Posts Tagged ‘ nyctaper ’

Snowmine: February 16, 2012 Pianos – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

February 29, 2012
By


[photo by acidjack]

For those who like melodic, somewhat anthemic, approachable rock music, it probably hasn’t been a great last few years for you.  Making fun of the banality of bands like Coldplay isn’t even fun anymore; sure you’ve got your Bon Iver types out there, but they won’t exactly whip crowds into a frenzy. Younger bands are doing a whole range of things, but it seems too often that gimmickry, rather than greatness, wins the day.  Surely there’s a place for good music in this style that doesn’t sound like it’s trying too hard, or bored with itself.

Enter Snowmine to cure what ails you.  With their style of music – lush soundscapes, soaring vocal runs, atmospheric samples – words like “beautiful” or “pleasant” don’t have negative or ironic connotations.  Frontman Grayson Sanders has a sweet voice with range to spare, and he puts it to good use on songs like “Rome”, which has a similarly uplifting vibe to some of the better stuff in the Yeasayer catalog. Sanders lends the band’s songs some lovely vocal runs, but without the bombast that afflicts some of his peers.  Snowmine are still a young band, and this show was part of that rite of passage any New York band is familiar with, the Pianos residency.  The band took over the incubator-style room with a level of effort that suggests they have a real shot, bringing to bear a full-on stage setup with video projections, and even playing an (gasp!) encore.  Their fully-realized sound seems more than up to the task of taking down venues ten or a hundred times this size.  My money’s on that they make it.

hi and lo and I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardioid microphones and a stereo soundboard feed.  While Pianos crowds are notoriously chatty, the soundboard feed’s excellent balance allowed the mics to remain in the background, and as a result, we have an excellent recording.  Enjoy!

Thanks to Teen Wolf Management for inviting us to the show!

Stream “Rome”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S1602Snowmine1202/Rome.mp3]

Stream “Let Me In”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S1602Snowmine1202/Let Me In.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE) |  Direct Download location of the FLAC files [HERE]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Snowmine
2012-02-16
Pianos
New York, NY, USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by hi and lo

Source : Soundboard + Schoeps MK5c > Nbox Cables > Naiant PFA > EAA PSP-2 >> Tascam DR-680 @ 24 bit / 48 kHz
Edit : WaveLab V5.01b (fades/gain/eq/dither/resmpaling)
Encoding : FLAC v1.2.1 (Level 8) with TLH v2.6.0 (Build 168)

Tracklist (total time 43:38)
01 Plans
02 Rome
03 Curfews
04 [Banter]
05 Further Along, Further Away
06 Let Me In
07 Silver Sieve
08 Cutting Canyons
09 Beast in Air, Beast in Water
10 The Hill

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Snowmine, like them on Facebook, and purchase their music on their bandcamp page on a “pay what you will” basis.

Sharon Van Etten: February 26, 2012 Bowery Ballroom – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

February 28, 2012
By


[photo courtesy of Chris at Fucking Nostalgic]

Tramp is the next stage in the continued ascent of the career of Sharon Van Etten. If 2010’s Epic was the introduction of this immensely talented artist to a wide audience, her new release and first for Jagjaguwar Records is the here-to-stay moment. The album is a mix her strengths — intelligent and heartfelt lyrics and a wide range of vocal approaches. There is a nod to her solo folk past (“Joke or a Lie”), and some straight forward indie-pop (“Serpents”), but the vast majority of the record are superb songs mixed to perfection. The presence of producer Aaron Dessner (from The National) compliments and draws out Sharon’s strengths while enriching the melodies. In particular, “Give Out” (streaming below), which debuted live as a solo acoustic number several years ago, is now a fully formed song with layered vocals and a sparse but effective instrumental accompaniment. At Bowery Ballroom on Sunday, Sharon Van Etten played the final show of three consecutive sold out shows. Her triumphant return to NYC after an extensive tour was met with crowds filled with family and friends, and gave the locals a chance to see the Tramp live band operating on all cylinders. The work of multi-instrumentalists Heather Woods Broderick and Doug Keith is supplemented by the tasteful percussion of Zeke Hutchins, and on this night Aaron Dessner joined for half the set on guitar. The band breathes life into the songs while staying faithful to the recorded versions. The camaraderie among the players was also obvious on this night, as the banter was often hilarious. Sharon worked through a set heavy on Tramp material (10 of the 12 songs), but which also contained much of Epic and one neat cover (streaming below). Sharon Van Etten continues on tour, with a week in Europe followed by a West coast swing, and a trip through the South.

