18 search results for "godspeed you black emperor"

Godspeed You! Black Emperor: September 30, 2015 Music Hall of Williamburg – Flac/MP3/Streaming

October 4, 2015
By

godspeed-you-black-emperor-17
[photos by PSquared Photography – full set at brooklynvegan]

A month ago we posted Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s performance at the Hopscotch Festival. It was a strange night for acidjack — as the outdoor venue and the pouring rain created a surreal experience for GYBE show. As a nice bookend of the Canadian band’s month-long tour of the US East coast, we caught one of the NYC appearances at the intimate Music Hall of Williamsburg on Wednesday (they also played Terminal 5 and Warsaw last week).

The MHOW show was more a “traditional” GYBE show as the band’s projectionist was able to provide a stunning backdrop to the thematic post-rock being orchestrated from the stage. Additionally, the venue was the perfect size for an attentive crowd — there was virtually no chatter and the audience was fully engaged in the show. The result was virtually the perfect concert experience. If so inclined, it was literally possible to get lost in the music, as GYBE played straight through without a break and the show flowed flawlessly. This show lasted well over two hours, but if you were engaged in the music the time was immaterial. The GYBE setlist was fairly consistent with the shows of this tour with a “Hope Drone” opener and a complete run through the band’s new album Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress included. This particular show also added “Gathering Storm” early in the set and late in the show featured one of the two new songs that have appeared on this tour. The show closed with twenty-minutes of “The Sad Mafioso” that faded into a long drone where each of the band members exited the stage before guitarist Efrim Menuck returned to the stage to turn off all of the amps and end the night. It was a subtle closing of a very intense evening but seemed completely apt.

Godspeed’s US tour is complete, but the band will spend the next six weeks touring throughout Europe, dates here.

I recorded this set with the Schoeps set up on the floor inside of a nook at the front of the soundboard booth. The sound in the venue was superb and this recording captures it equally well. Enjoy!

Thanks to Tim for his tremendous help throughout the week in making this recording happen in the fashion that it did!

This Recording is Available for Download in FLAC and MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].

Stream the Complete Show via Archive.org:

godspeed-you-black-emperor-15

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
2015-09-30
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn NY

Digital Master Recording
Recorded FOB

Schoeps CCM4u Cardioids > Sound Devices 744t > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 2:09:19]
01 Hope Drone
02 Gathering Storm
03 Peasantry or Light Inside of Light
04 Lambs Breath
05 Asunder Sweet
06 Piss Crowns Are Trebled
07 Moya
08 [New Song]
09 The Sad Mafioso

If you download or stream this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Godspeed You! Black Emperor, visit their website, and purchase their new album Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress from Constellation Records [HERE].

godspeed-you-black-emperor-6

Godspeed You! Black Emperor: September 10, 2015 Hopscotch Music Festival (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

September 17, 2015
By

GSYBEkennethbachor-1
[Photos courtesy of Kenneth Bachor via BrooklynVegan]

Godspeed You! Black Emperor shows are always meditative affairs, where you allow the band’s long instrumental sequences to draw you in, slowly, bombarding you with projected images against the backdrop of a black room. It’s an entirely different experience when that backdrop is of limited size, and the dark room is replaced with the downtown plaza of Raleigh, NC, lit by streetlamps and neon signs from Jimmy John’s and the local Marriott. In that environment, how can you concentrate on something like this? Can it resonate?

Perhaps nature provided the best way, in the form of a downpour that blanketed the plaza in the early going, its sheets of rain and gusts driving away the merely-curious until only the die-hards were left. Absent the excess conversations, forced to reckon with whether this show was worth it under the circumstances, those who stayed answered their own question. GSYBE shows are events; their music isn’t for everyone, and they don’t make any effort to make things otherwise. So, as I held onto my mic stand to keep it and the umbrella covering it from blowing over (which you can hear it doing at one point), I thought about the level of commitment this band requires, and how, as was the case when we covered their NYC run in 2011, they are, in fact, always worth it. Even if you can’t ignore that this setting will never be considered ideal.

This was the kickoff headlining set of Hopscotch Music Festival, and as befits GSYBE, it started with a slow drone, not a bang. After the so-called “Hope Drone,” we were were treated to the band’s entire latest album, Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress (my, how these people love punctuation), a four-song sequence the band refers to on setlists as “Behemoth.” Next up came a new number that is as-yet untitled, followed by two classics, “Moya” from the Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada EP and “The Sad Mafioso” from F? A? ?. If the stage was small, the band’s sweep and ambition remained titanic, as evidenced by the soaring guitars of the new number, whose sustained early peak and soaring conclusion felt like a respite from the rain itself. The attentive, soaking crowd clustered around the stage, keeping the between-song cheering polite and minimal, in keeping with the subtlety of the songs’ transitions. Once things came to a head, though, as “The Sad Mafioso” sprinted toward its stormy conclusion, the shouts began, and sustained, until long after the band had disappeared from stage, leaving that little space empty, their sound only a memory in the night’s new void.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK4V microphones under an umbrella-covered mic stand directly in front of the soundboard. Other than the usual effects of distance and being outdoors, the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Download the complete show from the Live Music Archive: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
2015-09-10
Hopscotch Music  Festival
Raleigh, NC  USA

Hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK4V (PAS)>KC5>CMC6>Edirol R-44>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS5.5 (fades, align, mix down, compression)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects, imaging)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [thanks to P.E. Tremblay for the setlist]
01 Hope Drone
02 Peasantry or ‘Light! Inside of Light!’
03 Lambs’ Breath
04 Asunder, Sweet
05 Piss Crowns are Trebled
06 [new song]
07 Moya
08 The Sad Mafioso

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Godspeed You! Black Emperor, visit their website, and buy their albums from Constellation Records.

