nyctaper Recordings

[photo by nyctaper correspondent neild]

If the July Feelies concerts at Maxwell’s and Battery Park were celebratory affairs simply because the band was back and sounded great, last night’s concert at The Music Hall of Williamsburg was special for a whole different reason — the Feelies absolutely rocked. This was a band that did not sound as if they were playing their 5th gig after a decade and half of “down time”. Last night, the Feelies were tight as always, but added a significant amount of energy and animation to the stage show. Perhaps spurred on by the boisterous and vocal Saturday night crowd, each song seemed to reach a trademark Feelies crescendo with extra energy. “Deep Fascination” and “Slipping (Into Something)” in particular evolved into truly joyous cacophony.

When we glanced at the soundboard booth prior to the show and saw the longtime Feelies soundboard tech Andy behind the board, we knew the sound in the venue would be terrific and we were not disappointed. This show was mixed to perfection and featured a full and rich soundstage. Our recording was captured from a prime location and we are extremely indebted to the talents of Andy for the quality of this recording. Enjoy!

The Feelies perform again tonight at Bowery Ballroom!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Feelies
2008-09-20
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from FOB
Dead Center 20 Feet from PA

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
2008-09-21

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:12:05]
01 On The Roof
02 The High Road
03 Nobody Knows
04 Let’s Go
05 Deep Fascination
06 Higher Ground
07 The Final Word
08 Time Is Right
09 Away
10 Slipping (Into Something)
11 Doin’ It Again
12 Too Far Gone
13 Raised Eyebrows
14 Crazy Rhythms
15 [encore break]
16 She Said She Said (Beatles)
17 Paint it Black (Rolling Stones)
18 [second encore break]
19 I Wanna Sleep In Your Arms (Modern Lovers)
20 Outdoor Miner (Wire)

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Feelies and visit their official MySpace page, and purchase their official releases at various commercial outlets. They are working on new songs. Purchase their new CD when it is released!

[photo courtesy of The Music Slut blog]

The second night of Sigur Ros 2-night run at United Palace was another amazing performance which was executed to perfection. Although Jonsi again apologized for high notes not reached during “Svefn-G-Englar”, the balance of the evening was flawless — the songs, the lighting, the stage backdrop, the props, and even the drumming accompaniment on “Gobbledigook”. We would have preferred some variety to the setlist, but the debut performance of “Illgresi” from the new CD Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust in the first encore slot was quite special.

We recorded this show from the second row of the “upper” loge, which given the layout of the balcony of this venue is actually geographically closer to the stage than our floor seat from the previous evening. We were fortunate to have a direct line to the PA stacks and as a result this recording has excellent clarity and balance. We believe this recording improves upon the quality of the first night. Enjoy!

Download and stream the complete show [HERE].

https://archive.org/details/SR_2008-09-18.dpa4021.nyctaper

Sigur Ros
2008-09-18
United Palace Theatre
New York, NY USA

Digital Audience Master Recording
Recorded from Upper Loge Row B Right Side

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
2008-09-19

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:50:26]
01 Svefn-G-Englar
02 Glósóli
03 Ný Batteri
04 Fljótavík
05 Við Spilum Endalaust
06 Hoppípolla
07 Með Blóðnasir / Svo Hljótt
08 Heysátan
09 Viðrar Vel Til Loftárása
10 Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur
11 Sæglópur
12 Hafsól
13 Gobbledigook
14 [encore break]
15 Illgresi
16 Popplagið

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Sigur Ros, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their new CD Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust directly from their website.

[photo courtesy of The Music Slut blog]

The Sigur Ros performance we experienced at the Manhattan Center Ballroom in June was undoubtedly the best concert we have seen this year, if not ever. It was a performance of majestic brilliance and musical perfection that brought the crowd to call for three encores of the band’s stage bowing after the music ended. That night the band included the Amiina accompaniment and a complete horn section.

Last night’s Sigur Ros show at United Palace was a scaled down affair, as this tour consists of the main four members of the band. While the absence of strings and horns was apparent at some points last night, Sigur Ros replaced the majesty with subtlety. Although the first night of the tour had some minor equipment issues and Jonsi had some trouble reaching his highest notes (for which he added a polite “excuse me”), the last hour of this concert reached the heights scaled at Manhattan Center. The songs from the new CD Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust have developed quite nicely to the point where highlights included the joyous “Við Spilum Endalaust” and the full audience participation of “Gobbledigook”.

