Tapes N Tapes - "Outside" Album Review

When first picking up this album I wasn't sure how I was going to review it. I didn't know if it would even be worth reviewing. The deal is Tapes N Tapes are an indie rock band and those are a dime a dozen these days. What is it about Tapes 'n Tapes that separates them from the others? Does this album carry enough creative weight to keep the listener interested? Lets look a little more closely to 'Outside'.

Tapes 'n Tapes follows the same format that many indie bands do. Soothing music that feels genuine in nature and sound. This band however shows passion were others fail. The song writing at times is intense and you won't even really be aware of it. The vocals styling which reminds me of Modest Mouse is the focal point of this band and they don't seem afraid to exploit that. They range from airy and light too deep and almost growly. That doesn't mean that this album is heavy by any stretch but just the opposite. This album features happy tunes with almost sarcastic sounding lyrics. Like they are almost a parody of what the song's music reflects. Its hard to explain, but its an interesting combo. The music reminds me fondly of the short lived band Moro's Ero's.

Nightfall is one of the more interesting songs on the album. It has a very Zorro, Tex Mex feel to it. Its slow and lumbering at first then starts to pick to steam and it keeps building until the end of the song. Its one of the more epic feeling songs on the album. That's one of the major thing about this album that I felt is unique. These songs feel epic. They feel big, larger than life like it took a ton of people to make these songs that are possible with the four people who are in the band.

Not everything about 'Outside' is good. The album tends to feel like it starts to repeat itself at times. The song 'Freak Out' starts out good and then quickly starts to annoy with its syncopated lyric singing. A good many of the songs start out very low key which makes it hard to hear if there is a song playing at all. These are minor complaints on a great record but they still should be addressed.

Tapes 'n Tapes has made a great record in 'Outside'. The intense and epic songs coupled with great vocal work really set this band apart from the indie horde.

'Outside' gets 4 camping out of 5      



Track list:
"Badaboom"
"SWM"
"One in the World"
"Nightfall"
"Desert Plane"
"Outro"
"Freak Out"
"The Saddest of All Keys"
"Hidee Ho"
"People You Know"
"On and On"
"Mighty Long"