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Godspeed You! Black Emperor: March 18, 2011 St. Paul’s Church – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

April 4, 2011
By


[photo by Greg Cristman]

The second night of Godspeed You! Black Emperor at The Church of St. Paul the Apostle was much like the first night — that is to say incredibly moving and powerful suites of music performed flawlessly to the backdrop of constantly changing film images. The difference with the second night was that after some noise complaints in the neighborhood, the volume of the concert was about half as loud as the previous evening. Fortunately, the church-pew-seated crowd was both attentive and not distracted — Godspeed mesmerized even at half the levels. All we needed to do was listen a little more closely. I’ll admit to reaching an emotional peak at the end of this concert during “Blaise Bailey Finnegan” that after two consecutive nights was a little overwhelming. I’m streaming the track below to confirm that I wasn’t imagining its depth.

This set was recorded in the same location and equipment at the first night at St. Paul’s. The sound quality is quite similar, although the lower levels somewhat reduced the dynamics of the church setting. Enjoy!

I want to thank the many readers of this blog who wrote friendly and complimentary emails about the reason for the delay of the post of this recording. It was acidjack who set me straight and told me that I really had to post this show and not punish the thousands of real fans of this band, and to ignore the rants of some mentally ill person in an inconsequential internet forum. So thanks to the real fans.

Thanks to Ronen and the Wordless Music Series for their generosity and support!

Stream “Blaise Bailey Finnegan”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/G3015GYBE0121/07.%20Blaise%20Bailey%20Finnegan.mp3]

This Recording is now available for Download in FLAC and MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
2011-03-18
The Church of St. Paul The Apostle
New York, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded Directly Front of Board Center

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2011-04-02

Setlist:
[Total Time 2:06:15]
[Photo of band’s written setlist HERE]
01 Gorecki
02 Dead Metheny
03 Gathering Storm
04 12-28-99
05 World Police and Friendly Fire
06 The Cowboy
07 Blaise Bailey Finnegan

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Godspeed You! Black Emperor, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from Constellation Records [HERE].

Godspeed You! Black Emperor: March 17, 2011 St. Paul’s Church – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

March 22, 2011
By


[photo by Greg Cristman]

In our reviews of the first two Godspeed You! Black Emperor shows at Brooklyn’s Masonic Temple, acidjack truly captured the impact of a GYBE show. When the scene of the band’s NYC residency moved to The Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Lincoln Center on Thursday, the setting more closely matched the experience both visually and aurally. St. Paul’s is a huge classic old Catholic cathedral, and its hundred-foot high ceiling and intricate glasswork offered a challenge, but ultimately a fruitful reward for those listening closely. For the most part, the seated and somber setting permitted the crowd to sit in rapt attention and soak in the sonic landscapes created before them. While the band’s setlist was similar to the other NYC shows, on this particular night it was the intensity of the aural experience that ruled — in particular, GYBE’s superb sound technician Si dialed in the huge PA commissioned for these two shows and filled the room to perfection. Perhaps motivated by the surroundings, GYBE’s performance on this night was perhaps its most powerful of the week.

I recorded this set with the four microphone configuration mounted on a stand raised to fourteen feet and placed directly in front of the soundboard console. This placement was fortuitous, as the full realm of sound was captured in that part of the church. We are extremely pleased with the superb sound quality if this recording. We recommend listening on the best stereo speakers you can find. Enjoy!

Thanks to Ronen and the Wordless Music Series for their generosity and support!

Stream “Albanian”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/G3015GYBE0121/03.%20Albanian.mp3]

This Recording is now available for Download in FLAC and MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
2011-03-17
The Church of St. Paul The Apostle
New York, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded Directly Front of Board Center

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2011-03-21

Setlist:
[Total Time 2:12:13]
[Photo of band’s written setlist HERE]
01 Gathering Storm
02 Monheim
03 Albanian
04 Gorecki
05 12-28-99
06 World Police and Friendly Fire
07 The Sad Mafioso

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Godspeed You! Black Emperor, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from Constellation Records [HERE].

