[photos taken for nyctaper by Kate Ehle – more here]

Bradford Cox struggled several times throughout the Atlas Sound show last night at Bell House with his equipment, but by the end of show made this joking/offhand remark that was abundantly true — “I don’t need the f’ing looper thing”. While the basic premise of Atlas Sound has always been Bradford and his various looping and other effects as accompaniment to his guitar and vocals, what became clear last night was that he doesn’t need the help. The strongest moments during the show were when it was just Bradford, guitar and harmonica — seemingly an authentic post-indie next-generation 1970-era Neil Young. This particular performance was noteworthy for the several new songs mixed in with Logos material, and a surprise Deerhunter song in the encore slot. But what we took away from the night was the hope that next time Bradford will leave his toys home and accept that his stage presence and immense musical talents alone can carry the show.

We recorded from our usual location at this venue and the sound quality is outstanding. There is one minor flaw as we had a cable connection issue for the first two minutes of the set but remedied much of the problem in post-production. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Atlas Sound
2010-02-03
Bell House
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 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
2010-02-04

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:25:04]
01 The Scream
02 [technical problems]
03 Te Amo
04 Walkabout
05 Sheila
06 An Orchid
07 Please Come Home
08 Flagstaff
09 Attic Lights
10 [encore break/banter]
11 Criminals
12 [false start/banter]
13 Spring Hall Convert
14 Logos
15 [closing remarks]

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Atlas Sound, visit the MySpace page, visit Bradford’s blog, and purchase the latest album Logos directly from the Kranky Records website (here).

[photo by nyctaper]

On the same night last month at Glasslands when we recorded Babies and Beach Fossils, I was also quite impressed with the music of one of the opening bands. True Womanhood is a trio from Washington DC that plays a type of avant-pop that’s hard to pigeonhole. With a drummer who plays on an unorthodox kit, the rhythms can be challenging but are complimented by tenor-based harmonies and melodic guitar lines. The band’s new EP Basement Membranes was released this past week, and the opening song from this concert (“The Monk”) appears on that disc.

We recorded this set with the two Neumann mics mixed with a board feed. The post-production required some channel conversion to balance out the recording, but the results are excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

True Womanhood
2010-01-06
Glasslands Gallery
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > 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
2010-01-12

Setlist:
[Total Time 29:24]
01 The Monk
02 Grey Man
03 Mantle
04 Night Prowler
05 A Diviner
06 Dungeoness

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT True Womanhood, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their new EP directly from the Environmental Aesthetics website (here).

[Dinosaur Feathers also played Bell House this week — photo courtesy of Jonny Leather]

Acidjack reports:
“As their name implies, Dinosaur Feathers are a strange beast. A three-man band with no drummer that uses all three members’ considerable vocal talents to burst forth with acappella style harmonies. A band I have only seen in the winter that plays music whose sounds like summer. A band that operates out of Brooklyn in 2010 that, as far as I can tell, does not sound a single bit like any other band, doesn’t seem to be following any obvious trend, and as far as that is concerned, doesn’t give a damn if they’re trendy or not. And, I can’t get their songs out of my head. Finally, I watch these guys onstage, and they engage in some truly bizarre behavior– they smile, they seem to enjoy themselves, and they don’t seem self-conscious at all about actually looking happy! Give their songs a listen, and you might see why. This is music I would love to hear at an outdoor show in July, even though I loved it at Cameo in the freezing cold.

The Dinosaur Feathers have a self-released new record, Fantasy Memorial coming out on March 3rd. I recommend strongly that you check it out.

Thanks to Dinosaur Feathers for inviting nyctaper to record this performance. I recorded this from the center in the back of the room with the DPA microphones up high. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!”

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Dinosaur Feathers
2009-12-17
Cameo Gallery
Brooklyn, NY

An ACIDJACK master recording

Recorded and produced by acidjack
Hosted at nyctaper.com

Equipment: DPA 4021>Marantz PMD660 (Oade Concert Mod) (16/44.1)
Position: Slightly LOC, stand at 11′, DIN
Mastering: 16bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (tracking, amplify each channel, set fades)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
1 – I Ni Sogoma
2 – Cross the Cannon
3 – Talking
4 – Life and Death of a Christmas Tree
5 – Parallel July
6 – More Talking
7 – Family Waves
8 – Fantasy Memorial
9 – Vendela Vida
10 – History Lessons

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Dinosaur Feathers, visit their MySpace page, and pre-order their new album Fantasy Memorial from InSound [HERE].

[photo courtesy of Rez Avissar]

Acidjack reports:
“Critical darlings (thanks for the “Best New Music” accolades, Pitchfork!) Bear In Heaven packed the Mercury Lounge to bursting Wednesday night, giving a performance that showed a darker side to their music than the clean, almost poppy sound of their excellent record, Beast Rest Forth Mouth. In concert, the band puts forth a somewhat more shoegazy vibe, with pounding drums, intense reverb and layered keyboards. Through the haze of incense burning onstage, Bear In Heaven made clear why they have stood out among Brooklyn’s many excellent bands. One could easily imagine this music translating to a venue three times the size of tiny Mercury, which boomed with the band’s colossal sound. As Pitchfork’s effusive review put it, “This is music that’s bigger than your iPod– music you’ll want to feel all around you.” Absolutely true.

I recorded this set from a heavily trafficked but optimally positioned spot in the venue, dead center between the speakers, with a stereo soundboard feed as well. As you will hear, adjustments were needed to the house mix during the first two songs, and there was heavy reverb throughout. The recording is a very accurate capture of the sound of the night. Enjoy!”

Back in October, nyctaper also recorded Bear in Heaven as part of the Showpaper/ToddP/Pitchfork benefit at Market Hotel. Previously, we posted from this night Cymbals Eat Guitars, Surfer Blood, Smith Westerns, and Real Estate. This Bear in Heaven set was recorded with the Neumann microphones combined with a soundboard feed, and the sound is excellent.

Direct download of MP3 files
Mercury ’10 (HERE)
Market Hotel ’09 (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC: [MERCURY] / [MARKET]

Bear In Heaven
2010-01-27
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY

An acidjack master recording

Recorded and produced by acidjack
Hosted at nyctaper.com

Equipment: Stereo soundboard feed + DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to SBD cage, center, mics at 8.5′
Mastering: 2x24bit/44.kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, EQ, tracking, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Drug A Wheel
02 Fake Out
03 Ultimate Satisfaction
04 Wholehearted Mess
05 Lovesick Teenager
06 Beast In Peace
07 Deafening Love
08 Dust Cloud
09 banter
10 You Do You
11 Casual Goodbye

************

Bear in Heaven
2009-10-24
Market Hotel
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 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
2010-01-31

Setlist:
[Total Time 30:51]
01 Drug A Wheel
02 Fake Out
03 Ultimate Satisfaction
04 Wholehearted Mess
05 Lovesick Teenagers
06 Beast in Peace
07 Dust Cloud

If you email nyctaper for access to these recordings, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Bear in Heaven, visit their website, and purchase their official releases directly from the Hometapes Records site [HERE].