Posts Tagged ‘ acidjack ’

Explosions In the Sky: April 6, 2011 Radio City Music Hall – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

April 11, 2011
By

EITS
[photo courtesy of Brian C. Reilly and Bowery Houselist]

It’s no longer news when an “indie” band sells out a mega-sized venue. But the story of Explosions In the Sky – an instrumental rock band on the tiny (and uniformly outstanding) label Temporary Residence Limited – has got to be one of the strangest of all. Sure, EITS are an absolutely killer live band, and their music is incredible – but that could also be said of their brethren in the instrumental rock scene, the next-most-popular of whom isn’t selling out venues one third this size. No, it was a bit of a quirk of fate that EITS’ music ended up becoming the soundtrack for the football movie Friday Night Lights and, perhaps more importantly, the surprisingly good TV series based on the movie that followed. Now, their eight-minute rock mini-symphonies may forever be associated with sandblown prairie, abandoned oil rigs, and of course, football fields set against the lonely Texas sky, but they are fitting-enough images for a style of music that is so grand in its sweep. In one song, EITS can be capture the mute pain of loneliness, the thrill of motion, and the ecstasy of victory. I don’t doubt that they take inspiration from the outsize land from which they came, from Friday night lights and the great swaths of darkness in between.

As to this set, its most exciting aspect was that it gave EITS a chance to debut songs from their forthcoming album, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, which, if pre-release hype is any indication, will be their most massive yet. They led off with the new number “Postcard From 1952,” a classic slow-builder in the usual EITS style, that wraps up with cascading waves of feedback. Also on display were the mellower “Let Me Back In” and the closer, the short-burst rocker “Trembling Hands,” which may well end up being their bid for radio airplay. As EITS sets go, this one was a bit short, topping out at only 75 minutes, but the band made them count, adding to the new songs some of their biggest classics like “The Only Moment We Were Alone” and “Your Hand In Mine”. But perhaps the most moving part of the performance for me wasn’t what happened during the music, but the sincere gratitude the band showed both before and after the show in their thanks to the fans. A lot of bands can give the perfunctory “thanks for coming” etc. and you may or may not believe them; for EITS, it was evident how incredible this unlikely achievement was for them. As a truly great group of guys as well as outstanding musicians, this success couldn’t have happened to a better group of people. Good for them, and good for us.

I recorded this set with the DPA microphones. My location in the venue was not optimal, but Radio City is a beautiful-sounding venue, so the sound is still good after a bit of tweaking. The crowd was very respectful, and therefore crowd noise is minimal. I apologize in advance for any tracking errors. Enjoy!

Stream “Trembling Hands”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/E3060EITS9992/10 Trembling Hands.mp3]

Download the MP3 and FLAC files and stream the entire show on the Live Music Archive [HERE]

Follow acidjack on Twitter

Explosions In the Sky
2011-04-06
Radio City Music Hall
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)
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (EQ, set fades, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:15:48]
01 Intro
02 Postcard From 1952
03 The Birth and Death of the Day
04 Yasmin the Light
05 Last Known Surroundings
06 The Only Moment We Were Alone
07 Catastrophe and the Cure
08 Let Me Back In
09 Your Hand In Mine
10 Trembling Hands

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Explosions in the Sky, visit their website, and pre-order Take Care, Take Care, Take Care directly from their online store [HERE]

Oneida: April 2, 2011 Ocropolis IV – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Sample

April 7, 2011
By

Oneida ocropolis
[Photos courtesy of Jim Dalton]

This Saturday, we went on a journey with the band Oneida that began at 1pm and ended at well after midnight on the following day. Continuing one of the band’s most exciting and ambitious traditions, the band performed six improvisational sets for a select audience in their private Williamsburg studio and rehearsal space known as the Ocropolis. The impetus in this case was disaster relief for the people of Japan – in particular, an effort organized by Shinji Masuko of the Boredoms for Japanese artists and musicians who may fall outside of some more traditional safety nets – and we are sure that both the donations and the inspiration will be warmly received by our brethren in the Far East.

