nyctaper Recordings

[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.

[photo by nyctaper]

Members of Crystal Stilts have finished recording an album, Cinema Red & Blue, on which several of the band members joined with David Feck of Comet Gain. This project is due for a Spring release. In the meantime, Slumberland Records recording artists Crystal Stilts continue to work on the band’s new record. Several of those new songs poised for inclusion on the new record are captured during this set opening at Maxwell’s a few weeks back.

Crystal Stilts play Bell House a week from today.

I recorded this set in the same location as the Love Is All recording and the sound is superb. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Crystal Stilts
2010-03-27
Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ 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
2010-04-09

Setlist:
[Total Time 39:10]
01 Invisible City
02 Sugar Baby
03 12 String
04 Graveyard Orbit
05 Sycamore Tree
06 Missing
07 Crippled Croon
08 [banter]
09 [untitled new song]
10 Departure
11 Love Is A Wave

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Crystal Stilts, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their latest album Alight of Night and other releases directly from Slumberland Records [HERE].

[photo courtesy of Alexis Maindrault]

You can tell much about the quality of a band by their ability to play different sizes of venues with equal success. Back in February, we saw Obits at the tiny basement-like Cake Shop — a show that featured much new material and a very intimate vibe. At Irving Plaza on Friday, Obits faced a more difficult task as the band performed middle-bill to a decidedly Jersey-centric weekend crowd there primarily to see Ted Leo’s homecoming. But there is something universal about Obits’ gritty garage guitar roots-rock, and when its delivered by four pros with impressive veteran resumes, its irresistible. And with the exception of one loud buffoon, Obits managed to convert the crowd with a set that steered mostly clear of the new material played in February and stuck to the bulk of their 2009 Subpop debut, I Blame You.

I recorded this same from the same location as the Ted Leo set and the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Obits
2010-04-09
Irving Plaza
New York, NY USA

Digital Audience Four-Track Master Recording
Recorded from Center of the Floor

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021s > 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
2010-04-13

Setlist:
[Total Time 44:11]
01 SUD
02 One Cross Apiece
03 New August
04 Put It In Writing
05 [Sohrab humiliates heckler]
06 Light Sweet Crude
07 Widow Of My Dreams
08 Run
09 [banter]
10 Two-Headed Coin
11 Back And Forth
12 Lilies In The Street

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Obits, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase I Blame You from the Subpop Records website [HERE].

[Not very good iPhone photo by acidjack]

In the Great Recession (or whatever you wish to call it), only a handful of states could claim to having taken the beating that Florida did. The Sunshine State, once a land of promise and (mostly) fulfilled retirement fantasies, was laid waste to by the crisis, its optimism shattered to its core. But, sometimes, turmoil is a boon to art. Call it coincidence, but it seems that around the time that Florida busted out, the state also started to crank out quality music. As we mentioned in our preview of this show, Lil Daggers are one of the bands that have emerged from the Sunshine State. At Glasslands on Sunday, Lil Daggers brought their garage-rock to NYC for the first time and showed why they have been hailed as the next big thing from Florida.

This show was recorded with a combination of DPA omnis and Beyer cards and the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Download the MP3 files [HERE].

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Lil Daggers
2010-04-11
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY

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

Equipment: DPA 4061 + Beyerdynamic MC950>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Balcony, center, MC950s clamped and pointed at stacks, 4061s in PZM mounts, 3′ split on balcony front
Mastering: 2x24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, adjust levels, tracking, amplify each channel, downsample)

Tracks (please help to fill in the missing tracks)
01
02 Y Tu Sabe
03 Hungry
04 King Korpze
05 banter/tuning
06
07 U.S. Leather

Please Support Lil Daggers if you download this show, and visit their Bandcamp Page to purchase their official releases.

[photo by Alexis Maindrault – courtesy of The Music Slut]

Ted Leo has momentum. After two years of infrequent performances and no new releases, in December Ted played a powerful show at Bowery Ballroom that previewed many of the new songs that now appear on his outstanding new release Brutalist Bricks, released in March on Matador. The first tour in support of the album has been an unqualified success as each show features Ted’s unbridled energy, the tight backing of the Pharmacists, and Leo classics sprinkled liberally into a setlist heavy on the outstanding new material — 9 of the album’s 13 songs were played here. Last night at Irving Plaza was a homecoming of sorts, as Ted welcomed a large contingent of bridge and tunnel fans from New Jersey who came to support their Bloomfield boy. From the opening raging “The Mighty Sparrow” through the five-song encore segment, Ted never let go of the momentum and delivered one of the best performances we’ve seen this year.

