Search - Tapes 'N Tapes :: Walk It Off

I was late to the party

Brian Moore | Florida | 04/18/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not a hipster. Indie rock is becoming the next big cliche in my humble opinion (think:alternative, early 1990's)

With that said , I did not listen to The Loon,(yet!) although hipper friends than me tried to turn me on to it.

I do know this- Walk it Off is one of the strongest and most exciting records I have heard in some time. The first track burst through my car speakers and I was instantly hooked. I knew that I had something here beyond the endless piles of the "next new band" that seem to come and go on an almost weekly basis.



There are a number of great tracks although for me Say Back Something, The Ruse ,and Headshock are standouts.



I have not seen many comments on this but the drum work is out of this world, driving and timely without overpowering.



To sum it up, if you like the idea of the Pixies making a love child with The Arcade Fire while David Bowie peeks in the window then you are weird. And you will probably like this record."

Is it too late to go back?

Meathead Todd | 04/24/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"TnT's last album, the Loon was everything that was great about indie rock. Song features such as ridiculously heavy bass riffs, poetic lyrics that only made sense within the context of the composition, songs that seemed to have no time barriers, and structural changes that came from nowhere yet fit in beautifully within the song and album's scope. Very few albums could offer such musical variety, pull it off so well, and at the same time, show you every obvious influence they have (Modest Mouse, Pavement, Spoon, the Pixies, etc) without ripping off any of them.

I write this music review, something I have never done before, because Walk it Off is not the Loon. It's a disappointment, especially after discovering, listening, propagandizing, and cherishing the Loon in the past. The Loon, catapulted Tapes n Tapes to favorite band status.

Maybe producer Fridman is to blame. He has produced many of my favorite albums in the past, from Luna to the Lips, but here he has seemed to restricted TnT. This album is too safe, comprised of typical rock songs, with typical structures, and typical lengths. Maybe radio play was in mind here. With the Loon's "Wow, what was that? I never saw that coming, what could they possibly do next?" attitude now removed from the band's repertoire.

There are some serviceable tracks here, better than 90% of the garbage out there;

"Le Ruse" kicks off the album, loud, distorted and in your face, giving you hope on first listen that the album to come is gonna be good...but it fizzles from here, especially in the center.

"Time of Songs" is an endearing number, "Hang the All" sounds like if it was on the Loon, it would have been so much bigger. "Headshock" has a similar feel, good, but could have been so much more with a different producer, or maybe no producer?!?!

It's frustrating, so many of these songs, "Demon Apple," or "George Michael," the "Dirty Dirty" are TnT songs, but restricted by someone or something, and never come to fruition for whatever reason. "Conquest" and "Anvil" are yawners in the group.

Leaving me to discuss the "Lines," a song that is as close to the Loon as it gets. It's almost 3 songs in one mechanically, and probably features the best vocals. Vocalist Grier bends his voice like a guitar, and when it comes together, this number conveys the chaos I crave as a listener, returning to the interplay between beauty and complexity that was featured in their debut. Walk it off leaves the experienced TnT fan asking, "when will the third album be out?" They can turn this around."

A step forward isn't always in the right direction

Kenyon J. Weidle | Omaha, NE | 04/11/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

""Walk It Off" is the second LP by Minneapolis band Tapes `n Tapes. While it shares many of the quirky guitar hooks that made "The Loon" so successful, it is clear that the band is trying to move forward. The opening song, "Le Rus," features guitar riffs that are louder and fuzzier than anything to date. This trend is also apparent in "Blunt" and "The Dirty Dirty." When this loudness is juxtaposed to the somber, dragging tone of a couple late album tracks, their much loved quirkiness just doesn't seem as charming. The effect is a record that sounds like it was made by a tired band laboring too hard to move forward.



This isn't to say that it's a bad album. "Conquest" is as great a song as they've made. And the background buzzing, beeps, and synth scattered throughout the record garnish those great hooks. It's a good album, just not as exciting and fresh as "The Loon."

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