The Loon swings into full blast on the ironically named Just Drums with a swinging guitar riff, driving drums, and stylishly EQed anthem vocals. This energy never wanes throughout the album. All the songs are strong, and flow thoughtfully into each other. Tapes 'n Tapes never fails to bring maximum energy, and this is especially evident at their live shows.

The songs are melodic, hard-driving, and not a single note is wasted in the delicate yet aggressive balance between keys, guitar, bass, and drums. The musicianship is strong all the way around, but the drummer shines especially, with his virtuosic yet nonchalant style. The guitar and drums take turns defining and then bending around each song's rhythm.

The album weaves together indie rock, early 90s hard rock, post-ska, and a little bit of alt-country (Insistor), but this is not a band you can simply define in terms of other bands or other sounds. They build a sound that is all their own. The very last song, Jakov's Suite, is a melancholy anthem taking the album out with everything it has to offer: driving energy, intensely contrasting guitar tones, surprisingly musically mature chord changes and song structure, all culminating in the sad and soaring moan: "You don't move, you don't move, when you don't move, you don't move away!"

Round about 2005, 2006 Tapes N Tapes was on the keyboards of internet musical bloggers everywhere and their album "Loon" is what folks were raving on about. Was it worth it? Has it stood up to the test of 3 odd years? Listening to it now, I'd have to say there's plenty of good music to be had behind the buzz. It's all very Modest Mouse-ish and zany shout alongs with tight jumping almost nervous music to move it along.

The highlights, of which there are a few, for me is this little track 3 number, "The Insistor." Lead singer Josh Grier and backing band vocals intone, "And when you rush I'll call your name like Harvard Square holds all inane and don't you know I'll be your badger and don't be terse and don't be shy. Just hug my lips and say good lies and know that I will be your bail bond. Mickey the ol' lithper said hey there hey mister my cold razor's edge will meet you in the light. When you go and you're on stage Is your heart still filled with rage?" I'm the guy that pays attention to lyrics and how they are written. I really like the "Harvard Square hold all inane," and the oh so funny, "Mickey the ol' lithper," 'cuz you know, he's got a lisp and then the Tapes are singing it with a lisp. Good humor in a great song. For some reason the Violent Femmes comes to mind listening to this song.

And then there's the deceptively initially quiet and brooding "10 dollar ascots," track 8. It starts with a simple slow bass line and then layers a simple unfuzzed guitar lilting along on the top of it. Snares and top hat kick in for a bouncing jazzy number. The singing starts smokey lounge smooth, "Ten gallon ascots and booze on your shirt I'll come to dinner and fight off the flirts. I know I know of wash away weekends they leave me cold so cold so cold..." and with that you are suckered in to thinking oh another slow slightly boring atmospheric song. And then the big reveal, the big fuzzed out guitars start getting all chunky on you and then we have Pixies like angry screaming, "Your hats they long of range they've sung file out at night

shock steers with fright the show the drone the talk the call the need the snow I'll show you home." And you check your MP3 to see if Frank Black isn't making a guest appearance but nope, its the Tapes. If I was Canadian, I'd be asking, "What's that aboot?," but I'm not so I just say, very nicely done Tapes N Tapes.

And maybe there's the most likely radio/download hit, the bouncy guitar chop of track 1, "Just Drums." Here we get some nervous edgy jangly high vocals in the stanzas mixed in with some type of radio static like spoken voiceovers. Interesting little song. And then Tapes N Tapes cuts it down to the simple guitar drums repetitive axe chop single note hardness. Along the way there's a drum solo fill that gives away to an understated bassline. And just as they've deconstructed the song, it builds back up to a nice crazy crescendo. "Come to me in metaphor. We've met before and I was all in spades.) Reeling in fog. Kneeling in fog. Reeling in fog. I've been really better under lock." So very interesting.