Godspeed You! Black Emperor: March 16, 2011 Brooklyn Masonic Temple – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

March 20, 2011
By


[photo courtesy of Adam B]

Acidjack reports:
“After Tuesday’s Godspeed You! Black Emperor show at Brooklyn Masonic Temple, I could not imagine the band being able to top itself the following night. But GYBE are far from an ordinary band, and Wednesday’s show was the type of extraordinary tour de force that humbled even their awe-inspiring Tuesday show. This show built on all of the elements that made Tuesday special — the hypnotic, narrative visuals, the seamless two-plus hours of music that ebbed and flowed, and twinkled and roared, but somehow combined them even more successfully. The set never had a moment of pure calm; instead, it was a masterful sequence of classic and new material that only continued to raise the tension. Watching the band for the second time in a row, I was struck by how quickly I became immersed in the music and images, absorbed by their creative vision. This set was slightly shorter than Tuesday’s, but tighter, with what felt like a more focused narrative. As the best performances do, it left me wanting more — and a new album, in particular.

I recorded this set with the Schoeps microphones, and the results are even better than the previous evening. Enjoy!

Thanks to Ronen and the Wordless Music Series for their generosity and support!

Both of the St. Paul’s concerts were recorded and will be posted in the coming days.

Stream “Monheim”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/G3015GYBE0121/02.%20Monheim.mp3]

Direct Download of this show is now available in either FLAC or MP3 at Archive.org [HERE]

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
2011-03-16
Brooklyn Masonic Temple
Brooklyn, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded by acidjack
Produced by nyctaper

Equipment: Schoeps CMC6/mk41>Sound Devices USBpre2>Edirol R-44 [Oade Mod] (24/48)
Position: Slightly ROC, mics at 12ft, roughly DIN

Mastering: 24bit/48kHz WAV> Soundforge (set fades, level adjustments, downsample)> CD Wave (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > FLAC

Tracks [Total Time 2:10:04]
01 Gathering Storm
02 Monheim
03 Albanian
04 World Police and Friendly Fire
05 Tazer Floyd
06 Gorecki
07 BBF III

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Godspeed You! Black Emperor, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from Constellation Records [HERE].

Godspeed You! Black Emperor: March 15, 2011 Brooklyn Masonic Temple – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

March 19, 2011
By


[photo courtesy of Adam B]

Acidjack reports:
Godspeed You! Black Emperor returned to New York after a nine-year break from our city. How the world has changed since then. When the band last played here, their music could have been the soundtrack to those times – a soundtrack to an era of real fear – not of something to do with esoteric finance – but a visceral, inescapable apprehension of a decaying world. GYBE are an unabashedly political band, and their music, as well as the intense visuals that their live performances soundtrack, are political in a mostly-abstract way. The visuals are mash-ups that evoke the world’s extremes; majesty and beauty in the midst of nascent dread. Here you see the fires of smoldering factories soundtracked by a plaintive surge of sound, where the sound of even the lowly triangle can take on menace. But there is beauty there, as there is in an unmolested glen; in a snippet of a nostalgic ramble that is both endearing and creepy. During the two and a half hour opus that was this phenomenal return to Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple (which followed a night at Terminal 5, and was followed by another night at the Masonic Temple), we were reminded that out of each paroxysm of suffering and bout of anxiety, there remains the zeal and fervor of hope. As one song flowed seamlessly into the next, it was impossible not to be taken over by it all, consumed by the vision of these masterful Montreal-based players.

When they left the stage the images endured; the fire and the pity and the violence and the hope; the precious and the profane. There are few musical acts that can cause such waves of emotion. Godspeed You Black Emperor! is one of them. Welcome back.

I recorded this set with the Schoeps microphones on a high pole in the center of the room. Thank you to Si for the excellent house mix and her support. Enjoy!”

Thanks to Ronen and the Wordless Music Series for their generosity and support!

All four of the Masonic Temple and St. Paul’s concerts were recorded and will be posted in the coming days.

Stream “The Cowboy”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/G3015GYBE0121/07.%20The%20Cowboy.mp3]

Direct Download of this show is now available in FLAC or MP3 format at Archive.org [HERE]

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
2011-03-15
Brooklyn Masonic Temple
Brooklyn, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded by acidjack
Produced by nyctaper

Equipment: Schoeps CMC6/mk41>Sound Devices USBpre2>Edirol R-44 [Oade Mod] (24/48)
Position: Slightly ROC, mics at 12ft, roughly DIN

Mastering: 24bit/48kHz WAV> Soundforge (set fades, level adjustments, downsample)> CD Wave (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > FLAC

Tracks [Total Time 2:24:46]
01 Gorecki
02 Albanian
03 Gathering Storm
04 12-28-99
05 Chart #3
06 World Police and Friendly Fire
07 The Cowboy
08 Tazer Floyd
09 The Sad Mafioso

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Godspeed You! Black Emperor, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from Constellation Records [HERE].

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra: October 2, 2011 ATP I’ll Be Your Mirror – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

October 12, 2011
By

Mt Zion
[Photo by Jason Persse. Used with permission]

The final day of this year’s ATP “I’ll Be Your Mirror” festival in Asbury Park, NJ found the festival split between a hip-hop dominated Convention Hall (Ultramagnetic MCs and Public Enemy), and the Paramount Theatre across the concourse hosting (along with Jeff Mangum’s second set of the weekend) some incredible post-rock performances, including Earth (which we posted recently) and Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra. SMZ (to use the favored shorthand) were the final act that I saw at the festival, and their grandiose, challenging performance sent me home on a high note. SMZ is anchored by guitarist/vocalist Efrim Menuck, who plays guitar in Godspeed You Black Emperor! along with SMZ bandmates and co-founders Thierry Amar and Sophie Trudeau.