I recorded this set with a new set of Sennheiser microphones supplemented with a soundboard feed. The Sennheiser MKH-8040 is a sleek new cardioid microphones with clarity, warmth and a crisp bottom end that I had not previously experienced prior to this night. At the best sounding room in town, these microphones absolutely shined, and as a result the mix is about 75% room and 25% board, in order to maximize the beauty of the live sound. This is one of the best recordings we’ve ever featured on this site. Enjoy!

Stream “Give Out”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S0606SharonVE8008/08.%20Give%20Out.mp3]

Stream “Loving Her Was Easier” [Kris Kristofferson]:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S0606SharonVE8008/18.%20Loving%20Her%20Was%20Easier%20%5bKris%20Kristofferson%5d.mp3]

This recording is now available for download in FLAC or MP3 from Archive.org [HERE].

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Sharon Van Etten
2012-02-26
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Sennheiser 8040 Cardioids > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper 2012-02-26

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:32:12]
01 Warsaw
02 Peace Signs
03 Save Yourself
04 Kevin’s
05 Magic Chords
06 Don’t Do It
07 [banter – Shearwater message]
08 Give Out
09 [Aaron Dessner intro]
10 In Line
11 Leonard
12 Serpents
13 [band introductions]
14 I’m Wrong
15 Joke Or A Lie
16 [encore break]
17 All I Can
18 Loving Her Was Easier [Kris Kristofferson]
19 [banter – thanks]
20 Love More

If you download this recording from NYCTaper we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Sharon Van Etten, visit her website, and purchase Tramp directly from Jagjaguwar Records [HERE]

Björk: February 25, 2012 Roseland Ballroom – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

February 27, 2012
By


[Photo by Geoffrey Dicker for According 2 G. See his review of the Queens show here]

From the earliest days of her four-decade career, Björk has consistently pushed the envelope. Through a career as varied as any performer in pop music history, the centerpiece has nevertheless always been her powerful and profoundly unique voice. As a teenager in Tappi Tíkarrass, she sang in one of Iceland’s earliest punk bands. Her career then evolved from art-punk (Kukl), to international success as part of the Sugarcubes. Björk’s solo career has been distinguished by a variety of styles, from brit-pop (Debut) through the bizarre (Drawing Restraint 9), with virtually everything in between. Her triumphant three album run of Post, Homogenic and Vespertine is acknowledged as the apex of her recorded output, and rightfully so. Those three albums are as good as anything released by anyone in that time frame and the tours that accompanied each release established Björk as one of the most powerful and compelling live performers of her generation. The Vespertine tour in particular was a thing of beauty — a two set affair performed in opera houses across the world with an full orchestra, full choir, and innovative instrumental accompaniment. The live DVD that was released from the Vespertine tour (Royal Opera House) is a breathtaking viewing experience. In recent years, however Björk has released a series of thoughtful but inconsistent albums, with 2007’s Volta as perhaps her weakest album to date. So it was with a bit of trepidation that we approached Biophilia, her new release that promised to link nature, music and technology. As far back as 2001 (Vespertine), Björk has been composing music with the aid of her laptop and she has professed a fascination with the effect that technology has had on the presentation of sound. The strength of Biophilia is that it seems to revisit the interesting aspects of Vespertine from the vantage point of a decade hence. And of course the reassurance for fans is that her voice continues to take center stage.

As part of her NYC “residency”, the Biophilia show moved from its triumphant run at the Queens Science Museum to the Roseland Ballroom. My concerns about the show’s presentation at this particular venue were eased upon entry into the main room. The stage was set up in what would normally be the center of the floor, and there was a vantage point from each side of the square stage to experience the concert. The pre-show music included piano and organ transcriptions of a variety of Björk’s material, and screens placed strategically around the hall projected Biophilia-themed images. The live performers who accompanied Björk were interestingly quite similar to the group that performed throughout the Vespertine tour, including harpist Zeena Parkins, an all female choir, and electronic wizards similar to Matmos (who played on both the 2001 Vespertine tour and the 2003 “Greatest Hits” tour). The setlists for these shows have followed a pattern, and all include the complete Biophilia album mixed in with selected classic material. Interestingly, the first older song performed is “Hidden Place”, the opening track from Vespertine. We have chosen to stream three highlights from the evening, including “Mouth’s Cradle” from Medulla, “Cosmogony” from Biophilia, and the newest addition to the setlist and oldest song she performed, a powerful reworking of Post’s “Possibly Maybe”. The good news of course is that while her voice has matured, Björk is still capable of projecting stunning music from her vocal chords and her singing is still a thing of absolute beauty. And while Biophilia is not the perfect album, it contains an intelligent and compelling message among a large number of outstanding songs which are brought to life in an extremely entertaining show. We left Roseland with a full reaffirmation of the power and vitality of perhaps the greatest female singer of our generation.

