Posts Tagged ‘ schoeps ’

Lower Dens: May 2, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

May 3, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Before coming out for an almost-unheard-of-at-Glasslands three-song encore, frontwoman Jana Hunter of Lower Dens stepped out from behind the keys and mic stand to stand in front of the monitors, among the crowd, and close the main set with the Houston musician Arthur Bates’ “Hours”. And why the hell not? Though known for being a bit reserved onstage, Hunter has watched her Baltimore-based band be anointed an “It” band in the city that decides such things. She certainly has nothing to be self-conscious about, if she ever did.

Not that this extremely sold-out show, or the spate of overwhelmingly positive recent reviews, are the first time anyone noticed the band. Their first record, Twin-Hand Movement, had a lot to recommend it, and critics agreed. But Nootropics, which dropped this week, is the kind of record that takes the band’s sound and appeal to the proverbial “next level”. Rather than an excellent followup to a good start, Nootropics accomplishes the feat that bedevils many second records – evolving the band’s sound and broadening its sonic palette while retaining the core of what drew notice in the first place.

As to that palette, those of us who came of age in the eras of Luna or Galaxie 500 wouldn’t have had trouble finding the Dean Wareham influences all over the band’s early sound, with the fuzzed-out guitars forming the sea that bore along gentle but compelling melodies. The band’s first offerings from Nootropics, “Brains” and “Propagation”, continue that tradition, but also make it clear that there is more going on this time around, with Eno and Kraftwerk influences bubbling to the fore. Stripped of the album’s gauzy texture and replacing it with the raw immediacy (and minimal processing) of the intimate Glasslands stage, Lower Dens made the case for being able to carry well-produced album material in the live setting. It never hurts to have a sellout crowd, of course, and there were so many people crowding the stage there were practically people on top of the band. I won’t be surprised to find the same state of affairs at Bowery Ballroom in a couple months when they end their current tour.

Not only was this set long by Glasslands standards (71 minutes is practically a Springsteen concert in a venue where most sets clock in well under an hour), but the encore included a special cover of the Houston psych-rock pioneers Red Krayola’s “A Portait of V.I. Lenin in the Style of Jackson Pollock” – proving that the Texas-born Hunter, like any good musician, also has a great record collection.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones and a soundboard feed provided by Glasslands and the band’s FOH. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Lower Dens play Bowery Ballroom on Thursday, July 19. Tickets go on sale May 4 at noon.

Stream “Brains”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L0052LowerDens0122/07 Brains.mp3]

Stream “A Portrait of V.I. Lenin in the Style of Jackson Pollock [Red Krayola]
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L0052LowerDens0122/16 Red Krayola.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] |Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]
If the FLAC link is not working, email nyctaper for the FLAC files

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.

Lower Dens
2012-05-02
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (cardiod, DFC, 8ft, DIN)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mixdown)>Audacity 2.0 (set fades, tracking, slight EQ, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:11:18]
01 I Get Nervous
02 Candy
03 Deer Knives
04 Alphabet Song *
05 Propagation
06 Blue & Silver
07 Brains
08 Completely Golden
09 Lion In Winter Pt. 1
10 Lion In Winter Pt. 2
11 Batman
12 Hospice Gates
13 Nova Anthem
14 Hours [Arthur Bates]
15 [encore break]
16 A Portait of V.I. Lenin in the Style of Jackson Pollock [Red Krayola]
17 [banter]
18 A Dog’s Dick
19 [instrumental]

If you enjoyed this recording, please support Lower Dens, like them on Facebook, buy tickets to the Bowery show or a show in your area, and purchase Nootropics from Ribbon Music [HERE]

Noveller: April 19, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

May 1, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

I have been a fan of the multi-talented guitarist and filmmaker Sarah Lipstate, aka Noveller, since seeing her open a slam-packed Bear In Heaven show at Glasslands back in 2010. Shortly thereafter, she released the EP Desert Fires, which at the time was the high watermark of her finely textured guitar compositions, especially the song “Three Windows Facing Three Doors”. Being a filmmaker, Lipstate’s songs have an abstract, cinematic quality to them; Lipstate carries you with her on her carefully constructed waves of sound. Although she was formerly with the bands Parts & Labor and Cold Cave, Lipstate is one of the few musicians who I would venture has more true potential on her own; her compositions feel complete without the trappings of a full band.

