nyctaper Recordings

[Freshkills live at Glasslands on October 24, 2010. Photos used courtesy of Jackie Roman Photography]

Brooklyn’s Freshkills (named after the infamous Staten Island landfill) play the type of dark, high-tempo, Joy Division and Dischord influenced post-punk that goes extremely well with things that are bad for you – a bottle of vodka, a cigarette, and a pissed-off attitude – and the need to let out whatever demon led you to them that day. Although their music is aggressive, it is also extremely fun to listen to live, with accessible hooks and melodies. This show at Mercury Lounge, on an excellent bill that also featured The Pipettes and Les Sans Culottes, showed them in top form. Sloppy hardcore this is not. The band is readying a new record for release, including the first single “The Bigger Man”, which you can listen to at A Heart Is A Spade (as well as the live version below). We look forward to seeing more from Freshkills, and the new album!

hi and lo recorded this set from our usual spot in the venue with Schoeps microphones and an excellent soundboard feed from Kyle at Mercury Lounge. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “The Bigger Man”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/F4002Freshkills0211/08 The Bigger Man.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Freshkills
Mercury Theater
New York, NY, US
2011-04-20

Recorded by hi and lo for nyctaper.com
Source : Schoeps MK5 (cardioid)>CMBI + Soundboard > Tascam DR-680 @ 24 bit / 44.1 kHz
Edit: WaveLab V5.01b (normalize, parallel compression, mixdown)
Dither: Mbit+ Ultra (16 bit, Normal)
Final Format: 16 bit, 44.1 kHz
Tracking: CD-Wave v1.97
Encoding: FLAC v1.2.1 (Level 8 ) with TLH v2.6.0 (Build 168)

Tracklist [Time 33:38]
01. Intro
02. Opposing Teams
03. Why Are You So Unforgiving?
04. Positive Vibes
05. Child We Almost Had
06. The Wolves That Raised You
07. Hotels
08. The Bigger Man
09. New Folksongs For New Buildings

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Freshkills, visit their website, and purchase their official releases through the links on their website [HERE]

Local H: April 21, 2011 Mercury Lounge – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 26, 2011

[Local H live at The Riot Room, Kansas City, MO in 2008. Photos courtesy of Todd Zimmer. See his Flickr stream [HERE]]

The Chicago power duo Local H are a bit of a rock n’ roll time capsule. Although they formed in 1987, the band first hit the mainstream in the the post-Cobain years with their 1996 FM smash “Bound for the Floor”, which couldn’t help but remind alt-rock fans of their departed hero. The album that featured the single, As Good As Dead, generated several more radio classics, including “Eddie Vedder” and “High-Fiving MF”. Back in those days – when the major labels still controlled all the levers of artistic success – the only upward route was successful radio singles, big debut record, land the followup. Like a lot of bands in the late 90s, Local H found themselves caught in the drama of the devolution of the record industry, and their followup to As Good As Dead – Pack Up the Cats – languished more as a result of big-label intrigue than of artistic decline. Unlike many of their peers, Local H didn’t give up, and went on to have a career that has been marked by legendary live shows. This set at Mercury Lounge, part of a “Singles Tour” celebrating The Island Years, a forthcoming “best-of” of sorts from their 90s output on Island Records, read like a career retrospective, from early songs like “Mayonnaise & Malaise” to the forthcoming single “Cold Matter.”

As to the “time capsule” comment, it was striking, from the band’s earlier material, how different the concerns of artists were in the 90s versus today. Lyrically, many of these numbers could easily be touchstones of the era from which they came. Songs that confront issues like the struggle for authenticity, the worry that your shows are being overrun by meatheads (“High Fiving MF”), and the “one-hit wonder” phenomenon seem quaint in today’s car-commercial-driven era, where even one FM radio hit is an unthinkable luxury and most bands are happy to give away their records to fans on bandcamp, let alone worry about what happens to their follow-up on a major label. Local H may be of an earlier time, but as this show demonstrated, they still have plenty to say. The night ended with a searing tribute, a cover of TV on the Radio‘s “Wolf Like Me,” in honor of the recently departed Gerard Smith, who died of lung cancer.

