“It seems unlikely that their debut long player, the rather dreadfully titled The Loon, would have become the focus of so much attention had skewed college rock not suddenly come into vogue this year. But just like there were still a few gems in the second wave of punk, so all this does not necessarily mean Tapes ‘N Tapes should be dismissed out of hand.”
“It seems unlikely that their debut long player, the rather dreadfully titled The Loon, would have become the focus of so much attention had skewed college rock not suddenly come into vogue this year. But just like there were still a few gems in the second wave of punk, so all this does not necessarily mean Tapes ‘N Tapes should be dismissed out of hand.”
Tapes ‘N Tapes – The Loon
The music industry has always been prone to following its own fashions. As soon as one original act achieves a modicum of success, record labels will ensure that any bands with even a vague resemblance to them get snapped up straight away in the hope of them riding on the first act’s coat-tails. Hence the explosion of bands such as Generation X after the first wave of punk rock, hence the sudden appearance of about 8000 garage rock bands after the success of The Strokes, and now – on a rather smaller scale – hence Tapes ‘N Tapes. While they were undoubtedly around and about before bands like Mystery Jets and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah made oddball indie a mainstream concern at the beginning of the year, it seems unlikely that their debut long player, the rather dreadfully titled The Loon, would have become the focus of so much attention had skewed college rock not suddenly come into vogue this year. But just like there were still a few gems in the second wave of punk, so all this does not necessarily mean Tapes ‘N Tapes should be dismissed out of hand. And once the warm, lo-fi fuzz of first track Just Drums is finished most listeners will find that actually, despite the immediately obvious similarities with Clap Your Hands… and Mystery Jets, there is a lot more to this latest bunch of DIY rock misfits than meets the eye.
Like the opener, most of the album is distinctly (and patently deliberately) low quality in its production and delivery. The Loon is self-consciously home-made; created and initially sold out of the band’s various living rooms, and as such is just asking for comparisons to Clap Your Hands… – but while there are occasions when the wilful scrappiness is rather wearing (such as on Crazy Eights where you really wish the deranged guitars would be allowed out of the cage a bit), it is more often endearing. Just Drums is a cosy little song, rather like a hot water bottle and a mug of steaming cocoa just before bed, and despite the constant breaks into guitar squalls and electronically-enhanced madness, this is an album which has it’s insanity contained and in check, and is able to use it to very attractive effect. In Houston is a perfect example – it ends with an increasingly bonkers thrash of guitar and keyboards, but despite this the constant background hum of feedback makes it sound more gently reassuring than noisy and disturbing, which is what it would sound like if left in the hands of most bands. All this is in direct contrast with Mystery Jets, who let their daftness run away with itself on their debut album to the detriment of the piece as a whole – The Loon has the unusual (possibly unique) quality of being engaging and dramatic when you want it to be and yet be able to provide gentle background music when that’s all that’s actually wanted. This is an album for all moods and seasons, and I really can’t think of another record that can achieve this (cue the Ed cutting in here with a couple of suggestions from before I was born – try all of Krautrock for starters – ed).
The other good thing about Tapes ‘N Tapes is that they’re clever, they know it, but don’t get too carried away about it. This is an album built on intelligence but not built to show off that intelligence – and as such you get subtle and varied song construction without pretentiousness, the bit where so many clever acts before them have gone horribly wrong, from Pink Floyd onwards. It’s obvious that tracks like Cowbell and Insistor have been thought through very carefully, but they still manage to have direct and powerful tunes which lack nothing in immediacy and impact. And when on Manitoba the band manage to ally clever lyrics, dreamy guitars, bonkers backing, vocal harmonies and a tune most bands would kill for, they manage to create a song which, if this oddball college rock fad ever develops into something more substantial and lasting, will be considered a perfect, shining example of an entire genre. Manitoba is simply mesmerising. But then, most of the album is. Like an Elbow album, this is a record where the band have clearly refused to say “will this do” and just chuck on an extra track to make up the numbers. And like a Strokes album all the best bits are not necessarily from hooks but from the little moments that can make songs special – see 10 Gallon Ascots, which seems a little ordinary until the explosively jangling choruses come in and make the track something special.
The Loon, then, may only have got a major release as a result of a probably passing musical fad, but it’s not inconceivable that actually the reason this record is getting so much hype is because it’s actually a real gem. Rough and unpolished, perhaps; something of a throwback to the vinyl era, maybe; but a really wonderful record nevertheless. This is one to treasure.
Words: Matt Gregory.