nyctaper Recordings

[photo by nyctaper]

A few days ago, in Pitchfork’s ebullient review of the new Love Is All album Two Thousand And Ten Injuries, lead singer Josephine Olausson was touted as “one of the early 21st century’s great poets of romantic dissatisfaction”, a description she found so silly that she tweeted about it. The pretentious Pitchfork writing aside, the live Love Is All is really all about unselfconscious joy. Last night at Maxwell’s, the band played their first live show in nine months, but picked up right where they left off. Despite the addition of a new guitarist (his first show) and first-time ever performances of some of the new album tracks, Love Is All displayed the type of unbridled energy and irreverent wit that has made them a must-see band when they come over to the US. The setlist combined six Two Thousand tracks with a nice selection of the older numbers, the highlights of which included the two-song show finale of “Make Out” and “Wishing Well”, and the crazy encore segment which concluded with personal favorite “Busy Doing Nothing”.

We recorded this set from our standard location in this venue. The sound mix and sound quality in the venue was superb and the result is an excellent recording. Enjoy!

Love Is All play Knitting Factory in Brooklyn in a few hours. We expect to also record that show.

The Crystal Stilts set from last night was also recorded.

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Love Is All
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
2010-03-28

Setlist:
[Total Time 49:47]
01 Bigger Bolder
02 Repetition
03 From Love Corner
04 Talk Talk Talk Talk
05 [banter]
06 Never Now
07 Early Warnings
08 Ageing Had Never Been His Friend
09 Sea Sick
10 Dust
11 Kungen
12 Make Out, Fall Out, Make Up
13 Wishing Well
14 [encore break]
15 Spinning and Scratching
16 Busy Doing Nothing

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Love Is All, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their new album Two Thousand And Ten Injuries from the Polyvinyl website [HERE].

[Not particularly good iPhone photo by acidjack]

Since their founding in 2001, Magik Markers have slowly evolved from a more experimental act specializing in epic psych/noise jams into the band they are today.  As demonstrated on their latest record, Balf Quarry, the band have not abandoned the psychedelic rock by any means – but today their musical vision is transmitted via actual songs as well.   One constant throughout the Markers’ career has been their reputation as an excellent live band.

A Markers show has the feel of controlled chaos, going in unpredictable directions.  Some numbers seem to end as abruptly as they began; between lead singer/guitarist Elisa Ambrogio’s freeform lyrical style and the virtuosity of all of the band members, you can never be sure they haven’t invented something new on the spot.   At Union Pool the band’s reputation remained intact – they were alternately humorous, jammy, blunt and contemplative- sometimes almost within the space of a single song!

I recorded this set with a combination of a stereo soundboard feed and the DPA mics mounted to the balcony.   Due to the venue’s size, the soundboard feed in this venue consists mostly of vocals and drums, which have been balanced with the audience mics to create an excellent recording, though at times you will perceive adjustments being made by the sound engineer.  Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE).

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Magik Markers
2010-03-19
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY, USA

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

Equipment: Stereo soundboard feed + DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to balcony rail, right of soundboard, mics pointed at stacks
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, adjust levels, set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify each channel, dynamic compression, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks (setlist help appreciated)
01 Intro
02 Jerks
03 banter
04 The Lighter Side of Hippies
05 banter
06
07
08 Don’t Talk In Your Sleep
09 banter/false start
10
11 banter/tuning
12 Taste

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Magik Markers, visit their website, and purchase their excellent album Balf Quarry from Drag City Records here.

[photo courtesy of brooklyngringo]

The proverbial hardest act to follow is the band who has just stolen the show and who bears a striking resemblance to the music you are about to play. Last week at the brooklynvegan pre-SXSW show at Knitting Factory, WhoMadeWho, a dance-rock band from Copenhagen, wowed the crowd with an impressive set. Casiokids, a dance-rock band from Norway, followed with a tall order. Fortunately for the quartet, the party atmosphere and their own irreverent stage style made the job a little easier. For forty-five minutes, Casiokids never let go of the beat and even while liberally instrument-swapping, convinced the packed crowd that their set was equal to their predecessor.

