Posts Tagged ‘ acidjack ’

Oh Land: January 26, 2011 Hiro Ballroom – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

January 27, 2011
By


[Photos by Ryan Muir and courtesy of Metromix]

Last night’s industry showcase performance by Oh Land at Hiro Ballroom gave full evidence of the amount of dues that the former ballerina and current model/emerging pop star has paid over the past year – and the extent to which they have paid off. It struck me how many gigs like this she has probably played – to mixed rooms of her most fervent supporters and some who are just there to be seen – yet she remains graceful, kind and seemingly unfazed by the starmaking process. Work back from this very-well-attended celebration of a show through the latter part of last year, and you’ll find every type of appearance imaginable – a small club gig at Mercury Lounge, opening gigs for Mates of State, seemingly endless and tireless CMJ appearances, playing Brooklyn Bowl for our friends’ Brunch After Dark, and earlier, their backyard for Backyard Brunch Sessions, the Northside Festival, SXSW…. By the time that her second Brooklyn Bowl show rolled around, Oh Land’s performances had already become much more refined than her first Brooklyn Bowl appearance at the Northside Festival – true pop star performances, not merely a pretty girl, a keyboard and her “contraption” (a combination drum machine/keyboard/projector, I believe it is). This Hiro show presaged the logical next phase of her career as her first full length for Epic Records is released in March – when her music’s fan base has fully transitioned from the blog world to clubland and the mainstream beyond. Her repertoire has diversified a bit in that direction; a new club-ready song I had not heard before was in the mix, as well as the anthems “We Turn It Up” and another one I had not heard before, which I will call “Human.” But what separates Oh Land from typical pop music (even highly lauded, but ultimately terrible Scandinavian pop music), is her playful spirit, her quirkiness, and her unforced songwriting; any artist who calls her live show “Mary Poppins on acid” has probably put any Katy Perry comparisons on hold. Oh Land’s very busy 2011 already has another big moment – the opening slot for the comeback performance of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark at Terminal 5 later this year. We wish her an exciting and wonderful year.

I recorded this set with the Schoeps microphones on a 13-foot stand next to the soundboard. Unfortunately, the soundboard feed that was provided only contained the drum machine’s feed and was mostly useless, so this is an almost-all audience recording that does contain some noise from the bar crowd. Therefore, it is not quite up to our usual standards, but remains an accurate capture of the evening. For a truly outstanding Oh Land recording, I recommend that you download the shorter but better-sounding Brunch After Dark/Brooklyn Bowl recording as well/instead. Enjoy!

Special thanks to Epic Records for inviting nyctaper to this performance. Don’t miss Oh Land’s as-yet-untitled LP when it is released on March 15.

Stream “We Turn It Up”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/O0627OhLand0210/13 We Turn It Up.mp3]

Stream “Sun of a Gun”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/O0627OhLand0210/06 Sun of A Gun.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Oh Land
2011-01-26
Hiro Ballroom
New York, NY

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

Equipment: Schoeps CMC6/mk41+Soundboard>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Position: At soundboard, ROC, mics pointed at stacks at 13ft
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (EQ, mixdown)>Audition (multiband compression)>Audacity (compress clapping, tracking, set fades, downsample to 44.1khz/16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Perfection
02 [new]
03 [banter]
04 Break the Chain
05 Wolf and I
06 Sun of a Gun
07 Lean on Me
08 banter
09 Helicopter
10 Human
11 White Nights
12 [encore break]
13 We Turn It Up
14 Rainbow

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Oh Land, visit her website, purchase her EP, which is available at all major retailers, on iTunes and here, and purchase her upcoming LP when it is released on Epic Records on March 15.

Matt Douglas: January 9, 2011 Pete’s Candy Store – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

January 20, 2011
By


[iPhone 4 photo by acidjack]

I have known the Raleigh, NC-based singer and songwriter Matt Douglas, best known for his work with The Proclivities and his new band with the singer-songwriter Caitlin Cary, The Small Ponds, since we were high school kids, so it is fair to say that I am not impartial when it comes to his music. A multi-talented musician who excels on multiple instruments including sax and guitar, Douglas has spent most of his life as a teacher and student of music. Matt’s songs draw on a range of musical influences, including Hungarian folk music, which you may not pick up right away in what on their surface are classic American songs with rock, folk and country influences. I was thrilled to have a chance to catch up with Matt on this short solo tour of small venues, where he played material he wrote for both of his current bands, as well as a cover of Etta James’ “My Heart Cried.” These stripped-down gigs have a way of accentuating excellent songwriting (or exposing bad songwriting) rapidly; the lyrical and stylistic diversity of these songs told me that Douglas has earned his place on this journey will both skill and dedication. Two new songs early in the set, the country-inflected “Two of a Kind” and “Plexiglass Coffin” are expected to be released on a Matt Douglas solo record sometime this year. Wherever he is, and whomever he is playing with or for, expect Douglas to continue to expand his musical universe.

