nyctaper Recordings

[photo by nyctaper]

The real test of the quality of a band is whether their music translates in different settings with varying audiences. When we saw The Joy Formidable in a packed Pianos in January, the energy in the room was palpable and their set was quite powerful. Our conclusion was that the band was absolutely destined for greater success. In the intervening couple of months, our prescience has proved correct — The Joy Formidable returned to NYC on Saturday to play before a sold-out and over capacity Mercury Lounge. But the set that again proved the abundant worth of this Welsh trio was their performance headlining the main stage on Friday night at the Truck America Festival. In the spacious outdoors and cool night Catskills air, TJF powered the entire main stage tent with their abundant energy. From the opening notes of “Greatest Light”, Ritzy and Rhydian attacked their instruments and pranced around the stage while Matt mashed the drums relentlessly. At one point, Ritzy got a bit carried away and nearly smashed into the entire drum kit. Order restored, the band whipped through their standard setlist (we had hoped for “Popinjay”, which they saved for Mercury), and closed the set and the main stage day with eight minutes of relentless “Whirring”, as the kneeling Ritzy ravaged her pedals and amp.

This set was recorded with the R-44 four track, with two Neumann microphones on a stand at the soundboard mixed with a stereo board feed. The sound quality is quite good, and subject to only the limitations of recording music in a tent. Enjoy!

The Joy Formidable have added a special show at the end of the current tour in which they return to Mercury Lounge on May 10.

Today (May 4), The Joy Formidable release their new EP A Balloon Called Moaning on Black Bell Records.

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Joy Formidable
2010-04-30
Truck America Festival
Big Indian, 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
2010-05-03

Setlist:
[Total Time 41:02]
01 The Greatest Light Is the Greatest Shade
02 Cradle
03 The Last Drop
04 Austere
05 Ostrich
06 Magnifying Glass
07 Anemone
08 Whirring

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Joy Formidable, visit their website, and purchase their debut EP A Balloon Called Moaning from the Black Bell Records website [here] or from the store at the TJF website [here].

[Photos courtesy of Charles from TheMusic.FM]

Twin Sister’s sound has a European feel to me – the first reference that came to mind was Stereolab – and that was borne out by their live set, which combined synth-driven pop like the set closer “All Around and Away We Go” with more shoegazy pieces like “Milk and Honey”.   Opening for the Morning Benders, Twin Sister packed the room despite their “opening band” status.  Lead vocalist Andrea Estella also adds to their Euro aesthetic, with her breathy, hypnotic delivery that sharpens and smooths at unexpected intervals.   The band’s excellent new EP, Color Your Life, garnered raves on Pitchfork, and we expect enthusiasm for them to only increase as they go out on a summer tour this July with Bear In Heaven (though sadly, there are no NYC dates).

I recorded this set upfront with the DPA 4021 microphones in a mobile setup.  This method captured the sound from the stage and the room perfectly.  Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE).  Listen to “Lady Daydream” (HERE).

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Twin Sister
2010-04-28
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY  USA

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

Equipment:  DPA 4021>Denecke PS/2>Sony PCM-M10 (24/44.1)
Position:  Mobile rig, FOB, DFC
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify, smooth peaks)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks
01 I Want A House [fades in]
02 Eastern Green
03 Lady Daydream
04 Milk & Honey
05 Saturday Sunday
06 banter
07 Daniel
08 All Around and Away We Go

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Twin Sister, visit their website, and order Color Your Life direct from Infinite Best Recordings here.

[photo by nyctaper]

When acidjack last captured Mon Khmer for NYCTaper, the band’s debut album had not yet been released. In the intervening months, the band’s debut has garnered some well deserved glowing reviews. Last week at Mercury Lounge, Mon Khmer’s distinctive take on prog-style indie rock was on display and the results were impressive. On stage the band is tight and while the focus is clearly on bandleader Hammarsing, we were also particularly impressed with drum and pedal steel work. On this night, they worked through several of the album tracks and also introduced a few unreleased numbers.