We recorded this set in the same manner as the previous two sets from this night and the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Casiokids
2010-03-15
Knitting Factory
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
2010-03-19

Setlist:
[Total Time 43:11]
08 Tracks (setlist help needed)

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

[Photo courtesy of Jonny Leather]

You won’t confuse ArpLine with a stripped-down straight-ahead type of rock act.  The band filled the stage at Glasslands with enough pedals, instruments, cables and laptops (three by my count) to practically launch a recording studio.  These guys put a lot of care into their sound – mixing instruments from their onstage laptops in at least some cases – and the attention to detail was evident on this night.  The band was absolutely on fire as they played every song off of their recently released first record, Travel Book.  Whether you are a rock diehard or into electronic music, these guys have something to offer you, playing a polished, modern brand of synth-driven, psychedelic rock (their name doesn’t reference a classic synth for nothing) that is distinguished by strong melodies and varied musical textures.

I recorded this set with a combination of the Beyerdynamic microphones clamped to the center of the bottom rail of the balcony, with DPA omnidirectional miniature microphones “boundary mounted” to the balcony right over the crowd.   The result is a perfectly balanced mix that captures both the venue’s PA and the onstage sound.  Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE).  Listen to “Weekend In the Colonies” (HERE).

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

ArpLine
2010-03-11
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: DPA 4061 in PZM mounts, 2? spread; hypers pointed at stacks from balcony clamp
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, slight EQ, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Speed (Rush Ah)
02 Fold Up Like A Piece of Paper
03 Make It Rain
04 Sound and Versions
05 Amplify
06 banter
07 Game
08 Weekend In the Colonies
09 Cap
10 Rope
11 banter
12 Parts Unknown

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT ArpLine, visit their website, and purchase their excellent debut album (which is available on a “name your price” basis) from their bandcamp site [here].

[photo from WMW MySpace page]

WhoMadeWho stole the show on Monday night at the BrooklynVegan Pre-SXSW show at Knitting Factory. At 11 p.m., the Danish dance/funk/electronica trio turned the machines on, started the beat, and never let up. The packed crowd by necessity opened up in the middle of the room for a make-shift dance floor, and it seemed like the only thing missing was a rotating mirror ball. For their part, WhoMadeWho exhibited a ton of energy and good humor from the stage — their songs can be both playful and dark at the same moment — so that the cycle of fun was complete. The band are in the US through the end of the week in Austin.

We recorded this set in the same location as the Wave Pictures recording and the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

WhoMadeWho
2010-03-15
Knitting Factory
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
2010-03-17

Setlist:
[Total Time 43:11]
01 Small Town City
02 [new song “Outside World”]
03 Space For Rent
04 Rose
05 [new song “Time”]
06 Keep Me In My Plane
07 [new song “Got To Get it Right”]
08 Satisfaction

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT WhoMadeWho, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their official releases from the Gomma Records site [here].

[photo by Michaela Ripl – from Wave Pictures website]

One of the greatest obstacles to the discovery of excellent music is the Atlantic Ocean. Oftentimes, its only when British bands make their way across to play NYC shows, that we “discover” them — Bearsuit, Richard Hawley and The Joy Formidable are recent examples. When a twelve year old band with smart and funny lyrics, excellent musicianship and an entertaining stage presence, who have collaborated with the likes of the Mountain Goats and Daniel Johnston somehow falls under our radar, its easy to blame space rather than our own inefficient personal musical encyclopedia. Thankfully, last night at the Brooklynvegan Pre-SXSW show at the Knitting Factory, all was forgiven. The Wave Pictures managed the rare trifecta of amusing, impressing and entertaining the crowd, which swelled to capacity during their set. Singer/guitarist David Tattersall even managed to make the embarrassing accidental unplugging of his guitar cable in mid-solo a mere prelude to one of the more hilarious stage banter recoveries in recent memory.

The Wave Pictures will perform at one of the many brooklynvegan showcases in Austin, at Club DeVille on Friday March 19. The band returns to NYC on Sunday March 28 for a show at the Mercury Lounge on the last night of their US tour.

This set was recorded with the Neumanns in front of the soundboard mixed with a stereo board feed. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Wave Pictures
2010-03-15
Knitting Factory
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
2010-03-16

Setlist:
[Total Time 37:47]
01 Canary Wharf
02 Leave The Scene Behind
03 [banter]
04 Walk The Backstairs Quiet
05 [banter]
06 Friday Night in Loughborough
07 [banter]
08 Sleepy Eye
09 Holding Hands
10 Now You Are Pregnant
11 [banter]
12 I Love You Like A Madman

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Wave Pictures, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from the Shop at their website [here].

