamborghini Countach, a helicopter, and an alien wizard man [on the cover]. It's a record that has some new-age-y channeling of our inner child… The last record there was a bunch of songs I wrote on my own. But this was all improvising, building something from the moment. It's really fun to not be confined by anything.
The tour for your previous record, 'Neath The Pale Moon, didn't go so well. If you think you should change your approach to songwriting, turn to page 31. If you'd rather believe that life's misfortunes are the result of conspiracies against you, turn to page 70.
[Page 31]
SC: It was a weird tour. We had some really bad shows where nobody was paying attention… When I was in Frodus in the '90s, [local] bands played last and they made sure everybody was there to see you. Now it's every man for himself. So now we just want to throw something out there that's crazy.
[Page 70]
SC: There was this guy David Icke, he was a reporter for BBC. He was like, "Fuck this, I quit," and started writing these books saying that we've been visited by reptilian aliens, that it's all part of grand conspiracy that's dumbing down and limiting humanity. I'd rather believe in something like that. It helps you deal with it when something weird happens. Like, if McCain becomes president you can just hate the snake and not the man.
The Cassettes have been offered a series of shows at various conventions. If you want to accept every offer you receive, turn to page 28. If you decide to draw the line somewhere, turn to page 74.
[Page 28]
SC: We're kind of getting into the events world: sci-fi conventions, comic book conventions, maybe the conspiracy theory convention… We played at Goddard Space Center for Yuri's Night. Then we were contacted by the city of Lancaster for an event. We've actually been contacted by steampunk conventions--they wanted us to play the White Mischief party, but it didn't work out.
[Page 74]
SC: We were even asked to play an atheist convention. We're always open to it, but the thing is [synth player] Stephen [Perron Guidry]'s Catholic and they had a comedy Jesus. That's not cool. They shouldn't be making fun. If it was just, "I believe in nothing," that would have been cool. But it's cooler to believe in aliens and parallel dimensions.
The title track to your new record is about a Navajo warrior but is named after a sports car. If you would like to offer an explanation for this unlikely juxtaposition, turn to page 90. If you'd prefer to leave it at that, turn to page 2.
[Page 90]
SC: It's about a [time-traveling] Navajo warrior coming back to now and everything is crazy. So he's like, "You gotta hit reset." It's a call to arms.
[Page 2]
SC: A Lamborghini Countach's a pretty sweet car. --Aaron Leitko
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