Clearly, Local H have some singles left in them.

hi and lo and I recorded this set with a combination of four Schoeps microphones from our usual spot in the venue. Because the band does not permit soundboard recordings, we used only the audience mics, but Kyle’s excellent mix comes through nicely. There are some rowdier moments of crowd noise, but they only serve to add to the experience. Enjoy!

Stream “Eddie Vedder”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/L2014LocalH2110/13 Eddie Vedder.mp3]

Stream “Wolf Like Me”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/L2014LocalH2110/21 Wolf Like Me.mp3]

This recording is now available for download in FLAC or MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].

Local H
2011-04-21
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Four Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded by acidjack and hi and lo for nyctaper.com
Produced by acidjack

Equipment: Schoeps Mk5 (cardiod)>CMBi+Schoeps Mk41>CMC6>>Tascam DR-680 (24/44.1)
Position: At soundboard, slightly ROC, pointed at stacks, mics at approx 7ft.
Mastering: 2x24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (adjust levels, mixdown, set fades, EQ, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:28:41]
01 Fritz’s Corner
02 All The Kids Are Right
03 Cynic
04 Half-Life
05 Tag Along
06 Twenty-Four Breakup Session
07 All Right Oh Yeah
08 Another February
09 High-Fiving MF
10 [banter]
11 Everyone Alive
12 Michelle (Again)
13 Eddie Vedder
14 Mayonnaise & Malaise
15 Hands on the Bible
16 California Songs
17 [banter]
18 Cold Matter
19 Joey [Concrete Blonde]
20 Bound For the Floor
21 Wolf Like Me [TV On the Radio]

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Local H, visit their website, and pre-order The Island Years from Amazon [HERE]

Maps & Atlases: April 19, 2011 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 25, 2011

[Photo by Megan Barron. See her Flickr stream here]

It is a not-uncommon trope on this site that bands tend to give it their absolute best when playing their first Bowery Ballroom show – it’s a big moment for any band, and the venue itself is nearly perfect – spacious yet intimate, welcoming, and outfitted with an excellent sound system. Maps & Atlases took full advantage of their breakout moment this Tuesday night, as they played an outstanding set to a welcoming 16+ crowd fueled more by the band’s incredible music than the typical NYC crowd’s favorite combo of alcohol and smartphones. In note-perfect form the band covered the best material from their first full-length, Perch Patchwork, as well as classics from their EPs like “Ted Zancha,” “Artichokes” and “Everyplace Is A House.” Maps don’t sound like any other band out there today; vocalist/guitarist Dave Davison’s voice remains in a class by itself, and their unique, polyrhythmic rock could probably wow a class of music students as easily as it did this young Bowery crowd. That uniqueness may have been an impediment at first, but people are clearly “getting it” now. It doesn’t hurt that their live show is a bit of a contrast from their more lo-fi sounding albums; turned up loud, their music is more celebratory than it seems on a scratchy EP, and more importantly, live, you just cannot miss how dialed-in these guys are as musicians. That was best in evidence during an epic seven-minute version of “Daily News” from the You Me & the Mountain EP, a mostly-instrumental track that was perhaps the strongest song of the night. The band also gave us a rare treat by doing a cover song (not part of their usual repertoire, other than their cover of Cast Spells’ “Glamorous Glowing”), a short, faithful rendition of Elvis Costello’s “Radio Radio”. While there was no post-show acoustic set from the floor like there was at the intimate Mercury Lounge show last year, this set still outshone that one. It kind of had to – it was their “Bowery moment.”

Kenny, the regular sound engineer at Bowery Ballroom, truly outdid himself this evening with a flawless mix. While the Mercury show also included a soundboard feed, the sound quality of this set, with the Schoeps microphones running into a custom built analog preamp, is better than that one, in my opinion. Enjoy!

