Freak Out – Tapes ‘n Tapes (Free Download / Buy)
After a long two year hiatus, Tapes ‘n Tapes (@tapesntapes) returned to a New York stage this past Friday. While their set was packed with energy, nothing could help the fact that the mix in the room was utterly terrible. Unfortunately, their drowned out vocals and thundering bass filled a sold out Music Hall of Williamsburg, souring what could have been an incredibly memorable evening. The Minnesota rock band, led by Josh Grier (aka Tapes 1), played a solid mix of old and new material, yet neither could capture the magic of their studio recordings.
The sound problem was a non-factor during opening sets from New York’s Xylos and Oberhofer. Xylos (@xylosmusic) opened up the night with their spunky indie pop tunes which were well received by the half-filled room. The band impressed with their polished melodies and smooth vocals, a polar opposite set that I saw from them at Rock Shop this past summer. While I’m not sure they fit Friday’s bill stylistically, they proved to be a very pleasant surprise. You can see them at Cameo Gallery, a far smaller venue, just next Friday.
The real treat of the evening was Oberhofer’s (@oberhofermusic) set. The young New York quartet never ceases to amaze me, but seeing them take the MHOW stage with a seemingly newfound confidence sold me on whatever they have in store this spring with their debut LP. This is a band that’s bound to blow up in a huge way, and I feel fortunate to have have caught them before the madness of popularity turns their shows into a fiasco. Brad Oberhofer was his usual self this past Friday, completely engulfed in the music, making the girls in the front row swoon.
I wish I had more nice things to say about Tapes ‘n Tapes, but it seems that I’ll have to catch them another time. As for Oberhofer and Xylos; they’re both on my list of great New York bands to keep seeing live.
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Xylos
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Oberhofer
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Tapes ‘n Tapes
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