Blog Archives

[photo by nyctaper]

As the recording project of Galway County Ireland’s Brian Kelly, So Cow has produced a plethora of neat two-minute guitar punk-pop songs that have been compiled into two excellent albums. As a live band, So Cow is a guitar-bass-drums trio that emphasizes the punk element of the music with a clear focus on frenetic frontman Kelly. At Monster Island on Saturday night, So Cow distinguished themselves on the excellent five band bill with an energetic twelve-song twenty-nine minute set. The setlist was compiled from both l.p.’s, with an emphasis on 2009’s self-titled album. So Cow is in the early stages of a two-month US tour that will carry them across the country and back. I spoke to Kelly briefly after the show and he revealed that the band will return to NYC in early April for an as-yet unannounced Mercury Lounge show. We’ll be there.

I recorded this set with the Neumann microphones elevated at eight feet on the pole ten feet from the stage, and mixed it with a feed from the soundboard. The results are superb. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

So Cow
2010-02-13
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
2010-02-15

Setlist:
[Total Time 29:03]
01 So Cow Vs. The Future [false start]
02 So Cow Vs. The Future
03 Greetings
04 Ping Pong Rock
05 Bat Toes
06 Dunno
07 Girl Racer
08 One Hundred Helens
09 High Standards
10 Runaway (Del Shannon)
11 Moon Guen Young
12 Ain’t No Fun
13 [banter]
14 Casablanca

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT So Cow, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their two LPs from Tic Tac Totally! Records [HERE] and [HERE].

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

Back in October, fresh off their sell-out coming-out show at Joe’s Pub, Emanuel and The Fear played the NYCTaper CMJ show at Bruar Falls. Their thirty minute set was well received by the crowd, as the nearly dozen band members squeezed onto to the small stage. For the last several months, the band has been in the studio and finished their debut full-length, which is due on March 9.

On March 10, Emanuel and The Fear will celebrate the release of the album Listen with a special show at Gramercy Theatre that features the NYU Symphony Orchestra, along with The Fear — which increases the size of the band from eleven to 25!

This CMJ show was recorded with the Neumann microphones on stage mixed with a feed from the soundboard. While its not a multi-track that would be necessary to capture an ideal recording of this band, the sound quality is nevertheless quite excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Emanuel And The Fear
2009-10-22
Bruar Falls
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
2010-02-10

Setlist:
[Total Time 24:32]
01 Guatemala
02 [banter]
03 Jimme’s Song
04 Song For a Girl
05 Free Life
06 Want To Be

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Emanuel and The Fear, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their debut EP and their debut album Listen (due on March 9) from Paper Garden Records [HERE].

[photo courtesy of Rebecca Smeyne]

Acidjack reports:
“Dinowalrus co-headlined a night of the Sounds Like Brooklyn Festival at the out of the way and wildly underappreciated Littlefield, a venue that, with a great space, reasonably priced drinks, and a good sound system, deserves your love. Dinowalrus sound very little like anything else out there. The band brings it with the feedback-drenched guitar that is at times reminiscent of early Sonic Youth, and their arrangements can stretch well beyond the five-minute mark, but they certainly aren’t a “noise” or “drone” band by any stretch of the imagination, mixing spastic bursts of noise, keyboards and drum machines into their ever-evolving sound. Despite some difficulty getting things in line sound-wise, the band put on a strong six-song set that, surprisingly (but as they warned) did not focus heavily on their new release, %. The highlight was probably the closing 10-minute jam with the Vandelles, whose set will appear on nyctaper in the coming days.”

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Dinowalrus
2010-02-04
Sounds Like Brooklyn Festival
Littlefield
Brooklyn, NY

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

Equipment: DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Center, rear of room, mics at 8′, DIN
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, slight EQ, amplify each channel)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 intro
02
03
04 No Vacancies
05
06 banter
07 Nuke Duke ‘Em
08

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Dinowalrus, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their official releases directly from the MERCH section of their website (here) or from Kanine Records [here].

[photo courtesy of Adam Weinberg]

Acidjack Reports:
“The Midnight Masses MySpace page describes their genre as “soul.” Some dude at the Music Hall bar said, “that guy sounds like the guy from Kings of Leon!” I’m not really sure either of those are true. People hear a lot of influences from this band: The Doors, Spiritualized, Billie Holliday(!), and that may be because they don’t quite sound like anybody, though Time Out called them “jaw-droppingly good.” That, I can agree with. Midnight Masses in its current incarnation is a large band of collaborators (featuring members of Trail of Dead and Here We Go Magic, among others) with a big, rich sound that includes a string section and heartfelt lyrics from singer Autry Rene Fulbright, who wrote many of these songs about the passing of his father. As such, the band’s live show manages to be both grandiose and intensely personal– and as a result, captivating. At this Music Hall performance, the band delved into a rendition of Sonic Youth’s “Do You Believe In Rapture?” that puts an entirely new spin on the song, and can also be heard on Midnight Masses’ excellent EP, Rapture Ready I Gazed at the Body. Check them out, both their great EPs and their upcoming residence every Wednesday in February at Union Pool.

I recorded this set with the DPA microphones on a pole clamped to the soundboard cage, with the mics well above the crowd to minimize crowd noise. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!”

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Midnight Masses
2010-01-29
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY

An acidjack master recording

Equipment: DPA 4021>Naiant littlebox>Sony PCM-M10 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to left side of SBD cage, 10′ of total height
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify each channel)>FLAC ( level 8 )

09 Tracks (setlist help needed)

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Midnight Masses, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their new EPs directly from the Team Love Records website (here).

Acidjack reports:
“Pop Tarts Suck Toasted named Shark? its “band of the week” recently, and for good reason. As PTST pointed out, the band’s awesomely DIY music has the timeless quality that is necessary to being more than a flash in the pan — good songs. I hear more than a little bit of a band like The Feelies in some of these songs, in a good way. The band’s stripped down aesthetic was represented perfectly by the equally stripped-down Cake Shop, and this recording is an excellent representation. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Shark?
2010-01-28
Cake Shop
New York, NY

An acidjack master recording

Recorded and produced by acidjack
Hosted by nyctaper

Equipment: DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Mics taped to wall, 6ft from right stack
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify each channel)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks (please help with setlist!)
01
02
03 Fear
04
05 Big Wheels (It’s Alright)
06 Hey Grrrl
07 I’m An Animal
08 Oh My!
09 I’ve Got Friends
10

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Shark?, visit their MySpace page, and download their official EPs directly from Bandcamp (here).

[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).