Mon Khmer has two upcoming local shows, May 3 at Santos Party House, and May 13 at Brooklyn Bowl.

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Mon Khmer
2010-04-21
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded at Soundboard Booth

Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2010-04-28

Setlist:
[Total Time 40:02]
01 Birthplace
02 Chinoi
03 When To Let Go
04 You Don’t Know
05 Folk
06 Anniversary
07 George
08 Passwords

If you email nyctaper for access to these recordings, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Mon Khmer, visit their MySpace page, and purchase the debut Mon Khmer LP direct from their website [HERE].

[photo courtesy of Matt at The Music Slut]

This Health gig was announced less than twenty-four hours before it happened. Solar One is a “green energy arts and entertainment center” that is literally located at the East River, on the pier at 23rd Street. As a result, this may be the most spur of the moment recording in the history of this site. I read about the show a few hours before it took place, found myself with some time before heading over to Hoboken for Titus, and got wired and walked 10 minutes to the park in time to capture the gig. Health is not much different stylistically from when we last saw them two years ago — high energy noise rock with a lot of action on stage — but the music is more mature and the band has clearly grown into their sound. Although this set was played through a modest system with city noise all around (the river, the FDR Drive above us, and some nasty wind), the band’s sound pierced through the distractions and their set was short but solid. Highlights included “We Are Water” from Health’s 2009 release Get Color, and an excellent throbbing-beat new song “USA Boys”, which is the only new track on their forthcoming (June release) Disco2 Remix album.

I recorded this set with the DPAs in a mobile rig, but the sound quality is definitely limited by the system and the elements. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Health
2010-04-24
Solar One
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded Fifteen Feet from PA

DPA 4021s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2010-04-25

Setlist: (help via)
[Total Time 28:41]
01 Death +
02 Before Tigers
03 Heaven
04 Die Slow
05 We Are Water
06 In Violet
07 USA Boys
08 [encore break]
09 Girl Attorney

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Health, visit their myspace page, and purchase their official releases from the links at their website, or at the Health Cartel Store.

[Quasi performing in St. Paul, MN, April 15, 2010.  Photos courtesy of Adam Bubolz.  See his Flickr stream here.]

Drummer Janet Weiss’ kit was about the only piece of equipment that Quasi brought to the Bowery Ballroom show that didn’t malfunction.  First to go was Joanna Bolme’s bass amp, which she replaced with a loaner from NYC openers Blair.  She continued to have problems with her bass, the bass amp, and the mix all night.  Guitarist/”Rocksichordist”/vocalist Sam Coomes’ guitar pedals, and the aforementioned Rocksichord (looks like a piano, sounds like a piano crossed with a guitar) didn’t fully cooperate either.  Luckily, the members of Quasi are accustomed to being flexible, and (in Coomes and Weiss’ case), they have played together for over 15 years, so they made what other bands would easily have made a stage-walkoff, hissy-fit disaster of an evening into a classic rock n’ roll show.  Despite their evident frustration with their gear, Coomes thrashed about the stage like a kid 20 years his junior, at points standing atop Weiss’ kick drum, and crashing/throwing himself into the aforementioned Rocksichord (hilariously labeled “Fragile Musical Instrument” on its back) several times.  I did consider, for a moment, that some of that abuse might not have been helpful to the gear malfunction issues.  Weiss, now retired from Sleater-Kinney, but still on the roster (along with Bolme) for Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, took the gig like the seasoned professional she is, joking with members of a fired-up crowd as well as playing her ass off through a 17-song set that covered new material from the Pitchfork-approved American Gong as well as older classics like “You Fucked Yourself” and a magnificent rendition of “Sea Shanty”.  The American Gong material oozed stylistic diversity, with the band equally at home with the countrified twang of “Rockabilly Party”, the ballad “Laissez les bons temps rouler” (”Let the Good Times Roll”) and the straight-up rocker that opened the show,  “Repulsion”.  Perhaps my favorite of the new songs was the 8+ minute “Bye Bye Blackbird” that closed out the main set, which (free of gear issues) showed off Quasi at their best, playing off of each other perfectly.

