Posts Tagged ‘ Secretly Canadian Records ’

The War on Drugs: March 20, 2014 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

March 24, 2014
By


the-war-on-drugs-14
[Photos from the 3/19 show courtesy of P Squared Photography]

My thoughts on The War on Drugs don’t differ much from those expressed in nyctaper’s review of the previous night, but I do think some things bear repeating. Nine times out of ten — more like 95 times out of 100 — worthy bands who toil in the trenches don’t make it. One thing doesn’t go right or another. Maybe there’s a lack of commitment on someone’s part. Or a lack of confidence. Or, in most cases, a lack of pure dumb luck.

We’ve posted a lot of recordings of this band over the past few years not because we thought one day they’d be able to way-sell-out three nights in a row here in New York, which they just did, but because we believed they were worthy. As a fan, your biggest hope always ought to be that the band you’re rooting for makes it. For Adam Granduciel, who toiled for over a year creating his magnum opus Lost In the Dream, it didn’t yet seem to have sunk in that his band had. He showed a bit of nervousness before kicking off the opening number, “In Reverse”, but after that, this show unfolded like the victory party it was meant to be. Compared to night one at the Bowery Ballroom, the band was looser and more poised, playing one song after another as easily as “Suffering” transitioned straight into “An Ocean In Between the Waves”. Just as heavily-produced album tracks like “Under the Pressure” shone as rendered live, so too did re-arranged versions of the band’s classics like a slowed-down “Brothers”. With the bevy of personnel at his command, including a saxophonist, the band’s more complex numbers took on a Destroyer-like caste at times (we’ve recorded WoD opening for them). Granduciel makes that work, too, being the kind of musician who can add complexity without letting it turn to overindulgence.

Normally when you can hear a crowd screaming at the stage between songs it’s mindless heckling; if you listen closely to this recording, what’s being hurled at Granduciel are compliments on the album. This was that kind of show, right through Granduciel acknowledging the fakeness of encores, asking for the lights to go up some so he could read the lyrics to John Lennon’s “Mind Games” (streaming below) a bit more clearly. The War on Drugs may be critical darlings now, but this is isn’t overnight success. This is it being done the old fashioned way. The kind that lasts.

I recorded this set from my usual spot in the venue with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones and a stereo soundboard feed provided by house engineer Kenny. The sound quality is outstanding, marred only slightly by light static during two songs. Enjoy!

Stream “Mind Games” [John Lennon]

Stream “Under the Pressure”

This recording is now hosted on the Live Music Archive.  Download the complete show via these links: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

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.

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The War On Drugs
2014-03-20
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (DINa, balcony, LOC)>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard (engineer: Kenny)>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, adjust levels, mix down, compression, fades)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time: 1:39:24]
01 In Reverse
02 Baby Missiles
03 [banter]
04 Under the Pressure
05 Suffering>
06 An Ocean In Between the Waves
07 Eyes to the Wind
08 Red Eyes
09 Come To the City
10 Brothers [Slow Version]
11 Burning
12 [banter2]
13 Lost In the Dream
14 [banter3]
15 Mind Games [John Lennon]
16 Coming Through
17 [banter4]
18 Arms Like Boulders

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT The War on Drugs, visit their website, and buy Lost In the Dream from Secretly Canadian.

The War On Drugs: March 19, 2014 Bowery Ballroom – Flac/MP3/Streaming

March 23, 2014
By

the-war-on-drugs-50
[photos by PSquared Photography]

The War On Drugs new album Lost In The Dream is a record that can only be adequately described in grand sweeping terms. This release is not simply in the “best of 2014” discussion, it will be considered one the best of this decade. There have been some lofty review ratings posted for Lost this week, and much effusive praise, but as we have chronicled the growth of this band and Adam Graduciel over the last five years, the album is a natural progression for a group whose two prior records were each superb. But Lost In the Dream changes the equation and ups the ante for The War On Drugs. The ten songs on this album are each microcosms of the work as a whole — the struggles and doubts of a man in his mid-30s grappling with passage of youth and the inevitable approach of middle age — each set to haunting and evocative melodies that echo in the ear even after moving on to the next track. The stories of Adam’s obsessions with the minutiae of the production of this albums have all been told. The man truly suffers for his art. But ultimately the musicianship finds itself equal to the songcraft. Lost is the first War On Drugs album where the songs are given a chance to breath and step outside themselves to reach remarkable crescendos. The lazy term would be that the songs “jam”, but these aren’t improvisations instead rather meticulously crafted passages. For instance, “Eyes To The Wind” hits its peak with a screaming guitar solo that segues to sax and then piano and back to guitar seamlessly and almost without the listener recognizing the lead change.