I recorded this set with my new mobile rig from ten feet in front of the PA speakers at the south side of the stage. The microphones are customized DPA 4061 omnis finished by Dynamic Audio and run through a custom battery box (also Dynamic Audio) to a brand new Edirol R-05. The sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Stream “Mouth’s Cradle:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/B6591Bjork8793/08.%20Mouth%27s%20Cradle.mp3]

Stream “Cosmogony”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/B6591Bjork8793/15.%20Cosmogony.mp3]

Stream “Possibly Maybe”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/B6591Bjork8793/18.%20Possibly%20Maybe.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Direct download of complete show in FLAC (HERE)

Email nyctaper if there is a problem with either download.

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Björk
2012-02-25
Roseland Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Upfront – Recorded 10 Feet from PA
South Side of Stage

DPA 4061s (Dynamic Audio Custom Mod) > Dynamic Audio Custom Battery Box > Edirol R-05 > 16bit 44.1kHz wav file > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2012-02-26

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:38:45]
01 [introduction]
02 Thunderbolt
03 Moon
04 Crystalline
05 Hollow
06 Dark Matter
07 Hidden Place
08 Mouth’s Cradle
09 Virus
10 Generous Palmstroke
11 Sacrifice
12 Sonnets/Unrealities XI
13 Where Is The Line
14 Mutual Core
15 Cosmogony
16 Solstice
17 [encore break]
18 Possibly Maybe
19 [band introductions]
20 Nattura
21 Declare Independence

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Björk, visit her website, and purchase Biophilia directly from Björk [HERE]

Heartless Bastards: February 24, 2012 Webster Hall – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

February 27, 2012
By


[photos by acidjack]

When their debut album Stairs and Elevators dropped seven years ago, Rolling Stone described the Heartless Bastards, accurately, as a small town (well, Cincinnati, anyway) band that was ready for the big time.  In 2012, with three more records under their belt, and their latest release, Arrow garnering solid-to-great reviews (The Onion’s A.V. Club called it the band’s best to date), I think it’s safe to say that the big time has been hit.  This show at Webster Hall sold out handily, and even this Friday night crowd was mostly hanging on every word.  Brooklyn-based Partisan Records is no doubt proud of their latest signing and the album they’ve put out for them, which was produced by Spoon drummer Jim Eno in Austin.

Arrow, like the band’s previous efforts, is a work of direct, honest American rock n’ roll songcraft, but it is also a more focused one, stripped of some of the production flourishes of The Mountain and letting lyricist and frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom’s voice and songwriting carry the load once again.  Arrow is obviously the product of a working, touring songwriter, and that gives it some instantly appealing thematic material to work with.  Also, as with a lot of the Bastards’ work, the songs are just good.  The melancholy “Skin and Bone” was a favorite of mine when the band debuted it for New York audiences in two semi-acoustic shows last July at Mercury Lounge, and I’m pleased to say that the final album version was equally fantastic as a full-band number at Webster Hall.  As it deserved to, most of Arrow received some attention during the show, with songs like “Parted Ways,  “Only For You” and “Down In the Canyon” standing shoulder to shoulder with band classics like “Sway” and “All This Time” (whose live version always gets an extended drum intro from the band’s underrated drummer Dave Colvin).  As Erika so aptly sings on “Low Low Low”, “my future is bright”.  We certainly agree.

I recorded this set with a soundboard mix provided by the band’s engineer, Jack, and Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones mounted at the corner of the soundboard booth in the balcony.  The results are truly outstanding.  Enjoy!

Thanks to Heartless Bastards, Partisan Records, and Bowery Presents for their hospitality.

Stream “Only For You”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H6602HB9922/07 Only For You.mp3]

Stream “Sway”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H6602HB9922/13 Sway.mp3]

Stream “Low Low Low”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H6602HB9922/11 Low Low Low.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]
If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper directly.

