Woodland is the name of Gillian Welch and David Rawling’s studio in Nashville, and it’s also the name of their new album. On Woodland, the duo continue to show their deep connection as collaborators. The album has a wide open sound that features their seemlessly blended and intimately recorded vocals, and the light touch of a backing band that includes drums, bass, pedal steel, banjo, and airy strings on tunes like "What We Had" and "Hashtag". "Lawman" and "The Bells and the Birds" have a lovely somberness, and the album as a whole has a "live off the floor" feeling to it that we hear less and less of these days. Woodland will stay in our "recently played" column for the forseeable future.
We interviewed Gillian and Dave back in 2001 for Tape Op #85.
Tape Op is a bi-monthly magazine devoted to the art of record making.
Hey lucky Tape Op website forager: I've got an extra goodie bag from the Tape Op Party we held in March during SXSW. I don't have the full selection of swag, but I'll thrown in a couple of the SoundToys "special tin can of awesomeness" items which...
Every few years it seems time to give a brief explanation of how Tape Op Magazine "works." We constantly get letters from folks who are amazed that this magazine arrives to them for free. Well, it's actually very simple: you pay for...
NYC-based duo Cults have just released their fifth album, To the Ghosts.
The album was co-produced by the band's Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin with Shane Stoneback, mixed by John Congleton and mastered by Heba Kadry.
Check out Cults on the...
Like any war, the loudness wars are a total mess brought on by territorial tendencies amongst those who fear losing their place in the world. And like a real war, the loudness wars cause people to throw rational thought out the window and replace it...
We interviewed SASAMI back in Tape Op #157 and now she has a new single and video, “In Love with a Memory". The song was co-produced with Rostam, and features lo-fi songstress Clairo. The full album, Blood on the Silver Screen is out March 7...
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One of my favorite records of 2024 to date is Phosphorescent’s Revelator. It’s a beautifully recorded album, featuring Matthew Houck's timeless songwriting and lyrics plus gorgeous arrangements. I was hooked the first...
There were so many great records released this year, in fact too many to make a definitve and exhaustive list, but here are a few favorites from the Tape Op family. Consider it a tasting menu and have a great holiday! Click link to listen!
Larry...
Vintage King recently celebrated their 30 year anniversary. Like most things, there is a story behind what has now become a fantastic retailer of both vintage and modern recording equipment. I caught up with founder Michael Nehra on a Zoom call and...
Many of us appreciate the need for acoustic treatments, but few really understand some of the reasons behind it all. The problem is acoustics is a discipline of physics, and physics is often enshrouded in math, complex calculations, and...