With her new eight-song LP Glacial Glow, Lipstate has 0nce again delivered compositions of layered, subtle beauty. She played two of those compositions – “Ends” and “Entering”, the bookends to Glacial Glow, on this night. Two new songs, “Cyanne” and “Darkheart”, joined “Starve” from her split LP with unFact (David Wm. Sims of the Jesus Lizard), to round out the set. Lipstate’s work continues to be absolutely mesmerizing – I can’t wait to hear what she comes up with next.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the Lotus Plaza and Disappears sets, and the sound is outstanding.  Enjoy!

Stream “Cyanne”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/N9041Noveller2012/01 Cyanne.mp3]

Stream “Ends”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/N9041Noveller2012/02 Ends.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] |  Direct Download location 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.

Noveller
2012-04-19
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at NYCTaper.com
Recorded by acidjack and nyctaper
Produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5c (DFC, STC22g, 8ft)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity 2.0 (align, mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Cyanne
02 Ends
03 Entering
04 Darkheart
05 Starve

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Noveller, visit her website, and buy her records from her store there.

Lucero: April 20, 2012 Webster Hall & October 17, 2009 Webster Hall – FLAC & MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 29, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack and Johnny Fried Chicken Boy]

There are two main paths that bands take to success these days: There are the bands with instant buzz, who find themselves on the late night TV circuit and playing large venues instantly. (They tend to flame out quickly, too). Then there are the bands who earn it the hard way – playing 200-plus shows a year, gigging every goddamn festival and radio station and bar in every corner of the country, putting thousands of miles on a broke down van and doubly more miles on their livers and sanity, all for the love of music, sure, but also for a shot at success.

Success, for a rock band these days, is a bit redefined, but Lucero have achieved it, and they’ve achieved it the hard way. An unabashedly masculine band, whose hardscrabble tales ring with authenticity, Lucero sometimes seems to be of another era. It’s hard to argue otherwise about a band that titles their current release (their eighth record, but first on ATO Records) Women and Work. After all, for the early 21st century American man, work is something he hasn’t got, and women – well, they’re too busy doing all the work.

But that’s the beauty of Lucero – they remind you of better days, but they also remind you of the simple pleasures of the days you’re in. The boys themselves always look like they’re having fun. Frontman Ben Nichols’ most frequently-uttered phrase between songs is “hell yeah!”, and the band made quick work of a handle of Jameson onstage. Lucero’s music, even when tackling sadder subjects, has good cheer to go with its honest grit. Today we are presenting two recordings  from Webster Hall – the first from October of 2009, the second from April 20 (yes, that date) of this year. These two shows are perhaps more telling in their similarities than in their differences; the band may have continued to expand their sound and personnel, but the core of their music is consistent and strong. Maybe there’s a bit more gravel in Nichols’ pipes, but that doesn’t hurt a thing. And despite spending virtually the entire past decade on the road, they sound as fresh and hungry as ever. For example, with its early curfew, Webster Hall practically demands short sets – but Lucero played a two-hour set of nearly 30 songs. Nobody told these guys about lowering expectations.

The songs – well, there are those to talk about too. That word “honest” comes up again, when you think about a Memphis band whose sound pays homage to the country and blues and even R&B that fuel the town, but with a bit of a punk flavor thrown in. At the 4/20 show, the new songs were a blast; it’s hard to argue with the rocker “I Can’t Stand To Leave You” or the honky-tonk “Like Lightning”. A stripped-down group of personnel played “The War”, the World War II tale that could easily resonate with soldiers in Afghanistan and elsewhere today. And of course, Lucero played the favorites that the band is probably expected to play at every show, and why not? “Nights Like These” is one of those songs you never get tired of; same for the valedictory “Last Night In Town”.