Matt has two NY-area shows coming up in February – first on February 12 at Terminal 5, where he plays horns with Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band, and then on February 16 at one of our favorite venues, Rock Shop, which is a Small Ponds gig.

I recorded this set with the tiny DPA 4061 omnidirectional mics clipped to either sides of a chair directly in front of the stage. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Ray of Sunshine”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/M9010MattDouglas0211/mattdouglas2011-01-09pete’s_acidjack-02.mp3]

Stream “Two of a Kind”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/M9010MattDouglas0211/mattdouglas2011-01-09pete’s_acidjack-04.mp3]

Direct download of entire set in MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Matt Douglas
2011-01-09
Pete’s Candy Store
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Equipment: DPA 4061 (Coresound “HEB”)>Sony PCM-M10 (24/44.1)
Position: Center, 1ft from stage
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (tracking, smooth peaks, light compression, set fades)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time

1. Intro
2. Ray of Sunshine
3. banter
4. Two of a Kind
5. banter
6. Plexiglass Coffin
7. banter
8. Charlatan
9. banter
10. My Heart Cried
11. Handguns & Dancing Shoes
12. banter
13. Pauline
14. banter
15. Gypsy Cards

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Matt Douglas, visit his website, and purchase the latest Small Ponds record here or on iTunes.

Austra: December 4, 2010 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

January 20, 2011
By


[Photo by acidjack with iPhone4 with Hipstamatic]

Toronto’s Austra came to town with one of that music scene’s current favorite sons, Diamond Rings, who referred to them later that night as “my favorite band.” This set at Glasslands gave many of us our first taste of a band that is likely to get big in a hurry, as they just signed to the UK’s famed Domino Records just a few days ago (with a new record on the way this spring), and have embarked on an extensive European tour. The brainchild of well-known Toronto-based vocalist Katie Stelmanis (Autra is actually her middle name), Austra play dreamy leftfield pop at home in the current moment; those searching for references might think about a band like The Knife; I also hear a less poppy, less histrionic bit of a band like Florence and the Machine as well (listen to “Lose It” for the reference). The centerpiece of the band’s sound is unquestionably Stelmanis’ powerful vocals, which soar above the driving electro beats. Expect to see Austra again stateside for SXSW, and look out for a video from them next month!

I recorded this set from the same location as the Diamond Rings recording, and other than some isolated crackling from the house system, the sound is outstanding. Enjoy!

Stream “Lose It”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/A1204Austra2010/Austra-LoseIt.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Austra
2010-12-04
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] (24/48)
Position: Balcony, ROC, mics roughly DIN
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, smooth peaks, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Darken Her Horse
02 Lose It
03 The Villain
04 The Choke
05 Beat and the Pulse
06 Spellwork

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Austra, like them on Facebook, and purchase their releases directly from Domino Records here.

The Depreciation Guild: January 15, 2011 Rock Shop (FINAL SHOW!) – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

January 18, 2011
By


[The Depreciation Guild at the Black Cat in Washington, DC in 2009. Photos by Mehan Jayasuriya – see his Flickr stream here.]

The Depreciation Guild are no more. Perhaps owing to the success of their other projects (such as lead singer Kurt Feldman’s other band, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, for whom he is the drummer) the members have decided to part ways. Though the band’s earliest material was basically chiptunes, leaning heavily on a modified 8-bit NES console for most of its beats, by the time their final record, Spirit Youth was released, TDG had developed a more guitar-heavy sound to go with Feldman’s blissed-out vocals, which usually lead to them getting the “shoegaze” tag. The band’s approach to its last show was surprisingly low-key – the fact that it was their last show wasn’t mentioned at all from the stage as they played a strong set covering both of their records, including what could perhaps be remembered as their signature number, “Trace.” Before they played the final number – “Butterfly Kisses” from In Her Gentle Jaws, there was no reminiscing, no big sendoff for the fans. “This is our last song,” was all that Feldman had to say before the band’s final four minutes together. Perhaps no more needed to be said – we will miss this excellent band whose potential was only beginning to be fully realized. We wish the band members success in their future (and current) endeavors.