Stream “Daily News”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/M2180M&A0210/16 Daily News.mp3]

Stream “Radio Radio”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/M2180M&A0210/20 Radio Radio.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Maps & Atlases
2011-04-19
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

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

Equipment: Schoeps Mk41>CMC6>Oade M248>Sony PCM-M10 (24/44.1)
Position: Balcony, LOC, mics on clamp extended toward soundboard, DIN
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:01:25]
01 Pigeon
02 The Sounds They Make
03 Artichokes
04 [tuning]
05 Israeli Caves
06 [banter]
07 Ted Zancha
08 [banter]
09 Will>
10 The Charm
11 [banter]
12 Witch
13 Everyplace Is A House
14 Living Decorations
15 Glamorous Glowing [Cast Spells]
16 Daily News
17 [banter]
18 Solid Ground
19 [encore break]
20 Radio Radio [Elvis Costello]
21 If This Is>
22 Was

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Maps & Atlases, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Perch Patchwork from their official store here.

British Sea Power: April 21, 2011 Bowery Ballroom – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

April 23, 2011

[photo courtesy of blir]

On the final night of their US tour British Sea Power let loose the likes we have not seen before. Three years ago, their final night show at Maxwell’s was a hoot, but what went down at Bowery Ballroom on Thursday night was a grade above. The show began with unbridled energy as the band ripped through a series of Yan songs normally reserved for the end of the set. And it was that end of the set where things pretty much became anarchy. Following a strong version of “Stunde Null” from 2011’s Valhalla Dancehall, the show took on a decidedly crazy bent, as show-opener and former BSP keyboardist and current Brakes leader Eamon Hamilton pranced around the stage and ultimately the entire venue with a single drum and space helmet — an act he was reprising from his days in the band. The rare-ish “Apologies to Insect Life” followed and led through a cacophonous transition to the improv number “The Spirit of St. Louis”. As “Spirit” is generally reserved for the end of the show hijinks, the last half hour was as unpredictable as it was uncontrolled. The band shelved the encore on-off stage cliche, but instead launched directly into their early Top 40 UK single “Carrion” followed by a version of “Rock in A” that led to about half the crowd joining the crowd on stage, along with Eamon and the other opener A Classic Education. After nearly two hours, the show didn’t end as much as it just devolved into mayhem, as band and crowd danced on stage until the beat was lost and exhaustion caused the band to give up trying to hold it together. It was perhaps the perfect ending for a show as crazy, inspired, and completely entertaining as we have seen all year.

I recorded this set from the standard balcony location in this venue with the four-microphone rig. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “No Lucifer”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/B1050BSP8005/15.%20No%20Lucifer.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

British Sea Power
2011-04-21
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded Balcony Railing

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
2011-04-22

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:53:21]
01 Lights Out For Darker Skies
02 Atom
03 Who’s In Control
04 We Are Sound
05 Oh Larsen B
06 [banter]
07 Luna
08 Blackout
09 Baby
10 Once More Now
11 It Ended On An Oily Stage
12 [banter2]
13 Living Is So Easy
14 Mongk II
15 No Lucifer
16 Stunde Null
17 Apologies To Insect Life
18 The Spirit Of St. Louis
19 Waving Flags
20 The Great Skua
21 Carrion – All In It
22 Rock in A (and mayhem)

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT British Sea Power, visit their website, and purchase their new release Valhalla Dancehall from Rough Trade Records.

Wye Oak: April 14, 2011 Bowery Ballroom – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

April 18, 2011

[photo by Amanda Hatfield – courtesy of Matt at A Heart Is A Spade]

When we last saw Wye Oak in January, they were wowing as the openers for The Decemberists and then playing an intimate surprise show at Rock Shop in anticipation of the release of their new album. As acidjack predicted based upon the Rock Shop performance, Civilian (Merge Records) has been the well-deserved breakout release for Wye Oak. At Bowery Ballroom on Thursday, the band seemed propelled by the sell-out crowd and exuded confidence and focus. Jenn Wasner has developed a great stage presence as she aggressively handles her axe while her bright blonde hair swirls about — all while providing vocals with depth and personality. Meanwhile, Andy Stack drums and plays keyboards and effects simultaneously — a musical accomplishment that must require intense concentration. Their set at Bowery contained eight of the ten songs from Civilian, along with two songs from their 2010 EP (“I Hope You Die” is streaming below), several songs from The Knot, and a wild Danzig cover. As the band reached the powerful climax of the set closing “For Prayer” it was obvious to all present that Wye Oak have truly arrived.

