Tapes 'n Tapes: The Loon : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Tapes 'n Tapes are four Minneapolis boys making noise in the cracked, tuneful tradition of Pavement, the Pixies and hundreds of unheard basement bashers. The difference is that they know how to stay in the pocket. Their debut, The Loon, holds together thanks to its tight, jumpy grooves, even as it moves sideways and forward at the same time, laying catchy, off-the-cuff melodies over guitar blurts and shadowy near-jazz patter. Tapes 'n Tapes can do straight-ahead folk rock ("Buckle"), but they're at their best when they mix oblique touches with tiny thrills: "10 Gallon Ascots" underpins frontman Josh Grier's agitated barks about "night shock steers" and "booze on your shirt" with a druggy, meandering rhythm before it coheres into a commanding chorus. "Insistor" sets Grier's pained murmuring over a speedy country two-step beat that threatens to run out of control, but never does. By the time Tapes 'n Tapes drop the gorgeous, shimmering slow-burner "Manitoba," it's clear The Loon is a rare thing: an indie-rock record that's as lovable as it is bewildering.