Tapes ‘n Tapes play Irving Plaza (4/18)
On tour, a voice is often times a singer’s best friend. Especially live, when sound can become distorted by the clamor of electricity, a voice can serve as the most recognizable and often times, most appealing element for a crowd.
But then again, a voice can also potentially be a singer’s worst nightmare. Lost on tour, there is little that can be done aside from downing an unhealthy amount of tea and cough syrup, and praying it will come back the next day. The loss of a voice can cancel shows, tour, and even careers.
Last night, Tapes ‘n Tapes’ frontman Josh Grier found himself dealing with this nightmare as the band hit the stage at New York City’s The Fillmore at Irving Plaza. Telling fans he had lost his voice the night before in Boston, Grier choose to take the tea route, while trudging through a 60 minute set featuring mostly material from Walk It Off, the band’s latest album.
Though not overly noticeable, the raspiness did make it self-present throughout the set, particularly in some of the band’s slower songs, like “Time of Songs” and “Say Back Something”. Musically, the band did try to compensate for the limitations of Grier’s vocals with a powerful sound that flowed brilliantly throughout the building.
Yet in the end, it was perhaps a combination of several other factors that made the show less than spectacular. Whether the fear of a impending, potential disaster resulting from Grier’s physical state, which fortunately never came about, or the fact that this was the band’s eight show in nine days, Tapes ‘n Tapes lacked a certain spark. They held back, instead going with the flow, playing in a somewhat cut-and-dry manner . There was nothing speculator, nothing jaw-dropping, nothing overly exhilarating - it was simply ordinary and routine, something certainly surprising for a band that is anything, but run-of-the-mill.
Or maybe, just maybe it was something else. When the opening beats of “Omaha” rang out, the crowd perked up. As the familiar bells of “In Houston” gave way to the those catchy as hell guitar rhythms, smiles filled the faces of Grier and bassist Erik Appelwick. “Insistor” brought out a collective feeling among the audience of “Here we go. This is the Tapes ‘n Tapes, we know and love”. But then it was over. The last traces of “Demon Apple” rang out from the amps. No goodbyes, no encore, just the fruitless calls for more and an overall underwhelming feeling.
Tapes ‘n Tapes seemed at there best when they were into the music, and aside from the few songs played from 2006’s critically acclaimed The Loon, the band appeared more distracted than anything. But then again, they’re touring in support of album that many have deemed a “Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-esque disappointment” compared to their 2006 masterpiece.
Maybe…just maybe, they’re just as disappointed and underwhelmed by the album as everyone else.
Check Out:
Tapes ‘n Tapes - “Conquest”
Vampire Hands - “508 Paradise Knife Fights” (via)
White Denim - “Let’s Talk About It”
fun show? does anyone have a full setlist?
Apr 20th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
[...] Denim, who are currently on tour with Tapes ‘n Tapes, recently released a new music video for “Look That Way At It,” a song off their debut [...]