Customer Reviews

Up a Tree

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was blessed with the opportunity to see Looper perform live last night in Hoboken, NJ. They are currently touring with the Flaming Lips, and stopped by Maxwell's on their night off. Being a huge fan of Belle and Sebastian, I got turned on to Looper from there. I have to say, they're two completely diffrent musical directions altogether. Looper melds techno-rhythms with organic bass and other-worldy samples and keyboards. Stuart, the brains behind most of it all, sings over some tracks, recites personal poetry over others, and lets the music speak for itself on the rest. The live perfomance was enhanced by a projection screen displaying various semi-random images, pieced together by band member Karn. It was amazing to watch them pull it off live, as the samples and pattern changes seemed difficult to perform live to me. They were effortless when they played, and seemed to really have a good time. Looper puts off this really pleasant vibe when they play, it warms you up a little. To top it all off, as Looper left the stage, I got Stuart David to autograph my CD, as well as Karn and Evil Bob, Looper's guest saxophonist. They were extremely friendly, no attitudes at all. Actually, much like their music, their personalities consisted of tons of integrity masked in humbleness. Buy "Up a Tree", then pick up Looper's new album, "The Geometrid", when it is released on May 9th.

Hey, Looper has my spine a-tingle. Having been only variously turned up by Belle and Sebastian, but falling nuts over the single "Up A Tree Again", I bought this album almost on a whim. It's not all like "Tree", but it definitely is worth the purchase! "Dave the Moonman" had me leaping, and "Columbo's Car" had me laughing, while "Impossible Things" had me dreaming. The only greyish spot is "The Ballad of Ray Suzuki", which shows why this ain't all a techno showcase - they just aren't that good at it. "Up A Tree Again" blows the whole lot away though, and should be scooped simply for the pleasant buildup to that baby.

Belle and Sebastian bassist Stuart David has finally released his first full length solo album after releasing a handful of singles through Sub Pop's seven inch Singles Club. With the help of his wife and brother, David put together a collection of home recordings that range from amazing to zany. Most of the album's recordings feature loud synthesizer with dialog, passages from Charles Bukowski novels and David's own narratives spoken over the top with his thick Scottish accent. Some songs, such as the opening track, "Treehouse," features David's young son singing in the back ground. The best song, by far, is the self-titled track "Looper." It mixes prerecorded noises, synthesized voices and a plethora of instruments. Although Up a Tree is fun to listen to, it doesn't bare any relation to David's Belle and Sebastian work. His innovations are interesting and have made creative use of his home recording resources

The album is in a word, adorable. In everyway, from the first track that is a loop of little kids talking about a treehouse, to the story of how Looper came to be (Stuart and KARN writing letters for seven years, THEN they hold hands for the first time) to the sequal of the first track with more little kids. One downside could be seen as the fact that they use the same loop many times through the same album. The first track is an introduction of things to come, because the little tune goes throughout the album. But it works very well, and really sets a theme for the album, being the treehouse. This album deserves no credit for being one of the best albums ever to come out, it's not any proof of Stuart Davids musical talent. It is just cute. There is nothing wrong with that, becuase it is VERY cute. Good music to put a smile on your face. Perfect for the sentimental at heart.

Now here is a little gem of a CD that is at once playful and melancholy. A grab bag of musical style each track is filled with childlike qualities and mischeif - childrens voices and music box like instrumentation abound. Just listen to "Up a Tree" for a sample of something both happy and sad. But throughout it all is a carefree beat that will hook you instantly. What I thought might be harmless background music has become a mainstay in my CD player. This is one that you will either love or hate and I happen to adore it! Hope there is more from this band!

This is a cool, cool album. You can almost hear the smile(s) on the musician(s)'s faces(s) (not sure if it's just Stuart, or if there are more of them) in each beautifully odd bit of music. There's a funny, friendly cheekiness and oddness about this album (and the Belle and Sebastian albums) that could only come from the UK. I've had it for about a week now, and I can't stop listening.

Lots of food for thought in Looper's debut album. With a track about the detective Columbo on investigation in Glasgow of all places, the classic Impossible Things and Festival '95 beginning with the classic line 'there are some days that catch the light - days like diamonds', this whole album is sheer magic. With jazzy riffs, kiddie voices and melodic grooves to end, this package is tight. Great to listen to when you're in your solitude; in public you may find yourself laughing out loud.

You decide, after many months of living in a scatterbrained mess, that you should clean up your apartment. Under a broken suitcase you stumble upon a cardboard box full of various tattered memories. A dusty photo album, a dry-rotted baseball mitt, a pile of scribbled postcards. Everything in the box is tied to a story. That, pretty much, is the best I can describe "Up A Tree." It's more than a slight departure from Belle & Sebastian. Looper induces a hazy nostalgia more focused and thematic than "Bell-". This is a theme album. It may not always be the perfect thing to listen to...but whenever the music's playing, it injects its mood into you. It may be odd, and different, and may be just a phase in Stuart David's experimenting...but whenever music fits a feeling, like this has for me, I can't give it less than 5 stars.

looper have made an album that is fun to listen to, easy to enjoy, and able to make you think too. it`s not totally original or particularly moving, but instead of messing you up, it calms you down/

It must be said first that this is very gentle music. Those who are looking for aggressive or angry sounds need not bother. There are a wide variety of sounds and styles; hip-hop combined with Donovan. Traces of songs intermingle with each other to create a thematic hallucination. The music can help you experience the sense of time and place like few others can evoke.