[photo by nyctaper]

I was enamored with the music of the late great Ponytail, Baltimore’s art-rock collective that came to an unfortunate and untimely demise earlier this year. Dustin Wong’s work with Ponytail was breathtaking — intricate and hyper guitar lines that propelled the swirling melodies. As a live performer in Ponytail, Dustin yielded the front spot to Molly Siegel’s spastic vocal yelps, but fans in know understood that he was the band’s leader. As a solo performer, Dustin has literally taken a seat, taken a deep breath and now focuses on creating multi-layered musical tapestries. At Monster Island last Tuesday, he performed solo and seated to a smallish but rapt crowd. The set began with “Sisters” from his excellent new Thrill Jockey release Infinite Love but moved onto a series of new and developing melodies. The material is instantly recognizable as Dustin’s guitar style, but with the looping and layering takes on a unique character. The crowd did not utter a peep until the short set was over, but showered Dustin with some well deserved praise at its conclusion. We will continue to follow this extremely talented artist as he weaves his way along an interesting and compelling career path.

This set was recorded with the Neumann mics mounted ten feet from the stage and mixed with a well balanced soundboard feed. The sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Stream an Excerpt from this set:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/P6621Ponytail2121/Dustin%20Wong%20LIVE%20EXCERPT%202010-11-02.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Dustin Wong
2010-11-02
Monster Island Basement
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 16bit 44.1kHz 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
2010-11-06

Setlist:
[Total Time 30:23]
01 Track
(songs included “Sisters” and a series of new melodies)

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Dustin Wong, visit his artist page at the Thrill Jockey Records website, and purchase his official releases from the Merge Records website [HERE].

[Photo courtesy of Amanda Hatfield]

Continuing our series of recordings from the NYCTaper Unofficial CMJ Day Party is a charged four-song set from Chicago’s Unicycle Loves You, who are veterans of our next most recent (and admittedly much less well attended) NYCTaper CMJ show. This time there was nothing to worry about in that department, as a solid crowd showed up to witness the band’s New Wave-influenced psych pop. This set exclusively showcased songs from their new record, Mirror, Mirror, and each was delivered with the obvious charge that comes with playing fresh new material. Although a good bit shorter than our most recent Unicycle Loves You post from September at Cake Shop, the sound quality of this recording blows the other (admittedly good) one away due to an improved recording technique that we discovered for the venue. If you like this taste of the band, please check out their records and our other recordings!

I recorded this set from the same location as the other CMJ sets, and the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Justine”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/U2210ULY2229/UnicycleLovesYou-Justine2010-10-21.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Unicycle Loves You
2010-10-21
NYCTaper CMJ Day Party
Cake Shop
New York, NY

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

Equipment: DPA 4021+Stereo soundboard feed>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: Mount above and slightly in front of stage, ORTF
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, slight EQ, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

01 The Wickedest Man in San Francisco
02 Teenage Ghost House
03 Justine
04 Mountain Lungs

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Unicycle Loves You, visit their website, and purchase their official releases at the Store on their website [HERE].

[Photo courtesy of Andrew Gardner]

When, like The Rest, you are a Canadian band (albeit, from Hamilton, near Toronto) and you have enough members to crowd the stage (seven, in this case) and you play complex, somewhat anthemic rock music, you might forgive those who write about you for comparing you to a band like, say, Arcade Fire. We wrote a glowing review of the band’s performance at another show sponsored by NYCTaper last year, and since reading that review (since I was not the one recording that night), I was intrigued. I picked up the band’s latest record, Everyone All At Once, but to be honest, this seems to be one of those cases where I prefer the band’s live sound to their record. Not to take anything away from the record – it is quite good – but a band this big virtually demands that you absorb the live experience.

Despite being crammed onto the tiny stage at Cake Shop for the NYCTaper Unofficial CMJ Day Party, The Rest gave us everything we had hoped for. Their heartfelt songwriting, excellent arrangements and tight playing shone through, even without a proper soundcheck. My personal favorite was probably “The Close Western,” a U2-like slow builder that explodes into a soaring anthem.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the other CMJ sets, and the sound quality is superior. Enjoy!