Ambition is an important word to consider when reflecting upon these performances. A band that released a 3xCD set (the critically lauded Rated O) in 2009, Oneida have never been particularly respectful of the commercial strictures of modern bands. And with a fan base that revels in their ability to test the sonic limits at every show, they haven’t had to be. Armed with the freedom to do what they want and the courage to actually do it, Oneida can make some fucking incredible noise.

The level of musicianship required to create these 35-45 minute improvisations cannot be understated. Like the bastard child of free jazz, minimalism, punk and rock n roll, these sets managed to explore a huge range of textures, sounds and moods while remaining cohesive and captivating. Throughout each, we were buoyed by a sea of perfect beats by wunderkind drummer Kid Millions (whose snare hits threatened to overwhelm the first set’s mix entirely) as organist/guitarist Bobby Matador, guitarist/bassist Hanoi Jane, guitarist Shahin Motia, and organist Barry London created an intense vortex of sound. Fittingly, the highlight of the entire day was the climactic final set, a 40-minute slab of deadly psych rock that left us all reeling. It would be days before we could fully process what had taken place before us – longer still for our ears to stop ringing. Despite being a band with musical ambitions so huge, Oneida had once again fulfilled them.

We recorded this set with six high-end microphones placed strategically around the room to capture the full breadth of the band’s sound. You may notice some differences in sound between the sets as we moved microphones around to achieve optimal placement.

Special thanks to Oneida for inviting us to be a part of this extraordinary event. Watch for their next Ocropolis event, a multi-day art and music installation at Secret Project Robot, where they will do a series of full-album performances of the Thank Your Parents trilogy.

Please note that because this was a charity event, you will be expected to donate an amount of your choosing to Shinji Masuko’s Japan relief PayPal account in order to download the recordings. Once you have forwarded your receipt to nyctaper@nyctaper.com, you will be given the location of the FLAC and MP3 files.

DONATE BY SENDING A PAYPAL PAYMENT TO SHINJI MASUKO AT dmbq@dmbq.net
MORE ABOUT SHINJI’S CHARITY EFFORTS [HERE] [HERE] and [HERE]

Stream a sample of the sixth and final set:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/O8020Oneida3329/OcropolisIVsample.mp3]

Oneida
2011-04-02
Ocropolis IV
The Ocropolis
Brooklyn, NY  USA

Digital Master Recording
Premiere download offered at nyctaper.com
Recorded by nyctaper and acidjack
Produced by acidjack

AKG C 414 B-XLS (wide cardiod mode)+DPA 4021+Neumann KM150>Tascam DR-680 (24/48)>6x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, smooth peaks, level adjustments, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Afternoon Session
Set I
01 Introduction [Afternoon Set I]
02 Improvisation [Afternoon Set I]

Set II
01 Improvisation [Afternoon Set II]

Set III
01 Improvisation [Afternoon Set III]

Evening Session
Set I
01 Improvisation [Night Set I]

Set II
01 Improvisation [Night Set II]

Set III
01 Improvisation [Night Set III]

In addition to supporting Oneida’s designated Japan relief organization, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Oneida, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, visit their page at Jagjaguwar Records, and purchase the latest CD Rated O at the Jagjaguwar site [HERE] and their earlier releases [HERE].

Destroyer: April 3, 2011 Webster Hall – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 6, 2011
By

destroyer
[Photo by acidjack]

At the end of a weekend where a certain other “band’s” “farewell” show sucked up a lot of the oxygen, this set by the multi-talented Dan Bejar, aka Destroyer, was the perfect coda. As brilliant and distinct as Bejar’s musical vision is – and his 2011 release, Kaputt, is already on the “album of the year” shortlist, if the Twitter-ing masses can be believed – Bejar’s music is almost radically foreign to what else is going on in American music today. Which is to say, Kaputt isn’t really dance music, nor can it be considered “rock” of most common varieties, and neither is it some fist-pumping, amped-up hybrid of the two. Bejar’s edges are soft, his choruses delivered on a silky train of trumpet and sax trills in a moderate, almost diffident tone. If the common mode for today’s bands is a marriage of post-punk and hard dance music, 2011’s Destroyer could be, well… indie rock and smooth jazz (which I in no way mean as an insult). In front of an audience that I am guessing included a lot of people coming down from the high (emotional or otherwise) of the previous night, I imagined that giving a memorable performance would be a challenge. But Bejar has wisely outfitted himself with an eight-person band that is more than up to the challenge of turning his proggish, cerebral songs into an outstanding live performance – one that had women throwing underwear at the stage and plenty of fans screaming. The fact is, at this point, Bejar’s fans appreciate his lush, intellectual songs, and that is to their credit. This is music that rewards patience and contemplation, not slam-dancing.