For the band’s current tour, Adam has assembled the core band but has added two ringers, multi-instrumentalists John Natchez and Anthony LeMarca. We attended the Bowery Ballroom shows on Wednesday and Thursday and if the album truly deserves the superlatives so in fact does the live show. On Wednesday, The War On Drugs worked through the entire Lost In The Dream (minus one instrumental track) and selected classic material in a 100-minute set that was stunning in its ability to not only capture the magic of Lost but expand upon its instrumental passages. We have never seen Adam more confident and in charge and on stage the band’s mood appeared both celebratory and all-business. There was even a champagne bottle poured into cups on stage on Wednesday. But if there is any sadness in this band’s triumph, its that this is almost certainly the last time The War On Drugs will play a room the size of Bowery Ballroom. Given how quickly and thoroughly the three NYC shows sold out, the band could have played five local shows without an empty seat. As the tour continues West and then ultimately moves to Europe, we expect that The War On Drugs will return to NYC in the Fall.

I recorded this set in our usual manner in this venue – Sennheiser cards mounted in the balcony and mixed with an excellent board feed, this time mixed by the band’s FOH C. Laszlo Koltay to perfection. The sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Stream “Eyes To The Wind”:

Stream “Suffering”:

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

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.

The War On Drugs
2014-03-19
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard [engineer C. Laszlo Koltay] + Sennheiser MKH-8040s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Mod) > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:39:47]
01 In Reverse
02 Baby Missiles
03 Under The Pressure
04 Suffering
05 [banter – Sore Eros]
06 Eyes To The Wind
07 [banter – dad]
08 An Ocean in Between the Waves
09 Disappearing
10 Red Eyes
11 [band introductions]
12 Brothers
13 Burning
14 Lost In The Dream
15 Comin Through
16 I Was There
17 Come To The City
18 Black Water Falls

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The War On Drugs, visit their website, and purchase Lost In The Dream from Secretly Canadian Records [HERE]. Seriously, if you don’t already own this album, do yourself a favor and buy it.

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The War On Drugs: April 8, 2012 Bowery Ballroom – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 12, 2012
By


[photo by David Andrako]

Its hard to be objective when a band personally dedicates a song to you by name from the stage of Bowery Ballroom, but The War On Drugs show at Bowery was beyond the need for personal puffery. At an hour and forty minutes, and including in the setlist virtually everything the band has recorded, this War On Drugs set was epic. While David Hartley’s bass guitar has always been the backbone of the live band and his work on this night was superb, its hard to fathom the extent of the confidence and maturity that has Adam Granduciel now exhibits. Throughout the show, Adam’s delivery of each song was intense. While the band has reached a level of proficiency that often follows groups that tour extensively, the recent success seems to have propelled their energy to the next level. Opening with the double whammy of “Arms Like Boulders” and “Baby Missiles”, the momentum never let up. Slave Ambient was universally acknowledged as one of the best albums of 2011, and its prominence in the song selection was no surprise. But it was the development of the songs in the live setting that impressed — “Your Love / Animator / Come To the City” is now a twenty-plus minute segue, while “Best Night” (streaming below) is now charged up enough to be the next song that WOD plays on television. The show would not be complete without an inventive cover, and on this night it was from the Scottish indie troubadours The Waterboys, the classic “A Pagan Place” (also streaming below). The War On Drugs will be active on the Festival circuit this Spring and Summer, dates are here.