[Photo courtesy of Chris Becker for greenshoelace.com]

Although I had just caught them earlier in the month at Littlefield, my second Vandelles experience was no less entertaining.   Well-slotted in the coveted “second to last” position on an excellent five-act roster,  the band ripped through a similar set to the Littlefield show.  This set seemed a bit tighter than that one, and fortunately, the Vandelles avoided the fate of the act that followed them, MiniBoone, who shorted out most of the electrical equipment onstage and ended up playing an impromptu semi-acoustic freeform set.

I recorded this set way upfront with the miniature DPA microphones mounted to my hat.  The sound is excellent and there is almost no crowd chatter.  Enjoy!

The Vandelles play Cameo Gallery and Lit Lounge on March 26 and 27, respectively.  Check them out!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Vandelles
2010-02-26
Cake Shop
New York, NY  USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper

Equipment: DPA 4061>Sony PCM-M10 (24/44.1)
Position: FOB, DFC, about 5? from stage, HRTF
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, downsample, amplify channels)>FLAC level 8

Tracks:
01 Intro
02 Get Down
03
04 Bomb the Surf
05
06 Dash N Dive
07 California Killer
08
09 Bad Volcano

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Vandelles, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their official releases directly from the SVC Records [here].

[photo courtesy of Frank Siringo]

These days, any attempt to pigeonhole Woods as a “freak folk” band seems trite and wholly inadequate. On Friday night at Music Hall, the unique quartet opened their set with a lengthy psychedelic-style instrumental piece, mixed in a few songs that weren’t folk songs as much as deconstructions of the genre, and ended with two completely divergent covers — Blind Melon’s “No Rain” and Graham Nash’s “Military Madness”. The sheer breadth of the stylistic variations of Woods’ music is not necessarily evident in their albums, the latest of which, At Echo Lake, was announced last week and will be released on May 11. But it is the live Woods which stretches the material to these lengths and Friday’s show was an excellent example. Woods tour continues through the Midwest to SXSW before finishing up through the end of March down South. Woods next plays NYC on May 13 at the Abrons Arts Center.

We recorded this set from the same location as the Real Estate set and the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Woods
2010-03-12
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Soundboard Booth

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s > 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
2010-03-14

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:14:32]
01 Creeps
02 Blood Dries Darker > To Clean
03 [banter]
04 Get Back
05 Rain On
06 Suffering Season
07 Down This Road
08 The Hold
09 The Dark
10 Twisted Tongue
11 I Was Gone
12 Death Rattles
13 [crowd]
14 Keep It On
15 [banter – set up]
16 No Rain (Blind Melon)*
17 [encore break]
18 Military Madness (Graham Nash)*
*with Real Estate

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Woods, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their official releases from Woodsist Records.

[photo courtesy of Frank Siringo]

My first experience with Real Estate live was as an opening band for Love Is All at Music Hall a mere nine months ago. Last night at the same venue, there was one obvious fact — they have gotten a lot better. In October at Market Hotel, we remarked about their improvement, but last night was another world entirely. The band has coalesced into a tight unit, performing their songs with the same energy but with a clear focus and, dare I say it, professionalism. The guitars were all in tune, the solos were well placed and purposeful and the rhythm section was precise. Coupled with the well-mixed excellent sound system of Music Hall, the bottom line is that last night Real Estate sounded just plain terrific. While they were the third of four bands on the bill for this sold out show, it was also clear that many in the crowd were there to see Real Estate. The band worked through a setlist consisting primarily of their debut album material, but of note was the new opening song performed only for the second time, and the dead-on cover of Ariel Pink’s “My Molly“.

Last night was the first night of the combined Real Estate and Woods tour. The tour travels through the midwest before SXSW and then continues down south to the end of March. In May, Real Estate tours Europe. Find all the tour dates at their MySpace page.

I recorded this set with the four microphone rig at the usual location directly in front of the soundboard. The sound in this venue continues to excel and this entire show was mixed particularly well. As a result the sound quality of this recording is superb. Enjoy!

Woods was also recorded and will be posted tomorrow.

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Real Estate
2010-03-12
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Soundboard Booth

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s > 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
2010-03-13

Setlist:
[Total Time 57:37]
01 [new song – “All Out of Tune”]
02 Beach Comber
03 Pool Swimmers
04 Younger Than Yesterday
05 Art Vandelay
06 Green River
07 Suburban Beverage
08 Suburban Dogs
09 My Molly (Ariel Pink)
10 Basement
11 [banter]
12 Snow
13 Fake Blues
14 [banter]
15 Snow Days

f you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Real Estate, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their releases from Woodist Records, Half Machine Records, and Underwater Peoples (currently sold out).