So once again, a band name got the best of me. There’s no denying that “Tapes ‘n Tapes” is an awesome band name. I think it’s the symmetry or something. I don’t know. Anyway.
It’s unfortunate that The Loon couldn’t be as awesome as the collective name of its creators. The album is shaky from the start, as Tapes struggles to find its true musical identity throughout. Sure, it can be great when bands alter their sound a bit throughout an album, but only if you can really tell that they’re the same band. The Loon sounds like a compilation album, contributed to by a bunch of different bands covering the wide spectrum of indie rock. It’s as if they can’t decide if they want to be a White Stripes or Wolf Parade tribute band, as they attempt white-boy-blues-rock and white-boy-indie-rock (I know, that’s redundant) frequently throughout the album.
The problem is, Tapes never really sounds comfortable in any of its genre attempts. The whole record comes off as forced, and although it’s not too repetitive, wears really quickly. Front man Josh Grier sounds bored and unenthusiastic on almost every song, which is something that only Julian Casablancas can pull off successfully.
There is one bright moment on The Loon, however. Insistor is the album’s one creative and original track. It’s fast paced, fun, and Grier actually sounds interested in his band for once. It was enough to give me a little faith in this band. There is a little potential hidden in this album, which was one of the group’s earliest. Maybe they just needed some time to mature together, and find their sound.
Swole Ear 
Leave a Reply