Search - Tapes N Tapes :: Loon

Excellent

Rob | Cincinnati, OH | 07/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great album. The Pixies/Pavement/Modest Mouse comparisons are deserved but a little shallow. (I love those bands, but am sick of the pigeon-holing). The lyrics are cryptic, weird, and passionate. The production is low-fi, but works well with the general aesthetic of the recording. Nice mixture of sounds--a twinkling keyboard here, a few chimes there--to balance out the garage tones. The best part of the album is the composition of the songs--great melodies and enough left-turns to keep things interesting.



I'm not sure why some reviewers say that this recording is rough around the edges; the band is incredibly tight. I think a lot of them have confused the musicianship of the band with production values. The songs could hardly be played better, or with more energy.



The highlights: Insistor, In Houston, Manitoba and Omaha aren't let down by the album's less conspicuous tracks. The rockabilly-driven Insistor blends well into the trippy Crazy Eights instrumental. The western swing of 10 Gallon Ascots plays well with the melancholy of Omaha. This is a very well constructed and inspired album. It will be compared to Murmur and Slanted and Enchanted when more people hear it."

From Minnesota The Looney Buzz Rises

M. Swinney | Flower Mound, TX | 10/17/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Round about 2005, 2006 Tapes N Tapes was on the keyboards of internet musical bloggers everywhere and their album "Loon" is what folks were raving on about. Was it worth it? Has it stood up to the test of 3 odd years? Listening to it now, I'd have to say there's plenty of good music to be had behind the buzz. It's all very Modest Mouse-ish and zany shout alongs with tight jumping almost nervous music to move it along.



The highlights, of which there are a few, for me is this little track 3 number, "The Insistor." Lead singer Josh Grier and backing band vocals intone, "And when you rush I'll call your name like Harvard Square holds all inane and don't you know I'll be your badger and don't be terse and don't be shy. Just hug my lips and say good lies and know that I will be your bail bond. Mickey the ol' lithper said hey there hey mister my cold razor's edge will meet you in the light. When you go and you're on stage Is your heart still filled with rage?" I'm the guy that pays attention to lyrics and how they are written. I really like the "Harvard Square hold all inane," and the oh so funny, "Mickey the ol' lithper," 'cuz you know, he's got a lisp and then the Tapes are singing it with a lisp. Good humor in a great song. For some reason the Violent Femmes comes to mind listening to this song.



And then there's the deceptively initially quiet and brooding "10 dollar ascots," track 8. It starts with a simple slow bass line and then layers a simple unfuzzed guitar lilting along on the top of it. Snares and top hat kick in for a bouncing jazzy number. The singing starts smokey lounge smooth, "Ten gallon ascots and booze on your shirt I'll come to dinner and fight off the flirts. I know I know of wash away weekends they leave me cold so cold so cold..." and with that you are suckered in to thinking oh another slow slightly boring atmospheric song. And then the big reveal, the big fuzzed out guitars start getting all chunky on you and then we have Pixies like angry screaming, "Your hats they long of range they've sung file out at night

shock steers with fright the show the drone the talk the call the need the snow I'll show you home." And you check your MP3 to see if Frank Black isn't making a guest appearance but nope, its the Tapes. If I was Canadian, I'd be asking, "What's that aboot?," but I'm not so I just say, very nicely done Tapes N Tapes.



And maybe there's the most likely radio/download hit, the bouncy guitar chop of track 1, "Just Drums." Here we get some nervous edgy jangly high vocals in the stanzas mixed in with some type of radio static like spoken voiceovers. Interesting little song. And then Tapes N Tapes cuts it down to the simple guitar drums repetitive axe chop single note hardness. Along the way there's a drum solo fill that gives away to an understated bassline. And just as they've deconstructed the song, it builds back up to a nice crazy crescendo. "Come to me in metaphor. We've met before and I was all in spades.) Reeling in fog. Kneeling in fog. Reeling in fog. I've been really better under lock." So very interesting.



This will be a band to keep your ears open for for some time to come. Great album and they are just getting started. --mmw"