SMZ’s similarities to GYBE are about as numerous as its contrasts from it. The contrasts are obvious, starting with Menuck’s bombastic, harsh vocals, which he sing/speaks in a punk rock style. Like GYBE, SMZ compositions are lengthy and follow a classical, narrative structure rather than pop’s verse/chorus/verse style. The use of string instruments also gives SMZ a classical feel that echoes GYBE, but SMZ’s storytelling is distinct. Where GYBE relies on symbolism and found sounds to tell their story, Menuck’s overtly political vocals make SMZ’s approach more direct. Menuck engaged the audience repeatedly between songs, decrying the right-wing (for Canada, anyway) regime of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and giving a shout-out to the 99% whose Occupy Wall Street movement continues to grow. True to form, this 90-minute set consisted of just six compositions, primarily drawn from 2008’s 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons rather than the band’s current effort, Kollaps Tradixionales, from which they played only “There Is A Light”. A new number, “What We Loved Was Not Enough”, was also performed, but my personal highlight was “Black Waters Blowed/Engine Broke Blues” from Thirteen Moons, a huge two-part number with strong vocal harmonies between Menuck and Trudeau, excellent stringwork, and a cataclysmic crescendo worthy of these Montreal artists’ unique style.

I recorded this set with the DPA microphones from an ideal spot in the venue. Other than some rustling noises and an evident volume adjustment during the first four minutes of “BlindBlindBlind”, the sound quality is quite good (though not as good as the Earth set from almost the same spot). Enjoy!

Stream “What We Loved Was Not Enough”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/S0012SilverMtZion2011/08 What We Loved Was Not Enough.mp3]

Stream “Black Waters Blowed/Engine Broke Blues”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/S0012SilverMtZion2011/07 Black Waters Blowed_Engine Broke Blues.mp3]

Download the FLAC and MP3 files and stream the entire show on the Live Music Archive [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra
2011-10-02
ATP presents I’ll Be Your Mirror
Paramount Theatre
Asbury Park, NJ USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

DPA 4021 (FOB, DFC)>Denecke PS/2>PCM-M10 (24/44.1)>24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, EQ, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 BlindBlindBlind
03 [banter]
04 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
05 [banter]
06 There Is A Light
07 Black Waters Blowed/Engine Broke Blues
08 What We Loved Was Not Enough
09 [banter]
10 Horses in the Sky

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, visit their website, and purchase SMZ, Godspeed Your Black Emperor!, and Efrim’s official releases from Constellation Records [HERE]

Ought: October 14, 2014 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

October 16, 2014
By


IMG_7940
[photos by acidjack]

It only took one listen to Ought‘s debut album, More Than Any Other Day to understand that they are a young band of uncommon musical ambition and scope. They play a brand of rhythmically complex art-punk that incorporates elements of the “math rock” sound that rose to prominence in the 1990s, while still maintaining a great ability to make melodies you might hum. Formed in Montreal during a period of civil unrest by a group of young men mostly from somewhere else, their songs brim with disaffection as well as hope, a sort of post-OWS sensation that no matter how difficult things may seem, a way forward still exists. The album title, then, says a lot about where they are philosophically.

As a live band, Ought more than do their recorded output justice. They took the stage at Bowery Ballroom in a relatively quiet pre-CMJ week and stormed through most of their album plus a new song. The whole band has significant musical chops; drummer Tim Keen deserves a lot of the credit for keeping things tight, just as Tim Keeler’s sneering vocals give a memorable voice to the band’s vision. Listening to the eight songs live, some of which got the extended treatment (especially “Forgiveness”) it was striking how single-worthy almost every one of these tracks was, as well as how distinct each song was from the other. Pitchfork’s very positive review rightly pointed out that Ought’s more immediate style made them an odd bedfellow with the roster they share with Godspeed You Black Emperor and Colin Stetson, but I think Constellation Records knows what they’re up to. If the label’s goal is to cull the very best of the band’s adopted city, putting ambition at the forefront of any particular genre, then Ought fit right in. These guys are going places. And if you want to watch them do it, catch some of their upcoming tour dates, including Washington, DC tonight and Purchase, NY tomorrow.

I recorded this set in our usual manner for the venue, with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones and a soundboard feed from Bowery legend Kenny. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Direct download of full set: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Stream the full set:

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request, and feel free to repost the Soundcloud links.

IMG_7915

Ought
2014-10-14
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5 (at SBD, PAS)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard (engineer: Kenny (house) and Ought engineer (name?)>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, compression)>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, EQ)>Audacity 2.0.5 (fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Today More Than Any Other Day
02 The Weather Song
03 Clarity!
04 Habit
05 Pleasant Heart
06 Forgiveness
07 [banter1]
08 Gemini
09 Beautiful Blue Sky

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Ought, like them on Facebook, and buy their releases from Constellation Records.

