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
he is amazing bro his style can not be touched....some people dont know what he is talking about caz u dont do what he does he is sickkk bra
by dylyn on Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 11.59 am from the entry: Wiz Khalifa: Burn After Rolling (Mixtape)
Wow,Great post.Thanks for sharing with us. land wi
by wisconsin land on Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 09.53 am from the entry: of Montreal + Gang Gang Dance - Orpheum Theatre (Boston, MA; Oct. 30, 2008)
Ugh. Paste’s profile of Free Energy made me kind of hate them. So does your review. It’s this unctuous defense of good-time rock-and-roll ("we’re just here to party, and we’re awesome!") that seems more self-serving than fun-loving.
by beth on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.41 pm from the entry: Foreign Born + Free Energy - The Knitting Factory (Brooklyn, NY; Mar. 12, 2010)
that inescapable feeling you are referring to, is that like when you hear something and you could have sworn you heard it before because of the nostalgic catchy quality? or is is like when you’ve heard a band exactly like said band?
great post by the way!
by paul on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 03.15 pm from the entry: The Novel Ideas - "The Sky Is A Field" - Borrow It
Whoa! I had no idea she was enegaged. You would never know with the way she behaves! Wow!
by art on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.48 am from the entry: Nikki Darlin and John McCauley: 1+1=1
This comment stream is so meta. Great review Kelly.
by chris on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 07.50 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
no prob. The whole album is excellent, combining some of the harder sonics of Los Angeles with the meat of his debut and obviously difficult to summarize in only 50 words… 
I’d say it’s on par with the debut, but better than Los Angeles.
by kelly on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.23 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