Of the October 2009 show, JFCB said:

Lucero made quite the impression on me when I first saw them in early 2009. After the release of the excellent ‘1372 Overton Park’ album later that year, they embarked on a tour with fellow Memphis musician Amy LaVere and blues/rock duo Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm. Billed as the “Ramblin’ Roadshow and Memphis Revue”, it was also the first time the group ever toured with a horn section to mirror the sounds on their recent disc. Being on the road with this handpicked crew must’ve had a positive influence as both the band and the particularly boisterous crowd on this Saturday night seemed to have a great time. While drinking and fielding song requests, Lucero played the majority of ‘Overton Park’ and dug out a number of older nuggets that had the party whooping and hollering for more.

We can keep spilling words about them, but really, all you need to know about Lucero is contained in their sendoff to us at the 4/20 show: “We appreciate each and every one of y’all making dreams come true. Dreams do come true!” A lot of things about rock music have changed in the fourteen years of Lucero’s career; a lot of dreams have changed, many for the worst. We’re pleased to raise a glass to these guys realizing theirs – they deserve it.

I recorded the 4/20 show with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones in a wider NOS configuration from directly behind the soundboard in order to give the recording a spacious, open sound. Johnny Fried Chicken boy recorded the October 2009 show with AKG 414 large-diaphragm mics that are always great-sounding, but especially for this band. If this is your first time reading about Lucero, you might check out his recording of the band from Mercury Lounge last year first – it’s an instant classic. Enjoy these recordings, and support Lucero!

Thanks to Lucero and their management for their accommodating treatment of us at this show and many others. 

Stream “Like Lightning” from the 4/20/2012 show:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L2006Lucero9020/26 Like Lightning.mp3]

Stream “The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo” from the October 2009 show:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L2006Lucero9020/Lucero_-_The_Devil_and_Maggie_Chascarillo.mp3]

Stream “The War” from the 4/20/2012 show:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L2006Lucero9020/23 The War.mp3]

Download the April 2012 show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Download the October 2009 show [MP3] | [FLAC]

Follow acidjack on twitter | Follow Johnny Fried Chicken Boy 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.

Lucero
Friday, April 20, 2012
Webster Hall
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (cardiod, DFC, NOS)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, stereo image)>Audacity (set fades, additional EQ, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:54:33]
01 [intro]
02 That Much Further West
03 Downtown (Intro)>On My Way Downtown
04 Nights Like These
05 Kiss the Bottle [Jawbreaker]
06 Women & Work
07 Raising Hell
08 Hey Darlin’ Do You Gamble?
09 Juniper
10 Chain Link Fence
11 Sounds of the City
12 [banter]
13 It May Be Too Late
14 She’s Just That Kind Of Girl
15 Bikeriders
16 Slow Dancing
17 [banter]
18 I Can’t Stand To Leave You
19 Joining the Army
20 Last Night In Town

[Ben With Rick and Todd]
21 Mom
22 Hold Me Close
23 The War

[Full band]
24 [banter]
25 All Sewn Up
26 Like Lightning
27 My Best Girl
28 Tears Don’t Matter Much
29 [encore break]
30 Mine Tonight
31 Go Easy

——————————-

Saturday, October 17, 2009
Webster Hall
New York, NY, USA

Source: AUD > AKG C 414 B-XLS’s > Edirol R-44 (WAV @ 24-bit/48kHz)
Lineage: R-44 > PC > Adobe Audition (mixdown, downsample, dither, tracking) > WAV (16-bit/44.1kHz) > TLH (check/fix SBE’s, FLAC conversion) > FLAC ( level 8 )
Recorded and produced by Johnny Fried Chicken Boy