Follow acidjack on twitter

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense.  The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Heartless Bastards
2012-02-24
Webster Hall
New York, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5c>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (various effects, EQ, resample to 44.1kHz)>Audacity (tracking, amplify and balance, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:35:20]
01 Marathon
02 Out At Sea
03 Parted Ways
04 Got To Have Rock N’ Roll
05 [banter – intro Heidi Johnson]
06 Blue Day*
07 Only For You
08 Skin and Bone
09 Simple Feeling
10 The Arrow Killed the Beast
11 Low Low Low
12 The Mountain
13 Sway
14 Hold Your Head High*
15 Late In the Night
16 Down In the Canyon
17 [encore break]
18 All This Time
19 Nothing Seems the Same

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Heartless Bastards, visit their website, and purchase Arrow from Partisan Records [HERE]

Backwords: February 8, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

February 21, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Backwords, of Brooklyn, are one of those bands that manages to sound classic and completely new at the same time.   Some of their tunes fall solidly in the gentler folk camp; at other times they can get psychedelic and jammy.  This opening set at Glasslands showed off both sides, with their approachable, melodic material, mostly from their current record By the Neck, predominating.  The band maintained an upbeat, easygoing vibe for the crowd of friends and fans that showed up early to catch their set.  I was partial to “Last One”, which drew more from the band’s ’60s pop-folk influences.  They closed on an especially strong note, with the jammy “Way Around” that gave them a chance to show off their chops on guitar and bass.  The band’s next shows will be down south, but be on the lookout for them when they next play New York.

Thanks to Jeff Kilgour and Tijuana Gift Shop for inviting us to the show.

I recorded this set with AKG large-diaphragm mics that melded well with the band’s classic sound.  The vocals are occasionally a tad high in the house mix for my taste, but overall it is an excellent representation of the night.  Enjoy!

Stream “Last One”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/B2080Backwords0212/04 Last One.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Backwords
2012-02-08
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download offered at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

AKG C 414 B-XLS (cardioid) + Soundboard>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks
01 Anywhere Now
02 Best Kind
03 Naked Flame
04 Last One
05 Break My Spine
06 Rhythm and the Rain
07 Way Around

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Backwords, visit their website, and purchase By the Neck and their other releases from their bandcamp page.

Shellshag: February 11, 2012 Music Hall of Williamsburg – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

February 20, 2012
By

Shellshag was the second band to play at the Don Giovanni showcase at Music Hall last week, but based upon the crowd response and participation, the band could have played much higher in the bill. Shellshag is not a new band — Shell and Shag have played together for over a decade. A guitar/drums duo that sounds like a full band playing legit garage rock, these veterans of the San Francisco DIY scene since the 1990s are a blueprint of how two people with talent and passion can make compelling underground music and make it last. But their latest album on Don Giovanni Rumors in Disguise may be the complete realization of what the duo is all about, and although the too-short thirty minute set at Music Hall featured only two songs from Rumors (“Resilient Bastard” is streaming below), it also offered a overview of their catalog, a medley of garage rock covers, and a rousing finale where “Fuck Society” devolved into a noise jam of instrument-switching and amp-stacking. Shellshag is currently on tour on the East coast, and they return to NYC for a show at Death By Audio on March 11.

Acidjack and I captured this set in the same manner at the Screaming Females recording, and the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Resilient Bastard”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S1102Shellshag1202/06.%20Resilient%20Bastard.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Shellshag
2012-02-11
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Center Balcony Rail

Neumann KM-150s > Sound Devices Mix-Pre + Schoeps MK-22 > KCY > Littlebox > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, EQ, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper and acidjack
2012-02-18

Setlist:
[Total Time 27:48]
01 Face to Face
02 Memories Linger
03 Crashing Rockets
04 Little Birdy
05 Body of the Bird
06 Resilient Bastard
07 Forever
08 Done For Myself
09 Magnet
10 Fuck Society

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Shellshag, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from the Don Giovanni Records store [HERE] and the Starcleaner Records website [HERE].

Blouse: January 31, 2012 285 Kent – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

February 8, 2012
By


[photo courtesy of Dominick Mastrangelo]

Captured Tracks is on quite an impressive run. The label began as a small Brooklyn boutique a couple of years ago — “CT-01” is the Dum Dum Girls EP Yours Alone. Even at slightly more than 100 actual releases, Captured Tracks has managed to nurture some of the brightest bands around these days, including Widowspeak, Wild Nothing, Hoop Dreams and Beach Fossils. Another superb Captured Tracks discovery was on display at 285 Kent last week. Blouse is a quartet from Portland whose debut album was released in late 2011 on the label. The album has a transformational feeling — its as if I’m driving late at night listening to WLIR or WHFS in 1985 and song after song of new Factory Records artists are being played. The guitar work, keyboards and lead bass are all heavily influenced by such period sounds as New Order, Cocteau Twins and Siouxsie. At 285, the band performed a tight forty-minute set that consisted of nearly the entire album and their debut single. In the live setting, Blouse retained the influences but the overall sound is more raw and less atmospheric than the album. In a way, this was an opportunity for the songs themselves to shine and the band’s talent to be featured. Blouse rose to the occasion and clearly this is a band with much potential and the chops to realize it. And they’ve picked the right label to make it happen.