I recorded this set from our usual location in the venue, at the right corner of the soundboard with the DPA microphones and a soundboard feed. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “My Chariot”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D5205Dguild2001/02 My Chariot.mp3]

Stream “Trace”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D5205Dguild2001/06 Trace.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Depreciation Guild
2011-01-08
Rock Shop
Brooklyn, NY

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

Equipment: DPA 4021+Soundboard>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Position: Center, mics pointed at stacks at 8.5ft
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, smooth peaks, very light EQ, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 56:40]
01 Sky Ghosts
02 My Chariot
03 Crucify You
04 Blue Lily
05 November
06 Trace
07 Heavy Eyes
08 Dream About Me
09 [encore break]
10 White Moth
11 Butterfly Kisses

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 last album, Spirit Youth, from your favorite retailer.

Dean Wareham: January 13, 2011 Maxwell’s – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

January 16, 2011
By

Wareham maxwells
[photo by søvn]

Dean Wareham has been back playing Galaxie 500 material since late last year — the first show was a stealth event at Rock Shop in August. Sadly, we missed that intimate show, but based on the excellent reviews, vowed to make it to the next leg of the tour. We didn’t attend Music Hall in December but chose instead the intimate and excellent Maxwell’s to experience the Galaxie 500 show. We were rewarded with an outstanding set. Dean’s guitar work has always been superb, but on this night it seemed that every song took on that extra edge in the crescendos. The setlist was similar to the other shows that have been played on this tour — i.e. all the classics were played. We’re streaming “Tugboat” and “Fourth of July” below since both were particularly strong versions. Dean and Britta will continue this excellent tour in Europe throughout February [tour dates].

We recorded this set with the DPA microphones placed at the usual front right corner of the soundboard booth and mixed it with an excellent soundboard feed. The sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Stream “Tugboat”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D1310DeanWareham2001/Tugboat.mp3]

Stream “Fourth of July”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D1310DeanWareham2001/Fourth%20Of%20July.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Dean Wareham
2011-01-13
Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ USA

Digital Master Recording
Four Channel Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + 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 and acidjack
2011-01-15

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:23:19]
01 Flowers
02 Oblivious
03 Pictures
04 When Will You Come Home
05 Snowstorm
06 Temperature Rising
07 Decomposing Trees
08 Strange
09 Summertime
10 Blue Thunder
11 [banter]
12 Don’t Let Our Youth Go To Waste
13 Tugboat
14 [banter2]
15 Listen The Snow Is Falling [Yoko Ono]
16 Ceremony [New Order]
17 [encore break]
18 Night Nurse
19 Fourth Of July

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Dean and Britta, visit their website, where you can purchase their official releases at the Shop at their website [HERE].

Acrylics: January 8, 2011 Rock Shop – MP3 Download + Streaming Song

January 15, 2011
By


[iPhone4 photo by acidjack]

The Brooklyn duo Acrylics stopped by the A Heart Is A Spade launch party to celebrate both the launch of that outstanding new music site as well as, it turned out, a big playoff win by the New York Jets, which guitarist/singer Jason Klauber was particularly pumped about. Perhaps Jason’s happiness about the football victory translated into an extra-exuberant set of polished indiepop by Klauber and keyboardist/singer Molly Shea. The band did a superb job of reproducing their electronic compositions in the live setting, avoiding the trap that some like-minded bands fall into of using too much prerecorded material. With a sound that references 70s and 80s synth rock and well as the accessible melodies of classic pop music, Acrylics will likely find a home on both dancefloors and in quieter settings – midtempo dance numbers like “All of the Fire” and “Nightwatch” to the former; more melancholy compositions like “Sparrow Song” the latter. In fact, Lives and Treasure is also the title of their forthcoming album, which drops on January 25 on Hot Sand Records.

I recorded this set from the same location as the Grooms recording, and the sound is flawless. Enjoy!

Stream “Lives and Treasure”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/A0108Acrylics2011/04 Lives and Treasure.mp3]

Stream: “Nightwatch”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/A0108Acrylics2011/05 Nightwatch.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Acrylics
2011-01-08
Rock Shop
Brooklyn, NY

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

Equipment: DPA 4021+Soundboard>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Position: LOC, mics pointed at stacks at 8.5ft
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (EQ on both sources, mixdown, set fades, tracking, smooth peaks, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Time 40:16]
01 All of the Fire
02 Counting Sheep
03 Asian Pear
04 Lives and Treasure
05 Nightwatch
06 Sparrow Song
07 Molly’s Vertigo
08 banter
09 The Catacombs

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Acrylics, like them on Facebook, and purchase Lives and Treasure from Hot Sand Records here when released. The All of the Fire EP is currently available on iTunes.

