nyctaper Recordings

concert discussion and free flac downloads

Conduits: April 2, 2012 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 24, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Conduits are a new band from the always-punching-above-its-weight music scene of Omaha, Nebraska, and we were fortunate enough to catch them right after the release of their promising self-titled debut on the label Team Love.  Conduits’ reference points include many bands I revere – Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Lush, Portishead and the underappreciated Irish band Scheer – so I was naturally taken with their sound. Lead singer Jenna Morrison, previously of another beloved Omaha band Son, Ambulance, is a commanding frontwoman and vocalist, with the sort of powerful but ethereal voice that works perfectly with the band’s layers of feedback-drenched sound. And far from affecting the distant posture of some of their sonic forebears, Conduits actually perform, again with Morrison and bandmates J.J. Idt (guitar), Nate Mickish (guitar), Mike Overfield (bass, keys), Roger L. Lewis (drums), and Patrick Newbery (synth, keys) sharing the intensity of the moment with the crowd. Knob-twiddlers and shoegazers they ain’t – this is a rock n’ roll band that, even at a young stage, looked and sounded totally comfortable on the relatively big Bowery stage.  Idt and Mickish, who founded the band, clearly assembled their fellow players wisely.

This opening set at Bowery Ballroom covered four of the eight tracks on Conduits, plus two other songs that were new to me. My personal favorites came back to back – the strong rocker “Blood” and the more dark, atmospheric “Last Dirge”. Although the set was brief, it established Conduits as a band to watch. We expect great things in the future.

nyctaper and I recorded this set with a combination of more directional Schoeps MK41 hypercardiod microphones and Sennheiser MKH-8040 cardiods.  While this was not my favorite house mix in this beautiful-sounding room, this remains a great capture and a worthwhile introduction to this band. Enjoy!

Stream “Blood”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/C0042Conduits0212/02 Blood.mp3]

Stream “Last Dirge”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/C0042Conduits0212/03 Last Dirge.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter

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.

Conduits
2012-04-02
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41>KCY>Z-PFA>SD USBPre2 + Sennheiser MKH-8040 >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity (tracking, amplify and balance, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Top of the Hill>
02 Blood
03 Last Dirge
04 Misery Train
05 The Wonder
06 Crow

If you enjoyed this recording, please support Conduits by liking them on facebook and purchasing Conduits directly from Team Love [HERE]

Lotus Plaza: April 19, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 22, 2012
By


[Photos courtesy of Bleary Eyed Brooklyn]

There is a certain atmosphere that Glasslands has when the show you are attending has become a happening. The stage is swarmed by cameras; the AC unit is chugging to keep the room cool. The bar is slammed; the room is so packed there are people watching from the bathroom stairs. The anticipation is palpable; the night is electric. If there is something that can answer the question for you of why you are in this city, or why you “do this”, these nights are it. They don’t happen in other places; don’t feel the same, don’t smell the same, don’t sound the same. You know that as long as there are places like this in this city, as long as there are nights like this, you ought to be there. This Lotus Plaza show, following on the heels of the release of their critically-acclaimed second record, was one of those nights.

In terms of popularity, Lotus Plaza has the built-in advantage of being in an already-famous band – Lockett Pundt is the second half of the brilliant songwriting team that makes up Deerhunter – the McCartney to Bradford Cox’s Lennon (or is it the other way around?). Still, Lotus Plaza’s second record, Spooky Action at a Distance, stands on its own.  While the hilarious Pitchfork review included sentences like this gem – “Moreover, along the lines of Real Estate and especially the War On Drugs, Pundt embodies a wakeful, meditative state associated with various forms of transit: your physical being stays relatively still while being in motion, a symbiosis between human and mechanical effort” – fundamentally the site got it right in anointing the record with “Best New Music” status. The songwriting is sharper than on The Floodlight Collective; where that album felt more like a solo album, Spooky Action is loaded with standout tracks. “Eveningness” was a highlight in the live setting just as it is on the album, as was the set opener of “Untitled” into “Strangers”. But just so you won’t completely forget Pundt’s connection to Deerhunter, Pundt threw in a sprawling nine-minute track mid-set, “Come Back” from the band’s recent split 10″ single. Pundt may not be known for stage antics the way Cox is, but he more than holds his own as a frontman, not least because his music creates such immediate and powerful connections with his listeners. Most shows by recently-hyped bands draw a listless “see and be seen” crowd that ignores most of the music; Lotus Plaza held us all in thrall.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardiod mics and a soundboard feed from Josh, the head FOH at Glasslands. The sound quality is excellent.  Enjoy!

