[The Depreciation Guild at the After the Jump Fest, 2009.  Photo courtesy of Bryan Bruchman]

The Depreciation Guild kicked off Wednesday night at the Knitting Factory – in a week with the NYC Popfest recently completed, and a number of strong shows happening in a holiday week – to celebrate the release of their new record, Spirit Youth. Frontman Kurt Feldman and guitarist Christoph Hoccheim may now be better known for their roles in Slumberland darlings The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (as drummer and touring guitarist), but The Depreciation Guild are much more than a side project, with a more shoegaze-driven sound that has been further refined on Spirit Youth (as compared with their acclaimed first album, In Her Gentle Jaws).  The live show and the new record show what I view as a positive departure from the almost antiseptic gloss of Jaws; though it may sound messier at times, the music, I think has much more heart.

I recorded this set from our standard position at the soundboard cage with the DPA microphones.  Other than a few spots of chatter from disrespectful audience members, the capture is spot on.  Unfortunately, a battery failure mid-set also caused the recorder to lose part of two songs.  With those minor caveats, enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Depreciation Guild
2010-05-25
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY  USA

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

Equipment: DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to right side of SBD cage, 8′ up, DIN
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, slight EQ, amplify)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks (thanks to The Depreciation Guild’s management for the setlist help!)
01. My Chariot
02. Crucify You
03. Blue Lily
04. November
05. Trace
06. A Key Turns
07. Spirit Youth [fades out]
08. Through the Snow [fades in]
09. White Moth
10. (banter)
11. Dream About Me

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Depreciation Guild, visit their website, and purchase their excellent new album, Spirit Youth, from your favorite retailer.

[photos taken for nyctaper by David Andrako]

Natureboy was fresh off their well-received Truck America Festival appearance when they returned to NYC to play the NYCTaper 3rd Anniversary show a couple of weeks ago. While the late-arriving crowd meant the band played half their set to a handful of people, by the time Sara Kerminshahi grabbed the acoustic guitar for a superb solo rendition of the Dylan-via-Nico classic “I’ll Keep It With Mine”, the room was packed. And lucky for them. Sara’s intense performance was one of the highlights of the evening. The entire Natureboy set was a strong run through a mix of material from their excellent self-titled 2009 debut and two promising new numbers. Natureboy will play a couple of shows in Brooklyn this month, at Zebulon on June 13, and another Kevchino show at Knitting Factory on June 16.

We recorded this set with the same mix as the Dinosaur Feathers set from this night and the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Natureboy
2010-05-15
NYCTaper 3rd Anniversary Concert
Pianos
New York, 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
2010-05-30

Setlist:
[Total Time 32:22]
01 A Flame
02 Ode to Merry Maid
03 Dither
04 Don’t Worry
05 [new song]
06 Pariah
07 [new song]
08 I’ll Keep It With Mine (Dylan/Nico)

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Natureboy, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Sara’s self-released debut album by following the links to amazon.com mp3s and Itunes at the Natureboy MySpace page.

[Photos from the March 27, 2010 Slumberland Anniversary Party in San Francisco, CA courtesy of Opurt2007]

Los Angeles-based (by way of Glasgow) Neverever defy the stereotype of the dowdy indiepop band – or at least, lead vocalist Jihae Meek does, donning a gold bodysuit that stood out more than a little among the sea of cardigans (and one Spongebob Squarepants skirt) in the audience at the final day/night of NYC Popfest 2010.  The band’s flouncy, fun sound melds mid-20th century pop with a hint of post-punk.  Their songs cover the usual topics – puppy love, break-ups and romantic obsessions – rendered in Meek’s dramatic vocal style.  Playing to an enthusiastic mid-day crowd, the band (and let’s face it, the gold bodysuit) kept the attention squarely front and center.  The band released their new album, Angelic Swells, yesterday, and like almost all Slumberland Records releases, we can attest that it is a treat.