Stream “The Close Western”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/R6019TheRest2929/TheRest-TheCloseWestern2010-10-21.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Rest
2010-10-21
NYCTaper CMJ Day Party
Cake Shop
New York, NY

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

Equipment: DPA 4021+Stereo soundboard feed>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: Mount above and slightly in front of stage, ORTF
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, slight EQ, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

01 Who Knows
02 The Close Western
03 banter
04 Always On My Mind
05 Walk On Water

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Rest, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Everyone All At Once directly from the Auteur Records website [HERE] or digitally from Amie Street [HERE].

[Photo courtesy of Quiet Lights]

Brooklyn’s Quiet Lights have been together for only a year, but they have used that time wisely, crafting an intense, wall-of-sound style that can fill any room.  Their music is complex and densely layered, at times aircraft-engine loud.  During the loudest passages, vocalist Yseult Tyler’s vocals float just below the surface like a ghost’s; even out front, they are carefully subdued and dreamlike.  This is music that can make you love clouds and storms and vast, open spaces, somehow both dark and light at once.  The band is in the process of recording a debut album with producer/engineer John Congleton (Explosions in the Sky, St. Vincent).  Until that comes to fruition, check out their three-song EP Three Songs and the “Ablaze” 7? on bandcamp. I was thrilled to catch this bill with Esben and the Witch and A Sunny Day In Glasgow (ASDIG’s set to be posted here soon), and I hope to see Quiet Lights in the neighborhood again soon.

I recorded this set with the Schoeps microphones in our usual location in the venue back by the soundboard.  The recording captures the band’s style quite nicely.  Enjoy!

Stream “Twice Today”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/Q2610QuietLights2010/QuietLights-TwiceToday2010-10-26.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Quiet Lights
2010-10-26
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY  USA

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

Equipment: Schoeps CMC641>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod)
Position: Clamp to right side of soundboard booth, 7.5? up, pointed at stacks
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, hard limit peaks, light EQ to reduce room reflections, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Throat Cut
02 Break Trouble Wait
03 No More Canyons
04 Twice Today
05 Engine Down
06 Ablaze
07 Simple Mechanics

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Quiet Lights, visit their website, like them on Facebook, and check out their releases on Bandcamp as well as their forthcoming new record.

[photo courtesy of Amanda Hatfield]

As with a couple of the bands on our Unofficial CMJ Day Party roster this year, we were introduced to Brit & The Cavalry by our friends over at the Backyard Brunch Sessions.  Brit Boras and the Cavalry (a huge band that includes Alex Beckmann (drums), Dan Krysa (bass), Kevin Birk (trombone), Nick Myers (sax), Billy Austik (trumpet) and Liz Hanley (violin)) play big, effusive songs that are blend of folk, rock and pop, anchored (unsurprisingly) by Boras’ classically-strong voice (on article compared her to Tori Amos, a not-unfair comparison).  Boras’ voice is the unmistakable focus of the act, of course, no matter how rich the tapestry of sound around her.  BATC is not a conventional turn-of-the-decade Brooklyn band; I could imagine them fitting being just as relevant in 1965, 1995 as they are today.  This five-song set drew from their new Hiker EP, and also featured a couple of numbers I was not familiar with.  We expect to see a lot more of this relatively unique and intriguing band in the future.

I recorded this set in the same manner as our other CMJ sets, with DPA mics nearly onstage and a soundboard feed for the vocals and brass.  The recording is outstanding.  Enjoy!

Stream “Hiker”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/B3107Brit1020/Brit%26TheCavalry-Hiker2010-10-21.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Brit & The Cavalry
2010-10-21
NYCTaper CMJ Day Party
Cake Shop
New York, NY

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

Equipment: DPA 4021+Stereo soundboard feed>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: Mount above and slightly in front of stage, ORTF
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify and balance)>FLAC Level 8

01 Hiker
02 unknown
03 Melt Into Flames
04 unknown
05 Breathing Underwater

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Brit and the Cavalry, visit their website, and purchase Hiker and their other official releases on iTunes or your preferred retailer.