This show was also recorded by Pitchfork.tv, and you should be able to see clips of it on Pitchfork soon. Thanks to the Pitchfork crew for their hospitality and sharing the recording area with us.

Stream “Eveningness”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L4019LotusPlaza2012/07 Eveningness.mp3]

Stream “Come Back”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L4019LotusPlaza2012/04 Come Back.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter

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.

Lotus Plaza
2012-04-19
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at NYCTaper.com
Recorded by acidjack and nyctaper
Produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5c (DFC, STC22g, 8ft)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mixdown, balance, compression on SBD)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, harmonic exciter (crisp rock), hard limit)>Audacity 2.0 (set fades, tracking, additional EQ, amplify)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Untitled
02 Strangers
03 White Galactic One
04 Come Back
05 [unknown 1]
06 [unknown 2]
07 Eveningness
08 Remember Our Days
09 Jet Out of the Tundra

If you enjoyed this recording, please support Lotus Plaza by liking them on Facebook and purchasing Spooky Action at a Distance directly from Kranky [HERE].

Sleepy Sun: April 9, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 20, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

The San Francisco band Sleepy Sun brought the full force of their West Coast style of pscyh rock to bear last Monday night, an ideal counterpoint to the darker, heavier style of Brooklyn’s White Hills, who preceded them on the bill (that recording [HERE]).  Playing this show at Glasslands plus a second NYC show at Mercury Lounge the following night to celebrate the release of their third full-length Spine Hits and in an obviously good mood, the band came with amps cranked and ready to rock n’ roll.  From the first notes of the show opener, the chugging “Martyr’s Mantra” Sleepy Sun concocted a dialed-in wall of sound that shook the club to its foundations. Fortunately, the band also knows when to slow things down; tempo changes like “Siouxsie Blaqq” and “Sandstorm Woman” show off a different side of the band and give the band’s songwriting a chance to shine.

Sleepy Sun are easily lumped into the ever-broadening “psych rock” category (I think if you’re on ATP Recordings, like they are, it’s almost a given) on the basis of their love of effects pedals and obvious stylistic nods to the late 60s/early 70s San Francisco sound. But live, it’s hard to miss a more mainstream reference – the mighty Led Zeppelin. Drummer Brian Tice is ferocious on the kit, and his playing gives the swirling guitars a backbone of pure power, such as on “Stivey Pond” and “She Rex”. This band also clearly believes in rocking as a concept; frontman Bret Constantino is an intense frontman (so intense that he nearly destroyed one of the club’s high quality monitors in the process!) and he and his bandmates are the kind of band that could easily command a much bigger room. They’re also much more focused on strong songwriting and pop hooks than some of their contemporaries; Spine Hits could easily be an FM radio favorite, if rock radio still existed, and I’m sure it’ll be in rotation on the appropriate SiriusXM/streaming channels, as it’s one of the band’s best albums to date.  Here’s to hoping we see them in New York again soon… at this year’s ATP NY, perhaps?

I recorded this set with an excellent soundboard feed from the Glasslands head FOH Josh, plus Schoeps MK22 microphones and a very warm Aerco preamp that captured the sound perfectly. Enjoy!

Thanks as always to the Glasslands team and PopGun Booking for their hospitality.

Stream “Martyr’s Mantra”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S0049SleepySun2201/01 Martyr’s Mantra.mp3]

Stream “Siouxsie Blaqq”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S0049SleepySun2201/06 Siouxsie Blaqq.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter

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.