Altos: September 4, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC / MP3 / Streaming

September 14, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Milwaukee’s Altos (formerly/sometimes known as Group of the Altos) are a tough band to fit comfortably on most stages. With twelve members, and a variety of strings, keys, upright bass, trumpets, guitars percussion and more, the band’s sound is anything but stripped down. Sonically, they belong alongside fellow big bands like Godspeed You Black Emperor! with their commitment to melodies and stretched-out song structures that eschew pop convention. But unlike their fellow-travelers from up north, Altos’ sound is a bit more folk-inflected (think Broken Social Scene) and considerably less apocalyptic. This 40-minute set at Glasslands, a warmup to an upcoming gig at Hopscotch Festival in North Carolina, consisted of a total of four songs, including three longer-form compositions and the tighter, more vocal-driven “Race” (streaming below).   The band deploys the large crew of players wisely, creating songs that are sonically dense, yet cohesive and spacious.

As with many bands arising from the Milwaukee scene right now, Altos have a Bon Iver connection, too – their eponymous current record was recorded at Justin Vernon’s April Base studio, and is available on vinyl and digital here (with an album cover that is, appropriately enough, composed of headshots of each of the 12 band members).

I recorded this set with new Naiant X-X omnidirectional microphones at the lip of the Glasslands stage, together with a soundboard feed provided by the head engineer Josh. The sound quality is truly outstanding. Enjoy!

Stream “Race”

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Altos
2012-09-04
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Naiant X-X (3ft split onstage A-B) + Soundboard>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify, balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

01 Begong Ava, Bagong Hele
02 Race
03 Sing (for Trouble)
04 Never Named

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Altos, like them on Facebook, and purchase their new LP, Altos, on vinyl or digital [HERE]

NYCTaper Top 25 Concert Moments of 2011: MP3 Downloads and Streaming Songs

December 23, 2011
By

SONY DSC

Live music in 2011 saw several newer bands consolidate their hold on greatness, while well-established acts from the 90s brought out crowds for reunion shows and, sadly, farewells. For those of us at the site, we were inspired by crowds of people who were, in a lot of cases, younger than we were checking out bands like Archers of Loaf live for the first time, or finally gaining appreciation for the work of artists like Cass McCombs and Bill Callahan. At the same time, favorite new or new-er bands like Widowspeak, The War on Drugs, White Fence and Mr. Dream, each of whom we saw multiple times, saw their fanbases grow quickly. If you heard their music for the first time on this site, and liked it enough to give them a look for yourself, well, we are all the more honored and grateful.

With four tapers contributing recordings to the site on a regular basis, picking the “best” 25 moments of an entire year is practically impossible. Looking back on another great year for the site, though, each of these particular moments from a show we recorded stands out in some particular way (though they are in particular order). A complete seamless mix is available for download below, plus streaming selections of each. We hope you enjoy our picks, and look forward to sharing more great artist-approved recordings in 2012.

Want the first word about recordings in 2012 (including in-show updates)? Follow nyctaper and acidjack on Twitter, and like NYCTaper on Facebook.

DOWNLOAD A FULL SET OF ALL 31 SONGS IN MP3 FORMAT [HERE]

1. Sonic Youth – “Inhuman” (Williamsburg Waterfront, August 12)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/24 Inhuman.mp3]

Well-publicized changes in the personal lives of Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, the reigning king and queen of indie rock for the past two decades, may mean that Sonic Youth‘s performance at the Williamsburg Waterfront in August was their last NYC show. We hope that’s not the case. But if it is, wow, this band went out in as massive a style as possible, delivering a set full of rarities with the energy of 18-year-old punks instead of “elder” statesmen. The night closed with the apocalyptic noise squall of “Inhuman”, an at-times brutal piece of music that highlighted Sonic Youth’s roots as an art-punk noise band. While it is probably the worst quality recording of anything in this top 25, this blowout show closer, with its blasts of feedback, was easily one of the most memorable. Maybe there was something even more personal in those screams and feedback than we realized at the time.

Full post of this show [HERE]

2. The War on Drugs – “Arms Like Boulders” ( Bowery Ballroom, January 8 )

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/02 Arms like Boulders.mp3]

The War on Drugs were a band we unabashedly fell in love with this year. An act that we first saw as an opening band, and who we saw in a huge range of venues this year (from Cameo Gallery to Webster Hall), these guys have earned their acclaim the old-fashioned way. First, their 2011 album Slave Ambient was an instant classic, a Dylanesque masterpiece. Second, they played a flat-out great live show, and they just kept getting better as the year went on. We chose this recording from the Bowery Ballroom because, well, it’s Bowery, and that place always sounds amazing.

Full post of this show [HERE]

2011_01_08_WarOnDrugs002

3. Deerhunter – “Flourescent Grey” (Webster Hall, August 23).

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/01 Fluorescent Grey.mp3]

Although Deerhunter and Atlas Sound had appeared on this site several times, I (not speaking for the others from the site) counted myself as a Bradford Cox skeptic. That is, until Bradford and the band led off this show at Webster Hall with this song. The band’s sound became a living alien beast, breathing and hissing as the stage was bathed in an eerie green glow. The effect was aurally and visually arresting, and the show didn’t slow down a bit from there. I count myself a believer now.