Grooms: January 8, 2011 Rock Shop – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

January 12, 2011
By


[Grooms at Bowery Ballroom last year. Photo by Amanda Hatfield]

Grooms released their searing debut LP, Rejoicer, in late 2009 (followed by a broader re-release in 2010), and have a second, tentatively entitled Prom, already around the corner. In a treat for the audience, they dedicated the majority of this set at Rock Shop, celebrating the debut of our friends A Heart Is A Spade, to new material from that album. Despite frontman Travis Johnson having thrown his back out earlier in the day, he, drummer Jim Sykes and bassist Emily Ambruso drilled the new material. Where some artists could almost be two different bands between their live and recorded sound, Grooms bring the taut, aggressive musicality of their records to the live setting effortlessly. If you liked Rejoicer, you will likely not shy from the new material, either; I particularly liked the new title track, “Prom” and the rocking “Into the Arms.” The knock, if you wish to call it that, on Grooms has been that they have a “90s sound”, which, if it means that they make aggressive guitar music without keyboards, laptops, DJs and other totems of the current scene, that’s true, and all to the good. Being a three-piece without the aforementioned accoutrements, one thing that Grooms’ sound has is a sense of space and air in their music, giving you a chance to better appreciate the interplay and skill of the individual musicians, and how each contributes to the whole. Prom should be released on Kanine Records early this year, but until then, here is a taste of what’s to come.

I recorded this set from the left corner of the room by the soundboard with the DPA microphones, coupled with a soundboard feed from Shane at Rock Shop. The sound was dialed-in throughout the night, and resulted in an outstanding recording. Enjoy!

Stream “Into the Arms”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/G8100Grooms1120/08 Into the Arms.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Grooms
2011-01-08
Rock Shop
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] (24/48)
Position: LOC, mics pointed at stacks at 8.5ft
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (EQ on both sources, mixdown, set fades, tracking, smooth peaks, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Time 34:02]
01 Tiger Trees
02 Imagining the Bodies
03 Expression Of
04 Prom
05 Acid King of Hell (Guitar Feelings)
06 Aisha
07 Sharing
08 Into the Arms
09 3D Voices

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Grooms, visit their website, and purchase their official release from Kanine Records here.

Julian Lynch: January 7, 2011 Music Hall of Williamsburg – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

January 11, 2011
By


[Photos by Eloy Anzola. Check out his website here and his Flickr stream here]

To those who spent last Friday night avoiding the winter weather, burrowing into the couch and watching Winter’s Bone or similar winter-related Oscar bait: You blew it. The critically acclaimed Ridgewood, NJ-based guitarist and songwriter Julian Lynch, whose latest record Mareearned raves this year, gave an outstanding performance that put his axe skills front and center. Mare is a reasonably sedate work, and it incorporates a range of instrumentation that reflects Lynch’s background in ethnomusicology (which he still studies at the University of Wisconsin). To the weather-braving crowd at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Lynch gave us a more guitar-driven band, with focused, tight solos, some increased tempos (witness the sped-up “Just Enough,” one of my favorite Mare tracks) and one mind-blowing jam on “Travelers.” Nonetheless, the show retained the mellow feel of Lynch’s recorded material, as well as its outstanding variety of sonic textures and rhythms, referencing at various times drone, folk, country, pop and rock. Coming off of a major performance at ToddP‘s New Year’s Eve show, headlining Music Hall was another worthy notch in Lynch’s belt.

I recorded this set from the balcony with the Schoeps microphones. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Just Enough”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/J7100JulianLynch0211/02 Just Enough.mp3]

Stream “Travelers”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/J7100JulianLynch0211/07 Travelers.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Julian Lynch
2011-01-07
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Equipment: Schoeps CMC6/mk41>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Position: Right balcony, mics on extension arm, pointed at stacks
Mastering: 24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, light EQ, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Terra
02 Just Enough
03 Nen Vole
04 Stomper
05 Rivers
06 Back
07 Travelers
08 Mare
09 [tuning]
10 Rancher

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Julian Lynch, visit his website and bandcamp page and purchase his official releases from Olde English Spelling Bee.

