Loon

Tapes 'n Tapes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 25, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Xl Recordings
• ASIN: B000FUF87U
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,072 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Just Drums

2. The Iliad

3. Insistor

4. Crazy Eights

5. In Houston

6. Manitoba

7. Cowbell

8. 10 Gallon Ascots

9. Omaha

10. Buckle

11. Jakov's Suite

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars not a single wasted note, May 10, 2007

By 

Ann Lewis (CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Loon (Audio CD)

The Loon swings into full blast on the ironically named Just Drums with a swinging guitar riff, driving drums, and stylishly EQed anthem vocals. This energy never wanes throughout the album. All the songs are strong, and flow thoughtfully into each other. Tapes 'n Tapes never fails to bring maximum energy, and this is especially evident at their live shows.

The songs are melodic, hard-driving, and not a single note is wasted in the delicate yet aggressive balance between keys, guitar, bass, and drums. The musicianship is strong all the way around, but the drummer shines especially, with his virtuosic yet nonchalant style. The guitar and drums take turns defining and then bending around each song's rhythm.

The album weaves together indie rock, early 90s hard rock, post-ska, and a little bit of alt-country (Insistor), but this is not a band you can simply define in terms of other bands or other sounds. They build a sound that is all their own. The very last song, Jakov's Suite, is a melancholy anthem taking the album out with everything it has to offer: driving energy, intensely contrasting guitar tones, surprisingly musically mature chord changes and song structure, all culminating in the sad and soaring moan: "You don't move, you don't move, when you don't move, you don't move away!"

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good CD, October 3, 2006

By 

Wade Raymer "musicismath" (Toronto) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loon (Audio CD)

Probably doesn't deserve the 5 stars I gave it. But I wanted to counter the 1 star it had from that other guy cause it certainly deserved more than that. I overdosed pretty quickly on this CD. It's not Pavement meets Beach Boys. Those are better. But it got stuck in my head. There is an energy to it that reminds me of Arcade Fire (even if the music isn't quite the same). Omaha, Manitoba, Insistor are the songs that stand out to me.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From Minnesota The Looney Buzz Rises, October 17, 2009

By 

M. Swinney "Marc My Words" (Flower Mound, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loon (Audio CD)

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