Full post of this show [HERE]

4. Cass McCombs – “County Line” (Bowery Ballroom, May 12)
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/03 County Line.mp3]

The American songwriter Cass McCombs is a critical darling, and has been since his first releases early last decade. Humor Risk, his new release on Domino Records, seems like the record that will make Cass a favorite with fans as well as critics. We know for sure that he sold out this show at Bowery quite handily, and Wit’s End has made an appearance on many a year-end list. This song, in particular, is a highlight, and this beautiful recording is a nearly flawless capture of Cass at his best.

Full post of this show [HERE]

5. The Psychic Paramount – “Ddb” (Union Pool, July 26)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/02 Ddb.mp3]

The Psychic Paramount provided me with one of those classic moments where an opening band completely overshadows the headliner, and wins a ton of new fans in the process. I caught the band this summer at Union Pool after reading some positive notice for their latest record, II. The album is an excellent work of psychedelic instrumental rock, but the live show – with the band shrouded in a stream of thick smoke, shredding on their guitars – took the experience to the next level.

Full post of this show [HERE]

6. The Smashing Pumpkins – “Muzzle” (Terminal 5, October 18)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/S1810SmashingPumpkins1102/tsp2011-10-07.mk41.Muzzle.mp3]

The latest addition to our team, hi and lo, is a longtime Smashing Pumpkins taper who has crisscrossed the country covering the band. This was another act that I admittedly had somewhat given up on after their late-90s release Machina failed to ignite. Once again I was more than happy to be proven wrong, and reminded of the original greatness of this band. hi and lo invited the entire crew to this show, and it was one of the best we saw this year – a powerfully delivered, rocking performance that rivaled this band at their stadium rock peak in the mid-90s. The Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness track “Muzzle” – slightly lesser known but one of that album’s best – was a highlight in a show that was filled with them.

Full post of this show [HERE]

SP_2011-10-21_c

7. Low – “Witches” (Bowery Ballroom, April 27)
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/07 Witches.mp3]

Low are a longstanding band who recently proved that they may yet hit their critical peak. Their 2011 release, C’mon, was outstanding – an artistic triumph, and one of their best since their inception in 1993. This show, as I put it then, demonstrated the value of speaking softly, as the band delivered a set of understated grace and majesty. The song “Witches”, with its somber guitar riff, is one of my favorite on the new record, and was one of the highlights of the night.

Full post of this show [HERE]

8. DELETED

9. Lucero – “Across the River” (Mercury Lounge, July 23)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/07 Across the River.mp3]

Johnny Fried Chicken Boy went to see “Nobody’s Darlings” booked as the late show at Mercury Lounge knowing full well that who this mystery band would be. Taking a pause from their stint on the Warped Tour, Lucero rocked an appreciative and typically rowdy weekend Mercury crowd with a 100-minute, free-ranging set. This is the kind of band that defines live rock n’ roll – great players who sound natural, relaxed and like they’re having as good a time as you are. Since first seeing this band as an opener for The Black Keys back in 2009, we have watched their star continue to rise. With a headlining show coming up the day before New Year’s Eve at Brooklyn Bowl, you can be sure Lucero has plenty left in the tank for this year.

Full post of this show [HERE]

10. Godspeed You Black Emperor! – “World Police and Friendly Fire” (Brooklyn Masonic Temple, March 16)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/04 World Police and Friendly Fire.mp3]

I wrote what I thought was my best review that year on my iPhone during the first run-through of this song I heard the night before – so inspired by what I was seeing and hearing I had to capture my thoughts that instant. Of the show, I said in part: “GYBE are an unabashedly political band, and their music, as well as the intense visuals that their live performances soundtrack, are political in a mostly-abstract way. The visuals are mash-ups that evoke the world’s extremes; majesty and beauty in the midst of nascent dread. Here you see the fires of smoldering factories soundtracked by a plaintive surge of sound, where the sound of even the lowly triangle can take on menace. But there is beauty there, as there is in an unmolested glen; in a snippet of a nostalgic ramble that is both endearing and creepy. During the two and a half hour opus that was this phenomenal return to Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple … we were reminded that out of each paroxysm of suffering and bout of anxiety, there remains the zeal and fervor of hope.”

Full post of this show [HERE]

GYSBE

11. Yo La Tengo feat. David Byrne – “Thank You For Sending Me An Angel [Talking Heads]” (Maxwell’s, March 23)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/18 Thank You For Sending Me An Angel.mp3]

Our original goal for this post was not to repeat any bands that made the list last year, but Yo La Tengo deliver something so special at every show, it was impossible to ignore this once-in-a-lifetime happening. Musicians across New York and the United States were moved to help their brethren in Japan after the terrible damage wrought by the tsunami and subsequent nuclear reactor meltdowns. Yo La Tengo did their part by throwing this very special benefit show at their homebase venue of Maxwell’s, with all proceeds going to Peace Winds Japan. David Byrne appeared with the band and performed a special rendition of this Talking Heads classic. A direct donation to Peace Winds Japan was required to be able to download this set, and through those donations, we have raised over $5,000 for the organization to date.