I recorded this set with the four microphone rig from our standard balcony rail location and the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “I Hope You Die”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/W2701WyeOak2011/16.%20I%20Hope%20You%20Die.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Wye Oak
2011-04-14
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded Balcony Railing

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2011-04-15

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:07:15]
01 The Alter
02 Holy Holy
03 [banter]
04 Plains
05 [banter2]
06 Hot As Day
07 My Creator
08 Dogs Eyes
09 Civilian
10 That I Do
11 [banter3]
12 Mother [Danzig]
13 Take It In
14 We Were Wealth
15 [banter4]
16 I Hope You Die
17 [encore break]
18 Doubt
19 For Prayer

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Wye Oak, visit their website, and purchase Civilian from Merge Records here.

Eternal Summers: April 15, 2011 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

April 18, 2011

[Photo by Jessica Amaya]

I was a bit surprised that my first experience in the upgraded/redesigned Glasslands – complete with better sightlines, more bars, more bathrooms, better sound, and better light – was actually a band that wasn’t from NYC. But Roanoke, VA-based Eternal Summers certainly have their finger on the pulse of the sensibilities of the moment, whatever their geographic orientation. They make the kind of smart, plaintive pop-punk that would have fit well into the early 90s scene in DC and Arlington, VA. With a record, Silver on Kanine Records that has been extremely well received, as well as a slew of EPs, the duo of Nicole Yun and Daniel Cundiff (now also with a touring bassist) has been hitting New York with regularity. This show, presented by PopGun Booking and Tell All Your Friends PR, celebrated the band’s latest release on Kanine, the Prisoner EP. Rounding out an excellent four-act bill, Eternal Summers didn’t spend much of their economical set chatting, instead focusing on playing fiery renditions of songs from all over their catalog. My favorite was the bouncy title track from Silver. It is worth noting that Eternal Summers are part of a loosely affiliated local collective (in which Cundiff is a serial participant) known as the Magic Twig Community. If the rest of Roanoke’s progressive scene bears any relationship to the quality of this band, I need to take a trip to Virginia as soon as possible.

I recorded this set with an excellent soundboard feed from Josh of Glasslands combined with the DPA mics mounted in an optimum new location in the venue. The results are excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Silver”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/E1504EternalSummers2011/04 Silver.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Eternal Summers
2011-04-15
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Equipment: DPA 4021>Oade M248+Soundboard>>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/44.1)
Position: Center pole, 11′ up, X/Y
Mastering: 2x24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, EQ audience source, set fades, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Prisoner
02 [unknown]
03 Able To
04 Silver
05 World’s Away
06 Safe At Home
07 I Know Now
08 [unknown]
09 [unknown]
10 [unknown]
11 Girls In the City
12 What Do You Do (?)
13 [unknown]

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Eternal Summers, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Prisoner directly from Kanine Records [HERE]

Sharon Van Etten: April 16, 2011 Music Hall of Williamsburg – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

April 17, 2011

[photos by Amanda Hatfield]

After months on the road playing to bigger crowds in bigger venues than she has ever seen, Sharon Van Etten came home last night to a vocally adoring local crowd. Music Hall of Williamsburg was sold out (as she had done at Bowery in January), and the floor was packed. From my vantage point in the front right of the balcony, I could see the faces of the rapt fans in the first ten rows. On this recording, you can hear the calls of adoration in between each song. Sharon’s music has always spoken (almost brutally) honestly about real emotions, and as her popularity grows its inevitable that she’s going to connect on a deeper level with fans who relate to those emotions. But fortunately for Sharon, she seems to have truly grasped a perspective on this phenomenon both on stage and off, and keeps a healthy distance from the adoration. Last night’s set contained most of what has catapulted her to this success, the 2010 release Epic, along with an abundant amount of strong new material and some solo classics. The night also featured two special guests — Jessica Larabee from show opener She Keeps Bees (recording of their set coming soon) on “Save Yourself”, and Aly Spaltro (Lady Lamb The Beekeeper) on “For You”. I am privy to some news about Sharon, but can only say to expect an exciting announcement from the Van Etten camp soon. In that vein, we’re streaming one of the newer songs “Tell Me”, which has developed since its August debut into a powerful number that will likely be featured on any new release.