“You’re not like other cities.  You’re very different, you’re very unique, and we appreciate it.  You had some very unique heckling, and we liked it,” Weiss said, smiling, underscoring what a strange night it had been.  Sometimes you learn more about a band when they’re really in the weeds.  The members of Quasi showed why their fans love them (and why so many other bands hire them) – they gave us a great rock show, circumstances be damned.

I recorded this set from the left side of the soundboard cage, with the DPA 4021 mics positioned at eye level with the sound engineers in the cage.  The result is a recording of excellent clarity, balance and definition.  Enjoy!

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

Quasi
2010-04-22
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY  USA

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

Equipment: DPA 4021>Naiant littlebox>Sony PCM-M10
Position: Clamp to left of SBD cage, extended right toward SBD cage, mics pointed at stacks
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, +2dB boost 10kHz+ range, downsample)>FLAC Level 8

01 Intro
02 Repulsion>
03 Nothing From Nothing
04 tuning/banter
05 Rockabilly Party
06 You Fucked Yourself
07 Sea Shanty
08 Little White Horse
09 tuning/banter/false starts
10 Master & Dog>
11 Death Culture Blues
12 banter
13 Everything and Nothing at All
14 Birds
15 Laissez les bons temps rouler
16 false start/banter
17 intro jam
18 The Rhino
19 Good Time Rock & Roll
20 Bye Bye Blackbird
21 encore break/banter
22 Bad, Bad Leroy Brown jam
23 It’s Raining
24 banter
25 Heaven and Hell

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Quasi, visit their website, and purchase American Gong and their other excellent releases directly from Kill Rock Stars here.

[Owen at Webster Hall in December photo by Kate Ehle]

While I watched Owen Pallett perform his magic from the front of the crowd at Webster Hall last night, I puzzled with an attempt to remember a performer who is capable of creating such a beautiful depth of sound with so few instruments. “This is harder than it looks”, he joked with the crowd after hitting a rare off-note. And indeed, while Owen makes it seem so effortless — as he sings, plays violin and keyboard over quad-layered samples in perfect sync — I could think of no other artist with such gifts capable of making such complicated music so accessible. The outstanding new album on Domino Records, Heartland, is one of the year’s best releases, but Owen performed just five of the twelve songs from the album last night. Instead, supported by multi-instrumentalist Thomas Gill for about half the set, he drew from all three full-lengths, from several singles/EPs, and one new song to compile a representative setlist. The show closed with a goofy Mariah Carey cover which proved that even this most serious artist retains his sense of humor.

I recorded this set from upfront in the crowd with my best mobile rig and the sound is outstanding. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Owen Pallett
2010-04-22
Webster Hall
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Upfront, 20 Feet from Stacks

DPA 4021’s > Marantz PMD-660 (Oade BCM) > 16bit 44.1 wav > Soundforge (set fades, level boost, slight eq) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2010-04-22

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:10:07]
01 E Is for Estranged
02 This is the Dream of Win & Regine
03 Scandal in the Parkade
04 [banter]
05 That’s When The Audience Died
06 Midnight Directives
07 Keep the Dog Quiet
08 The Great Elsewhere
09 Lewis Takes Action
10 Don’t Stop the Party on My Account [new song]
11 He Poos Clouds
12 Flare Gun
13 The Butcher
14 Many Lives -> 49 MP
15 [banter]
16 Lewis Takes Off His Shirt
17 [encore break]
18 The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead
19 Fantasy (Mariah Carey)

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Owen Pallett, visit his website, and purchase his new album Heartland from the Domino Records website [HERE].