Full post of this show [HERE]  donation to Peace Winds Japan is required to download the show.

yolatengobyrnejapan

12. Destroyer “Kaputt” (Webster Hall, April 3)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/08 Kaputt.mp3]

Pitchfork may have ultimately handed the #1 spot on their year-end best-of to Bon Iver, but I called it back in April that Destroyer’s Kaputt would be close. A weird, wonderful album that resurrected the saxophone for new generation of rock fans, as I put it back then, “…Bejar’s music is almost radically foreign to what else is going on in American music today. Which is to say, Kaputtisn’t really dance music, nor can it be considered “rock” of most common varieties, and neither is it some fist-pumping, amped-up hybrid of the two. Bejar’s edges are soft, his choruses delivered on a silky train of trumpet and sax trills in a moderate, almost diffident tone. If the common mode for today’s bands is a marriage of post-punk and hard dance music, 2011’s Destroyer could be, well, “indie rock and smooth jazz…” This live show at Webster Hall was a hotly anticipated one this year, and Bejar nailed it.

Full post of this show [HERE]

13. The Antlers – “Putting the Dog To Sleep” ( Knitting Factory, May 8 )

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/11 Putting the Dog to Sleep.mp3]

The Antlers continued their rise in the ranks of local bands this year with the release of their new album, Burst Apart. We were fortunate enough to catch a very special secret show at The Knitting Factory sponsored by BrooklynVegan, at which the band played the entire new album for a group of hardcore fans. This was the first time we had heard a number of these songs live, and it was evident from the start that Burst Apart was a huge creative leap forward for the band.

Full post of this show [HERE]

theantlers04

14. Wye Oak – “The Alter” (Rock Shop, January 27)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/01 The Alter.mp3]

It was absolutely freezing out when I went to see Wye Oak, performing a special invite-only show after opening for The Decemberists the night before. The band was on the cusp of releasing Civilian, an album destined for many best-of lists, and they were surrounded by friends and family to debut many of its songs live. The intimate jewel box of Rock Shop was the perfect place to do it, feeling like our personal living room as we watched the duo play. After going through the experience of being an opening act at the Beacon Theatre the night before, I’m sure it felt like a sort of homecoming for the Baltimore natives.

Full post of this show [HERE]

15. White Fence – “Baxter Corner” (Bowery Ballroom, August 13)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/04 Baxter Corner.mp3]

Our first exposure to White Fence came as they opened for Woods at Bowery Ballroom, on a night when the NYCTaper crew decided to team up and use a combination of our finest equipment. Not only is our capture one of our best recordings of the year, but this new “band” (basically the solo artist Tim Presley, with members of Woods and drummer Nick Murray as his backing band) blew us away with its catchy garage-psych tunes.

Full post of this show [HERE]

16. Family Band – “Again” (Backyard Brunch Sessions, July 23)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/09 Again.mp3]

Our friends at the Backyard Brunch Sessions held another successful summer season of intimate outdoor shows. Not only did they give the NYCTaper team the chance to show off what we can do recording-wise, but they introduced us to some fantastic new talent. Of all the acts hosted at the BBS this summer, Family Band was probably my single favorite. Lead by the husband and wife team of Jonny Olsin and Kim Krans, the band played a mesmerizing set on this sweltering midsummer afternoon. They call their music “death prom,” and indeed, it is downbeat, but its pastoral quality is one of its greatest strengths, well earned in the band’s upstate Catskills recording location.

Full post of this show [HERE]

bbs-family-band-6

17. Blitzen Trapper – “Good Times Bad Times [Led Zeppein]” (Maxwell’s, December 9)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/29 Good Times Bad Times.mp3]

Blitzen Trapper were out east from Portland for a live appearance on Letterman, and decided to grace their big fans with a Maxwell’s show while they were at it. The tight, energetic and totally fired-up crowd lapped up the 25-song set, which culminated with a ripping cover of “Good Times Bad Times” by the mighty Led Zeppelin.

Full post of this show [HERE]

18. Bill Callahan – “Say Valley Maker” (Bowery Ballroom, July 12)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/11 Say Valley Maker.mp3]

Bill Callahan is an uncanny musician – with songwriting chops, unique phrasing and a distinctly American style that is both timeless and timely. His new record Apocalypse is but one of a long run of critical and fan favorites from the songwriter, who recorded during most of the 90s under the moniker Smog.  This show found Callahan combining a set heavy on new material with some of his earlier favorites.  Callahan and his band performed a rich set that found some numbers stretching into lengthy instrumental meditations, and none so much as this nearly 10-minute rendition of “Say Valley Maker” from his 2010 effort, Rough Travel for a Rare Thing.

Full post of this show [HERE]

bill-callahan_dana

19. The Hold Steady – “How A Resurrection Really Feels” (Beekman Beer Garden, September 17)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/24 How a Resurrection Really Feels.mp3]

Four years to the day that the site first covered The Hold Steady, we caught them again at an outdoor show that took full advantage of Craig Finn’s barroom-friendly tunes. We saw the Hold Steady twice this year, and both times the band continued to capture the magic they’ve had since their inception. Finn slows no sign of slowing down – or selling out.