As a key part of the “supergroup” The New Pornographers, Bejar is of course a master of the pop song, even in this less-obvious context; “Painter In Your Pocket” and “Song For America” could (and probably did) inspire singalongs. My favorite numbers of the night came at the end: “Suicide Demo for Kara Walker” and its beautiful intro, with a distortion squall leading into a patient flute passage before the song’s main dance beat kicked in, as well as the epic “Bay of Pigs,” which BrooklynVegan rightly identified not only as the source of the loudest singalong, but also the aforementioned underwear-tossing. Bejar seemed as relaxed throughout the set as his record’s sound implies, and why not? He has the right musicians to execute his vision, songs that are refreshingly out of place, and fans that want what he has to offer. I hope he won’t be saying “farewell” to this project any time soon.

Our new contributor hi and lo I recorded this set from the balcony immediately to the left of the soundboard with four Schoeps mics. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Special thanks to Merge Records and Dan Bejar for granting us permission to record.

Stream the complete set

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Follow acidjack on Twitter

Destroyer
2011-04-03
Webster Hall
New York, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded by acidjack and hi and lo
Produced by acidjack

Equipment: Schoeps CMC6U/mk41>Sound Devices USBpre2+Schoeps mk4v>NBox>>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Position: Balcony, immediate left of soundboard, on clamps pointing at stacks
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, light EQ (less than -1dB cut at 160, 200, and 250Hz), amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:14:38]
01 Intro
02 Chinatown
03 Blue Eyes
04 It’s Gonna Take An Airplane
05 [banter]
06 Downtown
07 My Favorite Year
08 Kaputt
09 3000 Flowers
10 Painter In Your Pocket
11 Suicide Demo for Kara Walker
12 [banter]
13 Song for America
14 Bay of Pigs

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Destroyer, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Kaputt and their other fine releases directly from Merge Records [HERE].

Wise Blood: April 1, 2011 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

April 5, 2011
By

wiseblood glasslands
[Video still by Cannons]

I met Christopher Laufman, aka Wise Blood, just before he took the stage at Glasslands on Saturday. He seemed like a friendly, mild-mannered type of guy. In fact, dude was so unassuming, I would never have guessed he was a musician – and definitely not the kind of musician/performer that he is. He took the stage in a white sweatshirt and (as he pointed out) moccasins. He named his act after a Flannery O’Connor novel. Does this sound like some kind of badass MC to you?

Especially on April Fool’s, you should expect looks to be deceiving.

Minute one of the set, and the sweatshirted-and-moccasin-ed guy is telling us “I’m about to wreck this.” And then he does. On his bandcamp EP, “+” Laufman’s vocals have more layers of effects over them, giving his recorded output a much… milder sound than the live performance. On record, we hear Laufman as barely a high-pitched whisper underneath the monstrous beats, but live, his voice is the ragged, raging centerpiece. At Glasslands, songs like “B.I.G. E.G.O. ” took the tone of brash, angry manifestos, Laufman belting out the lyrics with the type of angry-white-boy attitude that Eminem had when he actually lived in a trailer. Whatever you think of his music (which can be quite catchy), Laufman is a hell of a performer to watch. In a first among the many shows I have seen at Glasslands, Wise Blood climbed up to the front of the balcony along with headliner Wu Lyf to perform “Solo (4 Claire)” for a few minutes, before jumping to the floor to finish the song. It was a raw, wild performance straight through to the end, when a shirtless Laufman careened through the song “Loud Mouths”, singing a lot of the song from the crowd. He may look unassuming, but onstage, Wise Blood is an animal.