Sleepy Sun
2012-04-09
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK22>CMC6>Aerco MP-2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (effects, mixdown, EQ)>Audacity (tracking, set fades, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Martyr’s Mantra
02 Stivey Pond
03 Wild Machines
04 V.O.G.
05 She Rex
06 Siouxsie Blaqq
07 Creature
08 Boat Trip
09 Pigs On L
10 Sandstorm Woman

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Sleepy Sun, visit their website, and purchase Spine Hits and their other official releases from their online store [HERE]

Black Angels: March 16, 2012 SXSW at Hotel Vegan Austin TX – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

April 19, 2012
By


[photo courtesy of Amanda Hatfield and brooklynvegan]

The Black Angels were technically a late addition at the Friday day show at Hotel Vegan. The band roster wasn’t announced until SXSW had already begun, but given that the band called Austin home, it was a welcome addition but not really a surprise. That being said, any opportunity to experience one of the premiere psych-rock bands around today on their home turf is a must see. The Black Angels have not released a new album since 2010’s superb Phosphene Dream, but the addition of two brand new songs to the setlist helped make this show special. We are streaming the opening track from Phosphene, “Bad Vibrations”, an outstanding version heavy in the reverb, sixties-style organ and haunting guitar lines.

I recorded this set with the Sennheiser microphones mounted at the soundboard tent and mixed with a stereo board feed. The position of the tent on this day was very close to an outdoor bar, so there is some extra crowd noise not present on the other dates. With that caveat, Enjoy!

Stream “Bad Vibrations”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/B0904BlackAngels2101/02.%20Bad%20Vibrations.mp3]

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

Black Angels
2012-03-16
Hotel Vegan – SXSW
Austin, TX USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Sennheiser MKH-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 2012-04-15

Setlist:
[Total Time 41:02]
01 The Sniper
02 Sunday Afternoon
03 Always On The Go [new song]
04 Bad Vibrations
05 Young Men Dead
06 Science Killer
07 Black Grease
08 You On The Run
09 Hey Little Darling [new song]

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Black Angels, visit their website, purchase Phosphene Dream directly from the band at the front page of their website [HERE].

White Hills: April 9, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs [Plus Northside Festival Announcement]

April 18, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

It is a distinct pleasure to finally present a recording of the stellar Brooklyn heavy psych rock act White Hills. We have been following the Hills for a few years now, and have recorded them a few times, but in the past things never quite worked out. This show at Glasslands – also filmed for future release by the professional video production team PanopticonNYC – exceeded everyone’s expectations.

White Hills are a prolific band – so much so that even though I’ve seen them in each of the past four years, they’ve never been promoting the same album twice. The last time I saw them, they were touring behind H-p1, a 72-minute opus of deep psychedelic riffage. Their new record, Frying On this Rock, mostly continues H-p1’s traditions, and like that record, its improvisation-baiting material is best experienced in the live setting, where frontman Dave W. and bassist Ego Sensation never hold back. This show was a veritable tour of the band’s last several records, kicking off with “Oceans of Sound” from their 2009 Thrill Jockey debut, Heads On Fire, and jamming straight into the monster “Three Quarters” off of the eponymous White Hills, arguably their best record to date. True to form, the set gave Dave and Ego Sensation plenty of room to delve into their deepest space rock, including the new number “Pads of Light” and this night’s take on another classic from White Hills, the set closer “Dead”.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed provided by the head Glasslands FOH Josh, and Schoeps MK22 microphones to capture the full force of the band.  The recording is excellent and we are pleased to finally have White Hills on the site!

White Hills will be co-headlining our 2012 Northside Festival showcase on Thursday, June 14 at 285 Kent.  Also on the bill will be NYCTaper favorites and co-headliners Pontiak along with Thrill Jockey bandmates Rhyton and one of our favorite new Brooklyn bands, EULA.

Stream “Pads of Light”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/W0049WhiteHills2012/03 Pads of Light.mp3]

Stream “Dead”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/W0049WhiteHills2012/08 Dead.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter

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.