I recorded this set with the DPA cardioid microphones mounted on a pole 10 feet from the stage, and mixed it with a feed from the soundboard. Overall, the instrumental mix is pretty solid, although the vocals are occasionally buried in the effects. With that caveat, enjoy!

Blouse will perform at the Captured Tracks Showcase at SXSW on March 17. The Facebook page for that event is [here].

Stream “Into Black”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/B3101Blouse1202/09.%20Into%20Black.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Blouse
2012-01-31
285 Kent
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + DPA 4021s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2012-02-04

Setlist:
[Total Time 40:02]
01 Controller
02 Shadow
03 Time Travel
04 Firestarter
05 White
06 They Always Fly Away
07 Fountain in Rewind
08 Videotapes
09 Into Black

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Blouse, visit their website, visit their artist page at the Captured Tracks website, and purchase their debut album from the Captured Tracks website [HERE].

Larkin Grimm: February 2, 2012 Rock Shop – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

February 7, 2012
By


[photo by nyctaper]

In the two years since we last checked in with Larkin Grimm, much has happened in her life. When we recorded her at Knitting Factory in December of 2009, Larkin had a set of excellent new songs and a new album was expected soon. But Larkin received a wonderful gift in the interim — a baby boy. She also parted ways with Young God Records in a split that does not seem to be completely amicable. But in a fashion consistent with her incredible life story, Larkin persevered. This week her new album is out, and the self-released Soul Retrieval is the album we have been waiting for. The record features an abundance of Larkin’s strengths — her rich voice and the mystical nature that makes her so compelling. At Rock Shop on Thursday, Larkin Grimm celebrated the CD’s release with a special hometown show. She opened the show with two solo songs before being joined by her band. The trio worked through much of the new album, a couple of older songs, and then were joined by the entire Cuddle Magic band for the final two numbers. The show ended with the opening track from the album “Paradise and So Many Colors”, a terrific ensemble version that we’re streaming below.

I recorded this set with the Neumann microphones positioned in front of the soundboard, and mixed with an excellent board feed. The sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Stream “Paradise and So Many Colors”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L2712Larkin2992/14.%20Paradise%20and%20So%20Many%20Colors.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Larkin Grimm
2012-02-02
The Rock Shop
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2012-02-04

Setlist:
[Total Time 44:21]
01 Hello Pool of Tears
02 Dirty Heart Dirty Mind
03 [banter – Apollo and Marsyas]
04 The Butcher
05 Lying in a Pool of Milk
06 I Am Not Real
07 [banter – Hafiz]
08 Be a Great Burglar
09 All The Pleasures In The World
10 [banter – cats]
11 Mino Minou
12 [intro Cuddle Magic]
13 The Road Is Paved With Leaves
14 Paradise and So Many Colors

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Larkin Grimm, visit her website, and purchase Soul Retrieval from the links at her website [HERE].

Hospitality: February 3, 2012 Glasslands Gallery – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

February 5, 2012
By


[photo courtesy of Maryanne Ventrice]

On nyctaper, we take pride in recognizing the talent and potential of bands long before they hit it big. We have had a nice little track record and the results are archived in five years worth of posts on this site. But we’re also perfectly willing to admit when we miss one entirely. Two and a half years ago, I recorded Hospitality at Littlefield but did not post it on nyctaper, because, well, I did not see the band’s potential. This week Hospitality released their debut album on Merge Records and I’ve had it on constant play. The album is a superb collection of brilliant pop songs, with elements of British folk pop, twee, and American indie. The main features are intelligent lyrics, irresistible hooks and tight musicianship. I met the band at that Littlefield show, and it was clear that they are modest and authentic people — the kind of band that you like to root for. Out of curiosity, I went back and listened to the 2009 recording, and sure enough I just completely missed Hospitality’s appeal. They were great back then, just not quite as tight. At the record release show at Glasslands on Friday night, the buzz from their outstanding new release resulted in a packed sold out show. A poorly-timed visit from the NYC Health Department caused a lengthy delay to the start of their set, but the crowd seemed calm and patient and Hospitality were thoughtful enough to inform their followers of the situation on their twitter feed. Once the show began, it was clear that buoyed by the recent acclaim and a supportive local crowd, the band worked through the entire new album (and two new songs!) with confidence and a lot of energy. Hospitality welcomed a horn section for the last two songs of the set, including “Friends of Friends” which we’re streaming below. When the song ended, I turned to acidjack and predicted that they will play that very song on Fallon, Letterman or Leno within the next couple of months. I hope I finally get one right with Hospitality.