I recorded this set from our usual spot in the venue with the DPA microphones and a stereo soundboard feed from Derek at Glasslands. The sound quality is outstanding. Also, please look for a forthcoming video of the performance courtesy of Dovecote Records and Cannons.

Please note that although we would have loved to record Wu Lyf, their management very respectfully asked that we not do so. Therefore, that set was not recorded.

Stream “Loud Mouths”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/W1400WiseBlood0211/wiseblood2011-04-01glasslands_acidjack-7.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Follow acidjack on Twitter

Wise Blood
2011-04-01
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Equipment: DPA 4021+stereo soundboard feed>Tascam DR-680 (24/48)
Position: Balcony, center, ORTF
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 STRT SRNS
02 Indian Song
03 interlude
04 B.I.G. E.G.O.
05 Solo (4 Claire) [including balcony climb/dive]
06 I’m Losing My Mind
07 Loud Mouths

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Wise Blood, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their EP, “+” from their bandcamp page.

Soulive: March 12, 2011: Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

March 26, 2011
By


[photo by Jill from For The Love of Brooklyn]

For the past two years now, the funk/jazz trio Soulive have been commandeering the cavernous adult playland Brooklyn Bowl for a series of concerts they dub “Bowlive”. These special shows in their home state of New York (they are originally based in Woodstock) feature memorable performances by the band as well as hordes of special guests; if anything, this year’s “Bowlive II” was even more epic than last year’s outing. This final night of their 10-day run promised to be a special one, and despite the last-minute illness-induced withdrawal of special guest Matisyahu, the band and their guests didn’t let that slow them down as they brought the funk for more than two hours. The tighter first set focused mostly on Soulive’s own material, including a heady rendition of “Doing the 2” jamming into “Too Much”, with the night’s opening act, Nigel Hall, on vocals together with Alicia Chakour. The first set closed with the night’s first surprise, when during their cover of the Meters’ “Just Kissed My Baby”, American Idol winner Taylor Hicks (remember him?) bounded to the stage. Adding backing vocals and harmonica to Hall and Chakour’s vocals, Hicks proved that although he may not be the most commercially successful Idol graduate, he lacks nothing in the talent department.

Set two saw more musical exploration, including a special showcase for the talents of guitarist Eric Krasno on a cover of Stevie Ray Vaughan‘s “Lenny”. Not to be outdone, drummer Alan Evans brought the full force of his kit skills to bear during the night’s most epic number, “One in Seven,” featuring an extended solo in the middle. The set wrapped up with three covers: “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears (turned into straight-up soul number), Aretha Franklin‘s “Rock Steady,” and finally (and appropriately), the encore, “Makin’ My Way Back Home” by Lettuce (only half a cover, given the overlapping players in both acts). Bowling and funk may be natural bedfellows, or they may not be, but either way, we hope there is a Bowlive III in the future.

We recorded this set with a combination of the DPA microphones at close range to capture the PA output, plus AKG large-diaphragm microphones onstage to capture the instrumental detail and broad, spacious stage sound. The results are truly outstanding. Enjoy!

Special thanks to Soulive and Morgan Young for approving this recording, and to Peter Costello and the Brooklyn Bowl team for their hospitality and hard work.

Stream “Just Kissed My Baby”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S1302Soulive1021/soulive2011-03-12bbowl_acidjack-11.mp3]

Stream “Lenny”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S1302Soulive1021/soulive2011-03-12bbowl_acidjack-17.mp3]

Download the FLAC/MP3 files and stream this entire show on the Live Music Archive [HERE]

Follow acidjack on Twitter

Soulive
2011-03-12
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY USA

Recorded and produced by Johnny Fried Chicken Boy and acidjack for nyctaper.com

Equipment: DPA 4021>Sound Devices USBpre2+AKG C 414 B-XLS (Wide Cardiod Mode)>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]
Position: AKGs onstage, DPAs on stand, 10ft from right stack, 12ft up, X/Y
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (EQ DPA source, mixdown, downsample, tracking, set fades, level adjustments, fix SBEs, tag files, smooth peaks, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks:
Set 1:
01. intro
02. Bubble
03. banter
04. Uncle Junior
05. banter
06. Flurries
07. banter
08. The Swamp
09. banter
10. Doing the 2 > Too Much
11. Just Kissed My Baby [The Meters]