Roadside Graves: August 28, 2010 Mercury Lounge – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

January 8, 2011
By


[Roadside Graves at Mercury Lounge on January 9, 2010. Photo by Amanda Hatfield]

I lucked out when I recorded These United States in August of last year, because Metuchen, NJ’s Roadside Graves had already set a high bar with a perfect set of Saturday night rock n’ roll. Pitchfork‘s writeup on their 2009 release, My Son’s Home, compared their narrative style to Bob Dylan and the Band (and they aren’t the only ones), and indeed, they have an unmistakably classic rock style that can at times veer into dark territory. But in the grandest of folk traditions, they wrap sad and even macabre themes in the upbeat guise of working man’s anthems – if you don’t listen too closely, you can just chug your beer, shake your ass and be happy. But there is a lot to explore beneath that surface that will reward the more patient and pensive listener; the band’s latest EP on Autumn Tone Records, You Won’t Be Happy With Me, continues the strong work done on My Son’s Home. Despite the many country comparisons, I find the band hewing closer to the more Irish folk inspired-sound of a band like NYC’s Bogmen, or The Pogues. Throughout the set, the band kept the stage banter fun and light, introducing their new song “Liv Tyler” through a funny little tale about an audience member misinterpreting the title as “MILF Diver”. Such is the beauty of Roadside Graves – they make serious rock n’ roll, but they’re also a great band to spend your Saturday (and the rest of your week) with.

I recorded this set from the same location as the These United States recording, with the soundboard feed and the Schoeps microphones. The sound is outstanding. Enjoy!

Stream “Liv Tyler”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/R0828RoadsideGraves2010/RSG-LivTyler.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Roadside Graves
2010-08-28
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY  USA

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

Equipment: Schoeps CMC6/mk41+Soundboard>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/44.1)
Position: ROC, at soundboard, mics at 7.5ft
Mastering: 2x24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (smooth peaks, mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Brokeback Mountain Theme>Far and Wide
02 Demons>Ruby Medley
03 Take A Train
04 Everything
05 Father
06 Liv Tyler
07 West Coast
08 God Touched Me
09 [banter]
10 Jail

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Roadside Graves, visit their website, and buy their records directly from Autumn Tone records.

Yellow Ostrich: January 4, 2011 Mercury Lounge – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

January 6, 2011
By


[Photos by the always excellent David Andrako]

This is my first recording of 2011, and I am pleased to say that Yellow Ostrich is officially my first great find for the year. I first heard of the band when they appeared on the bill for our friends at FREEWilliamsburg‘s CMJ show, and although I missed that show, Yellow Ostrich was highest on the list of bands I needed to see. After a somewhat uneven slate of opening acts, vocalist/guitarist Alex Schaaf and drummer Michael Tapper took the stage to a packed Mercury Lounge. Schaaf is a gifted vocalist with a sweet and somewhat nasal voice; in his delivery I hear a bit of a young Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel. The set opener, “Whale” was a whimsical and instantly catchy treat that started things off strong (if you hear a slight discontinuity in the track, it is because we removed a few seconds of computer glitch). But other than “Whale,” I actually preferred some of the band’s slightly less poppy, more angular numbers – the older song “Fog”, in particular, and the set’s closer, “Mary.” Most of the set focused on the band’s latest record, The Mistress, which is available, along with all of the band’s catalog, on their bandcamp page on a “pay what you will” basis, and can be pre-ordered on vinyl from Afternoon Records here. We expect more great things from this young band in 2011, and their year has already had a fantastic beginning, with them landing the coveted Pianos Thursday night residency for February.

Catch Yellow Ostrich at Shea Stadium on January 15, or February 3, 10, 17 or 24 at Pianos.

I recorded this set with an excellent soundboard feed from the Mercury Lounge engineers and the Schoeps microphones. The sound is outstanding. Thanks to Kevin for his consistently strong work behind the board.

Stream “Fog”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/Y1400YellowOstrich2110/06 Fog.mp3]

Stream “WHALE” (yes, it has a little glitch, but this song is so damn good):
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/Y1400YellowOstrich2110/01 WHALE.mp3]

Stream “Mary”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/Y1400YellowOstrich2110/12 Mary.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Yellow Ostrich
2011-01-04
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

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

Equipment: Soundboard + Schoeps CMC6/mk41>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Position: ROC, at soundboard, mics pointed at stacks at 8.5′
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 32:31]
01 Whale
02 banter
03 Hold On
04 banter
05 Daughter
06 Fog
07 banter
08 Hate Me Soon
09 banter
10 Campaign
11 banter
12 Mary

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect you to PLEASE SUPPORT Yellow Ostrich, be their friends on Facebook, and purchase their music from bandcamp and Afternoon Records.

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