Posts Tagged ‘ soft black ’

Caged Animals: December 11, 2013 Union Pool – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

January 5, 2014
By

NYCTaper-5639
[Video stills courtesy of Bleary Eyed Brooklyn]

We have followed Vincent Cacchione, the frontman and principal songwriter behind Caged Animals, for a few years now, beginning with his more straight-ahead rock n’ roll project, Soft Black. While Caged Animals is a different beast than that band we first saw back in the summer of 2010, what hasn’t changed are Cacchione’s songwriting instincts. The man can write hooks as well as anybody in Brooklyn, and his flair for that, coupled with his knack for inventive arrangements, makes any of his music something we want to see.

This show at Union Pool celebrated the release of the band’s second full-length LP, In the Land of Giants, a concept album that strikes an uplifting note compared to Cacchione’s Soft Black material. As he puts it on the leadoff track, “Too Much Dark”, there’s too much dark, and not enough light, but on this record, Cacchione helps lead us to it. The band played the album straight through in front of a tight-knit group of family, friends and longtime friends, and it showed in their relaxed, confident presence. My personal highlight was “Cindy + Me”, an uptempo number built around a sample from composer, pianist and technologist Raymond Scott. The song offered an emotional high point for a year rapidly drawing to a close and, it being a Cacchione joint, it was catchy as hell. The band will be in Europe and the UK this month and next — tour dates here. If you make it, you’ll be sure to leave with a smile on your face.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed from Union Pool engineer Robert, plus Schoeps MK4V microphones providing ambiance. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Watch for video of this set on Bleary Eyed Brooklyn soon.

Stream “Cindy + Me”

Download the complete show [MP3] | [FLAC]

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.

NYCTaper-5644

Caged Animals
2013-12-11
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Soundboard (engineer: Robert) + Schoeps MK4V (PAS)>KCY>Z-PFA>Roland R-26>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mix down, edits to SBD)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.5 (fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Too Much Dark
03 [false start]
04 Stop Hurting Each Other
05 Cindy + Me
06 The Sound of Thunder
07 U + Yr Rocketship
08 The Mute + The Mindreader
09 Tiny Sounds
10 We’re Playing With Fire
11 A Psychic Lasso
12 In the Land of Giants
13 (You’re A Giant Now)
14 What You’re Looking For

If you enjoyed this recording, please support Caged Animals, visit their website, and buy In the Land of Giants directly from the band at their bandcamp page.

Caged Animals: March 30, 2012 Union Pool – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 11, 2012
By


[photos by Johnny Fried Chicken Boy]

We have been big fans of Vincent Cacchione’s music ever since I saw an incredible backyard performance by Vince’s other main project, Soft Black, back in 2010. While Soft Black continues to move forward with mastering a new record, Cacchione has delivered another record with Caged Animals. Where Soft Black is classic, organic rock n’ roll with a post-punk twist and a gloomy outlook, Caged Animals is a more au courant style of act, all heavy synths and reverbed vocals, taking cues from electronica and the “PBR&B” style of bands like The Weeknd. Perhaps it’s not surprising that Caged Animals were asked to put out their second record, Eat Their Own, on Lucky Number Music. It’s the type of project that needs to be on shelves, now.

The live version of Caged Animals, on excellent display at the Kevchino/NYCTaper-sponsored show at Union Pool on a Friday night, was a bit more organic affair than the band’s record, and I’ll admit that I’m cool with that.  Cacchione has a memorable voice, and it was a pleasure to hear it raw on songs like “Lips That Turn the Light to Fire”, one of the more Soft Black-ish songs from Caged Animals. Newer-style songs like “The NJ Turnpike” and “Instant <3 Breaker” also worked well, though.  Another of my personal favorite Cacchione songs (not played on this night) is Caged Animals’ “Teflon Heart”. This particular set ended abruptly thanks to Union Pool’s curfew, but the band still had enough time for a rocking closer, “Pink People”, from their self-titled debut.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK22 open-cardioid microphones and a nicely balanced soundboard feed from the Union Pool staff.  The quality is superb.  Enjoy!

Stream “Lips That Turn the Light To Fire”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/C3030CagedAnimals0212/07 Lips That Turn the Light to Fire.mp3]

Stream “The NJ Turnpike”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/C3030CagedAnimals0212/02 The NJ Turnpike.mp3]

Direct download of the 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.

Caged Animals
2012-03-30
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK22 (STC 22g, DFC, at SBD)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>Audacity 2.0 (mixdown, downsample, set fades, adjust levels, light EQ, tracking)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Instant <3 Breaker
02 The NJ Turnpike
03 Eat Your Own
04 Teenagers In Heat
05 All the Beautiful Things in the World
06 Sun Blind
07 Lips That Turn the Light To Fire
08 Pink People

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Caged Animals, visit their Facebook page, and purchase their records from Lucky Number Music [HERE]

Soft Black: January 21, 2011 Brooklyn Bowl – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

February 27, 2011
By


[Photo courtesy of Kevin Serra for Kevchino]

Our previous experiences with Soft Black had been more intimate experiences than this show at the massive Brooklyn Bowl – first there was the Gaza Benefit Show this summer, followed by their short but outstanding set at the NYCTaper Unoffiicial CMJ Show in October. As the band gets ready to release their new album The Witching Hour – the product of two full years of songwriting and playing – this set opening for Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers (also recorded) gave frontman Vincent Cacchione and the band a chance to show off their new songs in front of a wider audience. Cacchione’s songs carried perfectly in the larger setting – with vocals that remind me a bit of a punk Dylan with better elocution, Soft Black songs are the kind that stick in your head immediately. Kicking off the set with the haunting “I’m Not Afraid Of You” from The Witching Hour, this ten-song set gave us rocking renditions of older songs like “The Lions” as well as song we had not heard before like “The Man With the Midas Tongue”. The band is putting the finishing touches on The Witching Hour before officially releasing it to the wider world, and the record is sure to prove worth the wait.

We recorded this set in the same manner as the Shilpa Ray recording, balancing the recording heavily toward the soundboard feed to minimize the bowling and other crowd noise. The result is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Heaven Is A Place You Go”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/S0087SoftBlack2010/13 Heaven Is A Place You Go.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Soft Black
2011-01-21
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > Audacity (tracking, tagging)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Recorded by nyctaper and produced by nyctaper and acidjack
2011-02-25

Tracks [Total Time 35:03]
01 Intro
02 I’m Not Afraid of You
03 The Man With the Midas Tongue
04 The Earth is Black
05 The Flesh of the Sky
06 I Am An Animal
07 The Girl Who Ate Her Own Heart
08 banter
09 The Lions
10 [unknown]
11 banter
12 I Was Born Drenched In Mud
13 Heaven Is A Place You Go

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Soft Black, visit their website, and purchase their records and merchandise directly from their online store here.

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