Tracks:
[Total time: 1:47:06]
01 intro (“Welcome to the Jungle”)
02 Sounds of the City
03 That Much Further West
04 Can’t Feel a Thing
05 The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo
06 Nights Like These
07 What Else Would You Have Me Be?
08 Joining the Army
09 Last Night in Town
10 Sixes and Sevens
11 Goodbye Again
12 Kiss the Bottle [Jawbreaker]
13 I’ll Just Fall
14 Johnny Davis
15 Raising Hell
16 Hey Darlin’ Do You Gamble?
17 banter 1
18 Chain Link Fence
19 Sixteen
20 Sweet Little Thing
21 banter 2
22 The Last Pale Light in the West
23 Mom
24 Smoke
25 I Can Get Us Out of Here
26 Darken My Door
27 Tears Don’t Matter Much
28 encore break
29 All Sewn Up

If you enjoyed these recordings, please support Lucero by visiting their website, attending their shows, and buying their official releases, including Women & Work, from their web store [HERE]

Disappears: April 19, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 27, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

As one of the anchors of the current Chicago scene, Disappears are a hard band to outshine. They headlined this night’s Glasslands show featuring Lotus Plaza (that recording [HERE]) and the Brooklyn guitarist Noveller (that recording coming soon) the same way that they carried a previous show I attended with the startling Brooklyn band The Psychic Paramount: by being relentless, sharp and ready with an album’s worth of killer new songs. At that earlier show, the band’s new record Pre Language was unreleased. With the album now having been out for a little while, the already-tight band is completely dialed in on the new songs, which represent their best and most approachable material to date. Disappears deliver a dark, overdriven style of rock, with a Sonic Youth-reminiscent guitar squall backing the Mark E. Smith-reminiscent vocals of frontman Brian Case, processed through a megaphone-style effect. They’re the right band to propel the end of a night – and not just because it gave everyone confirmation that Steve Shelley has landed on his feet post-Sonic Youth.

Predictably, this set was heavy on Pre Language material, including “Replicate”, which we first experienced at the Union Hall show last year, and new favorites like the title track and “Hibernation Sickness”. The sound benefited heavily from the band’s touring engineer, who worked with them on the album and tuned the upgraded Glasslands sound system to perfection.

We recorded this set in the same manner as the Lotus Plaza recording, with Schoeps MK5 cardioid microphones and a soundboard feed.  The sound is even better than that recording due to the aforementioned engineer’s flawless mix. The sound is outstanding. Enjoy!

Stream “Hibernation Sickness”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D7026Disappears0211/06 Hibernation Sickness.mp3]

Stream “Pre Language”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D7026Disappears0211/03 Pre Language.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.

Disappears
2012-04-19
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at NYCTaper.com
Recorded by acidjack and nyctaper
Produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5c (DFC, STC22g, 8ft)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity 2.0 (align, mixdown, EQ, set fades, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Marigold
02 Replicate
03 Pre Language
04 Magics
05 Minor Patterns
06 Hibernation Sickness
07 Fear of Darkness
08 Era
09 Lux
10 Joa
11 Love Drug
12 Radiation
13 Brother Jolene

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Disappears, visit their website, and purchase their records, including Pre Language, from Kranky [HERE]

Plants and Animals: April 18, 2012 Mercury Lounge – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 26, 2012
By


[Photos courtesy of Patrick Proctor at Hippies Are Dead]

The Montreal band Plants and Animals has been at this for awhile now – they released their first EP in 2004 – and experience has clearly served them well, developing them into a band with considerable chops and obvious stage presence.  This show at Mercury Lounge came on the heels of the release of their third record, The End of That, a document of the three-piece’s continuing commitment to big, 70s-inspired rock. Big is a broad but appropriate word for the sound of a band whose songs routinely stretch beyond five or even six minutes – Plants and Animals take their time building their satisfying rhythmic structures on songs like “Mercy” and “Crisis”. While many bands use the excuse of being the fourth or fifth band of the night to wrap things up early-style, Plants and Animals anchored a long Thursday night of music at Mercury Lounge to deliver an 80-minute set that covered their three big releases and some deeper cuts from their with/avec EP like “Lola Who” and the set closer, a nine-minute version of “Faerie Dance”. The crowd was most pumped for the band’s latest single, “Lightshow”, and deservedly so – it’s an instantly memorable song with a loud/soft dynamic and a mind-glue riff.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK41 microphones and a soundboard feed courtesy of the Mercury Lounge staff. Unfortunately, this being the Mercury “late show” and it being a popular drinking night here in NY (well, aren’t they all…), the crowd was very noisy, forcing me to mix in more of the soundboard feed than I otherwise would have preferred.  Although it is still a good capture, listeners on headphones may be distracted at times by the crowd chatter. With that  caveat, enjoy!