I recorded this set from the front right of the balcony about fifteen feet from the right PA speaker, and used the hyper-directional Neumanns for what is known as a “stack tape”. The clarity is outstanding, but there is less depth than the recording from January. Additionally, the balcony at Music Hall has always had lower vocals in the mix than can be heard on the floor, and this recording is no exception. With those caveats, enjoy!

Stream “Tell Me”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/S0606SharonVE8008/10.%20Tell%20Me.mp3]

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

Sharon Van Etten
2011-04-16
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded from Balcony Rail
Far Right 15 feet from Stacks

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2011-04-17

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:17:42]
01 Heart In The Ground
02 I Am Bad
03 [banter]
04 Peace Signs
05 Save Yourself
06 Don’t Do It
07 [banter2]
08 One Day
09 [banter3]
10 Tell Me
11 [banter4]
12 Tornado
13 [banter5]
14 All I Can
15 [banter6]
16 For You
17 [banter7]
18 Love More
19 [encore break]
20 Damn Right
21 Kevin’s
22 [banter8]
23 A Joke Or A Lie

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Sharon Van Etten, visit her website, and purchase her new CD epic from Bada Bing Records [HERE].

PS I Love You: March 30, 2011 Mercury Lounge – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 13, 2011

[Photos courtesy of Geoffrey Dicker for According to G]

I don’t know what’s in the water up in Ontario, Canada these days, but a serious music scene is percolating in Toronto that is fresh, exciting and varied. PS I Love You are from the college town of Kingston, about three hours from Toronto, but they belong with their Toronto-based brethren when it comes to being part of this burgeoning Canadian scene. This set, opening for NYCTaper favorites Diamond Rings, showed off the chops of guitarist/vocals Paul Saulnier and drummer Benjamin Nelson admirably, as they delivered a tight set that consisted primarily of songs from their rave-reviewed 2010 effort, Meet Me At the Muster Station, as well as a couple of new songs. The set closer, “Leftovers,” off of a recent 7″ with Diamond Rings, spanned nearly twice the time of the rest of Saulnier’s focused tunes, and found John O’Regan himself joining the band in the effort. Saulnier, who began the band as a solo project, gives voice to his angst live even more palpably than on the band’s studio outings, and he and Nelson can shred with the best of them. Beneath Saulnier’s pitched yowl and the squalls of feedback, it’s not hard to hear the real musicianship of PS I Love You; they may be a two-man band, but I would not call them a “garage rock duo.” We were sorry to miss the second post-midnight set that the band performed after Diamond Rings’ performance, but this 40-minute set was an excellent introduction to another talented new act. Montreal had an incredible run of acts coming up in the late 90s and early 2000s, but they’d better watch out – their brethren to the west are the trailblazers these days.

hi and lo recorded this set with the Schoeps microphones and a soundboard feed from Kevin at Mercury Lounge. Other than a few glitches in a connection during the first song and occasional spots of chatter toward the end of the set, this recording is flawless. Thanks to PS I Love You and Paper Bag Records for permitting us to make and share this recording. Enjoy!

The Diamond Rings set was also recorded and will be posted once approval is received from their management.

Stream “Facelove”:

[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/P0330PSILoveYou2011/10 Facelove.mp3]

Stream “Leftovers [feat. Diamond Rings]”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/P0330PSILoveYou2011/12 Leftovers.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

PS I Love You
2011-03-30
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Premiere download offered at www.nyctaper.com
Recorded by hi and lo
Produced by acidjack

Equipment: Schoeps Mk5 (cardiod)>Schoeps CMBI>EAA PSP2+Soundboard>>Tascam DR-680 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to soundboard, slightly ROC
Mastering: 2x24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 39:30]
01 Meet Me At the Muster Station
02 Breadends
03 2012
04 Little Spoon
05 CBEZ
06 [unknown]
07 Starfield
08 [new song]
09 [unknown]
10 Facelove
11 [banter]
12 Leftovers [with Diamond Rings]

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT PS I Love You, visit them on Facebook, and purchase their music directly from Paper Bag Records [HERE]

Black Angels: April 8, 2011 Bowery Ballroom – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

April 11, 2011