Walk It Off

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Sprinkled with promise
The kind of indie rock that almost consistently misses the mark, but misses it in a slight and steady way which ask for revisiting. Some of the tracks on here sound like a more accessible Radiohead, others beg comparisons to some of the more critically acclaimed bands like this in the past five years. There is enough catchy edginess and formula deviance for intrigue, though noisy production only ends up accentuating many of these titles that start strong but finish weak in a compositional sense.

Tapes 'n Tapes - Walk It Off
Tapes `n Tapes were one of the first bands, along with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, to be lifted out of obscurity to critical acclaim and indie fame by influential blogs such as Pitchfork Media, a trend that has only increased with the advent of such ultra-hyped bands like Vampire Weekend. Such hype has led to the accusation that bands like Tapes `n Tapes lack the kind of talent to maintain any sort of long-term career: Walk It Off tries desperately to dispel that notion, but only halfway succeeds. The songs on this latest record are more easily categorized under indie rock than the grab bag of styles that marked 2006's The Loon, and while this increased focus benefits the overall flow of the album, some of the songs tend to sound too similar. The funky guitar line and fixed bass on "Hang Them All" imparts a sense of urgency that characterizes Walk It Off, as if the band is desperately trying to tell someone that they matter. Singer Josh Grier's warbly vocals will either be a turn off or a pleasure depending on the listener, although on songs such as "Headshock" they make the song. Aside from the middle of the record, which is highlighted by the tango-ish tune "Conquest" and the relaxed vibe of "Say Back Something," most of Walk It Off suffers from the Strokes Syndrome, or sounding remarkably the same throughout much of the record, that has afflicted too many guitar-rock bands in recent memory.

A bit too tight, but still fun if you like T&T
The sophomore effort by this Minneapolis based 4-piece starts off full speed ahead with a rolling percussive guitar line barely eclipsed by the sound of the vocals, which act as more of an instrument on `Le Ruse'. The foot stomping emo rock doesn't stop as you make your way into the deeper cuts. On `Demon Apple' Josh Greir's warbled vocals mixed with a loose drum beat and a tracking guitar line almost make the barely audible computer generated tones which lay at the foundation seem out of place. Yet other tracks find the vocals sharpened and staccato in a style reminiscent of much of the material from The Loon. The punkish guitars on `Hang Them All' invoke a rawk feel that fits nicely with the lyrical content such as the 4X "And heads / Will roll". They give this song time to develop and do a good job of blending the rolling drumline with a slow and steady bass line, trailblazed by some of the stronger vocals found on this album. If you crack the case looking for a "Loon 2" start with this song. Album highlights are `Time of Songs' with its punchy emo-bass line and drummer boy rat-tat-tat. Also, `Anvil' with its synthetic foundation and eerie guitars you'd think you were watching A.I. or Solaris. The latter is not widely regarded, but I found it a refreshing departure from the other straight down the middle Tapes `N Tapes material on `Walk It Off'. Overall, you gotta give it to these boys, they know how to stick to a mood. Unfortunately, only a minority of the tracks develop past puberty. But if you like your music steady and consistent, you'll like this mellow rocker from T&T. My impression is that they have focused their vision a bit too much, and lost some of that random quirkiness that made The Loon so appealing when we first heard it. -thanks for reading!-

Is it too late to go back?
TnT's last album, the Loon was everything that was great about indie rock. Song features such as ridiculously heavy bass riffs, poetic lyrics that only made sense within the context of the composition, songs that seemed to have no time barriers, and structural changes that came from nowhere yet fit in beautifully within the song and album's scope. Very few albums could offer such musical variety, pull it off so well, and at the same time, show you every obvious influence they have (Modest Mouse, Pavement, Spoon, the Pixies, etc) without ripping off any of them. I write this music review, something I have never done before, because Walk it Off is not the Loon. It's a disappointment, especially after discovering, listening, propagandizing, and cherishing the Loon in the past. The Loon, catapulted Tapes n Tapes to favorite band status. Maybe producer Fridman is to blame. He has produced many of my favorite albums in the past, from Luna to the Lips, but here he has seemed to restricted TnT. This album is too safe, comprised of typical rock songs, with typical structures, and typical lengths. Maybe radio play was in mind here. With the Loon's "Wow, what was that? I never saw that coming, what could they possibly do next?" attitude now removed from the band's repertoire. There are some serviceable tracks here, better than 90% of the garbage out there; "Le Ruse" kicks off the album, loud, distorted and in your face, giving you hope on first listen that the album to come is gonna be good...but it fizzles from here, especially in the center. "Time of Songs" is an endearing number, "Hang the All" sounds like if it was on the Loon, it would have been so much bigger. "Headshock" has a similar feel, good, but could have been so much more with a different producer, or maybe no producer?!?! It's frustrating, so many of these songs, "Demon Apple," or "George Michael," the "Dirty Dirty" are TnT songs, but restricted by someone or something, and never come to fruition for whatever reason. "Conquest" and "Anvil" are yawners in the group. Leaving me to discuss the "Lines," a song that is as close to the Loon as it gets. It's almost 3 songs in one mechanically, and probably features the best vocals. Vocalist Grier bends his voice like a guitar, and when it comes together, this number conveys the chaos I crave as a listener, returning to the interplay between beauty and complexity that was featured in their debut. Walk it off leaves the experienced TnT fan asking, "when will the third album be out?" They can turn this around.

I was late to the party
I'm not a hipster. Indie rock is becoming the next big cliche in my humble opinion (think:alternative, early 1990's) With that said , I did not listen to The Loon,(yet!) although hipper friends than me tried to turn me on to it. I do know this- Walk it Off is one of the strongest and most exciting records I have heard in some time. The first track burst through my car speakers and I was instantly hooked. I knew that I had something here beyond the endless piles of the "next new band" that seem to come and go on an almost weekly basis. There are a number of great tracks although for me Say Back Something, The Ruse ,and Headshock are standouts. I have not seen many comments on this but the drum work is out of this world, driving and timely without overpowering. To sum it up, if you like the idea of the Pixies making a love child with The Arcade Fire while David Bowie peeks in the window then you are weird. And you will probably like this record.