[photo by nyctaper]

I saw the Ass Ponys thirteen or fourteen years ago play at the late lamented club Brownie’s on Avenue A. The most lasting memory of the night was the hilarious between-song banter, primarily from Chuck Cleaver. When the Ass Ponys just sort of stopped playing in 2005-6, Chuck took up full time with his latest band Wussy. And while Wussy plays a similar intelligent americana-rock as Ass Ponys, and have inherited the gift of entertaining banter, what separates the two bands is Chuck’s new co-frontperson. Lisa Walker writes lyrics as compelling as Chuck’s and on stage, she is a tighly-wound bundle of energy uncoiling to deliver three-minute bursts of sonic goodness. At Cake Shop last night, we saw up close why the followers of this puzzlingly-obscure Cincinnati quartet are so dedicated — one fan came all the way from Canada for the show. In their seventy-five minute set, the band drew from their three excellent albums, played one new song and an Eddie Hinton cover, and returned twice for four encores.

I recorded this set from upfront, six feet from the PA. The sound quality of the recording is rich in clarity and limited sonically only by the modest system in the venue. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Wussy
2010-04-16
Cake Shop
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded Upfront
6 Feet from Right PA

DPA 4021s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2010-04-17

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:14:23]
01 Funeral Dress [false start]
02 Funeral Dress
03 Happiness Bleeds
04 [banter]
05 Crooked
06 [banter]
07 Sun Giant Says Hey
08 Do Do Do Do
09 [banter]
10 Breakfast in Bed (Hinton/Fritts)
11 [banter/monitors]
12 Death By Misadventure
13 Muscle Cars
14 Airborne
15 Yellow Cotton Dress
16 Fly Fly Fly
17 Rigor Mortis
18 [encore break/banter]
19 Soak It Up
20 [banter]
21 Jonah
22 [banter]
23 Maglite
24 [second encore break]
25 Don’t Leave Just Now

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Wussy, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their official releases from the Shake It Records website [HERE].

[Photos by Lauren Colchamiro]

Caspian are America’s answer to Mogwai.   I hate to use that kind of shorthand when talking about an instrumental rock band – it is already too easy to lump disparate bands with a very loosely defined common theme together.  After all, Explosions in the Sky (who we have recorded before) and God is an Astronaut don’t sound that much alike, and neither do Caspian and many other bands.  But having seen this Boston-based band live, I do think mine is an apt comparison, or at least, it describes the band’s set at The Studio at Webster Hall accurately.  Like the well-loved Scotsmen I compared them to, Caspian’s music thrives on the loud-soft dynamic, with the ability to shift from calm to storm in a split second.   In Caspian’s particular case, their live sound this night tended toward the heavier, more blunt-force end of the spectrum, toning down some of the textural richness found on their records.  Part of this is probably because the fans like it that way.

The band seemed gratified by the enthusiastic turnout, pointing out that NYC was the closest date they were doing to their home in Boston, and that we felt almost like a “hometown crowd.”   For their last song, the band was joined for “Sycamore” by members of the opening acts for a massive, multi-drummer blowout on a scale I haven’t seen since my last Boredoms show!  Caspian are touring the U.S. right now in support of their most recent album, Tertia.  They have a few East Coast dates left before their swing takes them through the midwest and west coast, and then Europe.  Don’t miss them – this music is best experienced live.

I recorded this set way up front with the DPA 4061 miniature omnidirectional microphones.  The result is a very “in your face” recording that captures the awesome power of this band perfectly.  Although there is some annoying crowd chatter audible during the opening 2 minutes, and some chatter from the bar that you can hear during quiet passages, it is generally smooth sailing for the most part (it’s not like you could hear anything over the band anyway).  Enjoy!

Album art by Michael Ricci is available here.

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

Caspian
2010-04-15
The Studio at Webster Hall
New York, NY  USA

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

Equipment: DPA 4061 (Coresound “HEB”)>Sony PCM-M10 (24/44.1)
Position: FOB, DFC, about 10? from stage, HRTF
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify each channel, downsample)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks (65min runtime) (thank you to the first commenter for the setlist corrections)
1. Intro/annoying girl talking
2. La Cerva
3. Malacoda
4. Interlude
5. Of Foam and Wave
6. banter
7. Concrescence
8. Moksha
9. Quovis / Further Up / Further In
10. encore break
11. Brombie
12. banter
13. Sycamore

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Caspian, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Tertia and their other excellent releases here.