Full post of this show [HERE]

holdsteady1

20. Fucked Up – “Running On Nothing” (Warsaw, November 15)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/07 Running on Nothing.mp3]

In some ways, it’s appropriate that Fucked Up would follow The Hold Steady on this list – both are known for raucous, exceptionally fun live shows. Fucked Up is my one repeat choice from last year, and the reason I chose them again is simple: Once again, they have transcended the confines of their ostensibly “punk” roots to deliver an album of exceptional complexity and bravado. This show at Warsaw was a complete run-through of that album, David Comes to Life, and this song, with its dueling guitars, was one of the highlights.

Full post of this show [HERE]

21. Tristen – “Doomsday” (NYCTaper CMJ Day Party at Cake Shop, October 21)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/09 Doomsday.mp3]

For the last several years, NYCTaper has thrown an unofficial “day party” during the CMJ Music Festival – an opportunity for us to get drunk throw a concert for artists we appreciate and make some damn fine recordings, too. Tristen released a new record this year, earned lots of good reviews, but hadn’t really hit the NYC scene very hard, despite the immediate accessibility of her country-tinged indie-folk. Several people thanked us for urging them not to miss her set at our show at Cake Shop. But if you did, here’s a second chance – don’t miss Tristen.

Full post of this show [HERE]

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22. Jessica Lea Mayfield – “Run Myself Into the Ground” (Glasslands, November 17)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/10 Run Myself Into the Ground.mp3]

Glasslands was my most common haunt this year for a couple of obvious reasons – the semi-DIY Williamsburg venue and its partnership with PopGun Booking continue to bring in some of the best up-and-coming talent in this city in an artful, relaxed environment – and it sounds great most nights, thanks to current house engineer Josh Thiel. As to Jessica Lea Mayfield, we’ve caught her in fancier environs like Bowery, but this intimate, packed and sold-out show was the best of hers that we’ve seen. It was hard to pick a single favorite of the many revelatory shows I saw at Glasslands, but this one is certainly in my top few.

Full post of this show [HERE]

23. Archers of Loaf – “Dead Red Eyes” (Music Hall of Williamsburg, June 25)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/15 Dead Red Eyes.mp3]

Archers of Loaf had been gone long enough at this point that some original fans had forgotten to even miss them. Well, that’s OK – there were plenty of new ones to take their place at this show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Screaming out for songs they’d never heard live, singing along with lyrics, plenty of new fans showed up for this gig. Plenty of veterans did, too – after reliving this band’s greatness on records like Vee Vee and Icky Mettle. Frontman Eric Bachmann hasn’t stopped making music (he’s Crooked Fingers more often these days), and it showed in his instant poise once back together with his old bandmates. This slow burner was one of many memorable moments of a night that made us hope Archers of Loaf would stick around awhile.

Full post of this show [HERE]

24. Guided by Voices – “Don’t Stop Now” (McCarren Park, June 18)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/35 Don’t Stop Now.mp3]

The NYCTaper crew contributed this recording as an official release that is for sale on the Guided by Voices website. In case you were wondering, we weren’t paid for doing it – our goal was only to make the definitive recording of this legendary band. “Definitive” or not, I think this one is very good – and a perfect representation of the highlight show of this year’s Northside Festival.

This show for sale at gbvdigital.com [HERE]

GBV-Ventrice

25. Mountain Goats – “This Year [with Craig Finn]” (Bowery Ballroom, March 28)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/27 This Year.mp3]

Appropriately, our year-end compilation ends with John Darnielle and guest Craig Finn singing the perfect sendoff to 2011. “I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me” could mean a lot of things, but for us, we’re fortunate that we were able to continue to do what we love doing as a hobby, without financial support, and to – yeah – be able to continue to treat this thing that we do as a hobby rather than a job. Bands like the Mountain Goats, and their consistently surprising, fan-friendly performances are a big part of what makes this site worth doing. The other part is of course you, our readers. Happy New Year!

Full post of this show [HERE]

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Lemonheads – “My Drug Buddy” (Bowery Ballroom, October 10)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/06 My Drug Buddy.mp3]

Sebadoh – “Willing to Wait” (Maxwell’s, November 11)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/39 Willing to Wait.mp3]

Deer Tick – “Bastards of Young [The Replacements]” (Webster Hall, November 20)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/09 Bastards Of Young.mp3]

Hoop Dreams – “Home Alone” (Glasslands, August 2)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/08 Home Alone.mp3]

Lemonheads15

Sharon Van Etten – “Love More [w/ Peter Silberman]” ( Bowery Ballroom, January 8 )

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/16 Love More (with Peter Silberman).mp3]

Melvins – “Second Coming>The Ballad of Dwight Frye” (Music Hall of Williamsburg, June 6)

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/2011Best25/09 Second Coming_The Ballad of Dwight Frye.mp3]

Special thanks to all of the artists, management, labels, photographers and other music sites that have supported NYCTaper this year. And of course, a huge thank you to our readers, who we hope to continue to provide with high-quality, artist-sanctioned recordings, reviews and photos throughout 2012. Happy New Year!

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