Acidjack recorded this show with his AKG microphones on cardioid setting and mounted on the projector ledge about fifteen feet from the stage. The excellent upfront audience recording is mixed with a superb soundboard feed from house FOH Josh, and the sound quality is superb.

Stream “Friends of Friends”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H20312Hospitality1212/12.%20Friends%20of%20Friends.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Hospitality
2012-02-03
Glasslands Gallery
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + AKG C 414 B-XLS (Cardioid setting) > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by acidjack and nyctaper
2012-02-04

Setlist:
[Total Time 42:40]
01 [introduction]
02 The Right Profession
03 The Birthday
04 The Drift
05 Betty Wang
06 Eighth Avenue
07 Julie
08 Sleepover
09 Liberal Arts
10 Monkey
11 [banter]
12 Friends of Friends
13 All Day Today
14 [encore break]
15 Argonauts

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Hospitality, visit their Facebook page, visit their artist page at Merge’s website, and purchase their debut album from the Merge Records website [HERE].

Superhuman Happiness: January 28, 2012 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

February 2, 2012
By


[Photo by acidjack]

It’s one thing to be unaware of an amazing live act for far too long; it’s another for them to be from your own backyard and to be totally clueless about them until they’re opening for an established band at Bowery Ballroom.  But such is the truth of my discovery of Brooklyn’s Superhuman Happiness, and I’m happy to say I’m glad I made my way to them eventually, even if I arrived late to the party.

Like the band they were opening for, Superhuman Happiness utilize a large crew of players that includes multiple percussionists and brass flourishes (founder Stuart Bogie also does time as saxophonist for Antibalas).  Superhuman Happiness specialize in an upbeat, tribal style of dance music that calls to mind acts like !!!, with a penchant for the type of catchy polyrhythms that could as easily be at home on a DFA release (especially the set opener, “See Me On My Way”).  The band’s vocal approach trends mellower than those acts, and less self-referential; Superhuman Happiness, as the name may imply, are an unironically happy band, and being in their crowd, it’s hard not to feel a lightness in your step yourself.  They encourage the crowd to open a number of songs with clapping (check out “Our Favorite Part”, below), amping up the sense of celebration.

I’m told that this set was a bit less on the improvisational side for a Superhuman Happiness gig, given the limited set time, but the band nevertheless took plenty of liberties with song structure, as on the extended meditation during “Hounds”.   But with a musical pedigree among the bandmembers as diverse as Foals, TV on the Radio, Phenomenal Handclap Band, the Roots, Passion Pit, Antibalas and Holly Miranda, to name a few, these guys prove that they aren’t just a bunch of music majors noodling it out – they’ve got plenty of chops in more straight-ahead styles as well.

Right now, you can catch Superhuman Happiness at less expensive (as they commented from stage) venues around the city like Union Pool and Pianos; sure, they’ll also dominate Brooklyn Bowl one day (their sound is almost tailor-made for that venue), but why wait?

I recorded this set with a combination of Schoeps MK22 “open cardioid” mics and MK41 supercardiod mics for a recording of excellent focus and balance.  Enjoy!

Stream “Our Favorite Part”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S2801SuperhumanHappiness2012/07 Our Favorite Part.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Superhuman Happiness
2012-01-28
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Hosted exclusively at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK41 (balcony, DIN, slightly LOC)>KCY>littlebox + Schoeps MK22>tinybox >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, balance, tracking, set fades, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8)

Tracks
01 See Me On My Way
02 Half Step Grind
03 Again Again Again (Half Step Grind Pt. 2)
04 Hounds
05 Needles and Pins
06 Second Heart
07 Our Favorite Part
08 I Hear You Calling

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Superhuman Happiness, visit their website, and buy their music in physical form from Electric Cowbell Records or their bandcamp page.

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