Tapes ‘N Tapes + White Denim - Paradise Rock Club (Boston, MA; Apr. 17, 2008)

With two solid records under their belt, The Loon (2005) and Walk it Off (2008), Tapes n’ Tapes played with maturity and confidence at the Paradise Lounge. This was especially evident after the opening band, White Denim, riffed for an hour with inconsistent tempos and directionless jams. But Tapes didn’t need a setup act. Drummer Jeremy Hanson’s precise articulation alone was enough to convey the careful attention that goes into their music.

Tapes n’ Tapes played with the bare minimum of pauses and very little stage banter. They opened the set without acknowledging the audience and instead jumped straight into “Jakovi’s Suite,” from The Loon, which is entirely instrumental for the first two and a half minutes. The unconventional opening gave the impression that they were there only to play music.

All respect to their no-bullshit attitude, but I wanted more from this band—an arc, a narrative, something beyond a collection of good songs. The majority of the songs in the set of eighteen were played without variation from the album. The exceptions—extended sections and minor variations in delivery on a couple songs—rounded out the performance, but felt more calculated than expressive.

They could have been more reckless or experimental, perhaps played with the tempo, crescendoed to an unbearable climax: anything that would have given the audience the feeling of being taken on a journey.

On Walk it Off they achieved this in “Demon Apple” (with which they wisely chose to close the performance) by gradually adjusting the tempo and adding additional voices as the song moved toward a climax. Many of their other songs seemed to rely on the presence or absence of white noise to achieve a peak sound. It’s almost as if they were trying so hard not to be emo that they left out emotion altogether.

Despite this short-coming, Tapes n’ Tapes were worth seeing live. The richer, more epic tracks such as “Le Ruse,” “The Dirty Dirty,” “Demon Apple,” and “Hang Them All” benefited greatly from a full live sound that just isn’t the same on my headphones. Their control and precision was impeccable, and though they didn’t let loose a hundred percent, I still left the theatre punching the air saying, “Hell yeah.” Maybe next time, they’ll get a “Fuck yeah.”

Set List
01—Jakovis Suite—The Loon
02—George Michael—Walk It Off
03—Conquest—Walk It Off
04—Le Ruse—Walk It Off
05—Time of Songs—Walk It Off
06—Headshock—Walk It Off
07—Blunt—Walk It Off
08—10 Dollar Ascots—The Lune
09—Just Drums—The Lune
10—Manitoba—The Lune
11—Cowbell—The Lune
12—In Houston—The Lune
13—Say Back Something—Walk It Off
14—Omaha—The Lune
15—The Dirty Dirty—Walk It Off
16—Insistor—The Loon
17—Hang Them All—Walk It Off
18—Demon Apple—Walk It Off

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