Stream “Lightshow”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/P4018PlantsAnimals1220/13 Lightshow.mp3]

Stream “Crisis!”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/P4018PlantsAnimals1220/02 Crisis!.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.

Plants and Animals
2012-04-18
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41 (PAS, 7.5ft)>CMC6 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (align, mixdown, tracking, amplify and balance, set fades)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:21:17]
01 Bye Bye Bye
02 Crisis!
03 Good Friend
04 Control Me
05 Gameshows
06 No Idea
07 Lola Who?
08 The Mama Papa
09 Mercy
10 Why & Why
11 [banter]
12 Undone Melody
13 Lightshow
14 [encore break]
15 The End of That
16 Faerie Dance

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Plants and Animals, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from their online store [HERE]

Conduits: April 2, 2012 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 24, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Conduits are a new band from the always-punching-above-its-weight music scene of Omaha, Nebraska, and we were fortunate enough to catch them right after the release of their promising self-titled debut on the label Team Love.  Conduits’ reference points include many bands I revere – Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Lush, Portishead and the underappreciated Irish band Scheer – so I was naturally taken with their sound. Lead singer Jenna Morrison, previously of another beloved Omaha band Son, Ambulance, is a commanding frontwoman and vocalist, with the sort of powerful but ethereal voice that works perfectly with the band’s layers of feedback-drenched sound. And far from affecting the distant posture of some of their sonic forebears, Conduits actually perform, again with Morrison and bandmates J.J. Idt (guitar), Nate Mickish (guitar), Mike Overfield (bass, keys), Roger L. Lewis (drums), and Patrick Newbery (synth, keys) sharing the intensity of the moment with the crowd. Knob-twiddlers and shoegazers they ain’t – this is a rock n’ roll band that, even at a young stage, looked and sounded totally comfortable on the relatively big Bowery stage.  Idt and Mickish, who founded the band, clearly assembled their fellow players wisely.

This opening set at Bowery Ballroom covered four of the eight tracks on Conduits, plus two other songs that were new to me. My personal favorites came back to back – the strong rocker “Blood” and the more dark, atmospheric “Last Dirge”. Although the set was brief, it established Conduits as a band to watch. We expect great things in the future.

nyctaper and I recorded this set with a combination of more directional Schoeps MK41 hypercardiod microphones and Sennheiser MKH-8040 cardiods.  While this was not my favorite house mix in this beautiful-sounding room, this remains a great capture and a worthwhile introduction to this band. Enjoy!

Stream “Blood”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/C0042Conduits0212/02 Blood.mp3]

Stream “Last Dirge”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/C0042Conduits0212/03 Last Dirge.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.

Conduits
2012-04-02
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41>KCY>Z-PFA>SD USBPre2 + Sennheiser MKH-8040 >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity (tracking, amplify and balance, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Top of the Hill>
02 Blood
03 Last Dirge
04 Misery Train
05 The Wonder
06 Crow

If you enjoyed this recording, please support Conduits by liking them on facebook and purchasing Conduits directly from Team Love [HERE]

Lotus Plaza: April 19, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 22, 2012
By


[Photos courtesy of Bleary Eyed Brooklyn]

There is a certain atmosphere that Glasslands has when the show you are attending has become a happening. The stage is swarmed by cameras; the AC unit is chugging to keep the room cool. The bar is slammed; the room is so packed there are people watching from the bathroom stairs. The anticipation is palpable; the night is electric. If there is something that can answer the question for you of why you are in this city, or why you “do this”, these nights are it. They don’t happen in other places; don’t feel the same, don’t smell the same, don’t sound the same. You know that as long as there are places like this in this city, as long as there are nights like this, you ought to be there. This Lotus Plaza show, following on the heels of the release of their critically-acclaimed second record, was one of those nights.

