Any bands out there mulling over what happens once their debut album has been toured to death may like to look over to TAPES 'N TAPES for a bit of inspiration. In terms of defeating second album syndrome, their new release 'Walk It Off' is something of a debut-slayer.
Obviously it would be ideal if each song on this album was better than anything on its' predecessor, but their first release 'The Loon' contained 'Insistor' - a song that is firmly entrenched in my top ten songs of this century.
If you're familiar with this band, you will know that they do a fine line in Pixies-tinged indie-rock, and have the capability to compose some of the most perfect songs of the genre. It’s something that is so hard to make interesting, it would seem, but Tapes ‘n Tapes are onto something with this album.
Overall it’s a more coherent release, fast-paced with a whole bunch of riffs that by all means and rights should make you go mental. 'Hang them all' has a tough place, being track 3, but it is a great tune. Essentially conventional indie rock, but with just that something special that stops it being dull. It’s in a similar vein to ‘Insister’ in that jumps from catchy bit to catchy bit, yet goes through many changes during it. It’s all held together by one of the most instantly infectious hooks of recent years.
There does seem to be more going on in this album. Whereas the slower moments took some of the fun out their previous outing, strong bass-lines on the likes of ‘Time of Songs’ and ‘Anvil’ are engaging. Songs rarely end in the way they start, and variety in a song is definitely the key to keeping this reviewer happy. ‘Headshock’ begins as a rather sharp, marching number and bows out as some large sounding celebration, complete with trumpets and all.
At times, things are more aggressive now – ‘Blunt’ has genuine ballsThey use repetition in choruses well – whilst so many bands fall down with dull repeated choruses, Tapes ‘n Tapes are making the most of them. ‘Hang Them All’ and ‘Demon Apple’ are two prime examples of this. The choruses are delivered in such a way that it’s interesting. This owes a lot to the vocal skills of Josh Grier who puts in a great performance throughout. He’s a Frank Black in the making, suitably unique and eccentric sounding, and this time a bit more forceful as well. It’s a nice improvement, and a huge factor in holding these songs together.
|
In contrast to the rather charming vocals, the music has darker undertones. Both the percussion and the bass-lines on ‘Say Back Something’ are highly moody. ‘Demon Apples’ and ‘Blunt’ are both quite aggressive songs, not fierce in the metal sense, but just quite nasty in terms of indie-rock. It all feels very honest.
It’s not massively experimental, but it is a progression. It feels like they’re much more comfortable with the direction they’re going in. 'Lines' is a fair indication of where to go next; a song that sweeps from a fairly relaxed little number into a ferocious march by the chorus, getting louder and louder - taking you somewhere in the x number of minutes it has to impress you. The songs where you go on a journey are the most satisfying and there are plenty of them on here.
Tapes ‘N Tapes arrived in a wave of hype a couple of years ago, and were subsequently forgotten fairly swiftly. In theory, they’re nothing more than Pixies inspired indie-rock, but somehow, collectively it is much, much more than that. They have here a collection of infectious and original sounding songs, laced with humour and innocent appeal. This is more than enough to make people sit up and notice again, for they have come back an even better band than they were before, and deserving of any praise that should be heaped on them in the wake of this inspired album.
|
