“Jam” is never a dirty word in Boulder, but Tapes ‘n Tapes made it even less dirty for indie rockers on Saturday at the Fox. Photos by .
As I scanned over my notes to write this review, I noticed the words “jam out” had been scribbled on my pad of paper seven times. Generally, this would allude to nothing less than a crappy show. The word “jam” is reserved for over-indulgent, boring, drugged and dragged-out unnecessary guitar solos and things of a tasteless musical nature. But when it came to the show in Boulder on Saturday night, jamming out was a good thing. An awesome thing, in fact.
Opening with “Just Drums,” the sheer technical skill and power of drummer Jeremy Hanson was immediately apparent. Watching Hanson behind his kit was like watching a mad scientist at work, elbows and hands flying up at a furious pace as he created multiple levels of beats within each song. He peeked out over his drum set in thick-framed glasses that swallowed his meek figure, a stark contrast to the speed and force of his instrument.
Like much of Tapes’ recorded work, songs like “Headshock” sounded completely different live, the band working away at the formation of a powerful wall of sound, only to be cut through by guitarist/vocalist Josh Grier’s beautiful howl and bassist Matt Kretzmann’s helpful yelp. With most songs clocking in under four minutes, Tapes utilized their time wisely, building strong melodies and uneven tempos with a quick ease.
Songs like “In Houston” and “Le Ruse” brought each instrument to the front, the irregular time of Hanson’s style coming through to fight Grier’s voice for the spotlight. “Insistor” was delivered in Grier’s impressive and undeterminable fashion, pangs of a country twang sneaking into his haunting croon as the song built itself into one of the most epic tunes of the night.
Keyboardist Erik Appelwick’s graceful and eerie synth parts were finally visible as “Jakov’s Suite” came to a close, icing the ending verses with ghostly residual chimes. Unfortunately, Appelwick was barely audible throughout most of the show, and I kept hoping someone would notice and bring him louder in the mix.
Tapes ended with the punchy “Hang Them All,” and the hour-plus long set felt almost too short. But Tapes ‘n Tapes ending a near-perfect set in such good time was a smart move on their part, and no encore was needed.
Although itap quite early in the year to make such a statement, I will say that Tapes ‘n Tapes’ performance may be one of the best shows of 2009. The band was in great form, transcending their recordings to create an atmosphere thick with emotion, not to mention being a band whose members looked genuinely excited to be playing to their audience.
Jam-outs may always be welcome in Boulder, but Tapes ‘n Tapes’ brand of indulgence is the only kind I will obligingly endure.
Bree Davies plays bass in , writes about her obsessions with Iggy Pop and Lil’ Wayne in , and repeatedly fakes her own death at . She is also a self-proclaimed addict.
is a Denver photographer and a regular contributor to Reverb.
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