In terms of popularity, Lotus Plaza has the built-in advantage of being in an already-famous band – Lockett Pundt is the second half of the brilliant songwriting team that makes up Deerhunter – the McCartney to Bradford Cox’s Lennon (or is it the other way around?). Still, Lotus Plaza’s second record, Spooky Action at a Distance, stands on its own.  While the hilarious Pitchfork review included sentences like this gem – “Moreover, along the lines of Real Estate and especially the War On Drugs, Pundt embodies a wakeful, meditative state associated with various forms of transit: your physical being stays relatively still while being in motion, a symbiosis between human and mechanical effort” – fundamentally the site got it right in anointing the record with “Best New Music” status. The songwriting is sharper than on The Floodlight Collective; where that album felt more like a solo album, Spooky Action is loaded with standout tracks. “Eveningness” was a highlight in the live setting just as it is on the album, as was the set opener of “Untitled” into “Strangers”. But just so you won’t completely forget Pundt’s connection to Deerhunter, Pundt threw in a sprawling nine-minute track mid-set, “Come Back” from the band’s recent split 10″ single. Pundt may not be known for stage antics the way Cox is, but he more than holds his own as a frontman, not least because his music creates such immediate and powerful connections with his listeners. Most shows by recently-hyped bands draw a listless “see and be seen” crowd that ignores most of the music; Lotus Plaza held us all in thrall.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardiod mics and a soundboard feed from Josh, the head FOH at Glasslands. The sound quality is excellent.  Enjoy!

This show was also recorded by Pitchfork.tv, and you should be able to see clips of it on Pitchfork soon. Thanks to the Pitchfork crew for their hospitality and sharing the recording area with us.

Stream “Eveningness”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L4019LotusPlaza2012/07 Eveningness.mp3]

Stream “Come Back”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L4019LotusPlaza2012/04 Come Back.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of 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.

Lotus Plaza
2012-04-19
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at NYCTaper.com
Recorded by acidjack and nyctaper
Produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5c (DFC, STC22g, 8ft)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mixdown, balance, compression on SBD)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, harmonic exciter (crisp rock), hard limit)>Audacity 2.0 (set fades, tracking, additional EQ, amplify)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Untitled
02 Strangers
03 White Galactic One
04 Come Back
05 [unknown 1]
06 [unknown 2]
07 Eveningness
08 Remember Our Days
09 Jet Out of the Tundra

If you enjoyed this recording, please support Lotus Plaza by liking them on Facebook and purchasing Spooky Action at a Distance directly from Kranky [HERE].

Sleepy Sun: April 9, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 20, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

The San Francisco band Sleepy Sun brought the full force of their West Coast style of pscyh rock to bear last Monday night, an ideal counterpoint to the darker, heavier style of Brooklyn’s White Hills, who preceded them on the bill (that recording [HERE]).  Playing this show at Glasslands plus a second NYC show at Mercury Lounge the following night to celebrate the release of their third full-length Spine Hits and in an obviously good mood, the band came with amps cranked and ready to rock n’ roll.  From the first notes of the show opener, the chugging “Martyr’s Mantra” Sleepy Sun concocted a dialed-in wall of sound that shook the club to its foundations. Fortunately, the band also knows when to slow things down; tempo changes like “Siouxsie Blaqq” and “Sandstorm Woman” show off a different side of the band and give the band’s songwriting a chance to shine.