I recorded this set in the same manner as The Secret History recording, with the DPA mics and a top-quality soundboard feed.  This recording emphasizes the soundboard feed a bit more to bring out the strength of the vocals.  Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE].

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Neverever
2010-05-23
NYC Popfest 2010
Littlefield
Brooklyn, NY

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

Equipment: Stereo soundboard feed + DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: ROC, to left side of SBD cage, mics at 8? pointed at stacks
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify channels)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Here Is Always Somewhere Else
02 Blue Genes
03 [unknown -please help]
04 Teardrop Tattoo
05 Young Runaways
06 Cowboys and Indians
07 Young and Dumb
08 Coconut Shampoo

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Neverever, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their newly-released Angelic Swells from Slumberland Records [HERE].

[photo courtesy of Camey Scott]

I love these break-out Bowery nights. We first got to know Holly Miranda back in October, when we recorded her set opening for the Antlers, and I then got drunk with both bands after the show. Holly’s obvious and immense talents are perhaps eclipsed only by her personality — she is genuinely a fun and nice person. It was an extra treat when the nyctaper recording of Holly’s Pink Floyd cover from that night went viral on the web. Following the February release of her new album The Magician’s Private Library on XL Recordings, the world at large caught on, critical praise and new fans followed. At the conclusion of her first major headlining tour, Holly returned home last night to a packed Bowery Ballroom and delivered a performance of stunning quality and depth. The strong Magician’s material we expected, along with the promised horn section and special guests (Kyp Malone). What we did not expect were two eclectic covers, including her jaw-dropping take on the Etta James classic “I’d Rather Go Blind”. It doesn’t get much better than that, and to have it happen at her Bowery break-out is even more rewarding.

We recorded this set with the Neumann microphones at the balcony rail. The sound mix at Bowery on this night was quite exceptional, and we are quite pleased with the excellent quality of this recording. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Holly Miranda
2010-05-26
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded at Balcony Rail

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
2010-05-27

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:08:40]
01 No One Just Is
02 Waves
03 Mark My Words [new song]
04 No One Can See Me Like You Do (Yoko Ono)
05 High Tide
06 Forest Green, Oh Forest Green
07 Everytime I Go To Sleep
08 Joints
09 I’d Rather Go Blind (Etta James)
10 Slow Burn Treason
11 Sleep on Fire
12 [banter]
13 Pelican Rapids
14 [encore break]
15 Singular Acceptance
16 Secret Identity
17 Hymnal

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Holly Miranda, visit her website, visit her blog, and purchase The Magician’s Private Library directly from the Beggar’s Group website [HERE].

[Photos of The Secret History’s performance last year at NYC Popfest 2009 courtesy of F Yang at chromewaves.net]

Despite some hefty competition from the season finale of a certain fan-beloved TV show, real indiepop fans knew that the only place to be this past Sunday was sharing the cozy and welcoming Littlefield with luminaries of the genre from across the U.S. and Sweden at an all-day event. The Secret History, the penultimate act of the night and the only NYC-based band on the bill, were probably the strongest of the fourth and final night of the NYC Popfest 2010.

I recorded this set with the DPA mics and a top-quality soundboard feed. This recording emphasizes the soundboard feed a bit more to bring out the strength of the vocals. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE].

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Secret History
2010-05-23
NYC Popfest 2010
Littlefield
Brooklyn, NY

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

Equipment: Stereo soundboard feed + DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: ROC, to left side of SBD cage, mics at 8′ pointed at stacks
Mastering: 2x24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify channels)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks
01 intro
02 Johnny Anorak
03 banter
04 Our Lady of Stalingrad
05 Its Not the End of the World, Jonah
06 God Save The Runaways
07 banter
08 Love Theme
09 Johnny Nightmare
10 Our Lady of Pompeii
11 Count Backwards
12 Sister Rose

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Secret History, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from their site [HERE].