Set 2:
12. 2nd set intro
13. El Ron
14. banter
15. Up Right
16. banter
17. Lenny [Stevie Ray Vaughan]
18. banter
19. One in Seven >
20. drums > One in Seven
21. Everybody Wants to Rule the World [Tears for Fears]
22. banter
23. Rock Steady [Aretha Franklin]
24. encore break
25. Makin’ My Way Back Home [Lettuce]

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Soulive, visit their website, and purchase their official releases and merchandise directly from the band’s online store [HERE]

Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour: March 21, 2011 Knitting Factory – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

March 25, 2011
By


[Photo courtesy of EardrumNYC]

The Elephant 6 Collective is a unique force in modern American music, a merry band of collaborators whose psychedelic, Beatles-inspired songs continue to resonate with indie aficionados across the globe. If you aren’t up for seeing more than 10 bands in one place at one time, you should skip the E6 Holiday Surprise extravaganzas, because over their usual three sets in a given night, they will illuminate and educate you, as well as wear down the unready. This gig at the Knitting Factory was night one of three here in New York, and it gave immediate notice to the untutored that life in Elephant 6 land can be a little loopy. This loose-knit group of Athens, GA-based musicians has formed and splintered off into numerous bands, and the sets find the players rotating on and off stage, constituting a different band at each song. This show was a veritable psych-rock circus, with a giant self-playing organ, a trippy cartoon video interlude, a “coming of spring” game that consisted of various audience members trying to pierce a paper target with a tossed fake snowball, a giant snowman, and intense, unusual sounds. The various E6 bands – some of the better-known being Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System, and Elf Power, to name a few (oh, and of course, Neutral Milk Hotel whose reclusive frontman could be seen in the audience, but not onstage) – vary in their degree of pop sensibility versus psychedelic experimentation, but even the tamer E6 bands play with sound collages, obscure instruments like the theremin, and a playful, childlike sense of wonder.

For three full sets lasting almost three hours, the players treated us with some of the collective’s best-known songs: Olivia Tremor Control’s “Define A Transparent Dream,” Circulatory System’s “Yesterday’s World,” and Elf Power’s “The Well.” But there were more obscure numbers from lesser-known bands like the Gerbils and the late b.p. helium, as well as some new songs as well. It was an evening of the unexpected, a huge range of songs that is difficult to summarize. What was clear was that this collective whole is greater than any individual part. As they closed with a mammoth thirteen-minute version of Sun Ra Arkestra’s “Enlightenment” (most of which was played in the crowd directly under my mics), I couldn’t help but notice that these guys had put on a three-hour set and still seemed to be be having so much fun – and probably had another three hours left in them. As I said, Elephant 6 land is a loopy place.

I recorded this set with a four-microphone rig from our usual spot in the venue. Although the band’s engineer was a bit dissatisfied with the house mix, I think he was being a little hard on himself. With some of the room’s natural characteristics removed, the recording is excellent. Enjoy!

Special thanks to the Knitting Factory for their hospitality. Also, thanks to Southern Shelter (who recorded the Atlanta show) for their assistance with the setlist.

Stream “The Well”:
[audio:http://www.acidjack.com/E6Holiday/03 The Well.mp3]

Stream “Sail Beyond the Sunset”:
[audio:http://www.acidjack.com/E6Holiday/17 Sail Beyond the Sunset.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour
2011-03-21
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Equipment: DPA 4021+Schoeps CMC6/mk41>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Position: Slightly ROC, at soundboard, DPAs ORTF, Schoeps 1ft split, pointed at stacks, approx 7.5ft
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (EQ both sources, mixdown, set fades, tracking, smooth peaks, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks

