Blend - "Blend" Cassette Tape Review!!

It's now time for our 147th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, but in this case, it's not a CD at all... rather, a cassette tape, as we're looking at defunct local grunge/alternative trio Blend's self-titled album from way back in 1994! This band is way before my time (I was 4 or 5 when this tape came out), so I apologize for any gaps in knowledge about them or their lineup. I bought this tape a while back at Value Village, and after realizing that Blend had a drummer (Chris Johns of The Rising Tide and Jonesy Land) who is still actively performing locally, I held this one to tie in with a gig of his in the same month, and lo & behold, he drummed with Frank Deresti & The Lake Effect at The Northern Lights Festival Boréal in Sudbury a couple of weeks ago. Blend are represented here by Chris on drums alongside guitarist Dave Moss & ex-Spigots bassist Frank Guidoccio, who you may recognize from Toronto's The Order Of Good Cheer. Dave & Chris split lead vocal duties on this tape.

"Blend" was self-produced with assistance from Joey Spennino, but it was recorded at the long lamented Satellite Sound Studios with Bob McLeod engineering the project. Copies are obviously long out print (this tape was released independently 27 years ago), but I did post it to our YouTube channel if you want to hear all 7 songs in one video. Admittedly, my audio capture setup was having issues (only one stereo track was recording at a time, with one always running 3 seconds fast no matter what I did), so I had more work to do in Audacity to re-combine the tracks and reduce tape hiss. I didn't hear any obvious issues with the final product, but I apologize if something sounds off, and remember, this is an indie cassette tape. Of course, no copyright infringement is intended, all credit goes to the members of Blend for their hard work! With seven tracks running for about 23 minutes in length, let's begin this review with the opening song!

Side A opens with the tape's shortest song, the self-titled "Blend", which has an up tempo punk base with grungier melodic vocals that would likely have pleased fans of both genres at the time! Chris' drumming comes through well in the recording, and the guys seem to have good chemistry, but it almost feels too short, like they left out a verse and shortened the bridge. Solid hybrid sound to kick the tape off, and it isn't too dated to 1994 either! Next is "Relieve", which is a longer and slower number whose guitar riff is giving me serious "Grace, Too" vibes, though I doubt that's intentional. Dave uses his vocals well at a lower, smooth register on this song, almost giving the lyrics a dream-like quality, and it's an oddly relaxing yet dark song with solid bass throughout. I prefer the opener, but this song does show some early diversity from Blend that is good to see!

Third up is "Nobody", which opens right away with a distinctive drum beat and a more reserved, mid-tempo sound that makes good use of harmonized vocals from the guys, which thankfully ramp up in the choruses, as the song kinda meanders at it's initial pace throughout, almost like white noise. The music finally diverts after the second chorus when Dave lays into a short guitar solo, but if it wasn't for the chorus vocals and the drumming, this song wouldn't have much going for it for me. The last song on Side A is also the longest song on offer, namely "Joanna", which is heavier and more melodic musically, but contrasts with repetitive lyrics where Joanna's name is recited way too much, let alone at a scratchier register (I believe this is Frank's first appearance as the solo lead vocalist on this album).

In spite of a bouncy bridge and a brief drum showcase by Chris, this song relies too heavily on saying Joanna's name quietly, but the music itself is lively and gets Blend back on track in that regard! Side B kicks off with "Home", a fun grunge rocker that reminds me of a more cheerful Nirvana, if that makes any sense. Frank appears to be singing lead on this song too, and this is a stronger, livelier use of his voice that calls to mind his later Toronto band work (in spirit, if not in genre). Both sides start strongly and help straddle the punk line in an important year for that genre's rebirth! The penultimate song on "Blend" is "Why You", which sees Dave return to lead vocals on a number that feels very Collective Soul-esque, thusly making use of his deeper register to good effect on the otherwise quiet verses. The choruses, on the other hand, are way too repetitive, just reciting the chorus over and over.

The bridge after the second chorus, however, is fast paced and energetic from all accounts, and I'm sure that could entice a live mosh pit while it lasts! I mean the last part, as the song just ends with a fade-out afterwards, which felt way too sudden, and it couldn't have been to save space on the tape, as Side B only has 3 songs! Well done track while it lasted, but "Why You" felt incomplete. The tape ends with "Bother", and like with "Relieve", I have a major Tragically Hip vibe here, this time reminding me of "Blow At High Dough" instrumentally. Chris' faster drumming and Frank's raspy vocals take us down a different path. More of a mid-tempo rocker, it's solid enough to end the album with, especially with the trippy guitar effects in the fade-out, but for me, Blend were at their best on faster and heavier numbers.

So, what are my final thoughts on Blend's self-titled cassette tape? Overall, it's a fun release that showcases good diversity for a band of their age in an important year for music, but there was growth to be had. I don't know if Blend put out any more albums, but the building blocks were here, and all three guys showed solid skill on this tape, with Dave supplying solid guitar riffs & melodies, Frank's bass work being nice and audible despite the age and format, and Chris' drumming had a lot of distinct patterns and rhythms throughout! Vocally, I think Dave's smoother baritone fit their slower and softer songs better, whereas Frank's higher and raspier tones suited more up-tempo music, but in both cases, they didn't pigeon-hole themselves. By not sticking to one base sound, Blend dabbled in various rock subgenres to good effect, especially on their side-opening grunge/punk tracks!

I get the sense that Blend may have been more of a punk band had they launched when that scene had it's boom period later in the 1990s, but they were on their way here, albeit with issues I'd have addressed. Beyond matching the vocalists to sounds they suited, repetitive choruses were very unfortunate (as in "Why You" & "Joanna"), I'd have liked to have heard more than one brief guitar solo, "Nobody" didn't have much going on musically for my liking, and "Why You" again ended too abruptly. Given the age, there's little point nitpicking the production value, but for an indie tape from 1994, the sound quality is perfectly fine, and it helped that they recorded this at Satellite Sound. I mostly liked what Blend had to offer here for a debut effort, and while Frank and Chris have moved on to bigger and better things since, definitely give "Blend" a listen above and below for an entertaining local throwback!

I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, but what are we looking at on the site next month? At this juncture, I have nothing concrete in mind, but definitely look for hints in our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post scheduled for Saturday! If no major new metal, hard rock, or punk albums are released from local acts that I have access to in October, we'll dip into the archives, though if Treble Charger, Molten Imp, Late & Loud, or The Inner City Surfers happen to put anything out, they'd be held for after their respective 6 month anti-bias buffer periods conclude. I'll keep you guys posted in any event, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site as we slowly close out the month of September! Thanks everyone!