Tapes N Tapes - Walk It Off, Album Review

Tapes 'n Tapes
Walk It Off
Rough Trade
Album Review

Tapes 'n Tapes became instant US indie darlings with their debut The Loon, a spectacularly off-beat amalgam of rock's take on folk. The follow-up finds the band with a fuzzbox and a Deep Purple vibe on top of their still left-leaning eclectic taste. In so doing, they notch up the interest levels significantly. Talking Heads never made a disc so interesting, so multi-layered, so full of life. Tapes 'n Tapes seemingly start with no preset idea of what makes a song, but then find themselves surrounded by instantly-addictive hooks.

If this were their first, they could find themselves lumped in with British Sea Power, or even Arcade Fire at a push, but there is more melody than either. The fantastic thrash throughout is early-REM/ Only Ones compelling, but when it comes down the band pull off a trick they managed only occasionally on the debut - the slow songs are full of interest too, and aren't just a counterpoint to the faster material. Genuinely intelligent and enjoyable, Tapes 'n Tapes deserve a massive stage.

Rating 9/10

Mike Rea

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