Set I [1:07:37]
01 When Father Was Away on Business [Major Organ and the Adding Machine]
02 Nothing’s Gonna Happen [Elf Power]
03 The Well [Elf Power]
04 Yesterday’s World [Circulatory System]
05 Karaoke Free [Elephant 6 Orchestra]
06 [banter]
07 Life Form (Transmission Received) [Major Organ and the Adding Machine]
08 Hideaway [Olivia Tremor Control]
09 Spiral Stairs [Elf Power]
10 [banter]
11 As Time Passed [The Gerbils]
12 [banter]
13 Lucky Girl [The Gerbils]
14 [banter]
15 Define A Transparent Dream [Olivia Tremor Control]
16 Hide In the Light> [Elephant 6 Orchestra]
17 Sail Beyond the Sunset [Elephant 6 Orchestra]
18 [banter]
19 organ instrumental
20 [banter]
21 [unknown – Music Tapes]
22 [banter]
23 Party With Me Punker [The Minutemen]
24 Temporary Arm [Elf Power]
25 The Opera House [Olivia Tremor Control]

Set II [1:04:42]
26 They Broke the Speed of Light [The Late B.P. Helium]
27 The Rabbit’s Ear [The Late B.P. Helium]
28 Out of the Water [M Coast]
29 Can You Come Down With Us? [Olivia Tremor Control]
30 [banter]
31 To All Who Say Goodnight [Elephant 6 Orchestra]
32 [banter]
33 Days Remain [Elephant 6 Orchestra]
34 The Lovely Universe [Circulatory System]
35 An Old Familiar Scene [Elf Power]
36 [banter]
37 Nothing For Sunday [Elephant 6 Orchestra]
38 instrumental
39 Majesty [The Music Tapes]
40 Glue [The Gerbils]
41 A White Sky [The Gerbils]
42 [set break]

Set III [44:00:00]
43 I Have Been Floated [Olivia Tremor Control]
44 Round [Olivia Tremor Control]
45 This Morning (We Remembered Everything) [Circulatory System]
46 [banter]
47 Two Skies [The Gerbils]
48 [banter]
49 Alcohol [The Kinks]
50 [banter]
51 Candy For Everyone [The Late B.P. Helium]
52 [banter]
53 Green Typewriters [Olivia Tremor Control]
54 [banter]
55 Enlightenment [Sun Ra Arkestra]

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Elephant 6 Records, visit their website, and support the many fine acts on their label by purchasing official releases (including at the Elephant 6 Store, coming soon).

Godspeed You! Black Emperor: March 16, 2011 Brooklyn Masonic Temple – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

March 20, 2011
By


[photo courtesy of Adam B]

Acidjack reports:
“After Tuesday’s Godspeed You! Black Emperor show at Brooklyn Masonic Temple, I could not imagine the band being able to top itself the following night. But GYBE are far from an ordinary band, and Wednesday’s show was the type of extraordinary tour de force that humbled even their awe-inspiring Tuesday show. This show built on all of the elements that made Tuesday special — the hypnotic, narrative visuals, the seamless two-plus hours of music that ebbed and flowed, and twinkled and roared, but somehow combined them even more successfully. The set never had a moment of pure calm; instead, it was a masterful sequence of classic and new material that only continued to raise the tension. Watching the band for the second time in a row, I was struck by how quickly I became immersed in the music and images, absorbed by their creative vision. This set was slightly shorter than Tuesday’s, but tighter, with what felt like a more focused narrative. As the best performances do, it left me wanting more — and a new album, in particular.

I recorded this set with the Schoeps microphones, and the results are even better than the previous evening. Enjoy!

Thanks to Ronen and the Wordless Music Series for their generosity and support!

Both of the St. Paul’s concerts were recorded and will be posted in the coming days.

Stream “Monheim”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/G3015GYBE0121/02.%20Monheim.mp3]

Direct Download of this show is now available in either FLAC or MP3 at Archive.org [HERE]

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
2011-03-16
Brooklyn Masonic Temple
Brooklyn, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded by acidjack
Produced by nyctaper

Equipment: Schoeps CMC6/mk41>Sound Devices USBpre2>Edirol R-44 [Oade Mod] (24/48)
Position: Slightly ROC, mics at 12ft, roughly DIN

Mastering: 24bit/48kHz WAV> Soundforge (set fades, level adjustments, downsample)> CD Wave (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > FLAC

Tracks [Total Time 2:10:04]
01 Gathering Storm
02 Monheim
03 Albanian
04 World Police and Friendly Fire
05 Tazer Floyd
06 Gorecki
07 BBF III

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Godspeed You! Black Emperor, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from Constellation Records [HERE].