White Hills
2012-04-09
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK22 (DFC, PAS, 7.5ft)>CMC6 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, tube warmth, boost and hard limit)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, slight additional EQ)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Oceans of Sound>
02 Three Quarters
03 Pads of Light>
04 Radiate
05 You Dream You See
06 I Write A Thousand Letters (Pulp On Bone)
07 Condition of Nothing
08 Dead

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT White Hills, like them on Facebook, and purchase their records including Frying On This Rock directly from Thrill Jockey [HERE]

Alabama Shakes: April 11, 2012 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 17, 2012
By


[Photo courtesy of Eric Groom.  See more of his excellent work HERE.]

Alabama Shakes recent rise in popularity can be described as nothing short of meteoric.  Less than a year ago, they were virtually unknown outside of a handful of bars in the southeastern United States.  Getting a push via the internet, word of mouth and their Alabama brethren, Drive-By Truckers, the group began to blow up, playing gigs with DBT and flooring attendees at their NYC debut this past October as part of the CMJ Music Marathon.  After a follow up at the intimate Mercury Lounge in December, Alabama Shakes blitzed our city again with sold out, back-to-back shows at the Studio at Webster Hall, Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg to coincide with the release of their first full-length album, ‘Boys & Girls‘.

The band took the stage of Bowery Ballroom to an exuberant crowd that was practically humming with anticipation.  And frontwoman Brittany Howard, bassist Zac Cockrell, guitarist Heath Fogg, drummer Steve Johnson, and keyboardist Ben Tanner brought their A-game.  With their blistering mix of soul, R&B and good old fashioned, kick-ass rock ‘n’ roll, the house was treated to a nearly non-stop set that left us smiling and wishing there were more songs for them to play.  On their current trajectory, I suspect that Alabama Shakes won’t be playing small venues for too much longer.  Definitely check them out when you can.

At the great sounding Bowery Ballroom, Alabama Shakes engineer Shane and house engineer Kenny had the sound perfectly dialed in on this night.  Set up in our usual balcony spot, we had a board feed to combine with our microphones and it has resulted in an excellent recording.  We hope you like what you hear as much as we did.  Enjoy!

Stream “Hang Loose”: [audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/A2210AlabamaShakes1410/Alabama_Shakes_-_Hang_Loose.mp3]

Stream “Boys & Girls”: [audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/A2210AlabamaShakes1410/Alabama_Shakes_-_Boys_and_Girls.mp3]

Download the MP3 / FLAC files and stream this entire show on the Live Music Archive [HERE]

Follow Johnny Fried Chicken Boy on Twitter.

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.

Alabama Shakes
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY, USA

Source: SBD + Audio-Technica AT3031’s > Edirol R-44 (WAV @ 24-bit/48kHz)
Lineage: R-44 > PC > Adobe Audition (mixdown, downsample, dither, tracking) > WAV (16-bit/44.1kHz) > TLH (check/fix SBE’s, FLAC conversion) > FLAC ( level 8 )
Alabama Shakes’ sound engineer: Shane
Bowery Ballroom house engineer: Kenny
Recorded by: acidjack and Johnny Fried Chicken Boy
Produced by: Johnny Fried Chicken Boy

SETLIST:
[Total time: 1:06:00]
01. Goin’ to the Party
02. Hang Loose
03. Hold On
04. I Found You
05. Always Alright
06. Boys & Girls
07. Be Mine
08. Hurricane Strut
09. Mama
10. Making Me Itch
11. You Ain’t Alone
12. On Your Way
13. Rise to the Sun
14. Heavy Chevy
15. encore break
16. I Ain’t the Same
17. Heat Lightning

If you download this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Alabama Shakes, go see their shows, visit their website, visit their Facebook and MySpace pages, and purchase their album, ‘Boys & Girls’, and merchandise [HERE].

Yellow Ostrich: April 12, 2012 Mercury Lounge – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 16, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Yellow Ostrich was the first band I saw last year, at this same venue (Mercury Lounge). Back then, the band consisted of creative mastermind and frontman Alex Schaaf and drummer Michael Tapper, working hard to produce an on-stage re-recreation of the simple magic of the band’s then-current release, The Mistress. That record was one of those indie gems you might miss if you didn’t pay attention to the CMJ showcase circuit and the right blogs; it was a lo-fi, low-profile recording offered on Schaaf’s bandcamp page for free, and it was as simple and unadorned as a record could get. That sold-out show found Schaaf still finding his footing creatively and and as a performer; he was still a bit raw, but already compelling.

