I like reissues of obscure groups. Usually they have all sorts of different source material on them plus it's music from a different place and time, and usually you can feel that. Y Pants were a female trio that used toy instruments and drums and forged a rather compelling and unique sound....
About two years after releasing his first solo record on El Recordo Records, Joel R.L. Phelps (formerly of Silkworm) has given us two very impressive recordings. The first is a five song EP including covers of Dramarama's "Emerald City" and "Guns of Brixton" by the Clash....
In the last issue I reviewed Nerve Generator's tape in Cassette Corner. Well, now they've got their CD out and it's a dandy. This Is 4-Track! was recorded in guitarist James Botha's bedroom on a 4-track PortaStudio using the same methods described in the tape review. Nerve...
From the band's own mouth(s): "Digilogue was recorded using a mixture of failing analogue equipment and high-end digital equipment and monitored in our studio exclusively on damaged hi-fi speakers." There's manipulated skips, loops record noise, drones... late night spacey...
Tape Op no es ningún tipo de revista local, y por eso es poco común que doy tanto ánimo a un grupo de la escena de Portland. Este es una excepción. Fernando es un hombre y un grupo. Sin su grupo, hizo una colaboración con su cuate Luther Russell (quien toca muchos de los instrumentos en este album...
Here's what I noticed: Only Thurston's songs have those little vocal clicks (the ones you get when you open your mouth to sing or when there's a bit too much saliva running around). I probably noticed, since my ears are so tuned to hearing those sorts of things in the studio, and I...
The Sorts play a wide-range of mostly instrumental rock (vocals occasionally appear to present mantra-like lyrics) that at times sounds like Fugazi's vocal-less songs and at other points sounds like cheesy space jazz. At all times, though, this record is high-fidelity, with great attention...
This is one of those records that Tape Op readers will love to listen to. Its full of creative production ideas with each song employing a different recording approach. Chief songwriter Jason Lytle (see interview in Tape Op #7 ) recorded this magnum opus on his 16 track at Floater and Headcorders...
After listening to The Roaring Mechanism I get the feeling that I would enjoy P.E.E.'s music a lot more if the band was less concerned with prog rock rhythm shifts and more willing to let the sense of play apparent in their song titles shine through their mathematical guitar equations. "I...
Y'know, I just turned 35 a little while ago, and I was thinking about this rock-n-roll bullshit myth of people getting old and getting soft; outgrowing that raunchy, evil, dirty mean spirit of rock. Well, for all you kids out there that think rock music is the domain of the twenty-somethings...
It's not so unusual to find violin or other related classical instruments in rock music today, but most bands use them merely to enhance their sound rather than as the focal point. Warren Ellis is definitely a leader as he guides the beautiful, stark melodies on his violins (there are quite a...
If you know anything about writing for magazines n'all, you know that record labels and publicists send out these things called "press kits" with copies of the new records that you're supposed to review. "Press kits" are one or more pages of clippings featuring reviews...