We recorded from about two-thirds back on the floor and while this was not a prime location, the sound quality in the venue was quite excellent and we are very pleasantly surprised with the quality of this capture. There is a slight “hissing” sound at the most quiet moments which was the result of the air conditioning vent behind us. Otherwise, this is an outstanding recording! Enjoy!

Download and stream the complete show [HERE].

https://archive.org/details/SR_2008-09-17.dpa4021.nyctaper

Sigur Ros
2008-09-17
United Palace Theatre
New York, NY USA

Digital Audience Master Recording
Recorded from Floor Row Q Left Side

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
2008-09-18

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:55:40]
01 Svefn-G-Englar
02 Glósóli
03 Ny Batteri
04 Fljótavík
05 Við Spilum Endalaust
06 Hoppípolla
07 Með Blóðnasir / Svo Hljótt
08 Heysátan
09 Viðrar Vel Til Loftárása
10 Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur
11 Sæglópur
12 Hafsól
13 Gobbledigook
14 [encore break]
15 All Alright
16 Popplagið

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Sigur Rós, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their new CD Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust directly from their website.

[photo credit]

By his own words, Robert Forster performed one of the best sets of music he has ever played last night at Joe’s Pub. The seventy-minute set was tight, well-paced and executed to perfection. The setlist drew from classic Go-Betweens numbers, Robert’s solo career, one Velvets cover, and a couple of numbers from his excellent new release The Evangelist. Of particular poignancy was Robert’s heartfelt rendition of “Demon Days”, one of final collaborations between Forster and his longtime Go-Betweens writing partner the late Grant McLennan. Robert’s musical accompaniment was also outstanding — including the tremendous bass guitar work from former Go-Betweens Adele Pickvance. Adele’s solo on “I Can Do” was one of the highlights of the evening.

We recorded this show directly from the soundboard under the best possible circumstances and the result is a professional quality recording. We used XLR cables from the board directly into the Apogee pre-amp and digitally captured in 24-bit with the Microtrack. This is a true digital soundboard recording. The soundboard tech at Joe’s Pub mixed the show to perfection, and the capture mix, the levels, and the soundstage are all outstanding. Enjoy!

Download and stream the complete show [HERE].

https://archive.org/details/RobertForster2008-09-15.sbd.nyctaper

Robert Forster
2008-09-15
Late Show
Joe’s Pub
New York, NY USA

Digital Soundboard Recording

Soundboard > XLR > Apogee Mini-Me > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (set fades, downsample, dither) > CD Wave (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-09-16

Setlist:
[Total time 1:16:08]
01 121
02 German Farmhouse
03 Head Full of Steam
04 Temptation Inside Your Heart (VU)
05 Pandanus
06 Draining The Pool For You
07 Too Much Of One Thing
08 Demon Days
09 Clouds
10 Darlinghurst Nights
11 I Can Do
12 Surfing Magazines
13 Did She Overtake You
14 Quiet Heart
15 Born To A Family
16 [banter]
17 Spring Rain

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Robert Forster, visit his website, visit the Go-Betweens website, and purchase Robert’s new CD The Evangelist directly from the Yep Roc website [HERE].

[photo courtesy of The Fleece]

Until recently, we were only familiar with John Oliver’s insanely funny comedy from his regular appearances on The Daily Show. In May, when we recorded the Mountain Goats at the Masonic Temple, John Oliver was the act that immediately preceded John Darnielle. As we set up to record about 10 feet from the stage, John Oliver made a not-disapproving reference to the fact that there would be recording of his set — unfortunately, we did not record his hilarious set as we were just connecting and testing the equipment at the time. Given a second chance, at the East Village Radio Fest last Sunday, we took the opportunity to record John’s brief set. Some of the material was the same as the Masonic performance, but John added new political material and some references to the Seaport location.

We recorded from the same location as the other three acts of this set. There is very little wind noise and John’s voice is clear. Enjoy!