Much has changed since then.

The Mistress and its stellar reviews attracted wider notice, as good records tend to, and Schaaf signed to the Northwest imprint Barsuk Records, who obligingly remastered and re-released The Mistress, along with bankrolling the band’s new release of last month, Strange Land. Since that Mercury Lounge show last January, Schaaf has performed around the country in front of hundreds of audiences, and the band has added a critical third member, Jon Natchez, who has played with Beirut, Camera Obscura, Okkervil River, and The Antlers. What was once your favorite little indie bedroom project has grown into a full-fledged rock band with the songs to prove it.

This sold-out Mercury Lounge show was a valedictory one for the band, coming on the heels of a U.S. tour that took them to all corners of the country, not to mention its great middle (Wisconsin is where Schaaf calls home, and they have a serious following in flyover country). Not only are the standout tracks on Strange Land like “Marathon Runner” and “I Got No Time For You” already in top form, but older tracks like the quirky “WHALE” that first drew me to the band have been reworked with more layers of sound. Schaaf’s sweet, somewhat nasal voice and quirky songcraft have always recalled, for me, innovators like John Darnielle and Jeff Mangum. Schaaf, like Darnielle, has found a way to embrace a full-bodied, at-times-lush rock sound without losing the qualities of his music that make it unique. It’s appropriate, then, that he closed the set with one of the simplest and most plaintive tracks off of The Mistress, “Mary”. Even with all his new musical toys, Schaaf can be a pretty damn compelling performer without them.

I recorded this set in the same manner as I recorded Yellow Ostrich last year, with Schoeps MK41 microphones and a perfect soundboard feed from the Mercury Lounge head FOH. The sound quality, as with the last recording, is outstanding.  Enjoy!

Check out Yellow Ostrich on tour this summer with Los Campesinos! and at several festivals (including Lollapalooza).  Their next NYC dates are June 21 at Maxwell’s, June 22 at Le Poisson Rouge and June 23 at Brooklyn Bowl, each with Los Campesinos!  Thanks to the band for their support of NYCTaper.

Stream “Marathon Runner”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/Y1400YellowOstrich2110/09 Marathon Runner.mp3]

Stream “Heaven [The Talking Heads]”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/Y1400YellowOstrich2110/13 Heaven.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter

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.

Yellow Ostrich
2012-04-12
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK41 (ROC, PAS, 8ft)>CMC6>Aerco MP-2>>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (patch 25sec of one channel)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5(mixdown, EQ)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks
01 WHALE
02 Up in the Mountains
03 I Got No Time For You
04 Hold On
05 Daughter
06 Campaign
07 Wear Suits
08 [banter]
09 Marathon Runner
10 Elephant King
11 The Shakedown
12 [encore break]
13 Heaven [Talking Heads]
14 Mary

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Yellow Ostrich, visit their website, see them on tour with Los Campesinos! and at the other festivals they’re playing this summer, and purchase Strange Land and The Mistress directly from Barsuk [HERE].

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:https://www.nyctaper.com/W1008WOD2101/09.%20Best%20Night.mp3]

Stream “A Pagan Place” (Waterboys cover):
[audio:https://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].

Caged Animals: March 30, 2012 Union Pool – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 11, 2012
By


[photos by Johnny Fried Chicken Boy]

We have been big fans of Vincent Cacchione’s music ever since I saw an incredible backyard performance by Vince’s other main project, Soft Black, back in 2010. While Soft Black continues to move forward with mastering a new record, Cacchione has delivered another record with Caged Animals. Where Soft Black is classic, organic rock n’ roll with a post-punk twist and a gloomy outlook, Caged Animals is a more au courant style of act, all heavy synths and reverbed vocals, taking cues from electronica and the “PBR&B” style of bands like The Weeknd. Perhaps it’s not surprising that Caged Animals were asked to put out their second record, Eat Their Own, on Lucky Number Music. It’s the type of project that needs to be on shelves, now.