Godspeed You! Black Emperor: March 15, 2011 Brooklyn Masonic Temple – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

March 19, 2011
By


[photo courtesy of Adam B]

Acidjack reports:
“Godspeed You! Black Emperor returned to New York after a nine-year break from our city. How the world has changed since then. When the band last played here, their music could have been the soundtrack to those times – a soundtrack to an era of real fear – not of something to do with esoteric finance – but a visceral, inescapable apprehension of a decaying world. GYBE are an unabashedly political band, and their music, as well as the intense visuals that their live performances soundtrack, are political in a mostly-abstract way. The visuals are mash-ups that evoke the world’s extremes; majesty and beauty in the midst of nascent dread. Here you see the fires of smoldering factories soundtracked by a plaintive surge of sound, where the sound of even the lowly triangle can take on menace. But there is beauty there, as there is in an unmolested glen; in a snippet of a nostalgic ramble that is both endearing and creepy. During the two and a half hour opus that was this phenomenal return to Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple (which followed a night at Terminal 5, and was followed by another night at the Masonic Temple), we were reminded that out of each paroxysm of suffering and bout of anxiety, there remains the zeal and fervor of hope. As one song flowed seamlessly into the next, it was impossible not to be taken over by it all, consumed by the vision of these masterful Montreal-based players.

When they left the stage the images endured; the fire and the pity and the violence and the hope; the precious and the profane. There are few musical acts that can cause such waves of emotion. Godspeed You Black Emperor! is one of them. Welcome back.

I recorded this set with the Schoeps microphones on a high pole in the center of the room. Thank you to Si for the excellent house mix and her support. Enjoy!”

Thanks to Ronen and the Wordless Music Series for their generosity and support!

All four of the Masonic Temple and St. Paul’s concerts were recorded and will be posted in the coming days.

Stream “The Cowboy”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/G3015GYBE0121/07.%20The%20Cowboy.mp3]

Direct Download of this show is now available in FLAC or MP3 format at Archive.org [HERE]

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
2011-03-15
Brooklyn Masonic Temple
Brooklyn, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded by acidjack
Produced by nyctaper

Equipment: Schoeps CMC6/mk41>Sound Devices USBpre2>Edirol R-44 [Oade Mod] (24/48)
Position: Slightly ROC, mics at 12ft, roughly DIN

Mastering: 24bit/48kHz WAV> Soundforge (set fades, level adjustments, downsample)> CD Wave (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > FLAC

Tracks [Total Time 2:24:46]
01 Gorecki
02 Albanian
03 Gathering Storm
04 12-28-99
05 Chart #3
06 World Police and Friendly Fire
07 The Cowboy
08 Tazer Floyd
09 The Sad Mafioso

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Godspeed You! Black Emperor, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from Constellation Records [HERE].

La Sera: March 2, 2011 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

March 15, 2011
By


[Photos by Geoffrey Dicker for According2G]

La Sera is the new LA-based project from Katy Goodman, best known for her work with the Vivian Girls. La Sera may be an LA band but the Bowery Ballroom crowd welcomed Katy and her new band with open arms, and well they should have. La Sera more or less picks up where the Vivians left off, but adds a lighter California twist that befits their hometown. La Sera songs, compared to the Vivians, are suffused with a sunnier tone that borrows from the girl groups of the 60s and California surf rock, with the Vivians’ layers of feedback stripped away. That leaves Goodman’s voice and her pretty, spare arrangements, which is all to the good, as she can sing the hell out of these songs. This set included a number of new songs – impressive considering that Goodman release La Sera’s debut LP, La Sera, just earlier this year – as well as a spot-on cover of the Mamas and the Papas’ “Dedicated to the One I Love.” Despite her use of rotating touring bands (because Goodman continues as a member of the Vivian Girls, she cannot consistently keep one La Sera together), this band delivered the songs confidently, setting the stage perfectly for the headliner, Tennis (also recorded).