Sleepy Sun are easily lumped into the ever-broadening “psych rock” category (I think if you’re on ATP Recordings, like they are, it’s almost a given) on the basis of their love of effects pedals and obvious stylistic nods to the late 60s/early 70s San Francisco sound. But live, it’s hard to miss a more mainstream reference – the mighty Led Zeppelin. Drummer Brian Tice is ferocious on the kit, and his playing gives the swirling guitars a backbone of pure power, such as on “Stivey Pond” and “She Rex”. This band also clearly believes in rocking as a concept; frontman Bret Constantino is an intense frontman (so intense that he nearly destroyed one of the club’s high quality monitors in the process!) and he and his bandmates are the kind of band that could easily command a much bigger room. They’re also much more focused on strong songwriting and pop hooks than some of their contemporaries; Spine Hits could easily be an FM radio favorite, if rock radio still existed, and I’m sure it’ll be in rotation on the appropriate SiriusXM/streaming channels, as it’s one of the band’s best albums to date.  Here’s to hoping we see them in New York again soon… at this year’s ATP NY, perhaps?

I recorded this set with an excellent soundboard feed from the Glasslands head FOH Josh, plus Schoeps MK22 microphones and a very warm Aerco preamp that captured the sound perfectly. Enjoy!

Thanks as always to the Glasslands team and PopGun Booking for their hospitality.

Stream “Martyr’s Mantra”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S0049SleepySun2201/01 Martyr’s Mantra.mp3]

Stream “Siouxsie Blaqq”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S0049SleepySun2201/06 Siouxsie Blaqq.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.

Sleepy Sun
2012-04-09
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK22>CMC6>Aerco MP-2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (effects, mixdown, EQ)>Audacity (tracking, set fades, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Martyr’s Mantra
02 Stivey Pond
03 Wild Machines
04 V.O.G.
05 She Rex
06 Siouxsie Blaqq
07 Creature
08 Boat Trip
09 Pigs On L
10 Sandstorm Woman

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Sleepy Sun, visit their website, and purchase Spine Hits and their other official releases from their online store [HERE]

White Hills: April 9, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs [Plus Northside Festival Announcement]

April 18, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

It is a distinct pleasure to finally present a recording of the stellar Brooklyn heavy psych rock act White Hills. We have been following the Hills for a few years now, and have recorded them a few times, but in the past things never quite worked out. This show at Glasslands – also filmed for future release by the professional video production team PanopticonNYC – exceeded everyone’s expectations.

White Hills are a prolific band – so much so that even though I’ve seen them in each of the past four years, they’ve never been promoting the same album twice. The last time I saw them, they were touring behind H-p1, a 72-minute opus of deep psychedelic riffage. Their new record, Frying On this Rock, mostly continues H-p1’s traditions, and like that record, its improvisation-baiting material is best experienced in the live setting, where frontman Dave W. and bassist Ego Sensation never hold back. This show was a veritable tour of the band’s last several records, kicking off with “Oceans of Sound” from their 2009 Thrill Jockey debut, Heads On Fire, and jamming straight into the monster “Three Quarters” off of the eponymous White Hills, arguably their best record to date. True to form, the set gave Dave and Ego Sensation plenty of room to delve into their deepest space rock, including the new number “Pads of Light” and this night’s take on another classic from White Hills, the set closer “Dead”.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed provided by the head Glasslands FOH Josh, and Schoeps MK22 microphones to capture the full force of the band.  The recording is excellent and we are pleased to finally have White Hills on the site!

White Hills will be co-headlining our 2012 Northside Festival showcase on Thursday, June 14 at 285 Kent.  Also on the bill will be NYCTaper favorites and co-headliners Pontiak along with Thrill Jockey bandmates Rhyton and one of our favorite new Brooklyn bands, EULA.

Stream “Pads of Light”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/W0049WhiteHills2012/03 Pads of Light.mp3]

Stream “Dead”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/W0049WhiteHills2012/08 Dead.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.