The live version of Caged Animals, on excellent display at the Kevchino/NYCTaper-sponsored show at Union Pool on a Friday night, was a bit more organic affair than the band’s record, and I’ll admit that I’m cool with that.  Cacchione has a memorable voice, and it was a pleasure to hear it raw on songs like “Lips That Turn the Light to Fire”, one of the more Soft Black-ish songs from Caged Animals. Newer-style songs like “The NJ Turnpike” and “Instant <3 Breaker” also worked well, though.  Another of my personal favorite Cacchione songs (not played on this night) is Caged Animals’ “Teflon Heart”. This particular set ended abruptly thanks to Union Pool’s curfew, but the band still had enough time for a rocking closer, “Pink People”, from their self-titled debut.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK22 open-cardioid microphones and a nicely balanced soundboard feed from the Union Pool staff.  The quality is superb.  Enjoy!

Stream “Lips That Turn the Light To Fire”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/C3030CagedAnimals0212/07 Lips That Turn the Light to Fire.mp3]

Stream “The NJ Turnpike”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/C3030CagedAnimals0212/02 The NJ Turnpike.mp3]

Direct download of the MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter

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.

Caged Animals
2012-03-30
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK22 (STC 22g, DFC, at SBD)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>Audacity 2.0 (mixdown, downsample, set fades, adjust levels, light EQ, tracking)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Instant <3 Breaker
02 The NJ Turnpike
03 Eat Your Own
04 Teenagers In Heat
05 All the Beautiful Things in the World
06 Sun Blind
07 Lips That Turn the Light To Fire
08 Pink People

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Caged Animals, visit their Facebook page, and purchase their records from Lucky Number Music [HERE]

Heartless Bastards: March 17, 2012 SXSW at Hotel Vegan Austin TX – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

April 9, 2012
By


[photo courtesy of Amanda Hatfield]

We are all big fans of Heartless Bastards over here at nyctaper, as well we’re quite fond of Partisan Records. When the two got together earlier this year and released HB’s strongest record to date, Arrow, acidjack and John got to celebrate with the band at their sold out Webster Hall show in February. That triumphant 90+ minute show was a watershed moment of sorts, but it was not too long before we were able to catch them again. This time it was the packed bill of Hotel Vegan’s final day. Playing after Lucero and before Diamond Rugs (coming soon), Heartless Bastards delivered a powerful forty-minute set that began with a stunning version of epic song of the year candidate “Down In The Canyon”, and never let up. The new songs were primarily featured, but we’re streaming an HB classic “Nothing Seems the Same” which ended the show on a high note.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the Lucero set with the Sennheiser cards mixed with a board feed, and the sound quality is excellent despite the many distractions the setting contained. Enjoy!

Stream “Nothing Seems the Same”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H6602HB9922/07.%20Nothing%20Seems%20the%20Same.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.

Heartless Bastards
2012-03-17
Hotel Vegan – SXSW
Austin, TX USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Sennheiser MKH-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 2012-04-06

Setlist:
[Total Time 37:50]
01 Down In The Canyon
02 Late In The Night
03 Parted Ways
04 Got To Have Rock And Roll
05 Simple Feeling
06 Hold Your Head High
07 Nothing Seems the Same

If you download this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Heartless Bastards, visit their website, and purchase Arrow from Partisan Records [HERE]

SUPPORT NYCTaper




Email

Email nyctaper

DISCLAIMER and LEGAL NOTICE

nyctaper.com is a live music blog that offers a new paradigm of music distribution on the web. The recordings are offered for free on this site as are the music posts, reviews and links to artist sites. All recordings are posted with artist permission or artists with an existing pro-taping policy.

All recordings and original content posted on this site are @nyctaper.com as live recordings pursuant to 17 U.S.C. Section 106, et. seq. Redistribution of nyctaper recordings without consent of nyctaper.com is strictly prohibited.

nyctaper.com hereby waives all copyright claims to any and all recordings posted on this site to THE PERFORMERS ONLY. If any artist posted on this site requests that recordings be removed, those recordings will be removed forthwith.