I recorded this set from the same location as the Tennis recording, but utilized only the Microtech-Gefell microphones. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Beating Heart”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L3002LaSera0211/17 Beating Heart.mp3]

Stream “Dedicated to the One I Love”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L3002LaSera0211/13 Dedicated to the One I Love.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

La Sera
2011-03-02
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

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

Equipment: Microtech-Gefell M210s>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Position: LOC, at soundboard, mics on extension arm at eye level with sound staff, 210s pointed at stacks
Mastering: 24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (downsample, EQ, set fades, limit peaks, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Time 33:06]
01 Behind Your Eyes
02 Sleeptalking
03 Never Come Around
04 Hold
05 [unknown]
06 [banter]
07 Been Here Before
08 [unknown – new]
09 Left This World
10 [banter]
11 Devils Hearts Grow Gold
12 [unknown – new]
13 Dedicated to the One I Love [The Mamas and the Papas]
14 [unknown]
15 You’re Going to Cry [feat. Molly from Widowspeak and Elena from Tennis]
16 Beating Heart

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT La Sera, visit their MySpace page, and purchase La Sera directly from Hardly Art records here.

Hooray For Earth: March 8, 2011 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

March 14, 2011
By


[Video still by Cannons]

Looking at Brooklyn bands with big, big potential to come out of SXSW this week transformed into rising stars, Hooray For Earth has got to be high on the list. Though there is no exact formula for making it to the next level, it has to include the appeal to resonate beyond narrow indie borders into the broader pop realm. Look at bands that have done it recently (Yeasayer, in particular) and Hooray For Earth is right up there with them. How so? The energy of Hooray For Earth‘s music is boundless, their beats ecstatic. Their songs are anthemic, but smart; fresh, but digestible. Songs like “Rolling/Nectarine” are all big beat backbone with shimmering keys and soaring choruses that click in any language, and that applies to most of their standout 2010 EP, Momo. They are both of rock music but beyond it in the way that many recent successes are; without dropping gimmicks, the band’s mastermind Noel Heroux takes some cues from the electronica realm and makes music that sounds like the near-future.

This Glasslands show was packed from when doors opened, completely sold out and then some. Undoubtedly, many of us had the same idea of spending Fat Tuesday sending off some local heroes before an SXSW run that will include a coveted spot at Pitchfork‘s showcase. Heroux and Co. got some unintended practice in crisis management, as gear malfunctioned left and right at the show’s start, including Heroux’s bass strap snapping during the second number. That didn’t slow the show’s momentum a bit, though, as HFE showcased a number of new songs that will appear on their forthcoming full-length, True Loves, which has already been generating heat in media circles. The hype seems justified, as Heroux has evolved the anthemic pop sound of Momo to embrace more tribal sounds, such as on the set opener, “Realize It’s Not the Sun,” and the spacescape-evoking “Black Trees.” The backing vocals of the ladies of Zambri were key throughout the night, perhaps no more so than on the standout title track to their new record, “True Loves”. Begged for an encore, the band came back to perform “Form” from Momo, which Heroux introduced as “This is Form. It’s rock n’ roll.” Not to contradict Noel, but in this moment, Hooray For Earth songs are all rock n’ roll. The rest of rock n’ roll may just not know it yet.

I recorded this set with the DPA microphones and an excellently mixed board feed from Derek at Glasslands. The sound is outstanding. Enjoy!

Stream “True Loves”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H7206HFE0201/05 True Loves.mp3]

Stream “Rolling/Nectarine”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H7206HFE0201/06 Rolling_Nectarine.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Hooray For Earth
2011-03-08
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Equipment: DPA 4021+Soundboard>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]
Position: ROC, balcony, ~ORTF
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (vocal-enhancing compression on soundboard track, smooth peaks, mixdown, adjust levels, EQ, smooth peaks, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks:
01 Realize It’s Not The Sun
02 Surrounded By Your Friends
03 Get Home
04 [banter]
05 True Loves
06 Rolling/Nectarine
07 [banter]
08 Sails
09 [banter]
10 Black Trees
11 [encore break]
12 Form

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Hooray For Earth, visit their website, and purchase Momo and their debut LP, True Loves directly from Dovecote Records.

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