Download and stream the complete show [HERE].

https://archive.org/details/JohnOliver2008-09-07.fob.neumanns.nyctaper

John Oliver
2008-09-07
East Village Radio Festival
South Street Seaport
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Inside Front of Soundboard Tent
Approximately 50 Feet from Stage

Neumann KM-150’s > Monster Cable > Apogee Mini-Me > digital coax > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge 8.0 (level adjustments, downsample) > CD Wave 1.75 > Flac Frontend (level 7) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-09-13

Setlist:
[Total time 15:38]
01 [comedy routine]

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT John Oliver, visit his website, visit his MySpace page, and purchase John’s DVD Terrifying Times (not a compensated amazon link-through).

[photo credit]

Last night’s Deerhunter show at Le Poisson Rouge was a fairly strange event. The crowd was an odd mix of the band’s fans, curious club-goers, and a large contingent of people from the music business invited by LPR to see the club on an active night. Many of the industry types spent the show at the side and back bars, and many left early. If the scene seemed odd to us, the setting did not disturb Deerhunter, as Bradford Cox chatted amiably between numbers and performed an absolutely blistering set. The soon-to-be-released material from Microcastle was particularly strong, and the double highlights of “Nothing Ever Happened” and “Strange Lights” were two of most intense songs we have seen performed this year.

We recorded from the floor in front of the soundboard area of this venue. The chatty nature of the crowd was a bit of a problem, as was the severe volume of the set. The Neumann mics were able to handle the levels without any distortion but the club acoustics were a bit muddy, so that this is not one of our best captures. With that caveat, enjoy!

Download and stream the complete show [HERE].

https://archive.org/details/Deerhunter2008-09-09.fob.neumanns.nyctaper

Deerhunter
2008-09-09
Le Poisson Rouge
New York NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from In Front of Soundboard Booth
Dead Center on Floor

Neumann KM-150s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge 8.0 (set fades, slight level boost, resample 16/44) > CD Wave 1.95 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced
nyctaper
2008-09-10

Setlist
[total time 1:09:46]
01 [Brad banter]
02 Calvary Scars
03 Never Stops
04 [Brad banter]
05 Spring Hall Convert
06 Dr. Glass
07 Hazel St.
08 Saved By Old Times
09 Operation
10 Fluorescent Grey
11 [Brad banter]
12 Nothing Ever Happened [false start]
13 Nothing Ever Happened
14 [encore break/banter]
15 Thirsty and Miserable (Black Flag)
16 Agoraphobia
17 Strange Lights

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

[photo courtesy of Jonny Leather]

In July we first witnessed the live High Places at Stuyvesant Town under very similar circumstances — an outdoor show on a beautiful day, with a diverse crowd containing a large majority of people unfamiliar with the band. The result was the same too. Our favorite electronic fusion-pop duo took the opportunity to impress people who otherwise would not ever have heard their music, and by the end of their set the chatty crowd was moving in time to the carib-burg beats.

We recorded this set from the same location as our Awesome Color, and Vivian Girls recordings. There is some wind noise, and Mary’s microphone is mixed too low, but otherwise its an excellent recording. Enjoy!

Download and stream the Complete show [HERE].

https://archive.org/details/HighPlaces2008-09-07.fob.neumann.nyctaper

High Places
2008-09-07
East Village Radio Festival
South Street Seaport
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Inside Front of Soundboard Tent
Approximately 50 Feet from Stage

Neumann KM-150’s > Monster Cable > Apogee Mini-Me > digital coax > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge 8.0 (level adjustments, downsample) > CD Wave 1.75 > Flac Frontend (level 7) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-09-10

Setlist:
[Total time 29:32]
01 Vision’s The First…
02 Head Spins
03 Oceanus
04 The Storm
05 Gold Coin
06 The Tree
07 Stardust
08 Freaked Flight
09 New Grace

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT High Places, visit their MySpace page, visit their profile page at the Thrill Jockey Records site, and purchase their releases from the links at their MySpace and from Thrill Jockey [here].

[photo courtesy of Jonny Leather]

After a series of near-misses, we finally got the chance to catch the Vivian Girls and the scene could not have been more enjoyable. The band rocked on a beautiful day in the outdoor setting of the East Village Radio Fest and their pop-punk-surf-rave-ups fit the day perfectly. The Vivs managed to pack eleven powerful songs into a too-brief 25 minute set, and left us wanting more. Fortunately, the Vivian Girls are quite active. The official re-release of their album is due on October 7, and they will perform again in NYC at Cake Shop on September 19 (with Awesome Color).

