Welcome to a new segment I am generally going to call “Pairings.” In this segment people will be making recommendations to accompany one thing or another. In this first post we will have some of Colorado’s finest beers paired with some of it’s finest cassettes.

photo by Tom Pavlich

Patient Sounds (Intl) is a cassette and cd record label based out of Fort Collins, Colorado run by Matthew Sage. One of my cohorts at Mirror Universe Tapes turned me onto Patient Sounds by recommending M. Pyres’ Apart the Echo at the end of 2009,  I quickly mail ordered it, and I have been following the label ever since.  Matthew had seen some of my old beer posts, and we began to correspond about beer as much as music and that is what spawned this post/collaboration.  Matthew has excellent taste in music and beer. Here are some recommended drinkings while you listen to cassettes from the Patient Sounds catalog.

The next segment was written by Matthew Sage.

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I live in Fort Collins, Colorado…which some consider to be the microbrew capital of the world. Some of the biggest big dogs in the microbrew world call this city their home…and I have grown up thinking all beer is a delicious as our beer. This isn’t true. Colorado beer is incredible.

Tom asked me to compare or match some of the Patient Sounds tapes with Colorado beers…and I thought it was a great idea.
(disclaimer: I used to work at a ridiculous liquor store and was coached on “talking beer” so pardon all the jargon…)

gprecs personal Patient Sounds collection.

Lush Cola – Lush Cola // Left Hand – Milk Stout (Longmont, CO)
This tape, recorded long before Tim Perry’s run with the now legendary Weed Diamond, is a truly beautiful, dark, languid collection of broken bedroom pop. The vibe is totally creamy. Hints of vanilla swirl in the blackness. The flavor is deep and rich, but not overwhelming. Totally malty, but not too dense. Look for bottles with nitro…for that extra lush flavor. In all honestly, this Milk Stout is one of my all time favorite beers, and this tape is one of my all time favorite PS releases. I’ve heard of people making Milk Stout floats…I haven’t tried this myself, but could see it being incredible.

M. Pyres & The Skygaze Family Band – Apart the Echo// New Belgium – Sunshine (in cans) (Fort Collins, CO)
This album was mainly recorded by Jared (A.M. Pleasure Assassins) and I in this tiny little half-bedroom to cassette 4-track during an especially hot Colorado summer. At this time, the band was playing as a five-piece live (two drummers, two guitars, and an extra singer) and we were practicing in this hot little room with no fans. One of the most agreeable ways for a cool down is a Sunshine in a can. It is easy drinking…not too heavy. Stellar with a twist of orange. Or pour some in with OJ and drink a Sundriver. Any time I have Sunshine in a can it makes me think of that summer and this tape.

Smelly Magic – the 2nd Combing // Great Divide - Smoked Baltic Porter (Denver, CO)
The first Smelly Magic recording session happened early on a weekday…around noon. Jared, Matt W. and I shared a bomber of this baltic porter and some serious noisy super deep tribal noodling occurred. We never really properly released that first recording, but I feel the same beer pairs nicely with our proper LP. The nose is deep. The flavory is smokey but sweetness peeks through and breaks the heavy silence as it swirls the tongue. It is a strong brew, but not enough to knock you down. Unlock your knees, take a drink and dig down in the basement.

Spires – Spires EP / Funkwerks – Saison (Fort Collins, CO)
Hops is like a generic kill-joy of microbrews in my opinion. Instead of super “lo-fi” or “chillwave” or “shoegaze” music, some breweries are overloading their beers with hops as a selling factor. I, for one, am not a huge fan of extremely hoppy beers, as I am not a fan of extremely “lo-fi” music. The stuff that is interesting to me is when these elements are incorporated into something to make it feel fresh or properly considered. This EP was parsed over, picked at, and painstakingly produced to channel shoegaze predecessors but feel new. Four perfect pop numbers. These tracks are easy to down, and lighten the air. Saisons are one of my favorite beers right now, and I feel the complex hop mixes well with the light malts and citrus and make for a tasty brew.

Recombinants – WHITE/BOYS / Oskar Blues – Ten Fidy (Lyons, CO)
I mainly draw this comparison because both the tape and the beer are overwhelming…but having a satisfying finish. I remember this recording process being stricken with anxiety. Listening to devastated loops of beach boys and barry white records over and over really numb the brain. As does this massive imperial stout. Sure it smells like beer…as Recombinants sounds like music. But upon closer inspection, you notice something is off in a delightful way. The beer pours thick, holds no light, looks like motor oil or a black hole in a glass…and smells like chocolate cake. Upon consumption of one glass (at 10.50% ABV) one will notice a serious change in their temperament…and their penchant for nodding their head to avant-garde turned rap music will increase dramatically.

(for more info on cassettes or beers please click on their respective names)

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Matthew Sage is an ever prolific musician with many monikers. He was one of the men behind Patient Sounds first release M. Pyres & the Skygaze Family Band,  releases solo recordings under the name Wellington Downs (which got props from Altered Zones), and is now putting forth his efforts in Kick Majestic.  Kick Majestic has played shows with Mount Eerie, Point Junture, WA, and just released their first full length, Deepest Reaches / Alpine Trenches, earlier this year.  Kick Majestic brings to mind the 90s, but closer akin to Rick Froberg and John Reis rather than Steve Malkmus or Eric Bachman.  Enjoy a full stream of the new album:

All Patient Sounds releases are done in limited runs of 50 to 100 copies, and come with a digital download.  You can pick up Deepest Reaches / Alpine Trenches (and the releases above) from Patient Sounds (Intl).