The audio cassette had its heyday during the 1970s-90s, and seems like a slightly pathetic, if loveable, artefact looking at it today. However, there’s been something of a micro-revival recently, partly driven (as with vinyl) by a rejection of the faceless nature of digitally accessed recordings. Tombed Visions is a Manchester-based label that specialises in the mini reel-to-reels and they release a limited run of 100 albums by the Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist Colin Fisher. There’s no upgrade on the original experience of handling a tape, so those of a certain age can still savour the rattle of its archaic mechanism and the creeks when opening and closing the plastic case. But there’s certainly a good argument here for a reappraisal of its reputation for dodgy sonic quality; there’s a real body to the audio sound and no irritating tape hiss. On the first side Fisher, a one-man band specialising in effects-laden electric guitar and saxophone, mixes ambient electronica-warped guitar sonics with cosmic-jazz sax and an acoustic drum part that’s writhing with aggression rather than vibing on a love supreme. Flip the tape over and hear the energy levels ramped up in the spirit of the stormily spiritual-to-free jazz sax explorations of early Pharoah and Gato – then add to that some spasmodic analogue synth blurps and slides. Considering that Fisher obviously multi-tracked his parts, Garden of Unknowing sounds uncannily like real-time collective improvisation. The gradual build of intensity from track-to-track seals the deal.