Tapes 'n Tapes
The Loon
Ibid Records

Tapes'n Tapes! Don't forget the name. The Minneapolis threesome must be one of the new-comer award nominees of the year. All three of them play xylophone! Tapes (guitar, lead vocals, farfisa, flute, xylophone), 'n (bass, keys, backing vox, euphonium, xylophone), Tapes (drums, backing vox, xylophone, bells, synths) must be one of the more interesting line-ups for some time. Not to speak of their names. And their self-released debut The Loon came as a shocking good surprise.

The record has been around for some moonths, in fact it was released half a year ago (2005). Not important. What is important is that The Loon hopefully will blow you away, as the new thing from up out of the US underground. Think Pere Ubu (the opening "Just Drums", which also - somehow makes me recall That Petrol Emotion -- haven't thought of them for years) and Pixies (the energetic "Insistor", the Pixies demo-sketch-like "Crazy Eights", and the tough vocal attitude), add some early, old-school Beck ("The Iliad"), some grains of Trans Am (the band, not the car), imagine Clap Your Hands... with balls!

"In Houston" contains the peculiar lyrics: "...In Houston, in Oslo, the the contracts, the con slow...". I wonder what that's about? "Manitoba" and "Omaha" are both swaying songs, to fly away with. "10 Gallon Ascot" starts rather slow, "Jakov's Suite" is sort of the opposite, before slowing down. Then they play around sort of laid-back, before the temperature rise, with choruses recalling the power of the Pixies. That said, and with all those names dropped -- Tapes'n Tapes have their very own style and sound. "You don't move when you don't move, you don't move away!" Not a problem for Tapes'n Tapes; they're moving up and forward all the time.

The Loon is highly recommended. Clap your hands say Tapes!

Copyright © 2006 Håvard Oppøyen