Personalizer by Zach Phillips

Personalizer rounds out a trilogy of ZP cassettes released on Lillerne over the past three years. Like the previous two albums, Recorded in Heaven (2013) and Recorded in Hell (2014), Personalizer highlights Phillips’ ability to craft beautifully simple and original pop arrangements without reliance on the typical smoke and mirrors of post-production effects and the superfluous layers that mask subpar song craft. Full of intricately performed hooks and smart lyrics via both his own voice and chunks of tape-affected Appletalk poetics, Personalizer is yet another example of ZP’s original voice and ever-evolving mastery of the pop form. It’s refreshing to see somebody continue to make the best use of both the benefits and limitations of recording to tape. Buy this tape and play it ’til it falls apart. Edition of 75 pro-dubbed and imprinted chrome/high bias cassettes with double-sided, full-color art.