This will be a band to keep your ears open for for some time to come. Great album and they are just getting started. --mmw

i think this band is actually quite good. they dont have any sort of new sound per say, but i dont necessarily need something so new every single day. alot of things get tossed around these days, what with all the hype machines running, the blogospheres making music headlines, and pitchforks indie mega kingdom, s**t, the internet just made everything in the world readily available. so things move fast. and music is at the forefront, right behind the great technological beasts of our generation.

this album, is rock. it has some influences. we all do. if you started a band you would too. but what we do with those influences is more important than the mundane fact that we all have them. influences, that is....and the tapes n tapes might like the pixies, even. barely a better band on earth that ever existed, so i say props to tapes n tapes for diggin the pixies. but they dont souund redundant or anything. or derivative. (thats a favorite word for all you critics out there) they have good somegwriting skills. they throw a few styles together to make a good well rounded album.

a quick synopsis if you may...

"just drums" which is anything but just drums. the off kilter beat definitely drives the band through the most likely pixies reference on the album. nice jerky rhythms and a funky hoe down style chorus. the singers spoken-sung lyrics are good an used well. the break towards the end of the song is total classic rock build up. 10/10

"the illiad" a quirky song with a simple riff and some great vocals. it s short one. 8/10

"insistor" more great vocals, a little black francis styled, and more of the hoe-down guitar style. maybe if the pixies played at a rodeo. this is another pixies moment. 9/10

"crazy eights" instrumental that sounds like a western bar room gone surfing with trippy indie breakdown. not the best song on the album, but it has some redeeming qualities. the breakdown saves it. 7/10

"in houston" has a waltzy sort of swagger with some vibraphones and a little feedback build at the end. this song is quuite nice and has grown on me quite a bit. 9/10

"manitoba" is a sleepier affair, with twinkling guitars leading into another little build up at the end. 8/10

"cowbells" this is one of the great songs off the album. more black francis similarities can be made on the vocalist at the beginning, but by the time the chorus comes in with the kick drum and that choppy rhythm all the comparisons are off. the song takes a little punk sorta bridge before repeating the formula. the chorus is great. 10/10

"10 gallon ascots" this is mostly a slow song. its got a very strong pavement american-roots rock feel to it, a slightly annoying bridge and it all leads up to a cacaphonous end which wraps it up pretty nicely to save the day. 7/10

"omaha" this may be the best song on the album. its slow but has a great lurching military drum over a barely plucked guitar and some light strumming. awesome vocals and a great slow build that ebbs before it ever gets predictable. 10/10

"buckle" a synthesis of a rootsy american hoe down mixed with some post punk indie styling. i did not like this song at first but i now consider it essential to the album and also one of the better songs. it has a good solid melody and a catchy chorus 8/10

"jakov's suite" another highlight of the album. it starts of with a fugazi hook and builds like that for a few minutes at high energy, adding a little piano to leaven the rhythm a little then buzzing into a near frenzy before a little bridge that drops you off right in the middle of a heavy blues dirge that might almost be black sabbath and then quickly turns into a lazy loping indie rock track with a confident buzzing two guitar build up to the end. 10/10

that comes out to a 8.7, that technically equals at least 4 1/2 stars. it is a varied indie rock album with definite touchstones to the pixies and pavement but with a little more americana thrown in which could be because of their midwestern origins. the singers voice can be derivative but generally is its own thing, and when you can be comapred to frank black, well, that seems like a good thing to me....this album has grown on me over time and after seeing them live i have become quite obsessed. they are easily one of the best rock bands going around today and the album is a "must-hear" and certainly a band to see live...

Anthemic and cavernous guitar rock from the uber-indie Tapes 'n' Tapes. Nothing terribly original, here. Heavily informed by the likes of British Sea Power, the Arcade Fire, Spoon, the Walkmen, Interpol, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Tapes 'n' Tapes craft tastefully angular and unobtrusively moody toe tapping tunes that are equal parts melodic and energetic. Kind of generic and more than a little derivative, the Loon is nevertheless a decently listenable record, and sure to make every indie kid jump for joy.

For what it's worth, I hated it.

Tapes 'n Tapes have been around for some time now. They've made several singles and have finally got to getting their full-length release. Following several band member changes the group has taken a turn. But not for the worse.

The Loon is chalk-full of suprises and unpredictability. It's this loss of footing that makes it what people got all excited about the group in the first place. Although some may regard this multi-faced-ness with crap, others may differ. "10 Gallon Ascots" stands out as proving this example. For a more easier, less bumpy ride, "Crazy Nights."

As a whole the album poses itself as step in an innovative and slightly candid manner.