We recorded this set with the four-microphone rig from the center of the floor and the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

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

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
2010-04-09
Irving Plaza
New York, NY USA

Digital Audience Four-Track Master Recording
Recorded from Center of the Floor

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021s > 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
2010-04-10

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:32:38]
01 [introduction]
02 The Mighty Sparrow
03 Heart Problems
04 Mourning In America
05 Me and Mia
06 Under The Hedge
07 Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone
08 Even Heroes Have To Die
09 Ativan Eyes
10 The Stick
11 [banter]
12 The High Party
13 One Polaroid A Day
14 Counting Down The Hours
15 Where Was My Brain?
16 Little Dawn
17 Bottled In Cork
18 Colleen
19 [banter]
20 A Bottle Of Buckie
21 Gimme The Wire
22 Biomusicology
23 [encore break/banter]
24 Bleeding Powers
25 Fisherman’s Blues (The Waterboys)
26 Timorous Me
27 Parallel Or Together?
28 Angelfuck (The Misfits)

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, visit their website, and purchase Brutalist Bricks from the Matador Records website [HERE].

[Photo by acidjack]

This was my first time seeing Acid Mothers Temple in their fifteen-year history, so perhaps the other fans more familiar with the band knew a bit more what to expect than I did – an intoxicating sonic journey that blew minds and eardrums.  The already-legendary Japanese psych-rock band, led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto, has operated on-and-off for the last fifteen years as a collective, and only in more recent times as a tightly-knit, core band.  And their sound, believe you me, is heavy, a wall of music that crescendoes and, then, seemingly, crescendoes still further.  Most songs segue seamlessly from one another; the show is relentless and tight.  No wonder members of the crowd had been following the band across the U.S. – they are that kind of band, the type to inspire fanatics.  Count me in.

I recorded this set from the optimal spot in the venue with the DPA microphones.  The crowd was focused on the music and the recording is excellent.  I should note – as I said up top – that I am not familiar with the band’s music, and therefore I could use commenters’ help on the setlist.  There may also be some imperfect tracking, which is a combination of my inexperience with their music and the relatively seamless nature of the set.  As it is best experienced as a complete piece of music, I do not think that will detract from the listening experience.  Enjoy!

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

Acid Mothers Temple
2010-04-07
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY  USA

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

Equipment: DPA 4021>Naiant littlebox>Sony PCM-M10 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to right side of SBD cage, mics at 9?, ~NOS
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, slight EQ, amplify each channel, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks (thanks to the commenter for the setlist)
01 Opening jam
02 Improvisation > In O to Infinity
03 More Improvisation
04 Pink Lady Lemonade
05 The End Jam
06 Pink Lady Lemonade
07 Cometary Orbital Drive
08 encore break
09 Dark Stars in the Dazzling Sky

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Acid Mothers Temple, visit their website, and purchase their records here or at your favorite retailer.  Please note that certain releases can only be purchased directly from the band at their website.

[Photo courtesy of Jonny Leather.  More excellent shots here.]

Heavy rains and the first night of Passover may have deterred some of the Monday night crowd at the Bell House, but those who came out witnessed the critically-acclaimed Philadelphia based dreampop sextet A Sunny Day in Glasgow deliver a stellar set of songs in support of their latest EP, Nitetime Rainbows. While their records, and especially Nitetime Rainbows, have a bit more of an electronic sheen to them, ASDIG’s live show is a more organic experience, free from some of the editing room trickery.  Experiencing them as a bit more of a “rock” band (albeit, a still-very-shoegazy one) is a different but completely enjoyable experience from how they are on record.   This includes more of a focus on the vocal harmonies of singers Annie Fredrickson and Jen Goma, which were especially beautiful on the impromptu performance of “Another Diamond Day” by Vashti Bunyan.

I recorded this set with a combination of the DPA 4021 microphones and a stereo soundboard feed, which for this particular show consisted of mostly vocals.  Therefore, what you are hearing is predominantly the mics, with the vocals boosted a bit from the board feed.  The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE).

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

A Sunny Day in Glasgow
2010-03-29
The Bell House
Brooklyn, NY  USA

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

Equipment: DPA 4021 + stereo soundboard feed>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position:  Clamp to right side of SBD cage, about 8? from floor, mics pointed at stacks
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, adjust levels, tracking, amplify each channel)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks (thanks to the commenter below for the setlist fixes)
01 Nitetime Rainbows
02 Shy
03 The White Witch
04 Failure
05 Just Another Diamond Day [Vashti Bunyan]
06 So Bloody, So Tight
07 Passionate Introverts (Dinosaurs)
08 Sign Exhibitionist
09 Ashes Grammar/Ashes Maths
10 banter
11 Things Only I Can See

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT A Sunny Day in Glasgow, visit their website, and purchase Nitetime Rainbows and their other excellent records direct from the band here.