I recorded this set from our standard balcony location with the Sennheiser 8040s mixed with an outstanding board feed and the sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Stream “Best Night”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/W1008WOD2101/09.%20Best%20Night.mp3]

Stream “A Pagan Place” (Waterboys cover):
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/W1008WOD2101/15.%20A%20Pagan%20Place%20%5bWaterboys%5d.mp3]

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

War On Drugs
2012-04-08
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Sennheiser 8040 Cardioids > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper 2012-04-11

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:39:35]
01 [introduction]
02 Arms Like Boulders
03 Baby Missiles
04 [banter – quit smoking]
05 Comin’ Through
06 Your Love Is Calling My Name
07 The Animator
08 Come To The City
09 Best Night
10 [banter – Doug Keith]
11 Brothers
12 Taking the Farm
13 I Was There
14 [banter – Mike Scott]
15 A Pagan Place [Waterboys]
16 The History of Plastic
17 [encore break]
18 Black Water Falls
19 [banter – brisket]
20 Buenos Aires Beach
21 Its Your Destiny

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The War On Drugs, visit their website,  and purchase their new album Slave Ambient from Secretly Canadian Records [HERE].

Suuns: December 10, 2011 Webster Hall – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

January 11, 2012
By

Suuns Ventrice
[photo courtesy of Maryanne Ventrice and Impose Magazine]

When acidjack recorded Suuns in January at Rock Shop, he noted the versatility of the band and the “controlled intensity” that the band brings to each song. By December, when I recorded their show at Webster Hall opening for The Antlers, Sunns seem to have perfected that approach. In one of the best-received opening sets we’ve seen in quite some time, Suuns began with the new 12″ b-side “Red Song” (streaming below), which presaged the compelling tension and release of the post-rock they delivered in spades. The balance of the setlist included much of their excellent 2010 release Zeroes QC (Secretly Canadian Records) and one new song. We expect that the continued development of this talented and imaginative quartet will bring to them to larger stages and audiences — it won’t be long before they’ll play Webster again as the headliner.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the Antlers set from the same show, and the sound quality is superb.

Stream “Red Song”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/S0125Suuns0211/01.%20Red%20Song.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

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.

Suuns
2011-12-10
Webster Hall
New York, 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, downsample, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2011-12-18

Setlist:
[Total Time 31:46]
01 Red Song
02 Arena
03 Pie IX
04 [new song – Cities]
05 Sweet Nothing

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Suuns, visit their Facebook page, and purchase Zeroes QC from Secretly Canadian Records [HERE].

The War On Drugs: December 11, 2011 Bowery Ballroom – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

December 14, 2011
By


[photo courtesy of Mike Benigno and Bowery House List]

It was slightly less than a year ago that an opening set at Bowery Ballroom by The War On Drugs so floored us with its intensity and purpose that we vowed never to miss them again. They have been on NYCTaper four times this year, and have quite literally never disappointed. At Bowery on Sunday night, it was the band’s headlining coming out party and the sold-out crowd were treated to another taste of excellence. War On Drugs latest album Slave Ambient has earned them universal praise, and the set contained 6 of the albums twelve songs. “Baby Missiles” is arguably the strongest track on the record and we’re streaming it below. War On Drugs will be performing the track on Jimmy Fallon on January 10th — their late night tv debut. We are also streaming an interesting cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Touch of Grey”, a song that represents that band’s only certifiable hit, and a cover where the War On Drugs turns the song into their own, never veering too far in the direction of tribute or parody. The War On Drugs will return to NYC for a show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 8.

I recorded this wet with the four mic rig from the balcony rail and the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Baby Missiles”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/W1008WOD2101/10.%20Baby%20Missiles.mp3]

Stream “Touch of Grey” [Grateful Dead cover]:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/W1008WOD2101/09.%20Touch%20of%20Grey%20%5bGrateful%20Dead%5d.mp3]

This show is now available for download in FLAC and MP3 on Archive.org [HERE].

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.

War On Drugs
2011-12-11
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Balcony Rail

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, EQ, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2011-12-13

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:23:39]
01 Best Night
02 Taking The Farm
03 Coming Through
04 Your Love Is Calling My Name
05 Come To The City
06 I Was There
07 Brothers
08 Arms Like Boulders
09 Touch of Grey [Grateful Dead]
10 Baby Missiles
11 Buenos Aires Beach
12 Black Water Falls
13 A Needle in Your Eye No 16

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The War On Drugs, visit their website,  and purchase their new album Slave Ambient from Secretly Canadian Records [HERE].

