by Tim Draut
Ohio’s Jordan Lee has proven to be a kind spirited man of many talents. Not only does he run a music blog and his own label called Kassette Klub, he also records deeply emotional, experimental folk-pop under the name Mutual Benefit. He released his first cassette, called Figure In Black, back in December of last year. Each side of the tape features a continuous collage of gentle pop songs, experimental noise, and psychedelic samples.
A couple of songs that were included on these early recordings made their way onto his Drifting EP, which was released digitally in April. In October, he released another short album called Spider Heaven and issued both of these releases together on one cassette. Each cassette sleeve features a unique handmade collage crafted from thrift store children’s books, obscure comics, and vintage National Geographic magazines, making each individual cassette a true work of art.
On this release, Jordan builds from the experimental pop sound he established on Figure In Black and refines it to a concise expression of pure emotion. The opening song, called “Here,” is an elegant piece of folk-pop with subtle swirls of psychedelic synths backing Jordan’s acoustic guitar plucking and sweet, sentimental vocals.