White Hills
2012-04-09
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK22 (DFC, PAS, 7.5ft)>CMC6 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, tube warmth, boost and hard limit)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, slight additional EQ)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Oceans of Sound>
02 Three Quarters
03 Pads of Light>
04 Radiate
05 You Dream You See
06 I Write A Thousand Letters (Pulp On Bone)
07 Condition of Nothing
08 Dead

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT White Hills, like them on Facebook, and purchase their records including Frying On This Rock directly from Thrill Jockey [HERE]

Yellow Ostrich: April 12, 2012 Mercury Lounge – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 16, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Yellow Ostrich was the first band I saw last year, at this same venue (Mercury Lounge). Back then, the band consisted of creative mastermind and frontman Alex Schaaf and drummer Michael Tapper, working hard to produce an on-stage re-recreation of the simple magic of the band’s then-current release, The Mistress. That record was one of those indie gems you might miss if you didn’t pay attention to the CMJ showcase circuit and the right blogs; it was a lo-fi, low-profile recording offered on Schaaf’s bandcamp page for free, and it was as simple and unadorned as a record could get. That sold-out show found Schaaf still finding his footing creatively and and as a performer; he was still a bit raw, but already compelling.

Much has changed since then.

The Mistress and its stellar reviews attracted wider notice, as good records tend to, and Schaaf signed to the Northwest imprint Barsuk Records, who obligingly remastered and re-released The Mistress, along with bankrolling the band’s new release of last month, Strange Land. Since that Mercury Lounge show last January, Schaaf has performed around the country in front of hundreds of audiences, and the band has added a critical third member, Jon Natchez, who has played with Beirut, Camera Obscura, Okkervil River, and The Antlers. What was once your favorite little indie bedroom project has grown into a full-fledged rock band with the songs to prove it.

This sold-out Mercury Lounge show was a valedictory one for the band, coming on the heels of a U.S. tour that took them to all corners of the country, not to mention its great middle (Wisconsin is where Schaaf calls home, and they have a serious following in flyover country). Not only are the standout tracks on Strange Land like “Marathon Runner” and “I Got No Time For You” already in top form, but older tracks like the quirky “WHALE” that first drew me to the band have been reworked with more layers of sound. Schaaf’s sweet, somewhat nasal voice and quirky songcraft have always recalled, for me, innovators like John Darnielle and Jeff Mangum. Schaaf, like Darnielle, has found a way to embrace a full-bodied, at-times-lush rock sound without losing the qualities of his music that make it unique. It’s appropriate, then, that he closed the set with one of the simplest and most plaintive tracks off of The Mistress, “Mary”. Even with all his new musical toys, Schaaf can be a pretty damn compelling performer without them.

I recorded this set in the same manner as I recorded Yellow Ostrich last year, with Schoeps MK41 microphones and a perfect soundboard feed from the Mercury Lounge head FOH. The sound quality, as with the last recording, is outstanding.  Enjoy!

Check out Yellow Ostrich on tour this summer with Los Campesinos! and at several festivals (including Lollapalooza).  Their next NYC dates are June 21 at Maxwell’s, June 22 at Le Poisson Rouge and June 23 at Brooklyn Bowl, each with Los Campesinos!  Thanks to the band for their support of NYCTaper.

Stream “Marathon Runner”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/Y1400YellowOstrich2110/09 Marathon Runner.mp3]

Stream “Heaven [The Talking Heads]”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/Y1400YellowOstrich2110/13 Heaven.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of 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.

Yellow Ostrich
2012-04-12
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK41 (ROC, PAS, 8ft)>CMC6>Aerco MP-2>>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (patch 25sec of one channel)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5(mixdown, EQ)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks
01 WHALE
02 Up in the Mountains
03 I Got No Time For You
04 Hold On
05 Daughter
06 Campaign
07 Wear Suits
08 [banter]
09 Marathon Runner
10 Elephant King
11 The Shakedown
12 [encore break]
13 Heaven [Talking Heads]
14 Mary

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Yellow Ostrich, visit their website, see them on tour with Los Campesinos! and at the other festivals they’re playing this summer, and purchase Strange Land and The Mistress directly from Barsuk [HERE].

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