The War On Drugs: August 19, 2011 Cameo Gallery – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

August 22, 2011
By

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[photo courtesy of Cory Smith and The Line Of Best Fit Blog]

The War On Drugs released Slave Ambient this past week. Its an album that’s been in the works for a couple of years, since the 2008 release of their excellent Secretly Canadian Records debut Wagonwheel Blues. But in a way, its an album that’s been waiting much longer for its release. The band’s leader Adam Granduciel incorporated some older songs into the album and spent many months tweaking the mixes, reworking arrangements, and perfecting what will undoubtedly become one of 2011’s best albums. When we recorded The War On Drugs in January, the new songs were beginning to take shape, but when the album versions were released, the positive developments were striking. On Friday at Cameo Gallery, The War On Drugs performed a superb ninety-minute set that consisted primarily of Slave Ambient material — eight of the album’s twelve songs were played. Of the new songs, the second-slotted “Baby Missiles” was particularly tight and focused and we’re streaming it below. Other highlights included the jammed transition from “It’s Your Destiny” into “I Was There”, and the eighteen-minute encore of “A Needle In Your Eye #16” with an extended guitar and sampled-driven ambient jam. The War On Drugs will be touring throughout the Fall. While they are on a current East and Midwest swing, they will tour Europe in September, and return to the US in October.

I recorded this set with the Neumann microphones mounted in the center of the room in front of the soundboard booth and raised to 12 feet. The room mics were mixed with a mono board feed to accentuate the vocals, and the sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Stream “Baby Missiles”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/W1008WOD2101/02.%20Baby%20Missiles.mp3]

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

The War On Drugs
2011-08-19
Cameo Gallery
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
2011-08-22

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:26:47]
01 Best Night
02 Baby Missiles
03 [banter]
04 Comin Through
05 Your Love Is Calling My Name
06 Come To The City
07 [banter2]
08 Brothers
09 It’s Your Destiny
10 I Was There
11 Arms Like Boulders
12 [banter3]
13 Black Water Falls
14 [banter4]
15 Buenos Aires Beach
16 [encore break]
17 A Needle In Your Eye No 16

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The War On Drugs, visit their website, and purchase their new album Slave Ambient from Secretly Canadian Records [HERE].

Little Scream: May 20, 2011 Bowery Ballroom – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

May 30, 2011
By


[photo by Amanda Hatfield]

I like to think we have a pretty solid record here at nyctaper of predicting future success for emerging artists — particularly those of the female persuasion. Admittedly, we’ve jumped on the already moving bandwagons of Holly Miranda and Nicole Atkins, but in recent years we’ve sung early praises for current movers such as Jessica Lea Mayfield, Alela Diane and of course Sharon Van Etten. A few months ago we foresaw the current success of Tristen. Last week at Music Hall and Bowery, our new can’t-miss performer Little Scream opened two shows for the Antlers and proved why her April-release debut album The Golden Record (Secretly Canadian) is already an album of the year contender. Little Scream began as the solo recording project for US ex-pat and currently Montreal resident Laurel Sprengelmeyer but at the recent performances she was joined by a crack band which included along with the standard band format, a flutist and synthesizers. At Bowery, the Little Scream band worked through much of the new album in order, skipping only a couple of the quieter numbers. We’re streaming a very strong version of “People Is Place”, which begins as a melodic solo guitar number before tasteful additions from the band complete the narrative. Lauren chose to end the set solo with a poignant new number (“Letter”) that she appropriately dedicated to her cohort and fellow riser Sharon Van Etten.

I recorded this set with the exact setup as the Antlers set and the sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Stream “People Is Place”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/L2005LS1102/08.%20People%20Is%20Place.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Little Scream
2011-05-20
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 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
2011-05-25

Setlist:
[Total Time 38:45]
01 The Lamb
02 Cannons
03 The Heron And The Fox
04 [banter – tuning]
05 Your Radio
06 Boatman
07 [banter – russian baths]
08 People Is Place
09 Red Hunting Jacket
10 [banter – thanks]
11 Letter

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Little Scream, visit their website, and purchase The Golden Record from the Secretly Canadian Records website [HERE].

SUPPORT NYCTaper




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