Pages tagged “tapes 'n tapes”

Both kinds of music: indie and rock

Blog-hype victims for a SXSW minute in 2006, Minneapolis’ Tapes ’N Tapes get to work on being a band on sophomore album Walk It Off. While retaining just enough self-subversion to make it sound properly indie (a voice crack here, a buried vocal there), they’re the sound of Stephen Malkmus and Isaac Brock’s spasmodically unique disaffection regularized into the pulse of modern alt-rock. “Demon Apple” is a demented blues march—Dave Fridmann’s spaciously psychedelic production framing singer Josh Grier’s promise (that “we will be in touch with time”) before a bridge leads to a thrashing coda. “Blunt” likewise builds to an explosion that owes as much to the Warped Tour’s descendents as the original Lollapa-losers. Satisfactions abound, even if Tapes ’N Tapes’ concept-free guitar hooks make them a bit hard to differentiate from other bands ’n bands.

Don't want to wait anymore for that new Tapes 'N Tapes record? Does April 8 seem just way too far away? Well, if you act fast, you can listen to a streaming version of Walk It Off until tomorrow! The stream, provided by the band to prepare fans for performances of the material at SXSW, will no longer be active as of 1 p.m. CST tomorrow (March 6), so go listen! (Just enter your email address into the blue box near the bottom of the screen.)

Tapes 'N Tapes also tacked on some new shows to their Walk It Off walkabout since the last time we mentioned, adding a European leg to the extensive North American trek.

More Tour 'N Tour:

May
27 - Dublin, Ireland @ Tripod (Story Bud Festival)
28 - London, UK @ The Garage
30 - Birmingham, UK @ Barfly
31 - Glasgow, Scotland @ Stereo

June
1 - Manchester, UK @ Club Academy
3 - Paris, France @ Nouvelle Casino
4 - Brussels, Belgium @ Recyclart
5 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
6 - Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Doornroosje
7 - Berlin, Germany @ Bang Bang Club
9 - Hamburg, Germany @ Logo
10 - Cologne, Germany @ Gebaeude 9

Related links:
TapesNTapes.com
Tapes 'N Tapes on MySpace
XLRecordings.com

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

We know that Walk It Off, Tapes 'N Tapes' highly-anticipated sophomore release, strides into stores April 8 via XL Recordings, but the record isn't the only thing on the march. The Minneapolis quartet (that's eight low-top-wearing, stomping feet) will be touring for over a month surrounding the street date, starting with an appearance at SXSW and concluding May 17 in Colorado. Walk It Off is the follow up to 2006's gush-worthy album, The Loon.

Tapes 'N Tapes ticket (say that 10 times fast) presale starts Feb. 15 through TapesNTapes.com, and regular sales start Feb. 22.

Tour 'N Tour:

March
16 - Austin, Texas @ SXSW

April
10 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ First Avenue
11 - Chicago, Ill. @ Metro
12 - Detroit, Mich. @ The Magic Stick
14 - Toronto, Ontario @ The Opera House
15 - Montreal, Quebec @ Cabaret Music Hall
16 - So. Burlington, Vt. @ Higher Ground Showcase Lounge
17 - Boston, Mass. @ Paradise Rock Club
18 - New York, N.Y. @ Fillmore New York-Irving Plaza
19 - Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
22 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ First Unitarian Church
23 - Washington, D.C. @ Nightclub 9:30
24 - Chapel Hill, N.C. @ Local 506
25 - Atlanta, Ga. @ The Earl
26 - St. Augustine, Fla. @ Cafe 11
28 - Orlando, Fla. @ The Social
30 - Birmingham, Ala. @ Bottletree

May
2 - Austin, Texas @ Antone's
3 - Denton, Texas @ Hailey's
6 - Tucson, Ariz. @ Club Congress
7 - San Diego, Calif. @ The Casbah
8 - West Hollywood, Calif. @ Troubadour
9 - West Hollywood, Calif. @ Troubadour
10 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Fillmore
12 - Eugene, Ore. @ W.O.W. Hall
13 - Vancouver, B. C. @ Richards on Richards
14 - Seattle, Wash. @ The Showbox
16 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ In The Venue
17 - Denver, Colo. @ Bluebird Theater

Related links:
TapesNTapes.com
Tapes 'N Tapes on MySpace
XLRecordings.com

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

You might recall a certain album called The Loon, a much buzzed-about 2006 release that rose to prominence through (allegedly) dubious methods. Well, can the gentlemen of Tapes 'n Tapes pull the aquatic bird out of their hats a second time? Therein lies the sophomore album dilemma: give the blog hounds what they want and face accusations of complacency, or strike out in an unexpected new direction?

To hear frontman Josh Grier tell it, don't expect anything too radical from his group for its sophomore release.

"We wanted to make a rock record, but there weren't any over-indulgences," Grier told Billboard.com. "There's no orchestral arrangements or anything."

Mercury Rev's David Fridmann handled the production, and having an actual budget gave Grier and his mates the luxury of playing at "a real studio." The group has completed 15 tracks from which the finished album will emerge. When the final package is ready, expect it in stores in the spring on XL Recordings.

Tapes 'n Tapes have scheduled a show at the Triple Rock Social Club in their native Minneapolis on Nov. 30. They'll preview some of that new material, along with the old songs that made them Internet darlings last year.

Related links:
TapesNTapes.com
Tapes 'n Tapes on MySpace
YouTube: Tapes 'n Tapes - "Insistor"

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.