We recorded this set from the same location as our Awesome Color recording, and the sound quality is quite similar except that there was a little more wind at this time. Enjoy!

Download and stream the complete show [HERE].

https://archive.org/details/viviangirls2008-09-07fob.neumann.nyctaper

Vivian Girls
2008-09-07
East Village Radio Festival
South Street Seaport
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Inside Front of Soundboard Tent
Approximately 50 Feet from Stage

Neumann KM-150’s > Monster Cable > Apogee Mini-Me > digital coax > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge 8.0 (level adjustments, downsample) > CD Wave 1.75 > Flac Frontend (level 7) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-09-08

Setlist:
[Total time 23:53]
01 All The Time
02 I Can’t Stay
03 Tell The World
04 Never See Me Again
05 I Don’t Wanna
06 [new song]
07 [new song]
08
09
10 Girl Don’t Tell Me (Beach Boys)
11 Wild Eyes

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Vivian Girls, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their releases from the links at their website, and links at MySpace.

[photo courtesy of Jonny Leather]

We have not seen Awesome Color since their CD release concert in May at Glasslands. The most striking change in the band is the relaxed confidence that they have acquired after four months of touring around the world. Derek’s guitar work at the East Village Radio Fest was outstanding, and the rhythm section was tight and strong. The only drawback of this excellent set was its brevity — a festival-sized chunk of brilliance. Two new songs were featured, and the second one (Track 03) is one of the most powerful songs we have heard Awesome Color perform.

This Music Festival was a celebration of the five year anniversary of East Village Radio, the most diverse and comprehensive radio station on the web. The Festival was perhaps the most organized event we have attended this year, and all aspects were outstanding — from the venue sound, to the availability of information, to the pinpoint scheduling. Kudos to EVR!

We recorded from the front inside the soundboard area. The sound of this set is quite excellent, as the weather was clear and only slightly windy. Enjoy!

Vivian Girls, High Places and John Oliver were also recorded and will be featured on nyctaper in the coming days.

Download and stream the complete show [HERE].

https://archive.org/details/AwesomeColor2008-09-07.fob.neumanns.nyctaper

Awesome Color
2008-09-07
East Village Radio Festival
South Street Seaport
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Inside Front of Soundboard Tent
Approximately 50 Feet from Stage

Neumann KM-150’s > Monster Cable > Apogee Mini-Me > digital coax > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge 8.0 (level adjustments, downsample) > CD Wave 1.75 > Flac Frontend (level 7) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-09-07

Setlist:
[Total time 20:05]
01 Eyes of Light
02 [new song]
03 [new song]
04 Flyin’
05 Already Down

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Awesome Color, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their latest CD release Electric Aborigines directly from the Ecstatic Peace website.

The story of Starling Electric is one of those tales about how the music industry is supposed to work. An excellent band from a small midwest city produces their own CD and releases it by themselves in 2006. The CD somehow finds its way into the player of an open-minded musical heavyweight (Bob Pollard of Guided By Voices), who spreads the word about the band. A year later, the same band finds themselves signed to a legendary indie label. Bar/None released Clouded Staircase in August and Starling Electric came to NYC for the CD release party at Mercury Lounge on August 19.

The set at Mercury featured eight of the eighteen tracks on Clouded Staircase and four new numbers. The strength of the new songs bodes well for an anticipated new release in 2009.

We recorded this set from the same location as the Hotel Lights and Shannon McArdle recordings from the same night and other than some minor fan-created draft the sound is superb. Enjoy!

Download and stream the complete show [HERE].

https://archive.org/details/StarlingElectric2008-08-19.fob.neumanns.nyctaper

Starling Electric
2008-08-19
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Board

Neumann KM-150’s > Monster Cable > Apogee Mini-Me > digital coax > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge 8.0 (level adjustments, downsample) > CD Wave 1.75 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-09-07

Setlist:
[Total time 41:44]
01 The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
02 Lisa and The Devil
03 Clouded Staircase (Part II)
04 Prince of the Puff of Smoke
05 British Boots
06 Black Ghost/Black Girl
07 I Got Scared
08 Black-Collar Crime
09 To Flunker, With Love
10 Bad Blood
11 Camp-Fire
12 Operator

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Starling Electric, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase the new CD Clouded Staircase directly from the Bar/None site [HERE].